It’s All Fun and Games Until Your Child Suffers a Concussion

It’s all fun and games until somebody gets hurt.

For our family, that somebody was our oldest child Aiden. After a few tough innings, he finally stepped up to home plate for his first-ever at-bat. Fifth grade is a big year and my boys wanted a break from soccer to try a new sport, baseball. As he positioned himself at the plate, I watched sitting ramrod straight on the cold aluminum bleachers beside my husband with the parents of his team all around. The pitcher had already struck a couple kids in the hand or leg with a less than accurate fast pitch to home plate.

The moment Aiden’s feet hit the dirt I began to pray for his safety. I even audibly said, “Please God, don’t let him get hit.” 

The pitcher throwing the heat once again… but with no accuracy.

As the ball came toward home plate, I watched in horror as Aiden took his eyes off the ball to turn his head just in time to take the wild pitch to the left side of his helmet, barely missing my handsome boy’s face. I’m not one to embarrass my child with a reaction, so I breathed deep and waited to see his reaction. He stutter-stepped as the umpire ran to his side ready to catch him, yelling in his hasty motion to help, “Are you okay?”  To which Aiden replied, “Yes.” In his world, that reply means nothing when pain comes knocking. My oldest boy would prefer not to make a scene, ever. I smacked my husband on the leg and begged, “Go to him.” He got up to the fence just as our son’s coach came running from his coaching position at first base. After the ump, coach, and hubby sized him up he was off to take his base. He ran the bases fine, then we all checked him again before he went to right field where he completed a spectacular play and finished the game. 

On the way home, Aiden said he had a slight headache…

We checked his head for a lump. We checked his pupils. They dilated with perfection. He told us he was fine and excited to play again in two days. But, it took much longer for him to step on the field again. More than 30 days and 3 concussion tests later, he finally passed and was released to play. Aiden woke up the next morning with diarrhea and a headache that became so bad that, on the way to the hospital, he threw up in a bucket in my truck. I was hoping maybe it was just the flu, but when the ER doctor stood him up to do another concussion test he failed instantly. The doctors explained that sometimes symptoms don’t fully reveal themselves right away due to adrenaline and shock.

We came home from the hospital with a list of rules.

Until the headache stopped – no technology, no reading, no school, no physical play, no music, no stimulation… the list went on. The short list of what he COULD do included – sleep, eat, stare at a wall, and have simple conversations.

We watched our boy go through weeks of sadness, confusion, loneliness, and frustration. We painted watercolors, just simple lines. After some time, he was able to build card towers and design Jenga pieces into short buildings that didn’t make a loud noise when crashing. It took weeks to have a simple, back and forth conversation. It took weeks for him to find words he had lost and to use them correctly. It took weeks for the fog of confusion to slowly dissipate. 

Here’s what we learned…

1. Concussions are really prevalent in baseball at all levels. 
2. Age matters. Make sure your league isn’t putting your child on a team that is at the top of their age-range unless your kid is the next Babe Ruth. We had no idea the pitcher was 2 years older than our boy! Middle schoolers should not be playing against elementary-aged kids.
3. Enforce established rules. Pitchers are off the mound for the remainder of the game if they hit two batters per Little League rules. 
4. Always bat with a helmet. The fine University of Michigan doctors were so glad he had worn a helmet because this accident could have damaged him for life without the proper sports equipment. 
5. Write down every symptom that occurs on a calendar so physicians and the concussion clinic can have a proper timeline to diagnose and treat. I journaled our experience and printed symptom bullet points. The staff was grateful and those notes led to better care.
6. Take the field again. Aiden was re-teamed in his age bracket appropriately giving him the chance to take something bad and fight through it. This rebuilt his confidence. 

Our boy ended the season pitching as a lefty for his new team, scoring many runs. Aiden was able to read his opponents and make great plays. We are so glad he could finish with a handful of games and not leave the baseball season with the memory of one horrible incident. 

Here’s what we wish was different…

1. The distance between pitchers and the batter. Either the age for coach pitch should be raised or the pitcher’s safety net should be used to protect pitchers who need to pitch closer to be accurate. There is no reason to strain young shoulders or injure batters with wild pitches. 
2. It should be okay to let your league know they’ve put your child on a team that does not reflect their abilities or interest. We’re all just a bunch of parents trying to teach our kids baseball. Some of us are here for fun. Others have varying reasons for their intensity and fervor.  
3. Leagues for various interest levels and abilities should be created and available. We didn’t know allowing our 10-year-old to give baseball a try would be “crazy!” We found most parents are playing their kids nearly year-round in a single sport hoping to give them an edge in high school and college. Some studies show that playing multiple sports is more beneficial. It develops their whole body differently and reduces overuse of specific muscles and bones, which in turn reduces injury. 

From this momma to you, no matter what sport, hobby, or activity you and your family join… I wish you nothing but safety and fun!

To learn more about the possibility of post-concussion syndrome, click here.