BOTHELL, Wash. — Two men who, in their separate experiences survived a traumatic brain injury, passed out free helmets to children in Bothell on Friday with the hope that their stories can make a difference.
Coby Russell had his head injury after a car struck him when he was 8 years old.
"Left in the middle of a road. Suspected DUI driver, not entirely sure," Russell said.
Russell said he was walking his bike to hang out with friends when he was hit. He had to learn how to walk again and, to this day, is dealing with memory issues.
"Pretty severe memory loss when it comes to names and dates," Russell said.
The experience led him to consider a career in law enforcement, particularly to address DUIs. Russell studied criminal justice at Washington State University and has been an officer with the Bothell Police Department for two and a half years.
On Friday, he passed out bicycle helmets for children during a cultural event at Bothell City Hall. What made his endeavor greater was who was there with him.
Russell joined by Ryker Schellings, another survivor of a serious head injury.
Schellings' story has been covered extensively by KING 5.
In 2019, Schellings suffered a traumatic brain injury after he crashed while skateboarding near Seattle's Greenlake. Since then, Schellings has made strides in his recovery.
"I want to encourage all people and every people to save your brain, and wear your helmets," Schellings said.
KING 5's coverage of Schellings' story helped generate state funding for first responders to pass out helmets, something the Bothell Police Department participated in by giving away an estimated 100 helmets to the community.
For Russell, the endeavor is as fulfilling for him as it is important.
"If you fall and you scrape your knee, your elbow, it's going to heal. But the brain, it's going to be a lot harder of a journey to go through and if we can hand out as many helmets as we can to make sure that doesn't happen to anyone, perfect," Russell said.