[Described Video]: This video contains descriptive video.
Throughout, a hand holding a pen draws objects, words and figures, starting with that of a
boy spinning a basketball on his fingertip accompanied by his teammates.
[Liam]: Hi, my name's Liam and I love playing basketball. I play every week with my team
The Lightning, except a few months ago I didn't get to play at all for a while. That's because
I fell and got something called a concussion.
[Described Video]: With a doctor and parents watching, he sits on a medical exam bench.
[Liam]: I'd heard about concussions before like I knew that a concussion happens when
you fall or get hit so hard your brain gets hurt.
[Described Video]: Brain bounces around in the head.
[Liam]: I also knew you don't have to hit your head to get one.
Once my cousin got a concussion when someone ran into him playing football.
I got hurt once too
[Described Video]: He stands with crutches his ankle bandaged.
[Liam]: They did an X-ray because they thought I broke my ankle, but it was just a sprain.
Having a concussion was really different though.
I didn't have a bruise or anything, but it was still really serious and there were some
special things I had to do to get better.
Everyone can do things to protect their brain.
Make sure you wear the right gear for your sport, that it's in good shape, and that it
fits you right.
[Described Video]: A brain floats within a protective bubble around it.
Kids and helmets and protective gear play hockey and lacrosse, bike and skateboard.
[Liam]: You also need to follow all the rules.
In basketball we're not allowed to push another player or hit people with our elbows.
At the start of the season our coach talked to us about our concussion code of conduct.
It's not like a secret code though everyone knows about it and promises to follow it.
[Described Video]: Each team member gets a green check mark.
[Liam]: It means doing the right things like respecting each other and letting an adult
know if someone gets hurt.
[Described Video]: A team member beckons to the coach pointing to his heart teammate.
[Liam]: When I tripped and hit my head on the floor I got up and wanted to keep playing
but my coach said that even if I felt okay I had to come off the court.
I agreed to our code,
[Described Video]: Text on screen concussion code of conduct.
[Liam]: so, I knew that I should talk to a grown-up like my coach or ref or parent if
I got hurt.
You need to get help because if you keep playing when you're injured
[Described Video]: A bandaged brain blinks and chatters its Teeth.
[Liam]: you might make things worse.
So even though I really wanted to keep playing, I told my coach my head was hurting.
There are lots of different ways you might feel or act if you hurt your brain and get
a concussion.
[Described Video]: A sword bandaged brain looking very sad.
[Liam]: That's because the brain controls a lot of things like thinking, remembering,
and moving.
The ways a concussion affects you are called symptoms.
My coach asked me if I felt other things besides my headache.
Like if I felt dizzy or sick to my stomach.
She also asked if the light seemed really bright or if something sounded louder than
usual.
[Described Video]: A coach's whistle shrieks.
[Liam]: She told me some symptoms don't happen right away and can show up later.
Like it might be hard to think or remember stuff that had just happened.
Or you might feel like your brain is foggy or slow.
Concussions can also make you feel upset or grumpy.
It can even be hard to get to sleep or you might be really tired and want to sleep a
lot.
I was upset that I had to sit out and couldn't go back to the game.
[Described Video]: He frowns as his thoughts of basketball evaporate, however, next he
smiles up at his coach.
[Liam]: It helped when my coach told me that most people get better from a concussion as
long as you get help and rest your brain.
So ,the first lesson is if you hurt your head you need to stop playing right away.
If someone hits you or you fall and hurt your head, stop and sit out.
And the second lesson is to tell a grown-up if you don't feel okay.
The sooner you tell someone the better.
My mom came and took me to our medical doctor.
I thought I might get an X-ray like with my ankle, but the medical doctor said a concussion
doesn't show up in pictures.
She just asked me some more questions and checked a couple things.
Nothing scary.
The medical doctor said I had a concussion and I needed to take it easy and rest.
She said it was like when I sprang my ankle and I had to stop playing for a while.
But this time it was my brain that needed to get better.
She said I needed to take some time off of school and I couldn't play basketball until
I was better.
My school and basketball team have special plans I had to follow before I could return
safely.
The medical doctor also said I needed to pay attention to how I was feeling.
I should stop doing things if they made my headache worse or if I got other concussion
symptoms.
I guess lesson three is that it's super duper important to see a medical doctor or a nurse
practitioner so they can tell you how to get better.
Most people get better quickly.
But sometimes it takes a long time to feel better after a concussion.
[Described Video]: Calendar pages peel away, one after another, after another.
[Liam]: Some people might have headaches or problems remembering things.
Or just don't feel right for a long time.
It sounds weird but it was hard to stay home from school.
Watching TV and looking at my tablet made my head and eyes hurt.
And I couldn't read more than a few pages of my book.
[Described Video]: The next page on his book reveals a big red sign to rest.
[Liam]: Sometimes I felt okay in the morning, but when I did a lot of stuff in a row I felt
worse again.
[Described Video]: The hands on a clock face spin from nine in the morning around to four
in the afternoon.
[Liam]: The fourth lesson is to take it slow and take lots of breaks.
Everyone's concussion is different and everyone gets better in a different way.
[Described Video]: Different looking brains all end up with the same smile.
[Liam]: After a couple of days, I started feeling better.
I could read a whole chapter of my book and my dad and I walked to the store and I didn't
get a headache.
The medical doctor said that once I could do things like that without getting any of
my concussion symptoms I could move to the next step.
At each step you try to do a bit more for a bit longer.
As long as you feel okay you can go to the next step.
The next step for me was being allowed to shoot some hoops in our yard for 15 minutes.
I was kind of nervous when they let me practice with my team again.
But everyone knew I was recovering from my concussion, so they were extra careful not
to make contact with me.
Not even a little bit.
My teammates asked how I was doing and they said they'd missed me.
One even asked what it felt like to have a concussion, and I got to tell them about the
lessons I learned, just like I’m telling you.
Now that I don't have any more symptoms of my concussion and I’m back at school, including
homework.
My medical doctor said I can go back to playing regular games just like before.
Now I'm smarter about concussions and I know how important and awesome my brain is, and
so is yours.
[Described Video]: Brains hold up signs that read “I'm awesome”.
[Liam]: Don't forget the lessons from this video so you can keep safe and keep playing
the sport you love.
Just like I love basketball.
[Described Video]: This video is part of a series of Rowan's Law concussion awareness
resources.
Rowan's Law was named for Rowan Stringer who is a high school rugby player from Ottawa.
One day while playing rugby with her team, Rowan got a concussion.
Most people with a concussion get better after they rest and heal.
But Rowan didn't know her brain was hurt and needed time to heal.
Her parents teachers and coaches didn't know either.
So, Rowan kept playing rugby.
She got hurt two more times.
Rowan's brain was so badly hurt that she couldn't get better.
This resource is not meant to replace medical advice about your health care.
For more information about concussions please speak with a physician or nurse practitioner.