Bergen County softball coach out to raise awareness of rare disorder
Hackensack softball coach Brian Hooper has seen first-hand what ataxia can do, and he and his team will play a game to raise awareness.
Hackensack and Paramus will sport special jerseys when they clash on the softball diamond April 16 in Hackensack to promote awareness of ataxia, a hereditary neurological disorder that impairs movement, coordination and speech. It’s a condition Comets coach Brian Hooper is unfortunately all too aware of. His beloved grandmother, “Grandma Gay,” and his father, Glenn, are battling ataxia.
“I know there are games and events out there for autism research and cancer and I think those games really help the causes,” Brian said. “Ataxia is something most people have not heard of. I want to make people aware that that it is very difficult to deal with and the more attention something like this gets, the closer we can get to helping people with it.
” The American Brain Foundation believes the condition impacts more than 150,000 people in the United States alone. Hackensack will wear custom gold jerseys with a blue ribbon (the ataxia color) and Paramus will wear grey jerseys also with a blue ribbon. Hooper is directing friends to National Ataxia Foundation website for any donations.
“It’s a neurological disorder, kind of like Parkinson’s,” Brian said. “It impacts your motor functions and balance and your speech. Eventually people have trouble eating and it can shorten your life span.