Grace Moschetto’s Story
Athlete/High School Student
I’ve been active in sports since I was pretty young, starting with dance when I was three. I do gymnastics and kick boxing now and until I was injured, I did cheer.
I had my first and only concussion when I was 13 years old. I wanted to improve my tumbling skills so that I could be on a higher-level cheerleading team. On my 2nd or 3rd lesson at a new gymnastics facility, my coach wanted me to do a round off double back handspring. This is tricky to do because you have to do a combination of skills in one continuous movement. I was nervous, but my coach was confident that I could do it. On the last part of the skill I did what is called, failing at your skill. I didn’t put my hands out and landed on my head and neck. I was conscious but knew something was wrong. My neck and shoulder hurt, and I had a ringing in my ears. My coach came over and asked if I was okay and if I could stand. He then walked me to the bleachers and brought me ice, which I put on my neck. About 15 minutes later, he came back and asked how I felt. I told him I felt better, so he said I could go back in.
I’m the kind of athlete that feels obligated to play through the pain and stay in the game, even during practice. I don’t want to let my teammates down. So, I went back in to finish my practice and kept going even though I definitely felt off. I had a headache and was a bit dizzy and nauseous. There was tension in my neck, shoulder and lower skull area.
After practice I went out to the car where my father was waiting to pick me up. I don’t remember this part, but he tells me that when I got into the car, I said, “I’m really hurt, I think we need to go to the emergency room.”
At the ER, they were extremely worried about my neck and spine. I was worried too, because I know that those injuries could be serious. An x-ray ruled out problems there, but they didn’t really seem overly concerned about a concussion. I wasn’t given an MRI, but I was told to sit out for a couple of days, skip the next practice and let things heal.
At that point, I didn’t know I had a concussion. I really didn’t even understand what a concussion was. Of course, I’d heard of concussions, but they’re not something I ever really associated with non-contact sports.
A Father’s Story
Grace’s parents saw their daughter fall victim to a confluence of poor judgment, poorly enforced policies, and missed initial diagnoses.
The next I went to school and it was hard to make it through the day. Light hurt. The light on a rainy day hurt more than on a sunny day. In school I couldn’t stay awake, yet I had to keep going to classes and keeping up with homework and tests.
It kept getting worse, so a few days later, my mother took me to my pediatrician who sent me to a neurologist. She gave me tests. As I tried to follow her finger, she noticed my eyes weren’t moving fluidly. I also couldn’t walk in a straight line. She explained to me what a concussion is and what I should and shouldn’t be doing to heal my brain. It was intense.
For the first month I had to stay home. All my schoolwork was sent home, but I wasn’t allowed to use my computer or phone. For weeks all I could do was coloring and some puzzles. Five weeks after my injury I went back to school, but only for one half or one day a week. I was excused from my end of year exams, which didn’t seem like a bad thing!
today …
Now four years later, I have lingering effects. I’m still sensitive to light, especially if I’m tired or haven’t been drinking enough liquids. My memory is not what it was. Some people want to forget their freshman year, but I can’t remember it even if I wanted to. I’m doing gymnastics again, but I can tell that my center of gravity is slightly off.
I don’t know what all this means for me long-term, especially now that I’m thinking about college. There are treatments for so many injuries. If I’d broken a bone, I would have healed by now. I keep wondering why there aren’t any effective treatments for concussions.
“I didn’t know I had a concussion. I really didn’t even understand what a concussion was. Of course, I’d heard of concussions, but they’re not something I ever really associated with non-contact sports.”
Grace Moschetto