Dec 17, 2016 2 min read

Athletes have a 50 percent higher body injury rate in the year following a concussion, a recent study by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Anyone who participates in a sport has the risk of getting a concussion. For young people, sports are second only to motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of traumatic brain injury.

I do not write this letter to persuade young athletes to not play sports, rather to influence them to take the necessary precautions to lower the risk of injury.

When I was in middle school, I was on the basketball team. I had heard very little about concussions or the precautions to save my brain from injury. I was going down the court and a girl collided with me, and I went down. I do not remember any of this, but my friends told me what happened. I came off the court, and a few minutes later, I went back into the game. I was shaken up but still able to play. At the time, concussions were still just talk, and no one knew the signs.

I did not know where I lived, the names of my friends, or who my grandparents were. Also, there were very serious side-effects, such as sensitivity to light and noise. Since I was unable to be in environments with a lot of noise or any contact, I learned how to golf. Golfing is more of a silent game and I still got some exercise from walking the course.

My doctor told me that if I get another concussion, and it’s even half as serious as my last one, I will never be allowed to play a contact sport again. Now I wear a concussion headband whenever I play in soccer or basketball games. I also have a insert that goes into my softball helmet, so I have an extra layer of protection.

You never know which hit will be your last.

Johni Lech

Washington