Ethan Ogata loved going on adventures and always lived life to the fullest. He excelled at judo in his youth, winning competitions but also sustaining over a dozen concussions. After a major car accident in his 20s, Ethan began to experience headaches, cognitive issues, and memory loss. He passed away in December 2023, at the age of 29, and his brain was later donated to the UNITE Brain Bank. While researchers did not find evidence of CTE, they did find white matter commonly found in those with a history of TBI. Ethan’s family has shared his Legacy Story to raise concussion awareness.
Ethan was born on September 16, 1994, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Growing up, he was a typical boy with lots of energy, a twinkle in his eyes, and a smile on his face. He brought his parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents so much joy!
Ethan was an avid reader and enjoyed making elaborate buildings out of blocks. His favorite activities included taking trips to the zoo and aquarium, and building sandcastles on the beach with his dad and his brother, Jacob. He was also a tremendous big brother to his sister, Kaitlin.
As a child, Ethan participated in soccer, baseball, and swimming, but never really found his passion until his freshman year at Mililani High School. There, he was part of the judo team from 2009-2012 and received the Most Improved Male Award his first year. He had never played the sport before but took a liking to it and put in the time to improve.
Judo was especially important to Ethan as it made him feel part of a team. Prior to his last season, he trained with Taylor Takata at Hawaii Judo Academy in Aiea and earned a chance to play for the state title at the HHSAA Judo Championships.
Though he fell short and placed second in his weight class, he was proud of this accomplishment considering he started with barely any experience yet found himself in a position to win it all. And in 2012, he received a silver medal at the National Judo Championships held in Irving, Texas.
Throughout his four years of participating in numerous tournaments, Ethan sustained over 15 concussions. Most were never mentioned to his family or coaches, as this would prohibit him from competing. We remember several occasions taking him to the emergency room during practice and at a few tournaments.
After graduating from high school, Ethan enrolled in community college for a year, then transferred to the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He also had the privilege to attend Queens College in New York City for a semester, as part of the Student Exchange Program. In Queens he met many lifelong friends, while exploring the city and expanding his horizons.
Upon his return, Ethan continued his studies and eventually graduated with a BA in psychology in 2021. He later took a job as a case manager at the Institute of Human Services where he helped people who were experiencing life challenges, something he could relate to and empathize with.
Ethan was very health conscious and always read food labels, especially if there was any meat or fish products, since his grandparents were vegetarian. He loved poke but tried sticking to salmon because of the higher mercury content in predatory fish. Ethan was also deeply knowledgeable about general trivia. Along with reading, his idea of fun was watching the History Channel, anything about aliens, and all kinds of different sports.
Ethan experienced life to the fullest, traveling often to countries including Mexico, Canada, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and many states throughout the U.S. As a child, he enjoyed visiting Gettysburg and got to reenact Pickett’s Charge with his dad and brother, while his mother and sister met them at Cemetery Ridge. They participated in an overnight stay on the U.S.S. Missouri on December 6, and woke up early on December 7 to imagine what the morning would have been like for the sailors on board the U.S.S. Arizona that fateful day.
On his travels, Ethan would always purchase several magnets for himself and as gifts. He also loved collecting mini snow globes from around the world, as well as any blue colored bottles he found because he knew his grandmother loved them. One experience Ethan was particularly fond of was skydiving with his good friend, Jordan, saying he “felt like he was on top of the world.”
Ethan was always thinking about ways to better his life. He was highly creative and had many big dreams for the future. Prior to his death, he was working on a business plan and market analysis for a meal prep and delivery service he created, called Aloha Express Meals. Another dream he had was to live on a sustainable farm.
Ethan was a Christian and was not afraid to die when that time would come, because he knew he would be going to heaven to be with Jesus. We are so happy that in sixth grade at Vacation Bible School, he accepted Jesus Christ into his heart as his personal Savior.
Life threw several challenges at Ethan, which he overcame to be a stronger and more resourceful individual. Along with sustaining several concussions while training for judo, he also survived a major head-on car collision in 2016 while at a drug treatment center in San Francisco. The car did not have airbags and his head cracked the windshield. After that, Ethan was never the same.
He complained of extreme headaches, pain, cognition and balance issues, had problems with memory loss, and could no longer perform simple, everyday tasks. While seeking medical attention at a pain management clinic, he was given opioids to ease his pain and suffering.
Throughout the following years he tried his best to get psychiatric help and sought therapy. We noticed many behavioral changes, which Ethan was aware of as well. He suspected his symptoms were early signs of CTE and verbalized his thoughts to his family on several occasions.
Though Ethan continued to see his psychiatrist on a regular basis, he felt he needed more help and entered drug treatment a third time. He wanted to stop having to rely on all the various medications he had been prescribed. Unfortunately, on the evening of December 11, 2023, he was found unresponsive. Ethan was only 29 years old. His cause of death was an accidental overdose on opioids.
After speaking with the Honolulu Medical Examiner’s office and with his history of concussions, the decision was made to have his brain examined for possible CTE. On May 29, 2024, we received the written report from UNITE Brain Bank researchers that there was no evidence of CTE. However, they did find white matter throughout the frontal, parietal, and temporal cortex, which is commonly seen in those with a history of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
Ethan is survived by his parents Garret and Michelle, brother Jacob, sister Kaitlin, paternal grandparents Masayoshi and Frances Ogata, maternal grandmother Toshiko Foss, and his cat Charlie, who misses him dearly. He is predeceased by Ronald G. Foss (2019). We all miss his smile, his unique sense of humor, his generosity, and willingness to help his family and friends.
With the assistance of the UNITE Brain Bank, we were introduced to the Concussion Legacy Foundation. We are very grateful for the opportunity to share Ethan’s Legacy Story to raise awareness of what concussions and TBIs can do to an individual.
Living with suspected CTE can be difficult, but CTE is not a death sentence. Our library of CTE resources and support is built to help patients and caregivers maintain hope.
Although we can’t yet accurately diagnose CTE in living people, a specialist can help treat the symptoms presenting the most challenges.