There was a day back in the early 1980s when I made the ill-fated decision to cut through my old elementary school – Parkcrest – on the way home from Burnaby North Secondary.
I say ill-fated decision because I came upon two younger kids who were scrapping and I made another ill-fated decision to try and break it up.
One of the kids, who was holding a baseball bat, suddenly turned and cold-cocked me in the head.
I slumped to the ground and blacked out for who knows how long. When I woke up, I staggered home and climbed into bed – telling my mom I wasn’t feeling well, but not the reason why.
I’m not sure what would have happened if I had actually said that I got my head bashed in by a baseball bat. Back then, blows to the head for kids weren’t exactly met with panicked reactions from parents, so it didn’t even occur to me to say it.
I don’t recall parents or coaches in the 1970s or ‘80s ever talking about concussions in their children, especially when it came to sports injuries.
“He got his bell rung,” was the common phrase, delivered with a shrug or even a sense of pride that their boy was tough enough to “stay in the game.”
I had at least two others concussions during my childhood, both acquired while playing soccer. Both times, I “stayed in the game” – a decision that was met with applause from people on the sidelines who really should have known better.
That’s just how we rolled back then.
Fortunately, things are (mostly) different now, although many pro sports teams set a terrible example by clearly allowing players to continue in games with concussions.
When it comes to youth, parents are thankfully cautious with their kids. Many won’t let their children play certain sports due to possible head trauma. Coaches are (mostly) trained to deal with symptoms.
I thought about all of this because I received a news release this week from Scouts Canada and Hydro One warning people to be “head safe” this summer. It includes concussion symptoms such as nausea, drowsiness, blurred vision and sensitivity to noise and light – all the things I remember going through after my undiagnosed concussions.
All these years later, as my memory gradually starts to fail more often, I wonder if it’s just turning 50 or is there some residual effects of those concussions.
It’s frustrating when I can’t remember things I normally had locked in, such as movie trivia or certain appointments. I’ve resorted to endless sticky notes and reminders on my cell phone.
I never needed those things before and I guess it’s just getting older, but it’s always nagging at me that those concussions – I think there were more than three – are to blame and could get far worse. I paid a heavy price when I was a kid. Lost school time. Mood swings that I'm now convinced were connected.
But am I still paying the price today?
Like I said, I’m thankful that parents take the health of their kids far more seriously than the parents of the 1970s, when seatbelts were just something you tucked under the back seat.
Yep, still bitter.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
