Battle

Hello my name is Daniela and I am a third year kinesiology student. For the past 15 years I was a competitive figure skater that loved to be on the ice. Last year I got three concussions in under a year due to the whiplash of the falls I had in skating. I did not hit my head however, I still have symptoms that effect me to this day due to these concussions. Since I have not been able to skate I have picked up new hobbies like; dancing, singing, reading and biking. I love to keep active and believe that exercise is the best medicine.

How have concussions affected your life?: I have had to stop figure skating and any motions that involve spinning or rapid head movements like running. When I stress my head I start to see white dots everywhere. This symptom tends to get worse when I continue to stress my head for long periods of time. The stress can be anything from learning something new to being on a computer screen for too long. I tend to avoid screen time and love to use blue paper because it is colourful, fun and helps with my symptoms.

Why do you want to advocate for concussion awareness?: I wish to help educate others about concussions and help them understand how severe a concussion can be. In the past I did not take care any of my concussions properly. Now I deal with chronic symptoms that may affect me for the rest of my life. If I can help others avoid concussions or help them understand the severity of a concussion to decrease the risk of having a concussion or another concussion, this will bring me great honour and joy that I was able to help others in their well being.