[Sackler99]

In my first hockey game as a senior in high school I received two major concussions in the span of approximately 30 minutes. I had major cognitive problems initially. (I couldn’t read or write, speech was difficult for the first few days and a lot more.) It took me a good 12 months to feel right again. I’ve subsequently recovered, and am fully back to where I was before the accident. Although that was many years ago, concussion recovery is something I feel passionate about having lived through it. I really believe it’s not something a doctor or anyone else can fully understand and help with unless they’ve lived through it. I’ve got a number of tricks and strategies for better more fulfilling recovery and I’d be happy to share all of them. None of these are medical in nature. They’re psychological. For example, I recommend buying a Nintendo DS and one of the brain training games. Play it every day. What’s nice about those games is that they track your progress every day. You will be able to literally observe yourself getting better.

I’m not here to offer medical treatments, nor do I want money or anything else for advice or answering questions. I’m someone who lived through a horrible experience with concussion and I’d like to give back. Through my recovery I think the person who most helped me was Pat LaFontiane, the New York Rangers forward who eventually had to retire due to concussions. We spoke on the phone approximately once a week and his messages of hope and recovery were instrumental in helping me get back to normal. I’d like to do the same in this forum.