Shattered Dreams..

How many of you have ambitious dreams that involve playing sports? Have you ever thought that all those dreams can be broken due to a tragic injury? How much abuse does the body have to take to be the best athlete? Dr. Sanjay Gupta is a neurosurgeon who has seen many dreams shattered from concussion. Gupta made a TV show that is starting January 29th at 9 p.m called “Big Hits, Broken Dreams.” This show is about football players who have taken significant hits in games and had their dreams crushed. Football is an extraordinarily dangerous sport because the players are constantly getting hit and sometimes even helmet-to-helmet can cause many concussions.

Concussions can cause memory loss long term; constant headaches and the ability to retrieve words spontaneously can be impacted. My personal friend, Emily Clemens that plays volleyball competitively had a similar situation. She is exceptionally athletic and has the determination to do anything to improve her game because she has a “big dream.” A dream that any athlete has, one that only the talented fulfill, a college scholarship to a division 1 school. Emily has plenty of colleges looking at her from all over the country. She is a top prospect in New York State for her graduation year,2013. A little over a year ago, Emily’s life had changed.

Emily traveled to Villanova University with her club volleyball team to play in a big tournament. It was in the 2nd game around 11 am when something tragic happened. A ball came over the net and Emily reacted instantaneously to dive for the ball and dig it up from hitting the ground. Emily’s instinct was just like her teammates, Melissa Rigo. Rigo dove for the ball as well. If you can guess where I am going with this, you are probably correct. Emily and Rigo collided, Emily’s head smashed off Rigos foot. Instantly Emily hit the floor and didn’t get up. This is a parent’s worse fear, their child getting injured. Emily got dizzy immediately and did not know what was going on. She was taken to the hospital to find out that her brain rattled against her skull and she was diagnosed with a concussion. Emily was no longer able to play volleyball for months. She had to, strictly stay isolated from friends, family, and technology. She needed to rest her brain.

Emily was lucky enough to heal and be able to play volleyball again, something she lives for. To this day she constantly gets headaches that cause her to sit out from volleyball and just want to sleep. It’s a constant pain. Will it ever go away? No one knows for sure. Emily knows that if she gets reinjured, she can get seriously hurt and lose any scholarship she has coming to her. This injury does not stop her from playing volleyball because she is too passionate for it. People have asked Emily if she regrets diving for that ball during the tournament. She has been quoted saying, “not at all, diving is part of this game and I am willing to do anything from stopping that ball from hitting the floor.” Emily continues to strive for excellence and tries not to let her concussion slow her down. This has affected Emily because some prominent colleges do not want players who have had previous injuries, but can you blame them? If the talent is there, exceptions will be made.

I personally have never experienced a concussion and sure hope I never encounter one. I do play volleyball as well and understand the risk I take to have a head injury, but I would not stop from playing a sport that shows my character. I am looking forward to watching Dr. Guptas’ television show that is airing soon. I will call my parents to DVR it since I do not have a television in my dorm room. You can read the article about the show here Big Hits Broken Dreams or Here