Kaci Messier
My name is Kaci Messier and I am a Junior at Notre Dame on the women's lacrosse team. Although no longer a "player" on the field due to medical retirement, I play a new role supporting and helping my teammates on and off the field everyday. You cannot physically see the scars that led me here, but they are a large part of who I am and I am still growing from them everyday.
In my junior year of high school, I was playing in a soccer game running on the field when out of no where I felt a crack to the head. It wasn't until the next day that I saw the play on film and realized the girl man marking me intentionally head-butted and punched me in the face at the same time. After being diagnosed with my first "official" concussion, I had no idea the five month recovery I had ahead. Due to severe short-term memory problems and loss of attentiveness, I couldn't pass the concussion test the first 12 times I tried to take it. Finally, after five months I was put on a medication to help with my memory problems that enabled me to pass the test.
During the spring of my freshman year at college, I took a shoulder to the head at lacrosse practice that seemed to hit me in the right spot. I knew right away I was concussed because I couldn't comprehend anything the coaches were saying and I was instantly angry. I sat out for a whole month of the season and was very limited in going to class and doing work. It was an extremely debilitating month of symptoms, but was fortunately my shortest concussion.
My most recent concussion was caused by a stick to the head this past fall of my junior year. I was knocked out and controlled by headaches, nausea, dizziness, and focus problems for the entire fall. This long recovery back never truly got me back to the person I was before my junior year of college and even high school. After many appointments, doctors, and testing, I was left with no option but to medically retire.
Today I am still on the lacrosse team at Notre Dame as a vocal supporter as opposed to physical, and I couldn't be more grateful. Although I have faced so much adversity that nobody can truly see or understand without going through it, I am a stronger person than I have ever been before. Looking back now, my concussions were all so debilitating but I wouldn't go back and change anything happened. I made it through things that nobody should have to go through but I pride myself in the fact that I am an entirely better person because of it.
