As the awareness of the brain injury of concussion gets better there are more and more individuals that want to lend a hand in “spreading the word”. In Virginia a former athlete that had to give up his aspirations due to brain injury is doing just that;
Ryan Fitzgerald suffered two concussions in high school that left him with memory loss and problems concentrating. Unable to focus on his schoolwork, he became moody and lashed out at friends.
Ultimately, the lifelong athlete and former baseball player at Landstown High School in Virginia Beach agreed with his doctor that he should no longer play organized sports. The reason: he didn’t want to risk further damage to his brain.
Now a first-year student at James Madison University, Fitzgerald is telling other young people that it just isn’t worth rushing back out on the field after a head injury. His message is backed up by a new Virginia law that requires all schools to have concussion-management policies.
What is extremely important here is that Fitzgerald is now bringing the proper awareness on the recovery/management, the biggest issue facing student-athletes.
The Concussion Blog 