CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A Myers Park High School student-athlete who suffered a career-ending concussion is now working to help other student-athletes.
The 18-year-old has formed a non-profit to try to raise money for a test she’s convinced would have helped her recovery.
Myers Park senior Chandler Bartol is now really excited to talk about something that when we first talked to her a few years ago.
Well, it brought her to tears.
Back then, she told us, “it was just really hard for me to quit everything.”
She played pretty much every sport as she soon as she learned to walk. But during a junior varsity field hockey game her freshman year, she got a concussion. The doctor told her she should never play contact sports again.
“I couldn’t wrap my head around. [Sports] had been my whole life and you have to stop," Chandler said.
"That’s really hard so I didn’t know what to do,” she added.
She started working with her athletic trainer and helped out with the football and basketball teams
while she was in recovery.
The doctors later asked Chandler if had a baseline concussion test, which she had no idea what that meant.
A baseline concussion test looks at your memory and reflex times and gives doctors an idea of what your brain looks like when everything is OK. The test also helps track a patient's recovery if they ever suffer a concussion.
“If I had had a test, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome. It would have helped my recovery process drastically,” Chandler said.
She didn’t have this because as of now, only high school athletes receive those tests. Chandler is now trying to change that.
She formed the nonprofit organization called "Head First" and is raising money to get CMS middle school athletes baseline concussion tests.
And she plans to study sports medicine in college.
“While it may have turned around my life, in the end, I found what I want to do with the rest of my life,” the teen said.
Those interested in learning more about Chandler's foundation can click here for more information.