Flooded

Wow. I've been away from this blog for quite a while... and without any good reason as to why. We're talking over four months, people, which is the amount of time that my writer/blogger friend, Victoria Griffin, took off when she suffered a terrible concussion. You should read her story because it's wild, it's scary, and it's inspiring. It made me want to learn more about concussions because 1) I've never had one, and 2) I work in a school where random children seem to experience concussions pretty frequently. I mean, it's not uncommon to get an email about a field hockey player who got hit in the head by a ball at last night's game, has been diagnosed with a concussion, and shouldn't be expected to do any reading in class for the next few days. I've always understood that concussions are bad, but until I read Victoria's story, I had no idea just how bad they could be. Or how dangerous.

Weirdly, for as little as I know about concussions, I do have some experience with brain injuries. When I was in high school, the younger brother of one of my friends was struck by a car while riding his bike. He suffered short-term memory loss and had to go through a lot of therapy to get back to where he once was. He's great now--living a successful life and doing well--but talk about a scary time.

My second experience with brain injury came later in life when a good friend of mine was in a motorcycle accident. He wasn't wearing a helmet, and although he suffered very few injuries to his body, he is not the same person he once was mentally. It's both terrifying and sad, which is why I'm supporting Victoria in her mission to bring more awareness to concussions and other brain trauma. Please check out her story and support her cause: Victoria's Story.