ST TR RU UG GG GL LE E

Words by Kelsi White & Hannah KingsburyDesign by Darby Brown & Josh SvobodaPhoto by Zac Jones

Alexander Calleja struggled to regain his memory after a head injury from soccer caused him to forget everything.
A sudden burst of pain rocketed through Alexander Callejas (11, #4) skull as the blunt force of an elbow sent him plummeting forward. In the midst of the fall, the feet of the two players became entangled, forcing Callejas momentum backwards and leaving the back of his head to take the full impact. The 16-year-old pushed himself slowly back onto his feet, staggering as he tried to regain control of his movement but determined to continue playing. After making a short attempt, it was clear something was very wrong. Coach Bob Ramsey ushered him over to the bench. Do you know where you are? he asked. What is the score of the game? Calleja was quick to reply that he was at the Kentucky Country Day School soccer match; the score was 2-0. Still unconvinced, Coach Ramsey provided the defining question, Can you count backwards from ten? The disoriented players thoughts raced as he attempted to recall the correct order. Nothing came; he could not remember what followed after ten. It was clear that the injury was more than just a bump on the head. Calleja was rushed to the hospital on that Aug. 24. His memory continued to deteriorate as the onset of the injury began to fully set in. Upon examination, it was soon obvious that he would be familiarizing himself with the hospital. I lost memory of who I was for days, Calleja said. When I woke up from sleeping, I forgot therapy classes in order to be able to return to his regular schedule in time. Calleja toured the school with his father in hopes of jogging his memory. During his visit he was overwhelmed by dozens of greetings from fellow classmates that he failed to recognize. I had so much support from my family and friends. Ms. Hunts class made me get well cards, and the soccer team threw in money for a gift basket, Calleja said. During his three-week recovery period he would often wake up with massive headaches, followed by a flood of memories. With the majority of his memory back, the doctors felt that he was capable of returning to school. Still experiencing effects of his injury, Calleja was able to continue his normal routine, including playing on a soccer club teamwith the condition that he wear a specially-made helmet. It all happened so fast. Now I take life slowerI make sure not to rush things, he said of his new routines. For Alexander Calleja, that Wednesday game was not memorable for an incredible achievement or scoring a last second, gamewinning goal. It was memorable because it was the day he forgot everything.

{ {
Cherish what you have now because you could forget things forever.
Alexander Calleja

every time.

His mother, Jennifer Calleja, described his state as having the same verbalization skills as a two-year-old. Not only had he forgotten almost everyone and everything around him, he also lost much of his ability to formulate sentences. After a visit to the neurologist, an MRI, and multiple CAT scans, Calleja was diagnosed with aphasia, a disorder that limits the speaking, listening, reading, and writing abilities of the brain. This meant that he would have to be retaught all of these skills. As a parent, it was a nightmare seeing your child, who is an honor student at Manual among students with high-level thinking, have to just start over, his mother, Ms. Jennifer Calleja, said. He worked multiple days a week in his speech

I enjoyed helping Alex remember things and showing what a true friend really is.

Sports Alexander Calleja

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