3.
The most important in-class lesson I learned was to create relationships with your teachers and that they are there for your benefit and not to torture you.
Rest of question: Tears streamed down my face. I did not feel pain, but I could not stop crying. The whistle blew and an official timeout was called. “Sorry that was such a hard hit, is your head okay?” asked my teammate, but I could not put together what had happened. All I could see was a blur of worried faces around me. After the initial shock, I realized I had no extreme pain and insisted that I be put in again. Seconds later I felt my teammate’s elbow descend into the crown of my head. The season was over. As I walked for what felt like a mile towards the First Aid center, the sounds of referee whistles blared in my eardrums as the bright lights of the convention center created blinding patterns in my head.
Soon after, I was told four words I will never forget: you have a concussion. The next day I went to my doctor who instituted strict regulations including bed rest and no studying for two weeks. This was a huge challenge for me. I take my academics very seriously and this happened three weeks before finals; meaning I would be missing a lot of tests. My heart thumped rapidly, anxious about the tests to come, but my brain had completely shut down. Words blurred together on paper, the lights in my room gave me migraines, and loud sounds led to pulsing in my head.
After two stressful weeks in bed, I talked to all of my teachers during tutorials and breaks. Due to my high grades and hard work throughout the year, many teachers excused me from the work and tests that I missed, yet some were not as lenient and we had to reach a compromise. Since I could not read or focus for long periods of time without extreme pain, teachers allowed me to take tests at home with breaks. I noticed that due to my positive work ethic year round, a sense of trust has been established between me and my teachers. I discovered the importance of creating strong connections between student and teacher and it was that trust which allowed me to achieve the results that I would have been able to achieve prior to my brain injury.
More importantly I learned the value of health. Regardless of how smart you are, without health it is all worthless. I realized that stressing over things I could not control could only make matters worse. It completely changed my mindset on school and made me realize that getting a B on a test is not the end of the world. Until then all my stress had been about grades and tests, but in those two weeks I forgot about that and wondered if I would be able to even go outside in the light, listen to music, or go on my phone without a migraine. More importantly I questioned if I would ever be able to think normally again. I forgot about all the miniscule wants I had in my life and looked at the basics. I began to understand that the things I used to overlook were crucial to my daily life and should not be taken for granted.
Through this injury I was also able to discover my true friends. People who I barely knew approached me and offered to help me complete tasks without hesitation, while others who I considered close failed to acknowledge my pain. I became aware of the difference between genuine care and simple obligation. It changed my perspective of people and of life in general. Now I am able to overlook the small details that play such a minor role in my life, and focus on the larger, more important goals.
