How Doughnuts Can Save Injured Kids

On Saturday November 15, we ran the 6th annual Matthew Gfeller Memorial Doughnut Run. It was a freezing cold day, about 30 degrees by race time at 9:00 a.m., but we had a great turn out. We had 790 runners; a little less than last year, but given the weather, we did very well. We had bright sunshine and lots of fun with family, friends and supporters. We had the Boy Scout troop that Matt belonged to attend. The band from R.J. Reynolds High School also was there to sing the National Anthem and the Alma Mater. NBC media personality Kenny Beck was our emcee and Benji Jones Racing Company this year helped us put on the event.

Most of the runners are families. You see multi-generations; grandparents, parents, kids, dogs, strollers, and a lot of friends. Friends running with friends. We had family members there from Virginia and Oklahoma. Our kids, Robbie and Haley, came home and they brought some friends to run. It was just a successful event.

The most important thing about the event is keeping the spirit of Matthew alive. Matt was fun-loving. He loved Krispy Kreme doughnuts. His friends, Camden, John and Thomas, invented the run and actually John and Camden, who are both seniors in college, attended the event this year. That's what Matt would have been, a senior in college. Those two guys joined us on stage when we delivered all the running awards and all the wonderful raffle prizes that our sponsors gave us.

The proceeds from the race are divided evenly between the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma and Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center at UNC Chapel Hill. We're hoping that the proceeds will be greater than last year. Last year, each organization received $21,000 to go to research, education, and outreach. This year, we raised $46,000! That's $23,000 for each charity and an increase over last year. We are already debriefing about this year’s event and planning for 2015. Maybe we will run it earlier in the year so it's not as cold! I want to thank everybody who came and of course, all of our sponsors and we look forward to next year. 

The money donated to the Gfeller Center has funded a Ph.D. student for a year and they will work on one project that's related to traumatic brain injury in sports. Sometimes that's associated with an NCAA study. Sometimes that's been associated with a local Chapel Hill high school study and it really depends on what Dr. Guskiewicz and Dr. Mihalik have on the docket for the next year.

At the Childress Institute, the money received from the race has been used to continue The Childress Institute's investment in the multi-year study that was the KIDS study and is now the iTAKL study that measures head impacts in youth football players. It goes to purchase equipment that's needed for the on-field study with the kids. It's also helped to fund the athletic trainer along the way. Knowing that Dr. Stitzel, Powers, Maldjian, and Whitlow will continue the study through 2019, gives us confidence that the money donated to The Childress Institute from the Matt Gfeller Doughnut Run is doing good work. We know Matt is smiling on us for all the good work the run accomplishes.

- Bob Gfeller, Executive Director of the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma

What Youth Athletes Think About Concussions

Cailin Davis, 16, Emily Hunter, 17, Katie Mueda, 16, Brie Boothby, 17.

According to a new study by Safe Kids Worldwide, youth and teen athletes commonly ignore concussions and sports injuries because they feel pressure to play through pain. Elizabeth Murray and Sheinelle Jones from the TODAY Show shared a story last week about Brie Boothby. During a high-school field-hockey game in September 2013, near her Virginia hometown, Boothby was struck in the side of her head with an opponent's stick and blacked out. 

"The only thought in my mind was getting back in the game," she told Jones. And despite her injury, the field-hockey player kept playing. "I thought I had to be tough. I thought I had to go back in because we were losing and I needed to support my team."

That night, the 17-year-old felt nauseous, and began losing her memory. A trip to the doctor revealed devastating news: Boothby had sustained a serious concussion that left her with permanent brain injuries. 

It took Boothby 10 months of physical therapy just to be able to stand up without falling over. Since then, Boothby said that her school work suffered, and she's been diagnosed with ADHD. "MY GPA dropped so much that I'm really anxious about college," she said. "I'm not sure if I'm gonna get into what I've worked for my entire life."

