While it never occurred to me that I might have suffered a brain injury, in thinking back over my childhood, I recall the day…..
It’s summertime and the elementary school offered “craft’s day” for kids, in the parking lot. I’m 9 years old, happily sitting with a friend in the alcove of the school entrance, playing checkers. Several boys were throwing softball sized chunks of modeling clay against the brick wall, excited to see whose slab flattened out the most when it smashed against the wall. Each of them, standing further and further back from the wall would throw and I could hear the heavy thumps and the laughter from each boy. Suddenly I heard “LOOK OUT!”..so of course, I looked up and turned my face in the direction of the voices. WHAAMMMPPP! ..a direct hit onto the center of my face. The monitors at the playground were teenagers. I remember being dragged into the ladies room, blood everywhere from a nose bleed. “you’re ok!” I heard while my rattled mind swirled and my face burned and they kept wiping. Laughs, of course…after awhile….they just set me on my bike and told me to peddle home.