Ever wonder if your doctor or specialist follows their own advice? Sunnybrook experts get candid with the approaches they take in their personal lives.
Brandy Tanenbaum is an Injury Prevention Coordinator at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Were you a risk-seeking kid or teenager?
Not particularly. Growing up, I played sports like ringette and baseball and rode my bicycle around the neighbourhood until the street lights came on. Nothing too wild or dangerous. I still play hockey and baseball today, and probably take on more challenging activities that include elements of risk as an adult. I’ve been riding a motorcycle for about ten years.
Some people might find that surprising…
I like that it challenges people and makes them think about their own comfort levels. People make assumptions that if you work in a hospital, or specifically in injury prevention, that you are opposed to all aspects of risk. My dad has a motorcycle and my husband and I thought, that’s something we want to try. We did all the training and courses and started with a small bike before upgrading. It’s a wonderful recreational activity and should be a viable mode of transportation. I have met an incredible community of riders through this experience.
What’s your view on taking risks?
Life is full of risks, and that’s just part of the deal. You can get hurt getting out of bed in the morning. But safety is not something that just happens to you. You have to practice it and be actively involved in creating safety for yourself. That’s not necessarily an inherent skill for humans.
Growing up, my grandmother was overly concerned about safety. It was like every time you open the door, the world is out to get you, but that’s a hard philosophy to live by. It likely took away from her enjoyment of other things. That’s been influential for me in my work. I want to create systems and spaces where people can feel safe to enjoy life, and have the skills necessary to manage an unpredictable environment.
Some people ask me, when am I going to stop playing sports or riding a motorcycle because I can get hurt? Well, why do I have to stop? I actively work to reduce the likelihood of injury and balance that with the need to live life fully. I love it, it’s social, it’s movement, so why shouldn’t I enjoy these activities for as long as I can?
As a society, we’re pretty risk adverse.
Over the past few generations, we’ve taken away opportunities for children to develop risk management skills, which means (generally speaking) we have adolescents who don’t have risk management skills, who turn into adults without risk management skills. We have a whole society of people who are afraid to step out their front door.
I work neck deep in the statistics of preventable injuries and am abundantly aware of their impact and burden, but that said, we can’t be driven by numbers all the time. People think, “well I heard someone was hurt doing something”, so no one should ever do that. But we rarely ask, what were the conditions around that injury? Were they speeding or under the influence for example? Those are all things we can manage differently. Being too risk adverse is problematic because there is a big, beautiful world to explore. We have one life and our purpose here is to flourish, especially as we get older. In those years of retirement, you want people to enjoy the activities they love.
Have you had many injuries?
A few. I was in a car crash as a child, I fell off bikes, I broke a toe and finger once. I tore my rotator cuff playing baseball, so I now have a chronic injury to manage. Did those things change my perspective? They probably played a role in me wanting to create spaces where people can enjoy the benefits of being active in a way that minimizes the risk of injury.
I’m imagining you having a lot of safety equipment at home.
I put a lot of research into the helmet I use for riding my motorcycle! I recently got a new one and it had to have the highest safety ratings and had to be white because studies have shown that white helmets reduce the risk of collision by 24%. It’s funny because my husband picks his helmets based on colour or designs he likes. We have jackets, pants, gloves and boots that are specific for motorcycle riding. Then there is my hockey and baseball equipment. We also have a tourniquet, first aid kit, and fire escape ladder at home, as well as safety equipment for the activities our kids are involved in.
What do you tell your kids when they walk out the door every morning?
I’d love to tell them to be careful, but I’m mindful of the messages I was given as a kid. Telling someone to be careful in the absence of specific skills for safety is just not effective, and I don’t want them thinking the world is a horrible place. Instead, I tell them to have fun, enjoy, and call me if you need anything! We’ve done work in our family to encourage a balanced safety mindset. I want my children to feel prepared to manage their safety in the ever-changing world around them.
Any bold things on your bucket list?
I’m one of those people who doesn’t have a bucket list and prefers to be open to the universe. If an opportunity comes up to try something new or adventurous, I want my reaction to positive and not driven by fear.
Last year I wanted to be intentional and created a year of saying “yes” to things that came my way. It was a shift away from a more cautious approach through the pandemic and taught me to lean into things that make my Spidey senses tingle without being fearful. Maybe a little part of it is proving that Injury Prevention people can be fun and we’re not just out to ruin everybody’s party!
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