Ashley Davie’s Concussion Story
I am a 19 year old from Deposit, NY and currently attend Keystone College.
| Sport | Years Played |
|---|---|
| Field Hockey | 10+ |
| Track and Field | 4 |
| Softball | 2 |
| Basketball | 2 |
The Story
I’ve had concussions before, but none like the one I got on November 18th,2017. I was playing field hockey for my travel club team and I had a huge tournament the next weekend to see a college coach that was going to sign me. We were practicing a drill, and I was playing defense on my friend and she took a reverse chip (a reverse shot) and it went high and hit me directly on the left temple.
From what I was told, I instantly passed out, and I refused to get medical treatment. The next day, I went to indoor track practice and attempted to do my warm up run and I collapsed along the side of the road. Everything felt like it was spinning, my head felt like someone had wrapped a rubber band around my head, and I was vomiting. But I still didn’t want to get seen. My coach pulled me out and asked me what was going on because she knew something was different about me. After awhile, I told her what happened to me, and then she drove me to the doctors and called my parents.
From then I was out of school for 3 months, doing physical and vision therapy two times a week and going to see a psychologist. Finally I was able to go back to school for half days, but everyone was determined that I was never going to be able to step back out on the field and play the game again. It took 11 months for me to bounce back, but I was able to compete during my freshman year of college!
What I would Have Done Differently
If I could go back I’d definitely try to be more optimistic about my recovery despite what people have told me.
Advice I Would Give To Others
My advice to everyone that is going through the same as me is that you should not define yourself with your sport. Once you are told that you may or can never return to your sport, you will lose your identity. But I advise you to keep pushing an keep defying the odds despite what people have told you!
Back to other Student-Athlete Concussion Stories.