Bagley Sgro

The summer before my freshman year I was invoiced in a car accident. I was in the back seat when we were T-Boned on my side causing me to slam my head on the glass then into my friend in the middle seat.

I did not check out by the paramedics. I then did not see a doctor for four days. I thought the headaches, nausea and blurred vision were normal after an accident. I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with a concussion. Two weeks later I was still dealing with all my symptoms and they were persistent. I went back to the doctor and they said it was just a concussion.

I went to boarding school my freshman year. It was fifty minutes outside of Charlottesville, Virginia. I was a great student and athlete leading up to the accident. As I arrived at school I could not play football and still had horrible symptoms. I was encouraged to go to the concussion clinic at University of Virginia in Charlottesville. I was then told I needed an MRI. The MRI came back normal. The doctor said this is very normal.

I was in physical therapy for months. In these sessions they would work on my eyes, balances and memory. Over these months I would discover I had severe memory loss. All throughout my freshman year I was struggling in the classroom and having a hard time keeping my symptoms under control. I ended freshman year with a 1.9 GPA. My life changed though this. I was a great student wanting to go to a top College and work in Law. Now, since my lack of memory I am not pursuing my Law dream and working on finance.

As a sophomore in high school now I still struggle. Friends and classmates make fun of me for lack of memory and balance. Anyone who deals with a brain injury needs to know that there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Focus on the little things. Celebrate the little things.