Boothby's story is one of more than 1 million young athletes who are brought to the emergency room every year. And a new study by national research group Safe Kids Worldwide may help explain why one child is taken to the emergency room for a sports injury every 25 seconds. The study's results show that young athletes are engaged in a dangerous culture comprised of ignoring sports injuries, and feeling pressure to play even when they're hurt. 

The study, which surveyed 3,000 athletes, coaches and parents, found that:

• 42 percent of kids said that they have downplayed or hidden injuries so that they could keep playing.
• 53 percent of coaches said they've felt pressure to put injured players back in the game.
• Almost 1/3 of kids surveyed said it's "normal" to play rough in a game, to "send a message" to the other team.

While this problem in youth sports has been well-publicized, this new research found that many young athletes are still putting themselves at unnecessary risk. 

"The awareness we have about injuries and the risk to our children is not matching the behavior that we're seeing on the field," said Kate Carr, president of Safe Kids Worldwide.

Doctors can't say if Boothby made her injury worse by continuing to play, but there are very serious risks for athletes who continue playing with a head injury.

"If kids return to play too soon after a concussion or a head injury, they're at risk for second impact syndrome, which is a really serious brain injury," said Dr. Tracy Zaslow, a sports medicine physician at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

All 50 states now require young athletes to be pulled from play if a concussion is suspected, and many have restricted contact in youth sports practices. Sports associations say they're training coaches to resist pressure to play injured athletes, and the High School Coaching Association is pushing for new laws that would require medical personnel at all youth sports games. 

Boothby said that until young athletes really understand the message, they'll continue to play. Even though it's now not what she recommends. "I think when in doubt, sit it out," Boothby said. "And yes, it might stink sitting under the lights on the bleacher. It's better to be safe than sorry. I mean, what is one game compared to your entire lifetime?"

For more information about the warning signs of concussions in youth sports, visit the CDC's website.

ATV Safety Facts by Bob Gfeller

A major goal of the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma is addressing the issue of mild traumatic brain injury in youth when they participate in recreation and sports. By youth, I mean these are boys and girls roughly 15 years old and younger. By recreation and sports, I mean all the sports the kids play such as boys playing football, hockey, soccer, basketball, lacrosse and girls playing soccer, basketball, cheerleading, and volleyball, as well as other sports. 

From a recreational standpoint, we're specifically talking about outdoor recreation on ATVs, four wheelers, motocross, and of course bicycles. I'd like to focus in on the ATV issue for this blog because the statistics are really surprising. We have studied a lot of literature and a lot of studies that have been done in this area. In fact, we have funded a couple of papers in this area, one of which should come out at the end of 2014.

There are about 10 million ATVs in use throughout America today. Injuries on ATVs are up approximately 70 percent over the past ten years and injuries in children have now reached 40,000 emergency room visits per year. Why is that? When you look at injuries on ATVs, children represent only 20 percent of the riders, but 50 percent of the injuries. These injuries include both a singular injury, which means a head or limb injury, but over 20 percent of them are multiple injuries, meaning limb and head or internal organ and head, so they're pretty severe injuries when we look at them.

For example, a study published by Dr. Allison McBride shows that in North Carolina 27 percent of ATV injuries are children but they are only 14 percent of the riders. There are three major factors:

1. Kids are driving machines that are just too big and powerful for them to control

• There is legislation in all states defining legal ages for children to drive an ATV, with specific guidelines for size and power based on age
• Most states say that children under 16 cannot drive an ATV unless they have parental supervision

My two cents: These rules are pretty hard to enforce when you're in rural areas around the country

2. Drivers and riders are too young

• Average age of a driver is 12
• Average age of a rider is 9

My two cents: These are little kids driving and riding on powerful machines

3. “Reckless” activities on ATVs

• 90 percent of riders do not wear a helmet
• Driving too fast
• Riding an ATV on paved roads
• Alcohol consumption

My two cents: If you have ever ridden or driven an ATV, you know that when it hits a paved road the tires bounce and you can easily flip

Why does all this matter to the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma? Part of our equity is that the Childress family is very involved and passionate about the outdoors. We know that families love the outdoors – hunting, fishing, hiking, camping and other activities – and to get to many remote areas in our beautiful country ATVs are used. As the economy improves, more ATVs are being sold. We want to work in the area of ATV injury prevention and treatment.

