Former BMX racer Jay Fraga is founder of The Knockout Project. He gave a presentation at Bay Path College in Longmeadow last week. (Photo submitted)
LONGMEADOW – Former BMX racer and western Mass. native Jay Fraga gave a presentation at Bay Path College last week to talk about his journey through concussion, in an effort to raise awareness about the issue that affects athletes from youth sports all the way up to the professional level.
Fraga, founder of theknockoutproject.org, has suffered 10 confirmed concussions – even though he says the real number could be close to 40 – and was forced to retire from a promising career as a BMX racer when he crashed and sustained his eighth concussion.
“I had my eighth concussion on my bike, and that was the one that retired me,” Fraga said. “It was pretty bad, but it was mild compared to eight months later when I bumped heads with my son in the same spot. We just tapped heads, and it plunged me into 1,000 days of hell. It happened in April 2011, and I still see doctors today to help me with my post-concussion syndrome.”
Speaking to Fraga, one would be hard-pressed to know he’s suffered multiple brain injuries that affect his everyday living. Yet he wears special glasses to trick his eyes to stay straight, and he often loses his train of thought while speaking. He always has a headache. He takes medication for depression. Every now and then he sees spots. These are all things he has to live with for the rest of his life
“The best way to describe it is the worst hangover you’ve ever had,” Fraga said. “Imagine a hangover so bad that it sends you to the couch. Now imagine trying to function through everyday life, whether it be at school or in the workplace, with all those symptoms. It can ruin your life.”
Fraga said he started The Knockout Project to raise awareness about the dangers of concussion. He’s not anti-sports in any way, and he says the most important thing for athletes, coaches and parents is to identify when a player has a concussion and to treat it properly.
“The (National Football League) has dragged concussions into our collective consciousness,” Fraga said. “But this is a problem for youth and amateur athletes, too. Our mission is to focus the beam on it and let people know that this is something that is happening everywhere. We want people to recognize when someone has been hurt, get them examined and have them healed the right way. And then we want them to get examined again before they are cleared to play so they can prolong their health and prolong their life in sport.”
Fraga said The Knockout Project is a work in progress, something he hopes will evolve as more awareness and information about concussions is brought to the forefront.
“It’s something I started in response to me living with post-concussion syndrome,” he said. “I hope my story will inspire others to take the necessary steps when they suffer this type of injury.”
