Over year ago, my son suffered a concussion at school playing during recess. Concussions are one of those health issues that some parents will experience but we should all know how to deal with. This was a scary moment for family. We had no experience dealing with a child who had a concussion and were unaware of the treatment process for such an injury. After a visit to the emergency room and a follow-up visit with his pediatrician, he was back to normal in a little over a week. This experience made us to look into the growing rate of concussions with children and how we can be more prepared.

After his concussion, the scariest part was wondering whether he would be the same afterwards. Luckily, he’s back to normal and living a normal, healthy lifestyle.

This does not mean that we are any less concerned with the dangers of concussions. There is a growing number of diagnosed concussions in adolescents. We decided to be proactive when it comes to his health, and the health of my daughter. Next week, he will be taking a baseline test before we start another sports season. We will have the test results on file at our local hospital, Gwinnett Medical Center. We will use this test as a gauge for any injury that may occur in the future. This test gives us a level that we can base his recovery in the event that he should suffer the same type of injury again.

My son is a huge sports fan and enjoys playing sports as much as possible. As his father I’m more than thrilled to share his love football, basketball, soccer, or any other sport he chooses to play. I’m still a concerned dad who wants to play it safe though. I feel that I’m doing the best that I can making sure that I am providing him with the necessary equipment and education to keep himself safe.

This type of injury is not isolated to just sports.

Parents should inform themselves on the dangers of undiagnosed concussions, and the treatments available. I like to stick with the one’s we can put a Band-Aid on, but I’m preparing for the others, and you should too.