Personal Narrative: My Traumatic Brain Injury

A time I had to overcome adversity in my life was when I became injured during the middle of cheer tryouts. At the time I was very passionate about competitive cheer, and my goal was to make the junior five team. When I got to tryouts everyone was tumbling, stunting and doing the dance routine. My adrenaline was pumping as I went to warm up my tumbling and throw a roundoff, back handspring, layout. I was determined to accomplish this for tryouts and impress my coach, but I was still very nervous. As I was running into the roundoff back handspring, I knew something was bound to go wrong. The next thing I knew I was in the middle of the air and suddenly landed on my knees, with my ankle twisted under me. My face got bright

We have all heard of the term “sports injury”. Usually an accident that occurs when engaged in a sport, the ideal can apply from something as frustrating as a rolled ankle to the more debilitating shock of a broken arm. Yet the fact remains that these physical ailments will heal, and properly, if they are treated properly. But what about concussions? What are the long term effects? In her brief editorial in TIME magazine, Alexandra Sifferlin explores the effects of concussions and specifically how they affect children if they aren't disclosed.

Lucas Maestas is a 17-year-old teenager that has a passion for school and sports. He plans on pursuing a career in neurology or political science. Lucas has had to endure the turmoil of post concussive syndrome the last four years. The first concussion Lucas received was the summer before his eighth grade year. He received three more concussions after that, all taking place in a two-year time frame. Lucas still has symptoms of post concussive syndrome till this day, but has seen improvement with his symptoms. He has really seen an improvement with his overall well-being after going to the Carrick Brain Center in Dallas (There will be a page about his experience at the brain center soon). Lucas

In this article, the writer gives examples of situations where concussions have occurred and ended sports careers. It also gives an overview of what a concussion is and how it happens. It mentions that concussions need to be given adequate time to heal to avoid long term problems. There is information about NFL players and other athletes going before congress asking for legislation to help prevent and treat concussions. This article uses pathos in an attempt to reach the reader’s emotions by telling stories about athletes who have had repeated concussions that have ended their sports careers and left them disabled.

Did you know, that someone suffers from a brain injury every 21 seconds (Haas)? Children get concussions all the time, and most of the time they go unnoticed. The majority of concussions happen when one is playing a sport such as football, hockey, or lacrosse. Many famous athletes have had their careers, even their lives cut short due to concussions. Brain damage and death can result from serial concussions (Schafer). When one suffers from a concussion, one’s brain needs time to recover physically and mentally. Between 2002 and 2006, statistics showed that 52,000 people died from concussions and about 275,000 were hospitalized (Fundukian). Everyone’s recovery process is different (“Injury and

The problem with concussions are that not everybody takes them serious enough. Some people like football players will just blow it off. After taking a big hit and barely being able to get to the sidelines they will be right back in the game on the next possession. Others like coaches might not take a player’s concussion serious because they know without that player they might not be able to win thus putting the players long term health into effect. Concussions are very devastating and cause many people future problems no matter what some doctors say.

In the united states over 170 million adults participate in physical activities, including sports which can have a greater impact on unorganized sports because most of the time there not properly trained and just go for what they know and injure themselves 1.6 to 3.8 million concussions occur in recreational activities annually. However, this vastly underestimates total concussions, as many individuals suffering from mild or moderate concussions do seek medical advice... Many of these activities are associated with an increased risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI). In the united States, an estimated 1.7 million people sustain a TBI annually, associated with 1.365 million emergency room visits and 275,000 hospitalizations annually with associated direct and indirect cost estimated to have been $60 billion in the United states in 2000, So concussions are not only taken a big toll on someone’s life but also their pockets.

There are multiple symptoms associated with the receiving of a concussion, but there are three that are outstandingly common among the general population of victims of concussions. Those include sensory changes and deficits, emotional difficulties like depression, and an overall reduction in cognitive functioning. According to Moore, Broglio, and Hillman, a concussion is defined as “a complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain, induced by traumatic biomechanics forces.” Sport-Related Concussion and Sensory Function in Young Adults Simply stated, this means that a concussion is an injury that results from a traumatic blow to the brain. In recent years, concussions have been a popular topic in the media. Whether it be with regards

This concussion set me back the furthest out of them all. It had been about a week since the doctor cleared me to begin playing sports again. It had been about three and a half months since my second concussion. My third concussion took place during a PE class. Our PE teacher sent me and a group of kids to an auxiliary gym by ourselves while the PE teacher went to play basketball in another gym. And of course when a teacher is not present there will be horseplay. And there was just that. The student was standing about five feet away from me when the ball struck the side of my head. My doctor put me on brain rest for about two weeks. If you do not know what brain rest is, it's when all you do is rest and sleep and do not do anything that will

Early in my freshman year of high school, my books fell from my locker onto my head and gave me a severe concussion. The incident that occurred does not sound like it could cause such a severe injury, but it did for me. I assumed I would recover after a week or so, as I had with my other sports-related concussions. However, the doctor stated that it would take me longer to recover because I was not fully healed from my previous injuries. Ultimately, it took until the end of my sophomore year to be cleared.

Many people's lives have changed because of these concussions. In the story “Hard Knocks” by Gabriel Charles Tyler, Monti states, “I feel like I just got a concussion last week.” “I don’t feel like my life will ever be the same because of them.” This quote uncovers that concussions cannot just hit your brain it can hurt your life. These concussion can change your life and your life path. You can destroy your life with

Unfortunately, during the past couple of years I experienced a number of concussions while playing competitive soccer. A variety of symptoms such as extreme nausea and pounding headache appeared whenever I performed strenuous activities. I became disconnected from school, activities and my friends. Wanting to be healthier, I pushed myself during the difficult physiotherapy sessions and eagerly practiced the exercises at home. Thus, I am proud that I recovered since I learned that I must invest massive amounts of energy in order to reach my objectives and that life neglects my strategy and wishes; therefore, I must be flexible.

In the health world, concussions are finally now deemed as serious issues to physicians and athletic trainers. A couple decades ago, concussions were seen as just “getting your bell rung” with no long-term effects, that is really tragic when we really look back on it. There were many

Recently I discovered that I have brain tumor. My surgery is scheduled in two weeks, unfortunately this requires an incision in my frontal lobe. This will cause loss of intelligence, personality, and behavior. I have Fourteen days left with a fully functioning brain, wanting to spend this time doing what I love made me decide what to do. In this two week period I will focus on family, friends, and some of my favorite activities. The first five days are going to be spent with my family at Smith Mountain Lake. Following the time at the lake I will rent a beach house and pack it full of my longtime friends. Lastly in the final days leading up to my surgery I will be in the mountains doing what I personally enjoy most. Overall I will be relaxing,

Once flippantly referred to as having one’s bell rung, mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) or concussions are no innocuous contusions. Annually in the United States, approximately 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury that is confirmed through diagnosis. Of these, roughly 75% are categorized as mTBIs or concussions, although the total number of concussions may be slighted considering 81-92% of these injuries do not result in loss of consciousness. Recent controversy concerning professional athletes and their mental health has brought to light evidence that concussions may cause severely deleterious effects on a person’s wellness in later life. This poses the question, to