How I Survived My Concussion by Ryan

How I Survived My Concussion by Ryan - April 2019 Scholarship Essay

There was a time in my life when I endured a concussion. I was training for a kickboxing state-wide tournament hosted in New Hampshire. I was in my second year of high school managing time for school work and time to incorporate my training routines. I was confident I would win because of my instructor's ability in preparing the class for the tournament. We had a strict schedule of cardio and rounds of sparring. I was doing fine until the day of the tournament where I slipped up and gotten hit. The concussion had affected my academics and my lifestyle. I didn’t fake my concussion-like most people believed, including my parents. They didn’t believe me because the symptoms lasted for so long, a total of six months. My grades dropped significantly during that time and I couldn’t think clearly, even how hard I tried.
I described some of the symptoms I had been experiencing to the school nurse. Frequent headaches and blurred vision. She recommended that I should go to the doctors to have it checked out. I ignored this advice and thought I would be healed by the end of the week. I continued my training after taking a week to rest, as that was my passion. Looking back, I might have convinced myself I was okay because I was worried that taking a break from training could make me miss my next tournament. Eventually, I had made it to the doctors and they diagnosed me of sustaining a concussion. Every day, it felt like needles were going through my head. During the mornings, it hurt to move my neck and I felt massive headaches. That is when my attendances started to decline. Even though I made the effort to get to school on time, I often got there late because I couldn’t wake up early enough to walk to school on time, which took around 30 minutes. In addition, I would turn in assignments late because I would need extra time to complete them.
Expecting different results from my concussion within the six months of recovery is what drove me to insanity. It started to affect my participation in school as I couldn’t complete classwork in the time since the blurry vision and extreme fatigue had been getting worse. I was trapped. I was laying in bed, trying to make the symptoms go away. I started to feel insane and overwhelmed as there were so much schoolwork and training I couldn’t keep up with and eventually, I started to get depressed. Most people that suffer concussions have a recovery time of around 43 days, however, for me what was six months felt like it lasted for years. During the first few months, I did not know exactly what to do, as I could not get any work completed and I felt like I was wasting my time. I often wondered when I was going to be healed and it felt like my fighting career was over. I remember I kept comparing myself to other fighters in my division and how much it impacted my ability to compete. I was emotionally distressed, often worrying about the absence of my training throughout the week.
A few months later, I still felt the headaches and I couldn’t do anything about it. I stayed diligent and kept a strict routine schedule. I had taken frequent breaks throughout the school day and got schoolwork done with the best of my ability at home. As soon as I started to feel a little better, I went back to training that had involved physical therapy. I had been doing regular light workouts routinely, that involved cardio and stretches so I can keep up with the rest of the fighters and return mobility to my neck that was injured. Adrenaline can trigger headaches and nausea, so taking breaks was mandatory for me. If I tried to power through my training, I would often feel extremely tired with painful headaches the next day. Being tired, along with the headaches, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with my schedule. Because I couldn’t participate in normal training for most of my hours, I had taken nutrition classes that my trainer had provided me to maintain my weight and shorten my recovery process.
I would not say this injury was a waste of experience even though as painful as it sounds. It allowed me to get some time off from training and take some time to think about my future goals as a fighter and as a student in school. It had also taught me about time management on school work and improving my sleep schedule so I would arrive at school on time, eliminating any bad habits I had gotten throughout my recovery. I would apply what I have learned in my nutrition class and physical therapy to feel less fatigued in school from training and also alleviate the symptoms of a concussion; if I would go through the struggles of them again. Overall, the recovery period had given me a positive mentality, as I kept trying to improve my academics despite the struggles I was going through. My concussion has taught me to enjoy my life and be thankful for a successful recovery. What could’ve been worse, gotten better, allowing me to pursue my passion for the sport and achieve my academic goals.