Brain Injury Hero: Tracy Yatkso Onyekanne

Emmy Award-winning journalist, author, and brain injury advocate, Tracy Yatsko Onyekanne sustained a brain injury during a high school basketball game in her junior year. What followed were eight years of debilitating migraines and neurological symptoms that completely altered the trajectory of her life. She finished most of high school on a homebound program, with teachers coming to her house and tailoring the curriculum to what her brain could handle at the time. She attempted college for one semester, but her brain simply couldn’t handle it and she crashed. She spent years in and out of hospitals, living quite literally in the dark: sheets over the windows because light made her physically sick. The isolation was overwhelming. She battled a deep depression and, at times, felt completely without hope.

But somewhere in that darkness, she decided that if she had a voice, she would use it so others wouldn’t have to walk the same road alone. She began advocating for concussion protection and prevention. In 2012, Tracy became the face of the Safety in Youth Sports Act, helping champion legislation to better protect young athletes from concussion.

"Healing can take time, but there is light ahead."

“My family’s love carried me through when I didn’t have strength of my own, and my faith in Christ sustains me today,” she says. “I am now in a much more healed place — still sensitive at times, still learning my limits — but able to see how far I’ve come. To anyone in the thick of it: the hopelessness you feel is real, but it is not the end of your story. Healing can take time, but there is light ahead.”

Tracy ultimately was able to attend Temple University, and she graduated with a degree in journalism.  She has produced award-winning content at PBS, and she now serves as Vice President of the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania. For the past six years, she has led monthly support groups for brain injury survivors, believing no one should walk their journey alone, and that healing begins when stories are shared with vulnerability in a safe space.

Tracy will present the Opening Keynote Address - From Pain to Purpose: The Art of Storytelling After Brain Injury -  at BIAPA’s 2026 Conference in Lancaster on Monday, June 22. You can learn more about the conference here:biapa.org/2026conference.

CLICK to view Tracy's video about her journey as an advocate for Safety in Youth Sports.