An Active Central Oregon Woman Tells Her Concussion Recovery Story

Sonja Donohue is a typical active Central Oregon woman, with a great love for the outdoors and  sports. She is also the Executive Director of The Center Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to youth sports safety and concussion awareness, management, and prevention. 

Sonja hit her head on a cupboard door while on vacation at a rental home. She thought it was just like any other time in our lives when we bump our heads and the knot on her head eventually went away, so she didn’t think much about it. She never considered she might have had a concussion. A few weeks later, she was in her RV returning from a weekend camping trip. They went around a corner and her stainless steel water bottle fell down from above the bed and smacked her in the exact same spot on her head. She became concerned after that hit. Her vision started to blur, she felt weepy, and was experiencing symptoms that were not normal for her. She didn’t even look like herself in the mirror.

She went to see Dr. Ugalde at The Center. She diagnosed her with a concussion. Sonja felt like that diagnosis validated her fears and helped her understand what was going on. Had she not gone in to see Dr. Ugalde, she probably would have gone about her daily life and pushed herself in an unhealthy way.

From Sonja’s perspective, she would advise anyone that hits their head or suspects they may have a concussion to go get checked out by a doctor. If your life feels like it has been altered in any way because of headaches, or other concussion symptoms, make an appointment to see a concussion specialist or your primary care physician. After being treated for a concussion by Dr. Ugalde, Sonja is able to get back to sports and enjoy all the outdoor things she loves to do in Central Oregon.