An elbow to the back of the head — in the moment, the collision felt minor. Carmella Vilardo, playing for her travel soccer team, kept going.
But the game time bump would later knock her out of her usual activities for two months.
Concussions are a type of mild brain injury, but many people don't regard them as seriously as they should.
In New York State, about 4,000 New York children under the age of 19 “are treated at hospitals for sports-related traumatic brain injuries” each year. That's just sports-related concussions, and only the ones that are seen in a hospital.
This week on the Disabilities Beat, as we head into the school year, we discuss concussions, their risks, and what resources exist. We speak with Vilardo about her concussion experience ahead of a public seminar about concussions at her high school.
RESOURCES ON CONCUSSION
- At 6 p.m. on August 27, 2026, Niagara Falls High School (4455 Porter Road, Niagara Falls, NY) the Brain Injury Association of New York State will present a free public seminar on concussion education.
- Brain Injury Association of New York State
- New York State Center for School Health
- New York State Department of Health - Traumatic Brain Injury Page
- NYS DOH Concussion Fact Sheet for Parents and Caregivers
- NYS DOH Sports-Related Concussion Information
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "Heads Up" Concussion Education
- Project LearnNet from BIANYS
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Concussion Education
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript produced by a contractor and may be updated over time to be more accurate.
Emyle Watkins:
Hi, I'm Emyle Watkins, and this is the Disabilities Beat.
Carmella Vilardo:
On March 21st of this year, I was playing a soccer game in Indiana where I went up for a header and the girl came from behind and she elbowed me in the back of my head. And that's it.
Emyle Watkins:
15-year-old Carmella Vilardo, from Niagara Falls, plays travel soccer with Western New York Flash.
Carmella Vilardo:
Honestly, it wasn't a bad hit. I kept playing on it and I didn't really feel anything. I felt a little shaken, but nothing too severe. I kept playing and I finished the game.
Emyle Watkins:
It was after the game Carmella started feeling the symptoms of a concussion.
Carmella Vilardo:
I felt very disoriented. I definitely was not myself, and I had started to develop a headache.
Michelle Kellen:
It's important to know what are the signs and symptoms of a concussion, and then to go see a healthcare provider right away.
Emyle Watkins:
Michelle Kellen is a professional development manager with the Brain Injury Association of New York State, or BIANYS.
According to New York State, about 4,000 New York children under the age of 19 are treated at hospitals for sports-related traumatic brain injuries each year. Concussions are considered a mild brain injury.
Michelle Kellen:
A lot of people don't understand what happens to your brain during a concussion and then what are some things to do to manage a concussion?
Emyle Watkins:
Heading into the school year, preventing head injuries and reducing their severity can make a huge difference for children and young adults long-term. Concussions don't just come from sports. They can come from biking without a helmet, car accidents, and other situations where you can get knocked in the head.
Michelle Kellen:
As teenagers, they feel indestructible, so they're going to try to power through it.
Emyle Watkins:
Luckily for Carmella, once she recognized the symptoms, she got help right away and took it seriously. It's something her mother, Cheryl, is proud of.
Cheryl Vilardo:
She had a nice maturity about her to understand that she's got goals to play beyond high school, and in order to reach those goals, that she needed to take the time to fully recover from this injury.
Emyle Watkins:
Kellen says most people don't realize the resources that exist to treat concussions, such as physical therapy.
Carmella Vilardo:
I had to learn how to refocus my eyes and being able to multitask my brain. It really did benefit me a lot going to PT, being able to regain some of my mental things I had lost during this concussion.
Emyle Watkins:
Kellen says getting treatment early and following the most up-to-date guidance from medical professionals can make a difference.
Michelle Kellen:
There seems to be some studies that show it's not really about the number of concussions you have, but how they've been managed in the past.
Emyle Watkins:
According to the New York State Department of Health, brain injuries, including concussions, can have significant long-term effects both physically and mentally, especially when you have multiple mild TBIs within a period of months or years.
Carmella Vilardo:
There really is no timeline on concussions. It's just whenever you feel better, and it's not something you can lie about because the long-lasting lifetime effects are so great.
Emyle Watkins:
Healing from a concussion can be a frustrating experience. It took Carmella two months to recover.
Carmella Vilardo:
I was in the heart of not only my soccer season, but also my lacrosse season. So it was very hard to watch all of them play and very frustrating to keep getting denied being able to play.
Emyle Watkins:
However, a brain injury doesn't have to be an experience someone or their family has to go through alone.
Organizations like BIANYS offer support groups, advocacy, and helplines. There are dedicated concussion centers for treatment. In schools, certain professionals, including athletic trainers, receive mandated concussion training. There's certain accommodations or adjustments students and workers can ask for.
Carmella Vilardo:
My teachers and my coaches were both super patient and super accommodating with me.
Emyle Watkins:
Both Carmella and Kellen say one of the challenges with concussions is that many people just haven't learned about how difficult they can be, and you can't visually tell that someone has one.
Carmella Vilardo:
For other teenagers who might have a friend going through similar things, checking in on them is very important. You're not really in the right mind space at the time, so it's a whole different world. So just making sure you're being very patient, very supportive, and just constantly checking in, because you're not the same person when you have a concussion versus when you don't.
Emyle Watkins:
Carmella's athletic trainer who supported her through her recovery, along with other concussion experts, will be speaking at Niagara Falls High School later this month for a BIANYS Concussion Outreach Prevention Education Seminar, or COPE, where the public can learn more about concussions, resources, and support.
We have more information on the event and on concussions on our website at btpm.org. I'm Emyle Watkins. Thanks for listening.
