Keep Your Head Up

Felicia’s Story:  

I have always loved being active and grew up playing soccer and ringette. I received my first diagnosed concussion in 2011 when I was hit from behind into the boards while playing ringette. I was in Grade 10. I developed numerous symptoms, such as daily headaches, nausea, light sensitivity, and dizziness. My doctors thought that I would be able to return to play ringette for provincials in three months. This gave me hope that I would have a speedy recovery. However, as the days began to blend together and my symptoms persisted I was unable to return for the remainder of my season. Lights, noise, and our team’s family members and friends in the stands became too overwhelming for me to support my teammates. The prolonged concussion symptoms resulted in multiple stressors in various aspects of my life; socially, mentally, physically, and academically. 

 After returning back to school following a month of rest, I altered my workload to two courses a semester to accommodate for my symptoms. I began to miss out on social events, which was devastating to me at the time. Social isolation was something that was extremely difficult for me to cope with in the early stages of my concussion. I was very hurt by people telling me I was lucky to have accommodations and a lighter course load in Grade 10. I was constantly told that I was “faking it”.  

 Throughout the rest of my high school career I took lighter course loads because I was still symptomatic. In my Grade 12 year I was determined to graduate with my classmates. I enrolled in 10 courses to ensure that I would walk across the stage with my peers. This was extremely important to me and is still something that I take great pride in as I was able to achieve my goals while facing great adversity. 

Following high school, I studied Public Health at the University of Waterloo. It has been my dream to make a positive difference within the concussion community. I worked at my own pace and completed my degree in five years. I sought help from necessary campus resources and accommodations in order to be successful. 

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t still struggling. My anxiety still affects situations that used to be seemingly effortless. I am a very social person and missing out on events due to how I am feeling has been a huge adjustment. Suffering from daily headaches, light sensitivity, and ringing in my ears has forced me to change how I live on a day-to-day basis to accommodate how I am feeling. I set high expectations for myself and often forget that I cannot always do everything that I used to be able to do in a day and still feel 100%. My injury has forced me to slow down more than I would like, but I am learning that it is okay to take things slow, which has taught me so much about myself.

Over the years I have found ways to cope with my persisting symptoms and I have been successful while battling through the tough days. I have learned how to say no when I need to and how to take time for myself. I have discovered that I am resilient, determined, and passionate about helping anyone who has had a similar experience. I hope that my story can be used as inspiration for others to persevere, because if you keep your head up amazing things will happen. 

Allie’s Story 

My journey began seven  years ago when I sustained a concussion while playing rugby. It seemed like a mild head injury at first, but over the next few hours and days my symptoms became much worse. I was supposed to graduate high school two months after my head injury. At the time, the academic and social implications were devastating. No amount of rest or rehabilitation therapy seemed to help. Ultimately, I was not able to finish the school year and had to delay attending university indefinitely. 

The biggest hurdle for me was slowing down. I had goals that I was on track to achieve, so I was desperate to get my life back. I struggled to see the bigger picture and stumbled over and over again trying to rush my healing. 

 A few years in, I started to feel hopeless. I was so tired of my body not being able to do what I wanted it to do. Things that I used to be able to do without thinking became challenging. I eventually stopped talking about it with family and friends because I couldn’t bear the constant questions about things that I wished I had the answers for myself. I felt that my support system was getting burnt out by my lack of progress. They were just trying to be supportive, but I felt like I was bringing them down. I tried to put my head down and leave it all behind. I was doing everything that I could to get things back to the way they were, but it only made things worse.

 What surprised me was that when I eventually did slow down and make progress, I struggled to find motivation and meaning for things I had longed to do before. It took me a long time to realize that my mental health had taken a huge hit and that I needed to seek help. 

 If you had told me seven years ago that I’d still be trying to heal, I probably would have given up. It’s hard not to grieve about what “should” have been. But I’ve learned that I’m capable of overcoming challenge after challenge. I have gained perspective and wisdom that has made me a better person and a better friend. I know my experiences will allow me to help others in a way that I would not have been able to before.  

Our Story

Throughout high school and university we were lucky enough to have one another to lean on during our recovery journeys. We were able to support and understand each other in a way that most others could not. Our recovery experiences are not identical, but we have had our fair share of similar struggles. Our friendship continued to grow as we supported each other throughout our highs and lows, and we began to appreciate the importance of a strong support system. Furthermore, having someone who could recognize what we were going through, relate to, and even provide advice on coping strategies and treatments was very helpful.

We both faced an uphill battle in getting the right support that we needed, and we still find this to be an issue within the concussion community. We regularly hear from people within the community who are in a similar situation and are seeking advice for the same issues that we had. 

 We both always knew that we wanted to pursue a career in health given our personal concussion experiences. Our concussions led us to the field of public health. We always talked about working together to make a difference within the concussion community, and over the past year we have started to present our ideas. Over the last seven years, there has been so much progress in terms of building awareness of what a concussion is and how to identify the signs and symptoms. However, we still feel that there are a lot of barriers to accessing the support individuals need in a timely manner.  

We are currently working on an initiative called “Keep Your Head Up”, through which we aim to provide support to individuals recovering from concussions. We have compiled everything we have learned throughout the years with our public health backgrounds with the goal of improving awareness of the challenges of recovery and the support that is available. Currently, we have an Instagram platform where we share coping strategies and are building a sense of community for people affected by brain injuries. We are also developing an education program to increase awareness of the challenges of concussion recovery and the various supports that are available.

Follow us on Instagram at @KeepyourheadupKW for tips and coping strategies, wisdom, support, and a positive online community throughout your brain injury recovery. We look forward to connecting with you!