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Mark Desmond

Mark Desmond

Founder and Director of High Hopes Head Injury Program, a nonprofit in Tustin, CA dedicated to brain injury rehabilitation and recovery.

Aug 5, 2026

3:45
Okay.
3:45
I coached swimming, and I was told, "Don't tell anybody how old I was" when I started teaching.
3:50
And like the, a good coach, uh, my teams were really great because they also worked for me, and I had them all doing swimming lessons and lifeguarding and such.
4:00
And this group came to use the pool, people that were brain injured, with their family members, and I, uh, couldn't find any one of my swimmers to be lifeguards.
4:09
So I took the group, I was sponsored by the city at the time, and kind of liked the group.
4:14
And then one boy started walking by the name of Ron Utterback, who wasn't supposed to walk.
4:20
And the Today Show came out and did a segment for Dr. R. Eugene here in LA, and then it was broadcast nationally.
8:05
How do you help those that are so down and so discouraged? How do you build them up so they can see that there is actually hope?

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