My notes helped me follow my doctor’s orders so I could do what I wanted to do, play football.
OAKLAND, CA – My name is Paris and I’m 19. I just graduated from high school. I played football (Defensive Tackle and Offensive Line) all four years of high school. I also played basketball and did some track and field stuff.
Right before my freshman year my family moved to the Pacific Northwest for my dad’s job. I sort of remember my dads talking about this thing that was part of our doctor’s appointments called OpenNotes. They explained to me what it was and I thought it sounded pretty cool. At my doctor’s office, I couldn’t get signed up until I turned 18, so they signed up for me until then.
Because of all the sports I played, I got injured a few times. I got a concussion on the last regular season game of my senior year, which meant going to see the doctor…again. (I’m kind of famous at my doctor’s office because I’m there all the time.)
When we got home from the doctor, I was trying to remember something he had said and so I asked my dad to help me get into the OpenNotes thing. It was cool because I could totally see what the doctor said. I mean, it was important because all I wanted to do was play football, and the only way to do that was follow the doctor’s orders and get better.
Even though it was super hard, it was nice to have the doctor’s restrictions right there for me so that both my dads and me could see what I was and wasn’t supposed to do. Anyway, I got better and got to play in the semi-final game of my senior year, which was awesome since it was my last time to play in high school.
At the beginning of this year, we moved again. We’re in California now and my dad’s insurance changed. My new doctor doesn’t have the OpenNotes thing.
It was hard having my doctor tell me “no cognitive or physical activity” when I was trying to get better from my concussion, but it is even harder not being able to see what my doctor says at all. Hopefully my new doctor will start having the OpenNotes thing or we get to go back to our old doctor.
PEACE…Paris.
Paris lives in northern California, works as a guest services representative for a large hotel chain, and is studying sports marketing at a local university. He enjoys playing football and basketball, spending time with his dog Bo, and hanging out with friends and family.
