In the health field, anomalies ironically seem to be quite common, with new phenomena popping up seemingly every day. But while unpredictability is relatively common, each individual case still has a tendency to be more shocking than the last. For instance, a teenage boy recently woke up from a concussion and instead of his native English, began speaking fluent Spanish — a language that he did not know prior to suffering the brain injury.
Reuben Nsemoh, a 16-year-old soccer player at Brookwood High School in Georgia, received his third concussion after being kicked in the head during a game. The injury was so serious that he momentarily stopped breathing and was in a coma for three days. When he awoke, Nsemoh spoke fluent Spanish but had forgotten the English language. He has since regained his ability to speak English and has phased out his Spanish fluency, though he still continues to speak the language.
Nobody has any real answers for why this happened, but medical professionals being left speechless seems to happen all the time these days. The human body is so unpredictable that those who believe they have a firm grasp on the way it operates are constantly left in awe. It’s one of the many wonders of the universe.
Fox News reports, “Nsemoh said he wants to return to playing soccer once he recovers, but his coach said he won’t let him back without a helmet. For now, the teenager hasn’t returned to school as he continues to recover from the injury, and it’s unclear when, or if, he’ll be able to play again.” That’s likely for the best, considering the fact that traumatic brain injuries are extremely serious, despite the fact that the American public does their best to pass them off as an unavoidable side effect of athletics.
We should all do a better job of protecting our brains. They are one of the most vital puzzle pieces of the human body and keeping them safe is necessary to ensure a healthy life. Furthermore, we should do more to prevent traumatic brain injuries in children and teenagers. Their brains are still developing at those ages and the last thing they need is to be cracked in the head over and over again. Full contact sports are far more dangerous than most want to admit — but that doesn’t prevent it from being the truth.
It’s time to think logically about how we approach athletics.