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Abstract
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Hope is powerful. It can calm adversity and fuel dreams. However, hope is not a game plan, a solution or a strategy. On 14 October 2019, I realised that 'hope' alone was not enough. While attending my high school volleyball practice, I was unexpectedly struck by a ball. The volleyball hit my face with such force that my world went dark. Despite this devastating injury, I managed to remain standing and walked out of the gym. As I stepped into the sunlight, the pain behind my eyes was unbearable as was the dizziness and ear ringing. That evening I hoped that I would wake up from this nightmare.
The next morning, my symptoms were unbearable, so I notified my parents who assisted in finding me a doctor. While at the doctor's office, I took a computer test to see if I had a concussion. Our team's athletic trainer had me do a baseline test prior to our season starting, which allowed the doctor to determine that I had a concussion based on the difference between these two tests. Before leaving the clinic, I was told that resting would allow me to recover, so I could return to volleyball. I knew concussions happened in football, but not in volleyball. While enduring the pain behind my eyes and in my head, as well as going against the advice to avoid screen time, I started searching the internet about concussions in volleyball players. I learned that volleyball is one of the top ten sports to be at risk for concussions.1 2 I spent the next five days in my bedroom feeling sorry for myself, but I tried to overcome this and instead focus on hope.
As I began my concussion recovery, the process was inconsistent and unfamiliar. I returned to the doctor two weeks following my injury and was deemed ready to begin the 'return to play' protocol. Not playing volleyball, even if only for a few weeks, felt like years to me. Although I was excited to return to volleyball, I was stricken with fear regarding the thought of sustaining another concussion. Volleyball was my world and knowing that a ball hitting me in the head could be so disabling had me worried about what the future held for me...
Language: en |