CENTRE UNIVERSITAIRE DE SANTÉ MCGILL
MCGILL UNIVERSITY HEALTH CENTRE
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TRACKING DELAYED SYMPTOMS
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DES SYMPTÔMES À RETARDEMENT
Fin janvier 2016. George, le père de Jaden, se souvient de ce samedi
In late January 2016, Jaden's father George recalls being at a tour-
Saint-Louis. « Jaden tentait d’aider son équipe en infériorité numé-
Lions team. “Jaden went in to help his team while short-handed
nament in Ville d’Anjou watching Jaden play for his Lac St-Louis
matin à Anjou alors qu’il regardait Jaden jouer pour les Lions du Lac
and slid across the ice to get the puck out of his zone. Once down
rique et il s’est laissé glisser sur la glace pour sortir la rondelle de sa
he got hit in the head by another player’s skate. It was the second
zone. Pendant qu’il était au sol, il a été frappé à la tête par le patin
period of the game and he stopped playing immediately as a
d’un autre joueur. On était à la 2e période, et par mesure de précau-
precaution,” he explains.
tion, Jaden a tout de suite arrêté de jouer », explique-t-il.
Jaden didn’t complain of any concussion symptoms at first
Malgré le choc à la tête, Jaden ne s’est pas plaint de symptômes
but mostly neck muscle pain. “We decided to watch and wait
de commotion cérébrale au début, mais plutôt d’une douleur g
and see how he felt for the next little while,” says George. That
same evening, Jaden was feeling fine with no symptoms, so they
headed to a final tournament game at Loyola High School. Jaden
played well and was even voted MVP that evening. Everything
seemed like it was back to normal until the following day when
Jaden began to complain about a myriad of symptoms including
dizziness and headaches. The family made an appointment to see
Jaden’s pediatrician, Dr. John Yaremko.
La physiothérapeute Christine
Beaulieu teste
l’équilibre et la
coordination
de Jaden dans
le gymnase de
l’HME.
Physiotherapist
Christine Beaulieu
tests Jaden’s
balance and
coordination in
the MCH gym.
DEALING WITH A DIFFICULT
DIAGNOSIS
“Dr. Yaremko examined him and
confirmed that Jaden had a concus-
sion,” says George. An appointment was
arranged for the Concussion Clinic at
the MCH Trauma Centre for a more in-
depth assessment of his symptoms. The
news that followed was not what Jaden
expected to hear: no hockey or gym
class until fully symptom free, and a
recommendation for school staff that he
be excused from academic activities if he had any further concussion symptoms. It would be a huge adjustment for the active
and athletic teen.
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
As a father, George is very involved in the athletic activities of his
children and his wife ensures that the academics are never for-
gotten or set aside. George sees a lot of his younger self in Jaden
and can relate to his son’s passion for hockey and his devotion to
the sport. When Jaden had to put hockey on hold for seven weeks,
George missed the routine of picking him up from school to go to
hockey practice. “I’d go pick him up at Brébeuf with the hockey
equipment in the car and a prepared meal. All Jaden would have
to do is sit back, unwind and relax while we beat the rush hour
traffic together as we made our way to the West Island arena.”
OWEN EGAN
Jaden even remarked that some of the best guidance he received
was during those long commutes.
The hardest part for George was not knowing what to expect
as Jaden got better. “The recovery period is not black-and-white;g
FALL 2016 MONTRÉAL enSANTÉ
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