29 Aug 2016
Concussed Dreams
Two weeks into the summer before first grade, I discovered something that would forever encompass me and my life: soccer. I fell in love with the game as soon as I arrived at my first practice and begged my parents to buy me my very own soccer ball. This appreciation flourished as I grew up, and I started playing on competitive club teams. I found every way to incorporate soccer into my life outside of academics. In eighth grade, I made the Olympic Development Program, a pool of the top thirty to forty female soccer players in my age group in the state. Making ODP made me realize that I wanted to pursue soccer as my career. During my soccer games, I dreamt of the so-distant-yet-so-close clamor of thousands of fans in the stands. This dream became all I thought about, and as I started high school, I absolutely believed it would come true.
At the last game of my varsity soccer season my junior year, I attained a career-ending concussion. I was hit in the face with the ball, and my neck jerked back violently. After the initial impact, everything was a blur until I woke up the next morning and saw my parents sitting on my bed, explaining to me the brace supporting my neck. I tried getting out of bed but the slightest movements made my body ache, which made using the restroom and taking showers far more than difficult. Food tasted different to me and I could not handle anything sweet, or any food for that matter. I was constantly nauseated, and by the end of my recovery period, I had lost twelve pounds. I had to miss almost a full quarter of school because I could not handle any amount of light, noise, eating or walking. I could not tell what hurt more: the impact of the ball on my face, the whiplash that ensued and the extended recovery time, or when my neurologist told me that I would never play soccer again.
I slowly started to return to school once some of the symptoms subsided. My neurologist instructed that I only attend school for a maximum of three hours each day until I could focus throughout an entire class period. Usually being on top of school work, it was hard to come back to school and be so far behind in my classes. I came home and accidentally aggravated my symptoms even more because of my frustration and because I no longer had my outlet, soccer. I was losing all of the facets in my life that were anchoring me to my sanity, and it was an exceptionally alarming time.
Two and a half months after my concussion, though, the headaches became less frequent and I could attend school more regularly. I was more motivated than ever before to get better grades. To get my mind off of not being able to play soccer anymore, I started giving seminars in elementary and middle school classes about my concussion and injury prevention. I also applied to be a coach with the American Youth Soccer Organization. From my experience as a coach and speaker, I learned that I could influence younger players and help them achieve their dreams through positive and safe gameplay, which was more rewarding to me than being one of the players on the field. Even though I still suffer from headaches here and there, my concussion turned me into a more capable and influential person in my community and in general. My dream now is to study neuroscience and go onto medical school to eventually become a neurosurgeon. I am passionate about the brain, science and math, and I am also passionate about being able to help people who are in the same or a similar situation that I was in.