Reflective Essay: The Consequences Of Concussions

On August 26, 2014, I received a concussion. It is the December of 2015, and I frustratingly still suffer from its effects. It is like a dreadful spell unleashing pain and boredom. It all started when I was three. My family moved from New Orleans to Virginia, so we had new neighbors. My new next door neighbors were two boys. One was two years older than me and the other four. My cul de sac was filled with older kids and boys, so, naturally, by the age of 8, I dropped my tutu and picked up a NERF gun. This was a huge change in personality for me. On our family trip to the Grand Canyon (when I was 9), I bought a pocket knife with the words wild thing engraved upon its surface. I kept it in a hidden shoebox of personal relics under my orange-skirted
Three weeks later, I acquired another. It was just a small thud, but caused something called second impact syndrome, and came with severe consequences. The following April, I collided into by my brother, causing me to, again, collapse unconscious from a third concussion, where I had to start all over again. Most concussion symptoms last only a few days, but the combination of mine have lasted well over a year. From two stories up, I did not meet death because Rylan’s foot was over the pavers that my head should have collapsed upon had he not been where he was, exactly when he was. Over the past year, I have missed field trips, birthday parties, dinners, sleep-overs, my fifth grade open house, grades, celebrations, and more school than I thought possible. The things that replaced the events were nights in the hospital, trips to the doctor, weekly physical therapy, a run-in with the eye doctor, still occurring Monday mornings at the speech pathologist, and more unwanted naps than the average person takes in a lifetime. The concussion creates an inability to focus. It also takes away short term memory, what it takes to read for more than five minutes without knives in my skull, the ability to stay on task, work quickly, and overall be aware. I still work hard and try my best to succeed, and still get my work done, but that one day, August 26, 2014, has changed my life for I don’t know how long. If I did not have perseverance, I would be at Princess Anne Middle School, and maybe even having to repeat fifth grade. In fact, I may not even be in school. Perseverance is a huge part of me, and is a quality that everyone should try to use. This is my life. This, is my