According to The Brain Injury Recovery Network, "Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability among children and young adults

It's been a long road to recovery for snowboard champion Kevin Pearce. Not long ago, Pearce was considered to be one of the world's top snowboarders and was headed for the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Pearce was thought to be the only true rival of Shaun White and a contender for the gold. However, his Olympic dreams were crushed on December 31, 2009 when he sustained massive head injuries while training for the Olympics qualifier in Park City, Utah.

Pearce was trying to land a double cork - a twisting double back flip maneuver that he's landed many times before - when he caught his toe-side edge and slammed face-first into the 22 foot icy half-pipe wall and was knocked unconscious. Pearce was quickly air lifted to the University of Utah Hospital, where he was put on a respirator and underwent surgery to drain the fluid that was causing pressure and swelling in his brain. Pearce remained in critical condition for nearly a month then transferred to a Colorado facility that specializes in rehabilitating brain and spinal cord injuries. He spent the next 4 months there, which he describes as "long and brutal," particularly since the type of brain trauma he sustained gave him an exaggerated sense of time.

This career ending injury was eight long months ago and Pearce has made incredible progress. While not 100% he has come a long way. He had to relearn all of the basics: walking, speaking, and living on his own. Walking was the biggest challenge but Pearce can now do it without assistance, he's a bit hesitant but is steady enough. He looks a little different now, too. His once long hair had been shaved off but has now grown out a bit. He also wears glasses. Big old coke bottle glasses. "My eyes are a little sketchy," Pearce said. "But they're better than they used to be. They used to be scary blurry. And although it's still not perfect, I think it's just a matter of time until I can see without glasses."

Recovery was not easy and Pearce's regimen is quite strict: he's in physical therapy, speech/language therapy, occupational therapy and aquatic therapy often for more than six hours a day. The hard work has paid off and he's shown great improvements in stamina, his ability to walk, and his short-term memory. Pearce's mother, Pia, says the doctors are amazed by his progress. "They told me that they really feel that Kevin's recovery is nothing short of a miracle."

Physical injuries aside, the thing that haunts Pearce the most is the ghost of the accident itself – which he can't remember. He doesn't remember the weeks leading up to the accident either, including Christmas at home with his family. Pearce says, "I have no memory from when the accident happened up to a month after it. Nothing comes back to me at all. It's so weird to go through a month of life and not have any recollection of any of it."

So, what is Pearce's future? While a full return to competition is too far off to be certain, he says his prognosis is a full year for the brain to heal, and then he hopes to snowboard again. When asked if he feels any regrets about his lost Olympic dream Pearce says, "If I was paralyzed, blind or couldn't talk, then I'd say I'd want that back. The fact that I can walk around and do everything that I was able to do before the accident - I don't want anything new. I'm so lucky to be in the shape I'm in."

Yes, he's very lucky, indeed. According to The Brain Injury Recovery Network, "Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability among children and young adults in the United States. Each year, 1.5 million Americans sustain a TBI. That's more than 8 times the number of people diagnosed with breast cancer and 34 times the number of new cases of HIV/AIDS. As a consequence: 50,000 people die, 230,000 people are hospitalized, and up to 90,000 people suffer long-term disability each year. The cumulative result is that an estimated 5.3 million people are living with a permanent TBI disability."

Sadly, there is no cure for a brain injury. Recovery relies on the brain's plasticity, luck, and the sheer determination of the patient and their rehabilitation team. Medical treatments and procedures do continue to improve and doctors have been able to increase the survival rates for brain injury survivors. Research always continues and there are a few new drugs and procedures that are aimed at limiting the secondary damage caused by brain swelling that may exacerbate the initial injury. Unfortunately, these drugs and procedures must be implemented almost immediately to avoid brain cell death. For a longer-term outlook, stem cells may hold some promise for repairing areas of brain damage. Yet, even with all the advances, little is known about the brain, and its complexities.

Oh yeah, Kevin Pearce was wearing a helmet. That is the only reason he's alive today.

Stacy Matson is a health enthusiast from Southern California and regularly blogs on Celebrity Health for A Healthier World, as well as contributing to the Best of the Best.