Sports are the most important thing to me. My mom and doctor think differently. They say my health should come first. I get bumps and bruises every game and keep on playing, but one injury that no athlete should push though is a concussion.

A concussion is considered a brain injury, typically induced by trauma to the brain. It can be from a direct blow to the head or an indirect hit. Every concussion is different. Depending on the scenario an athlete can be out a couple of weeks or even years.

Sadly I’ve had four diagnosed concussions and sat out numerous games due to head injuries. I play club soccer and according to concussiontreatment.com “Soccer is the most common sport with concussion risk for females (50 percent chance for concussion)”.  Just my luck.

Everyone’s body handles and heals injuries differently. I was knocked out on my first concussion after getting hit in the head by another player’s head then hitting the back of my head on the ground. I don’t remember much of the hit, but I remember sitting in a chair on the side of the field with 2 trainers trying to get me to answer common questions. I knew my name and the day, but I could not retain a sequence of 5 random objects.

After, I just went home and lay down. My stomach was hurting but I wasn’t hungry. My mom said I was like a zombie. Everything I did was slow and delayed and my eyes shook.

I recovered fairly quickly and I thought I was better. But six months later I went down again with another hit. It wasn’t a bad one, but I was still out for a few weeks.

After having 2 concussions my mom was terrified. She and my doctor made me wear headgear. Yes it is as bad as it sounds. It’s like a thick headband. It protects the head from direct contact but it doesn’t provide complete protection. I was the first on my team who had one. Now more and more girl’s soccer players are starting to wear them. I’m such a trendsetter.

I didn’t have any other injuries until two years ago. I went up for a header and the ball hit me wrong. I didn’t think anything of it and kept playing. After the game I knew something wasn’t right. You guess it, another concussion.

After that one, my dad started to get annoyed. He thinks we head the ball too much and when it’s not necessary. Concussiontreatment.com even says the “Impact speed of a soccer ball being headed by a player: 70mph”.

I was starting to get frustrated. I thought the doctors were crazy. I thought I felt fine. But they said I might not completely be healed. With a knee or ankle injury athletes can go through physical therapy to speed up recovery. But with a head injury it takes time and rest. Frankly, I don’t have time to waste resting. The doctor said I could come back when I was ready.

I came back and kept on playing, and what do you know, 6 months later my last and final concussion. I was elbowed in the back of my head by my own player. I don’t remember being out cold. I remember falling on the ground and everything was black. I jumped up and tried to walk and stumbled back to the ground.

It took me a couple months to recover. I suffered from severe headaches and wasn’t feeling like myself. I tried to go back to practice too early and had to stop because I was so dizzy. I was frustrated.

After talking with my doctor, he and my mom decided if I get one more I’m done with soccer. For good. It’s so scary playing now; knowing that every game might be my last. I know they are trying to look out for me and my future. We don’t know what kind of impact this might have on me later on in my life.  Just look at what’s happening in football. Brett Farve discusses how concussions have had an impact on his life.

I still suffer from migraines and headaches. I have a hard time looking at computer screens for extended periods of time and sometimes basic memorization. It takes me a while to get something to stick.

These are just a couple of problems I face everyday. It’s the price I pay for doing what I love; hopefully it doesn’t come at too high of a cost.

Click here to see a recent news article about concussions.