Brain injury survivor offers advice to parents
If you may recall, I submitted [a letter] not too long ago. If you do not recall that letter (or me), I am the guy who got hit by a car three weeks before his wedding day.

The letter itself dealt with avoiding this calamity by being a more observant pedestrian, driver or bicycle rider. In a follow up to that letter, I would now like to address the potential of brain injury in sporting events we or our children participate in.

What is brain injury? As an analogy, picture the brain as a computer that you use for work or at home. Once you "boot it up," that same computer will now be able to access all of the information stored in it. And, this access begins with signals traveling across a multitude of plastic circuit boards within the computer. If any of these circuit boards are damaged by dropping that computer or by excess electronic charges passing through them, that computer cannot direct those same signals across paths that are broken. The same with brain injury. Pathways in the brain are broken, and any information that is stored in the brain is no longer accessible.

In regard to the previously mentioned sporting events, how many times have we or our kids been leveled or taken out of a play in sports like soccer, football or hockey? That particular person will get up blurry-eyed and dazed, and told by the coach to just "shake it off." My advice is this: please have that player medically checked ASAP. Why? Because any jolt to the brain can cause traumatic brain injury.

I am no doctor, but I have absolutely gone through this brain injury problem. So here's something to try: if that person does not want to go see a doctor after he or she "shakes it off," try this. In a quiet manner, ask these simple questions:

1) What is your home phone number?

2) What did you do today?

3) Where do you live?

4) What is your Social Security number?

5) When where you born?

6) Where were you born?

If that person has any trouble with any of these simple questions, please seek medical attention!

This will hopefully alert people to the potential and possible treatment of brain injury. For it is not something that can or should be avoided. Thank you for hearing me out.

Jim Balogh

Edison