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Nationwide Campaign On Brain Injuries Makes Stop In South Bay

SAN JOSE (KCBS) – Concussion awareness has been a hot button topic, with several injuries not only in professional sports, but also at the high school level, like the head injury suffered by a San Jose High Academy football player in 2009.

As part of a nationwide public education campaign, Leslie Mabry with the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation is on a six month tour to help promote a more standardized system of care for concussions.

"Many people think that the number one sign of a concussion is a headache when in fact it's this feeling of haziness or grogginess," said Mabry as she spoke to students at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose. "It's a hard to identify feeling. A lot of kids say they feel weird but in fact, that's the number one sign of a concussion."

KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:

Bellarmine Assistant Football Coach Pat Talesfore said concussion awareness has changed a lot since he started coaching.

"Early on, kids would be what we called 'punch drunk.' And they would probably still go back into the game," he said. "Today, if a kid comes off and says I have a headache, he's finished."

Brain injury is the number one cause of death among American youth.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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