Brandi Chastain told her nine-year-old son, Jaden, on Monday morning that she intends to donate her brain to science to benefit concussion research.
“Mom, that’s weird,” Jaden said. “Don’t you need your brain?”
Chastain — a two-time Olympic Gold medalist who won the World Cup with the 1999 U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team — explained to Jaden that her brain donation will happen “long after” she will be using it, and with the intention of helping others.
Chastain announced Wednesday that she will donate her brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation after her death, a non-profit organization that works with brain researchers at Boston University.