I became sixty-three not out and batting superbly, flaying Weston Creek fifths throughout Rivett Oval. Cut photographs, pull shots, strong heaves down metropolis. I became 16 years old and am actually on my way to 100. And then they introduced the Angel. He became pretty much quicker than his pals.
The Angel (acknowledged for his surname) bowled a half-tracker I shaped to hook. There accompanied a meaty “thock” now not of leather-based on willow but as an alternative Kookaburra six-stitcher connecting flush with the right temporal bone. And, helmet-unfastened, down onto the artificial wicket I went.
Although dazed more than injured, I gave up pretty quickly – a piece of a sore head; however, I knew what turned into going on was I may want to have saved on batting. However, umpires and captains advised I retire harm, so off I toddled. I pulled off my gloves, sat on a bench, and heard the chirp of a bird tune that began playing in my head. I sang alongside it simultaneously as metal spit crammed my mouth. And that became my final reminiscence until I woke in the clinic the following day.
I’d had a seizure. It went all blue and pink and thrashed about. My terrible old crew associates were of all kinds. They bundled me into a V8 Commodore and sped up Hindmarsh Drive to the hospital, pouring water on me, cradling my neck, doing their great as properly people do.
Twenty years later, another one. I was punched under the influence of alcohol, difficult, on the top of the pinnacle. More stunned than concussed, I became in a position to walk domestically, in which I sat on the couch and had a seizure-looking TV. I woke up surrounded by police and ambos, concerned flatmates. And it becomes up to the hospital again.
After every week of MRIs and scans, a doctor pointed to a few anomalies on a brain wave chart and stated: “Epilepsy.” A form of it, besides. The medical doctor reported he wouldn’t have acknowledged how to look if I hadn’t started the cricket incident. It had lai, and it was dormant. It had taken those knocks to bring it on. They’re the most effective seizures I’ve had, but it’s safe to mention I haven’t performed rugby or cricket or placed my head close to whatever rapid and painful, ever for the reason that.
James Graham has and will. The St George Illawarra Dragons front-rower and England worldwide says the thrill of rugby league overrides the danger of brain harm. He argues that humans over-indulge in alcohol and tobacco, notwithstanding knowing the risks. He says his grandma has dementia even though she in no way played rugby league. He’s researched matters and conducted checks upon himself. And he says: “What are you purported to do? Stop playing?”
Well, maybe.
The eighth Immortal of rugby league, Andrew Johns, found out the volume of his epilepsy in a fine and uncooked interview with his brother Matthew on Monday night time. Another Immortal, Wally Lewis, told a similar tale in separate interviews with Fairfax and News Corp, describing his seizures, his empathy with Johns, and his choice to play the game he loved despite the brain fog of physical war.
Neither man blames rugby league for their situation. Neither man could definitively say – due to the fact specialists can’t both – that the head injuries they suffered at the soccer field exacerbated or otherwise introduced their epilepsy. They may additionally have nevertheless had epilepsy if they’d been live performance pianists.
Yet, as Melbourne neurologist Mark Cook declared in Fairfax’s Good Weekend: “Even via moderate mind accidents, the hazard [of developing epilepsy] is as a minimum doubled.”
Former player Ian Roberts says he can “surely empathize” with Johns and Lewis after their diagnoses. Roberts became told he had “irreversible mind harm” early in 2014. He says he’s saddened but not amazed by Johns’ revelation.
“To be quite actually informed you have some mind damage is a shock,” says Roberts. “And I use the term’ mind damage’ on purpose. When humans use a ‘head knock,’ it is sometimes a form of OK. But it’s far brain damage. And it will take these excessive-profile cases for the subject to get the air time.”
Roberts factors to a 50-man Deakin University take a look at that he changed into a part of that checked out the consequences of concussion. There were 25 footballers and 25 guys of a comparable age who hadn’t performed touch games. They were studied, tested, and scanned. And every one of the gamers was wonderful for some shape of mind harm, in keeping with Roberts. “Of the 25 guys within the manipulate group, the most effective three got here again wonderful.”
Nevertheless, Roberts says he understands and respects Graham’s opinion. “I hear what he’s saying. He’s speaking approximately his very own state of affairs. And he should have his angle, his opinion. I’m now not speaking to him – it’s first-class that he doesn’t think about asking his intellectual health to play a game half. But I’d say no longer everybody feels the equal manner.”
Roberts agrees with Graham: anybody’s choice to play contact recreation. “But no longer anybody is aware of all the statistics,” he says. “People need to be privy to the potential for brain injury in contact recreation. We’re encouraging children to play sports, and that’s amazing. But if they touch sports activities, it’s approximately making dad and mom privy to the dangers.
“It’s not about wrapping kids in cotton wool. It’s approximately putting the records obtainable and letting humans make an informed choice. A lot of humans don’t have the statistics. There are preventative measures.”
On Tuesday morning, before I’d written any of this, my wife sent me textual content with a hyperlink to an editorial about Johns and the question: “Should our boys be playing these head sports activities?”
I nonetheless haven’t written lower back. So I’m not certain of the solution.
