Hello my name is Sarah, and this is my friend Josie.
She was 16 when she got a traumatic brain injury and was on the James River crew team then. It was April 11th 2015, She was rowing at her regatta(race) and the guy behind her wasn't paying attention, resulting in an oar slamming in the back of her head, she was out of it for about 2 min. The EMT's were there and met her at the dock, after she got out of the boat and sat down She start getting dizzy and was starting to see two of everything, so her mom rushed her to the ER. She got some medicine and felt better, and went to bed that night. As She woke up the next day She couldn't stop throwing up and didn't know what happened, and couldn't remember anything.
She went to the doctor and they said to go to a TBI center where she was told she had a traumatic brain injury and needed OT and PT, and was told She had to stop school and focus on recovering. She was devastated! She Was in 10th grade and couldn't finish school had to repeat the grade. What teenager wouldn't be? You have never wanted to see a teenager go to school so badly before. She couldn't walk by herself as she felt dizzy, and she just felt awful and didn't know what was going on.
She slept most days and when her siblings would get home they would play a board game with her till she felt terrible. She couldn't stare at any screens without getting dizzy or throwing up. She lost her friends and all the memory's she had of 2015-2014. As she was recovering and doing therapy she felt better but on Mother's Day she took a turn for the worst and passed out into a wall and couldn't breath and was scarred since no one was home. She finally was able to call a neighbor where they rushed over knowing she was alone. An ambulance was called and she was rushed to the ER. She was put on watch 24/7 to make sure nothing happened. Eventually as months went by she felt better.
She is in PT rate now and is starting to get back to rowing (maybe by March she can row again). She has a supportive coach helping her and letting her be a coxswain till she can row again! She started 10th grade this year at Monacan High School. She says her memory is better (still a little rough).
She just wants to keep healing get back to rowing; as she wants to row for a college or USA rowing team. U would never of thought something so traumatic would have happened to a girl like this.... But it has and we will keep moving forward and support her.
