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10 Headlines Modern roller derby is a full contact, tough and athletically demanding sport, played on roller skates with mostly female athletes. Claire grew up just outside Toronto playing ice hockey and was used to taking a few knocks. But this time it was different. “I immediately felt sick, dizzy, and confused. The floor was rolling and I couldn’t understand what was happening. Someone else had to tell the coach I couldn’t play,” Claire recalls. In an instant her dream of reaching elite level in her sport and representing Canada were dashed. Instead, her injury set-in- motion years of suffering, depression and misdiagnosis, but it also led Claire down a new path in life. Today she lives in Dunedin and is completing a PhD at the University of Otago exploring brain injuries and poetry. “People can’t see my injury because I look well, but I am not,” Claire explains. “There is underlying stuff happening all the time that can flare up. And it’s important for people to learn about that.” At the time of her injury, Claire says she regrets not seeking immediate medical attention. Instead, the next day she returned to Canada and visited a walk-in medical clinic, where her injury was shrugged off as a mild concussion. After months of severe spikes of pain and not being able to turn her head, Claire was finally given a brain scan which revealed swelling between the vertebrae. Looking back, Claire thinks part of the problem in diagnosing her injury was a perception that serious concussions only happen to serious athletes. “I’d like to see that misconception overcome. I do think we are seeing a shift in understanding though with concussions being talked about and studied more.” Claire’s treatment involved a cortisone shot, a regiment of drugs and physical therapy, and a personal brain coach to help with her recovery. “I wasn’t able to work for years. I had to relearn my limits and how to live within them which has been huge. I continue to benefit from prescription Claire Lacey poetry in motion medication, and it has taken a major mental shift to go from where I was to where I am today.” Before roller derby, Claire completed an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Calgary and published an award-winning book of poetry titled Twin Tongues . In 2018 an opportunity arose to study a PhD at the University of Otago, which meant Claire could return to writing while learning more about brain injuries. Since then, she has been diving into medical journals and works by other writers who have been impacted by a brain injury, to produce poems and a thesis exploring poetry and brain injury. “By combining my personal experience with scientific and medical terminology, I hope I can help other people connect with the interior experiences of brain injuries. If they can see a reflection of their own experience then perhaps they will feel less alone,” she says. A devastating knock to the head changed everything for up-and-coming roller derby athlete Claire Lacey. Seven years-ago Claire, aka Sparkle Motion, experienced a life-altering concussion during a tournament in the United States.