It's National Concussion Awareness Day!

National Concussion Awareness Day was founded in 2016 by Brooke Mills, who you may remember from her visit to Section 36 a few years ago.

The goal of National Concussion Awareness day is right there in the name, to raise awareness about this condition. To create a national dialogue of people sharing their stories and experiences, to show support for those suffering, and to raise money for brain injury related charities.

It's an amazing way that Brooke, through her platform "Lessen the Impact", has used her personal concussion experiences and tried to help out other who may be suffering in silence from the same issues.

I thought it would be a good chance for me to share some excerpts from her interview where she discussed concussions.

What led you to start “Lessen the Impact”, which now serves as your platform?

After suffering my personal concussion I was opened to the world of concussion and how greatly important concussion awareness was. Since the founding of Lessen the Impact Organization, I have also founded National Concussion Awareness Day to promote this message around the country. Join this year’s movement and share your brain injury story on social media with the hashtag #nationalconcussionawarenessday and find our page on Facebook! 

Most people associate concussions with sports like football. But, the Red Sox have had several players and a sideline reporter miss time with concussions the last couple years. So, what types of athletes need to be aware of concussions?

I find it important for everyone to be aware of concussions, even non-athletes. I did not participate in any sport before my concussion and therefore lacked a lot of information about them. I was playing team hand ball in my required freshman gym class when I was kicked in the head, resulting in a brain injury that left me unconscious on the gym floor. 

By having a knowledgeable society on concussions including the signs and symptoms, healing processes, importance of rest, returning to play and learn guidelines, and taking the concussion seriously, we would be able to greatly help those suffering and prevent future injuries. For more information visit the www.cdc.gov/headsup

Brock Holt comes to mind as a player who struggled with his concussion for a long time. Is there something we as fans, or as people who may know others who have had concussions, need to keep in mind during the recovery process?

It is unfortunate that many sports have reoccurring concussions that happen during any game to the players, even baseball. I find the most important part is to be optimistic. Time is the best healer as well as any cognitive rehabilitation therapies and rest, but it is important to be optimistic that the body and brain will recover. This past March I had my 4 year anniversary from my brain injury and continue to see improvements in my cognitive abilities. When recovering, simply be patient.    

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In addition to Brooke, several other visitors to Section 36 either had concussion related SII or talked about concussions or brain injuries in their interviews. Here are a few examples. 

Megan Stier

How did you select your social impact initiative, “Brain Injury Awareness and Education”?

When I was in high school I suffered from a traumatic brain injury and I found that the hardest part wasn’t the pain, memory loss or speech differences that happened because of my injury. The hardest part was trying to go back to school and finding that there was very little knowledge and information available for my teachers and administrators on how to properly work with students with brain injury. Now I work to inform our schools about the needs and expectations of students returning to school post brain injury. My hope is to fully create a program for students to reintegrate back into their schools and communities seamlessly post injury.

Kylie Blakely

As a talented pianist, what are your favorite types of songs to play? 

I absolutely love Hayden, Litzt, and the carnival of the animals. My favorite pieces to play are ones that incorporate crossing my hands. Due to a soccer related head injury I have damage that makes it difficult for me to play and I was told I could never play again at the level I was on. However, with many many many hours on the bench and an AMAZING instructor I was able to regain some of what I lost. Crossing my arms in a piano piece is me saying YES I CAN to those who told me I'd never be able to play again as it incorporates the part of my brain that sustained the damage. 

Jayden Moffa

How did you select your platform, Concussion Awareness through BrainSteps?

Choosing my platform to be Concussion Awareness Through BrainSteps was pretty set in stone because of the traumatic brain injuries that I suffered through. My first concussion went undiagnosed for over 14 months and I now suffer with a learning disability as well as a loss of depth perception in my right eye. I struggled tremendously in high school and going into college. It was only fitting that I used my struggles to now be my voice and platform. 

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So today, if you've had a concussion or brain injury like these visitors, I suggest you share your story! Let others know they're not alone. Whether it's talking to a friend, sharing it with the social media world, or even leaving a comment on this post. (If you share it on social media, be sure to use the #nationalconcussionawarenessday hashtag.) Get your story out there so that others can learn from it.

You should also visit the National Concussion Awareness Day website. There you can also share your story, and they have lots of other tools for you, and ways you can help out.

Also, be sure to visit Lessen The Impact for everyday resources for handling concussions.

Help Brooke get the word out!