Concussions are serious; I should know

I flash back to last summer when the boys and I were out at football practice. It seemed like any other day, but this would be the day that would change my life forever.

I still don’t know how I got the injury, because that day remains a blur. But I know I was hit, and that the hit had included head-to-head (or helmet-to-helmet) contact.

Such hits are to be expected when you play offensive line. I shrugged it off, thinking I had just been hit hard again. I didn’t feel like anything was wrong; it just felt like I was tired. So I kept on practicing.

It was not until the next day, when I woke up at home, that I realized that something was seriously wrong.

I awoke with a rampant headache, and I was nauseous. I threw up a lot before getting ready for school, so my mother thought it was just the flu and I stayed out of school for a day. But I knew it was something worse. I told my mom that I thought it was time for me to see a doctor.

I remember sitting on the bed at the doctor’s office. The room was very bright, and I could not deal with the noise that I felt permeating through the walls.

When the doctor came in, he performed tests for balance and memory, and my fears were confirmed – I had a concussion.

He told me that concussions are pretty common in contact sports such as football, and that it needs to be treated seriously and with care. I looked over at my mother, who looked like she was in fear for my life.

I had to do different memory exercises and physical exercises to put myself back into football-playing shape. It was four weeks before I even saw the field again. But I was able to return to my Central Catholic teammates and actually started the game against Beyer.

Before my hit in practice, I really thought that concussions were not that bad, that the people who complained about getting them just couldn’t take a hit. It was not until I suffered one myself that I realized they are not only real but they are a major issue.

Companies that make football helmets are trying everything to make a helmet that is “concussion proof,” but it is not possible. I was wearing a helmet that was supposed to be the safest in the game, but obviously it failed and I suffered a concussion.

There have been many initiatives to help deal with the issue of concussions in sports, football especially. For example, they have “Heads Up Football,” from the national organization USAFootball, which teaches coaches and players the proper way to tackle, without using your head.

I wish these things had been known and talked about when I was in youth football, where I more than likely picked up the bad habit of hitting people head on. These programs and initiatives need to be supported and put to the forefront of sports – not just for football, but every sport.

To this day, I have problems trying to remember things. My brain feels like a sieve and information is sand just pouring through the holes. Concussions are not something to joke around about – take it from someone who has dealt with them firsthand.

This story was originally published January 17, 2015 at 4:00 AM with the headline "Concussions are serious; I should know."