[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb image=”https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/01\/Header-possibility-1-scaled.jpeg” content_max_width=”100%” admin_label=”Intro” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n
In 2016, when I was 12\u00a0<\/span>years old<\/span>, I suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). It was a normal winter day with fresh snow on the ground and cold in the air. My sister and I decided to go sledding on\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>\u00a0nearby hill. After many rounds of fun and laughter we decided to go down together one last time before heading home. We rushed down the slick, icy sledding tracks with excitement and joy, too fast to avoid the remnants of a ramp that had been worn down to a bump. That\u2019s when everything took a turn for me. I don\u2019t remember anything after this moment; I must rely on the stories that I have been told.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”Story” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n I was told that we were launched off the bump and I got ejected from our sled. Instead of me rolling like my sister, I slammed to the ground, hitting my head and knocking me unconscious. My sister called my parents who arrived and called 911. My parents guessed that there were five firefighters, two cops, and two-three paramedics by my side. I was rushed to the local hospital in town, but they didn\u2019t have the ability to treat me. I was placed in a medical helicopter and was airlifted to a hospital in Minneapolis.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After a flurry of tests, the doctors spoke with my parents and shared devastating news. My TBI was bad, and they didn\u2019t know if I would be the same\u00a0as before. It would take time before they knew for sure how bad it was going to be. I had three skull fractures, a neck injury, and broken ribs. The only thing my worried parents could do was wait for me to wake up. I was unresponsive for two hours and then I was incoherent for 24 hours.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb title=”What is a TBI? ” admin_label=”What is a TBI” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n A TBI is a Traumatic Brain Injury.\u00a0It is the result of a violent blow to the head or the body.\u00a0Most often these occur as the result of falls, sports related injuries, and vehicle related collisions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These blows can have effects ranging from mild to severe,\u00a0and can be long lasting depending on the level of trauma to the head.\u00a0There is a wide range of physical and psychological effects.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/traumatic-brain-injury\/symptoms-causes\/syc-20378557″ url_new_window=”on” button_text=”Learn more about TBIs” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb content_max_width=”100%” admin_label=”Story” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n My recovery process was long. I\u00a0stayed\u00a0in the ICU for a week. Once I got home, I had to gradually\u00a0readjust\u00a0to life and school. I went to\u00a0months of therapy\u00a0that\u00a0consisted of re-learning to walk,\u00a0move properly, how to control my eyes to see correctly, and how to read again. But I did recover. Fully.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While I won\u2019t say that I\u2019m\u00a0<\/span>glad<\/span><\/i>\u00a0for\u00a0the experience, my TBI has made my life interesting and complicated in unexpected ways. For example, I can\u00a0say\u00a0that my life flashed before my eyes. Over the years, I have developed a passion for adventure because I know how quickly life can change. I also maintain\u00a0gratitude\u00a0for how much my life didn\u2019t change –\u00a0not all TBI patients are as lucky.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb content_max_width=”100%” admin_label=”Conclusion” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n I don\u2019t share this story to get sympathy or to scare you. Every activity\u00a0<\/span>has\u00a0<\/span>their<\/span>\u00a0own dangers<\/span>. I tell my story to bring enlightenment to sledding, most don\u2019t think it\u2019s a dangerous activity\u00a0<\/span>but, it<\/span>\u00a0can be.\u00a0<\/span>Always remember to bring a group of friends or family with you. I was lucky that my sister was with me, and I got the help I needed right away. If I was alone, I don\u2019t know what would\u00a0<\/span>of<\/span>\u00a0happened.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2013 Paige Kelly ’25<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In 2016, when I was 12\u00a0years old, I suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). It was a normal winter day with fresh snow on the ground and cold in the air. My sister and I decided to go sledding on\u00a0a\u00a0nearby hill. After many rounds of fun and laughter we decided to go down together one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":6965,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[791,789,790],"class_list":["post-6962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wellness-blog","tag-sledding","tag-tbi","tag-traumatic-brain-injury"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/01\/Header-possibility-1-scaled.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7PQJv-1Oi","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6962"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6962\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6970,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6962\/revisions\/6970"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}