As we look toward 2015, we will work on two recreation initiatives:

• Improve research and knowledge on what causes people to ignore safety regulations for riding ATVs
• Get involved in educational and outreach programs to make ATVs safer, which may include encouraging the use of helmets among both adults and children

Please remember this as you head into the fall recreational activities:  if you wear a helmet, injuries to the face and head could be reduced by 50 percent. A simple helmet can save you a world of grief and pain if you or your child are injured riding an ATV. Our goal is to save the lives of injured children. Your actions can save a life!

Stay inspired!!
Bob Gfeller, Executive Director of the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma

Recognizing Concussions

USA Today recently brought up the topic, “how do families with concussion concerns pick sports?” Although there is much talk in the news about youth football injuries, many other sports pose injury concerns for parents and athletes. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, soccer players have the same percentage of injuries that are concussions as football players. Soccer player Tori Bellucci told her concussion story earlier this year as part of the White House’s summit on concussions and youth sports. The summit shined a spotlight on the nation’s interest in finding new ways to identify, treat and prevent serious head injuries in youth athletes.

After a successful high school soccer career at Huntington High School, Bellucci was offered a full scholarship to play soccer at Towson, but the physical and emotional effects of multiple concussions made her realize the risks of continuing to competitively play the sport she loves. Tori elected not to play soccer in college after she suffered her fifth concussion.

“It changes the way you think and feel,” Bellucci, 18, said. “I was just like really sad, really kind of desperate type of feeling. I couldn’t do anything because of my head, so I would just be in my room with the shades drawn. I was like, ‘I don’t want to live like this anymore.’”

Unfortunately, the effects of initially unrecognized and repeated concussions meant Bellucci’s dream of playing soccer in college ended, but she continues to work hard to recover and remains active in sports by teaching young children how to play soccer. At the summit, President Obama referenced Bellucci’s experience as an example to other young athletes and parents about the commitment ahead of us to change perceptions and improve outcomes.

Safe Kids reports that every three minutes in the U.S., a child is seen in the emergency department for a concussion, yet 54 percent of athletes admit they have played injured. The CDC has great resources for parents and athletes for preventing, recognizing and treating sports injuries.

Signs of a concussion that coaches, athletic trainers and parents may notice:

·         Appears dazed or stunned

·         Is confused about assignment or position

·         Forgets an instruction

·         Is unsure of game, score, or opponent

·         Moves clumsily

·         Answers questions slowly

·         Loses consciousness (even briefly)

·         Shows mood, behavior, or personality changes

·         Can’t recall events prior to hit or fall

·         Can’t recall events after hit or fall

Symptoms that athletes may report:

·         Headache or “pressure” in head

·         Nausea or vomiting

·         Balance problems or dizziness

·         Double or blurry vision

·         Sensitivity to light

·         Sensitivity to noise

·         Feeling sluggish, hazy, foggy, or groggy

·         Concentration or memory problems

·         Confusion

·         Does not “feel right” or is “feeling down”

For an easy reference, visit the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma's easy concussion overview and click the graphic to download and print. For more information and stories from athletes, parents, coaches and athletic trainers, please visit:

• CDC's concussion reference
• CDC's Heads Up program for athletes
  
• CDC's concussion story from a basketball player
  
• A parent's story about concussion in youth athletes
  
• Matthew Gfeller Foundation
  
• Safe Kids' youth sports culture infographic
  
• Safe Kids' sports safety infographic
  
• Safe Kids' Ten Tips for Parents
• USA Today's story on concussions and youth athletes