PCS: post concussion struggles

8,765 hours, 365 days, one year. That’s how long Kaylee Gialamas has lived with a concussion.

Gialamas is a soccer player at Wittenberg University, and has struggled with concussion-related illnesses after braving an injury on the field. At an away game she fell, hitting her head against the hard cement-like ground and suffering immediately from the injury.

For weeks, she would struggle to be able to wake up. In class, she would sit, staring at a board with words moving. On tests, she would struggle to make out coherent sentences and would have to squint extremely hard to even see a single letter.

After failing multiple concussion tests, she became so familiar with them that soon she began passing them. Finally, she was admitted to the Cleveland clinic and began taking medicine for her injury. Yet, every day, she still struggled with the pain and the frustration. The hardest thing for her was not missing out on fun with friends, struggling to complete school work, or traveling to multiple hospitals around Ohio, but she found it the most challenging not being able to play soccer.

In August, Gialamas went to yet another hospital, only to find that her injuries and suffering were due to a neck injury that was overlooked when she was diagnosed with her concussion. Finally, with help from the Athletic Trainer, she has finally been ‘fixed.’

This Saturday, Gialamas will finally be hitting the field with her teammates. After an entire year watching her teammates play from the side-lines, she can officially say that she is cleared to play. Her reaction: she is overwhelmed with joy. Not only did the doctors tell her she would probably never play again, but she was also encouraged by her family and friends to quit. Now, Gialamas can prove that statistics are only numbers, as she takes on the field once again.

The Memorial Fire

     A charred light post, teddy bears burnt to a crisp, and the ashes of blankets that once were: these are all that remain. A fire was set to a memorial created for Michael Brown yesterday.

     Since the death of the young man, the community of Ferguson, MO has been the scene of many uproars. Yet, this has been the most disturbing for the residents. Some believe that the fire was started from the candles that were often lit at the memorial, however there is a greater belief that the fire was started by gasoline.

     There is something tragically heart wrenching about this. On top of the grief that the family, friends, and community are already experiencing, this seems like yet another blow. Whether the culprit be a candle mishap, or a hate-charged arson case, the community still suffers.

     In the face of this tragic act, the community has stayed together. Instead of mourning over yet another blow, they have strengthened their bonds and continue to forge on. The community has replaced the burned down objects with fresh teddy bears and blankets. Even in this time of strife, they have continued to stay strong.

Hope for a Desolate City

Photo Courtesy of abandonedplaces.livejournal.com

     12.94 miles. That is the distance from my house to the beautifully broken city of Detroit. Once a bustling city full of life and people, now lies devastated and desolate. After the decline of the auto industry and factories, Detroit like most cities that suffered from many depressions, remains in ruins. From the run down train station to the decrepit buildings that line the streets of the inner city, most people would see sadness, trash, and the capitol of poverty. However, for life-long Detroit resident, Tyree Guyton, the city has become a piece of art.
     28 years ago, Guyton created and founded the art phenomenon known as the Heidelberg Project. He has taken two blocks in the downtown area to create a masterpiece. He uses every day items that most would view as trash and re-purposes them into artistic creations for all to enjoy. They not only allow tours of the creative space, but they actively engage the community to allow growth. They believe that in order to rebuild a community, the citizens must take a stance to reclaim their city. The offer art programs for the children of the community as well as education for adults.
    Detroit may seem like a run down town, yet there is hope for the city. Many people don't even know about the project, however for those who live in the area, the project hits much closer to home. With only 12.94 miles between myself and a struggling city, Tyree Guyton and the Heidelberg Project make me proud of where I come from.
 

Empty Wells

     Drip. Drip Drip. The sound of the water droplets as they splash against the side of the sink is deafening. The reverberation of the droplets resounds in my mind long after I leave the room. I can still hear the dripping as I participate in the day's activities. The constant sound of the annoying little drops rings in my ears and echos in my head, driving me past the tipping point of sanity. My unfailing ability to create a mountain out of a molehill is unveiling itself effortlessly.
     As I sit in class, trying to ignore the faithful dripping noises inside of my head, I hear something that makes the monotonous tones of falling water seem frivolous. Currently, California is experiencing a drought. The lack of rainfall is particularly harsh in the southern part of the state as they depend on it to fill their wells. Without the rainfall, the wells have begun to dry up leaving citizens water-less. The biggest issue however, lies within a complicated ethical dilemma. California is the largest almond producer in the world. In order to produce crops and export goods, companies obviously need to water these crops. The dilemma lies in this: in order to water their crops, they need to dig their wells deeper. However, if they dig their wells deeper, it actually makes the water level change for the next rainfall. Instead of refilling the wells of the citizens when it rains, the water will drain into the deeper-dug wells leaving the citizens still water-less. So who is right? The companies who need the water to supply the world with food, or the citizens who need water to survive?
     The dripping sound is gone now, yet in its place lies an uneasy emptiness, a sort of unnerving calm. Here I am, losing my sanity over the constant drip of water, yet across the country, people are suffering from a severe lack of water. In an uncomfortable juxtaposition of abundance and drought, I find myself helplessly saddened. The dripping sound has vanished from my head, but this complicated issue remains drowning my heart.

The Drought of the Snakes

     "Man on the floor!" I cannot begin to describe how many times I have heard this phrase in the past 36 hours. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon when I first heard these words, as the entire Sigma Kappa house sat in front of fans, stripped down to nothing but shorts and athletic tops. This is when the trouble began. 
     As the plumber made his way to fix a shower that was no longer working in the room referred to as the Penthouse, the entire house was without water for about an hour. In order to fix another small plumbing problem, the plumber returned on Tuesday to assess the situation. After having the water turned off for 4 hours, they finally left and all was well. "Drip, Drip, WHOOSH." From the ceiling in the Grand Room came water at such a rate that ordinary buckets could not keep up with. In a moment of desperation, phone calls were made and an inflatable pool was rushed in to contain the ceiling's outpour. The plumber returned at 10 p.m. only to report that the entire house was too old to fix small issues, and that all the pipes corroded with calcium, needed to be replaced.
     Those who had alternative places to stay scattered quickly and those who had no other choice but to wait it out, held tight to their Macbooks knowing they had to survive in the jungle that had become of the Snake House. It was every sister for herself and the house was filled with cries of desperation into the great unknown.