Kansas City Bone & Joint Clinic is honored to be able to share a guest post written by Kylee Bliss. Kylee is an 18 year old, who graduated from Blue Valley High School in May and is now a Freshman at the University of Kansas. She sustained two concussions within two months while playing basketball her sophomore year at BVHS and is no longer allowed to play any contact sports. Kylee created the HeadsUp Foundation and this is her story:
I have loved sports my entire life…playing them, talking about them and watching them. Entering high school, I decided to focus on basketball and play year round. As a sophomore, I suffered a concussion the first night of basketball tryouts. My symptoms weren’t going away after a month, but I felt I was letting my team down, so I told everyone that I was back to normal. I didn’t have any baseline testing, so it was impossible for them to know I still had symptoms. I started basketball practice and within a week suited up for my first game of the season. Unfortunately, I sustained a second concussion in my third game back. I missed a lot more school after that because my symptoms were even worse than after the first concussion. I went from being an honors student who never needed help to being enrolled in special education. I could no longer participate in any sports. I suffered from daily symptoms including severe headaches and dizziness, as well as difficulty focusing, reading and remembering. I couldn’t participate in the typical high school activities like going to games, movies, concerts and dances. All of these losses were overwhelming until I realized that I could do something to help keep other kids safe. In August 2013, I created the HeadsUp Foundation for PCS (post-concussion syndrome) sharing my story to help increase awareness, provide education and support research about concussions and PCS. I wanted to help make sure that other athletes, along with coaches and parents, understand what post-concussion syndrome is, how to protect against it and how to support those who have it. Now as a freshman at the University of Kansas, I have accepted the way I have to learn with PCS and the tremendous amount of time, energy and effort that it takes for me to experience success academically. I have also learned to deal with the ongoing PCS symptoms, but there isn’t a day that goes by that I wish I had known then what I do now about concussions. That gives me the strength to continue the work of my Foundation, trying to save even one other person from enduring what I do every day with PCS. – Kylee Bliss
