Concussion Awareness Now Corner

If you ask most people whether a concussion is a brain injury, the answer you’ll hear might surprise you. According to a recent poll from the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA), 81 percent of adults don’t realize that a concussion is, in fact, a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

That statistic set the stage for Concussion Awareness Now’s webinar, Is Concussion a Brain Injury? The webinar conversation brought together BIAA Director of Outreach Programs, Kelly Sarmiento, as well as survivors Sarah Goody and Lindsay Simpson, who have turned their own concussion challenges into powerful advocacy platforms.

The result was an hour filled with hard truths, personal stories, and a clear call to action: to commit to starting the conversation by shifting the way we think and talk about concussion symptoms and care.

More Than “Mild”

When we talk about concussions, the word that often gets tossed around is mild. But as Sarmiento said, that label can be misleading. “The term ‘mild’ is a clinical classification — it means the injury usually isn’t life-threatening,” she explained. “But people should know the effects of a concussion aren’t always mild. They can be very serious, lasting months or even years.”

And concussion symptoms don’t follow a neat script. “Right after an injury, someone might feel sick, have a headache, or be sensitive to light,” Sarmiento said. “But a few days later, it can show up differently — trouble concentrating, feeling more tired, even sadness or anxiety.”

The Human Reality

To really understand concussion, you need to hear from the people living with it. Goody’s concussion journey started at 16 as the result of a surfing accident. “Immediately, the world went dark and blank,” Goody said. “I knew something was wrong.”

What doctors initially suggested would take a week to heal stretched into six months away from school. And since that first accident, Goody sustained five concussions in four years.

Each new injury brought fresh challenges. “Concussions and TBI have truly changed the course of my life,” Goody said. “Whether it’s walking to class and being scared of hitting my head on a door, or just waking up in the morning worried about what might happen, it impacts my everyday routines.”

Simpson, a journalist and former collegiate soccer player, was no stranger to concussions, having experienced them a few times as an athlete. But her most devastating concussion came years after she hung up her cleats, when a 40-pound beam fell on her head while at work.

“It was diagnosed as a ‘mild’ concussion, but my reality was anything but mild,” she said. Simpson spent nearly a year unable to care for herself. Basic, everyday tasks became impossible. Years later, the effects of the concussion remain: double vision, memory lapses, fatigue, and a stutter that resurfaces under stress.

Awareness Saves Lives

Both Simpson and Goody said that finding their voices and telling their stories publicly has been cathartic, even when it’s been hard.

Sarmiento reminded everyone that concussion prevention and storytelling go hand-in-hand. “I’ve seen firsthand the power of personal stories and how they can advance the concussion conversation,” she said. “Sharing experiences is what has driven real change in prevention, research, and support.”

To watch a recording of the webinar, click here.

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