KNOXVILLE, TENN. Despite brain injury, Cannon still bowls

With the use of a cane, Bert Cannon competed in the ABC Tournament.
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Bert Cannon, 28, isn't able to drive an automobile, play softball or walk without the use of cane.
However, he can bowl.
Although Cannon admits that his bowling average isn't what it used to be, that didn't deter him from competing in the American Bowling Congress 100th Championships Tournament.
Five years ago, when Cannon first heard Knoxville was going to host the ABC tournament, he knew he wanted to participate. Cannon began bowling in leagues when he was a child .
At the time Cannon set his goal to bowl in the ABC, he had no idea how hard he eventually would have to work to attain it.
August 8, 2002, began like most any other weekday for Cannon. He got into his truck and set of for work.
Accident
A short while later Cannon's truck went between a concrete construction barrier, up over a pile of dirt and plunged into 20 feet of Little River. He has no recollection of the accident.
Cannon was taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Hospital. It didn't appear he suffered any major physical injuries, but he remained hospitalized for two days of tests and observation.
After he was released from the hospital and back at home, he "still didn't feel right." He began losing his balance and even fell while taking a shower.
A couple days of "not feeling right," led to a trip back to the UT Hospital emergency room. More tests were conducted -- an MRI, a CT scan and a PETT scan.
"They discovered that my brain had swelled," said Cannon. "It was a delayed reaction to my head being hit during the accident."
Cannon was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), which he said has affected not only his equilibrium, but, his speech, memory and emotions.
Physical therapy, pool therapy and speech therapy -- three hours a day, three to four days a week, followed.
"While I was in my sessions, I would tell my physical therapists that my goal was to bowl in the ABC tournament," Cannon said.
The team Cannon originally registered to bowl with in the ABC continued to save his spot. Still involved with therapy sessions, Cannon finally told the team's captain to "go ahead and replace me."
He thought he might be able to bowl if he tried a lighter ball, so he bought one that weighed 14 pounds.
Made himself available
Feeling better, and perhaps getting a little caught up in the atmosphere of the tournament venue, Cannon decided to add his name to the list of available substitutes.
When the Winston Water Cooler team of Mesquite, Texas, needed a substitute, team captain Dwayne Ferrell called Cannon.
Cannon felt he needed to explain his situation to Ferrell. So, he informed Ferrell of the accident, his therapy, and the fact that he hadn't had much bowling practice lately.
After listening to Cannon's recent experiences, Ferrell repeated his invitation to bowl with his team. He told Cannon he'd see him on the Convention Center lanes during the last week in April.
And Cannon showed up -- with his new, lighter bowling ball and his cane, which he used to walk up to the foul line each time it was his roll.
"[The Mesquite team] accepted me, and the situation, as it was," he said.
Cannon rolled a 431 in singles, 386 in doubles and 356 in team, to finish his first ABC tournament with a 1,173 score in all-events. The Winston Water Cooler group rolled a 2,635 in the team portion of the event.
Cannon's career high for a single game is 289, which he rolled only a few weeks before the 2002, accident.