AUGUST 5 , 2018 | SportsUnion 23
play .
In school , there would be times he would just take naps and it was ok to do so . His friends couldn ’ t understand the mental struggle he was going through on a daily the basis . The anger issues that come with an injury like this one .
Like Jensen said earlier , you can ’ t see a concussion . You can ’ t put a band aide on this type of injury . The best thing you can try to do is educate people on what ’ s going on . But , that is easier said than done .
“ People really didn ’ t understand what was going on ,” stated Jensen . “ Even some of my closest friends really weren ’ t support supportive . After a month everyone kind of gets sick of it . It becomes old news . A lot of people are like oh you are just faking to get out of school .”
What people don ’ t
tend to realize is that when you are concussed there is nothing that you would rather do then just be a normal person again . Nothing that you would rather do than just run out onto the pitch and kick a soccer ball around .
Having a concussion can put a person in a dark place mentally . Having seven concussions by the age of 18 can have lasting effects .
“ There is nothing that you would rather do that just to be normal ,” stated Jensen . “ Not being able to do the work and have people come up and accuse me of faking it really pisses you off . Especially , if you are dealing with concussions and you have anger issues and emotional problems .”
Everyday life
AUGUST 5 , 2018 | SportsUnion 23
Have you ever went through the day , maybe you stayed out a little to late the night before , and just felt out it ? That you just wanted to lay around the house all day and do nothing ?
That ’ s how Jensen felt every time he got a concussion . But , for him , it didn ’ t just last a day . His head was in clouds for weeks - even months . He couldn ’ t go through a day normal . His mind was always working overtime trying to compensate for what was going wrong .
It effected everything his was trying to do - including school and home life .
“ I just talked to my coach at Trinity College and he told to make sure I get into administration and talk to them ,” stated Jensen . “ Make sure that I have the support system in place to succeed . I don ’ t want to be like the tough guy and try and grit it out - and don ’ t take the accommodations . I didn ’ t put in all the hard work both athletically and academically to put myself in a position where I would flunk out of college .”
With the dog days of summer , Jensen now is focused on looking ahead . He ’ s focused on what he needs to do now to be ready for the fall . Jensen wants to make sure he has a plan in place for when he steps foot on the Trinity College campus in the fall .
“ Most of my time is spent looking forward to the fall ,” stated Jensen . “ I think about where I stand , where I am going to be health wise . So , when I get on campus at the end of this month , I am in a position to succeed while I am in college .”
Long term effects
The more concussions you get , the more likely you are to suffer long term consequences , especially if you don ’ t give your brain enough time to heal between injuries . Studies have shown that concussions can lead to memory loss and other issues as you grow older .
Jensen is well aware of the studies and knows that he needs to take care of himself down the line .
“ There definitely has been a few sleepless nights where I have bee kind of thinking about what ’ s going to happen 10 years down the line ,” stated Jensen . “ If I am struggle with math this much right now , how are the job prospects that I am going to have . What if the school is like you can ’ t take this class , and then the major that I want I can get . Then that dream job that I wanted I won ’ t be able to have .”
Jensen is hoping that his concussions issues are a thing of the past , and is really hoping that once he is healed he will be able to get on with a normal life . But , who knows at this point . After all , he suffered a concussion just when someone turned around and hit him on accident .
“ I ’ m hoping this won ’ t effect me to bad . People have joked about wearing a helmet all the time ,” Jensen said with a laugh . “ I thought about it , honestly . Wearing a helmet all the time is a small price to pay for not getting more concussions . But , I ’ m hoping that it won ’ t effect me too much in long term . But you really just don ’ t know .”