Personal Narrative: My First Concussions

Have you ever felt as though the whole world was spinning out of control and that you might go flying if you tried to stand, or have you ever felt the feeling of your brain rattling against your skull as a headache pounded its way into your forehead. That is the feeling of a concussion, and if lucky you are enough to have never experienced one just think of a jackhammer against cement. It is a constantly pounding, pulsating, and pulverizing sensation that demands all of your attention. Concussions are selfish. They do not care about the project you have to finish or the phone call you have to make to your grandma because they dictate all of your actions, they have complete control of you regardless of what you have planned.
I was still fourteen by the time I experienced my first concussion. The day was absolutely beautiful. The sun was scorching everyone’s skin as we all raced to my school’s dirt field searching for the shade the trees would throw across the ground, but the excitement that was building in everyone was by far more intense than the heat. Today was the day that my class was allowed to play flag football, an event we had all been looking forward to since the start of the fourth quarter. The
I was tackled three times by several different football players, but I never lost a flag to them. When the teacher finally called time, I had a limp and no new flags. If I was going to win this game I would need to team up with one of my classmates. I didn’t have many choices since all the athletes already partnered off, so I was left with my friend Dylan and a seventh grader who was about half the height of everyone else. I chose the seventh grader. We worked well together and managed to steal several flags from our opponents, but my partner rolled her ankle and decided to sit out the next round, so I was left without a partner again. Before the teacher could start the next round I quickly made a deal with Dylan to work