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Coldness Blackness.
I open my eyes and I have no control over my own body. I close my eyes again before I can see anything.
I open my eyes and I see a shattered windshield and two air bags that have been deployed.
I close my eyes again.
I open my eyes and I see a women standing at my passenger door. I think she might be holding my hand. I close my eyes, and then quickly reopen them. She tells me that everything is going to be ok, and that the accident was not my fault.
I close my eyes.
I reopen my eyes and I see that the entire front drivers side of my car is smashed. It looks like an accordion from the front bumper up to my hood. The woman is still standing outside my door. I close my eyes and pass out.
I see two E.M.T.’s making arrangements at my door to move me from the drivers seat on to a stretcher. I feel my feet touch pavement and I feel the cold air of the winter morning.
Quickly the two E.M.T.’s help me to a laying position on the stretcher. I begin to shake.
I close my eyes and pass out.
I reopen my eyes. I can feel my self totally immobile, as I am completely strapped to the stretcher. There are two men off in the distance standing at a 24-foot truck.
I have had little control over my body since the first time I opened my eyes, and now that I am on a stretcher, I have even less control. I am at the complete mercy of the people around me. They hold all the power. Whatever they want to do with me, or where ever they want to take me is completely up to them.
I feel the E.M.T.’s moving my stretcher into an ambulance. I hear the loud voice of a woman, taking control inside the ambulance. I close my eyes and pass out again.
In and out of consciousness I continue to slip.
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On Wednesday December 27th 2006, I was in a near fatal car accident in Robbinsville New Jersey. The results of which were a severe concussion and post concussion syndrome. To this day I continue to suffer from short-term memory loss, and limited mental fatigue.
The long-term results of a concussion vary, but the internal effects are always the same. The brain is knocked back and forth inside the skull due to a blow to the head. The internal results are dizziness confusion and disorientation. Later feelings of stress, anxiety, depression and sleeplessness follow. Then a lack of sharpness and fuzziness often prevail.
200 years ago scientist Samuel Hahnemann developed theories of the brain as a source of magnetic energy. He believed that the brain was the central area affecting drops in energy levels. The pituitary gland or (master gland) is located at the base of the scull. The gland is responsible for the proper function and coordination of body functions. Recent studies have shown that alteration or effects to the pituitary gland will lead to anxiety, irritability depression, mood swings, and nervousness. Studies have shown that concussions result in gland alterations and loss of energy levels.
As a result of my accident, the subject of Sports Concussions is a topic very near and dear to my heart. I have been strongly contemplating a blog on the subject for nearly two years. Because of my close feelings on the subject, I have been reluctant to post a blog. Unable to truly capture the issue and my feelings, this blog has been continuously pushed to the back of my writings.
Until now.
On Sunday December 28th Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was involved in a three-player sack that resulted in his third career Sports Concussion. He laid motionless on the field for more then 15 minutes before being strapped to a stretcher and taken to a local hospital. Ben is questionable, but is expected to play in the Steelers first playoff game this Sunday.
As I watched the highlights on the Burger Palace Jumbo-tron it became a story all too familiar. Every professional sport is prone to athletes who suffer from Concussions. NHL star Keith Primeau retired as a result of post concussion syndrome. MLB catcher Mike Matheny, who lead the San Francisco Giants to a World Series in 2002 also retired from Concussion related injuries. Johnny Damon, Jim Edmonds, and Ryan Church are other MLB players who have had life altering experiences as a result of a concussion. Even the NBA is susceptible to Sports Concussions. Chicago Bulls team mates Loul Geng and Eric Piatkowski ran into one another during a game two seasons ago.
It’s yet another ugly topic professional sports leaders work to dodge.
But two years ago, just before Super Bowl XLI, New England Patriot linebacker Ted Johnson brought the subject into the spotlight. He had claimed that coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots made light of his concussions, and as a result, played threw many head injuries that required therapy and time off. The media covered the issue well at the time, but the subject matter was eventually swept back under the rug.
This is usually the point in my Blog where I offer an opinion or produce a statement. However in this case I have no answers. The issue is serious, yet those who suffer from concussions are quick to resume normal lives. The body’s physical functions resume almost immediately yet the brain does not. What is the solution for athletes who receive Concussions and those who suffer from Post Concussion Syndrome?
I have no idea.
Ben Roethlisberg resumed practice this past Monday, and is expected to play in this Sunday’s playoff game.
But what can I say.
I was playing football in my mom’s backyard with my cousins four days after my accident. My body recovered, but my mind never to be the same again.
