Isolating
My name is Kayla and I am 23 years old. I was born and raised in Peterborough, Ontario. I recentl moved to Oshawa, Ontario and am currently enrolled in the animal care program at Durham College. I always wanted to be a nurse growing up, and in my eyes I still am, just for animals instead of humans. But my compassion doesn't end at just animals. I care more about others than myself.
How have concussions affected your life?: Concussions have affected my life as I believe I suffered a concussion back on September 11, 2018 when I was in a motor vehicle accident. I have not been diagnosed, but I have many of the varying symptoms. I believe I suffered a concussion, as long as still having symptoms of post concussion syndrome, and a mild traumatic brain injury. I still struggle daily with my symptoms including light sensitivity, insomnia, nightmares, flashbacks, severe anxiety, depression, irritability, headaches. I was even diagnosed after the accident with severe anxiety (it was chronic before), panic disorder, a torn AC Joint Separation, and PTSD. Being in vehicles has been very difficult for me, especially if I am not the driver (I was a passenger in the accident). It's scary to me because I was knocked unconscious during the accident, and was dealing with confusion for 30+ minutes after, but was never properly looked at or diagnosed. I also never knew that you don't even need to hit your head or lose consciousness to sustain a concussion. Concussions have affected my life greatly over the last 1.5 years, and I have been doing lots of research and realized it is not talked about enough.
Why do you want to advocate for concussion awareness?: The loneliness that I have felt during my recovery has made me want to reach out to others so they know they aren't alone. People don't realize how easy it is to sustain concussions, whether it be in sports, a MVA or even just a fall or hit to the head. The facts that I have came across such as 50% of concussions going undiagnosed, makes me want to make people more aware of the seriousness of concussions and more aware of the symptoms of concussions, so that they know the signs to look for. I would love to be an advocate for HeadsupCAN because I want to help to #challengethestigma around concussions and mental health. I hope I can educate others about concussions, and not let them wait so long to have their brain looked at, like I have. Because your brain health matters more than anything.