Have you ever experienced a mild traumatic brain injury? How about a concussion? Most college football players, and other contact sports warn you about these injuries. Nobody told me that a swimmer could get a concussion. No one told me how severe it is if you do.

Concussions can be time consuming, exhausting, depressing, and a real pain in the butt. Believe me, I know. I was medically redshirted my sophomore year of college in swimming, because my concussion wouldn’t let me get in the water. In fact, I was terrified of getting in the water for at least 2 months. Talk about being swim/sport-deprived. I was hopeless, and the headaches, depression, and living everyday life at college was very difficult.

But that was 4 months ago. Today I stand, with a clearance from my doctor, that I am free of being the concussed athlete that I once was. I don’t need anymore special academic accommodations, days upon days of not sleeping at night, medication, and symptom tests. It’s all over with, and I’ve never been happier.

Today, my life changed and I became myself again. It’s not easy recovering from an injury in college, even if it’s a physical injury outside of the head. Perhaps you are suffering from a broken ankle, maybe a dislocated shoulder or even a muscle pull. Whatever it is, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I promise. You may not believe in it, because I certainly didn’t, but there is. There’s always a light, there's always hope.

I can finally say that I am no longer injured. I can get back in the water and continue doing the sport I love, perhaps continue to compete for the next couple of years to come. The recovery process was NOT at all easy, but it was surely worth it.

4 Months. That’s how long it was.

All I did was hit my head on a wall in my dorm room. I didn’t think anything of it. It ended up turning my whole life upside down, and I have to be honest, it was a struggle. I didn’t think I was going to make it through the days, let alone the semester. I struggled to even pass my courses and anyone with a head injury can probably relate. But the wait sure was worth it.

Here’s to being concussion free, to getting back in the water, and to believing that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. 😆