Nationwide Campaign On Brain Injuries Makes Stop In South Bay
SAN JOSE (KCBS) – Concussion awareness has been a hot button topic, with several injuries not only in professional sports, but also at the high school level, like the head injury suffered by a San Jose High Academy football player in 2009.
As part of a nationwide public education campaign, Leslie Mabry with the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation is on a six month tour to help promote a more standardized system of care for concussions.
"Many people think that the number one sign of a concussion is a headache when in fact it's this feeling of haziness or grogginess," said Mabry as she spoke to students at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose. "It's a hard to identify feeling. A lot of kids say they feel weird but in fact, that's the number one sign of a concussion."
KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:
Bellarmine Assistant Football Coach Pat Talesfore said concussion awareness has changed a lot since he started coaching.
"Early on, kids would be what we called 'punch drunk.' And they would probably still go back into the game," he said. "Today, if a kid comes off and says I have a headache, he's finished."
Brain injury is the number one cause of death among American youth.
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