Luke's Story
Just shy of his third birthday, my son Luke ran behind a playground swing and was struck hard on the right side of his head. Because there were no obvious signs of concussion or external injury, the pediatrician, reached by phone, advised against an emergency room visit. Twenty-four hour observation at home did not reveal any obvious signs of trauma, and I breathed a sigh of relief. That relief, however, was very short-lived...
The heavy blow to Luke's head, although seemingly innocuous at the time, had caused a closed-head traumatic brain injury (TBI). Despite the almost immediate physical and behavioral signs that continued to worsen throughout his life, Luke's injury remained undiagnosed for the next sixteen years. |