Eudora Middle School eighth-grader Garrett Splichal suffered a traumatic brain injury last summer as a result of two separate concussions which has impeded some of his abilities at school. Splichal is pictured with his father Steve Splichal and mother Julie Splichal on Thursday, April 6, 2017 at the Eudora High School track, where Garrett practices and where the Splichal's have organized a 5K and a one-mile walk scheduled for May 20 to bring awareness for traumatic brain injuries.

Garrett Splichal affirmed his intention of running in a traumatic brain injury benefit 5K next month with a loud “yes.”

For the Eudora Middle School eighth-grader who conceived of the event and who was a year-round athlete, that shouldn’t be surprising. Still, it will be another recovery milestone for Garrett, who has been dealing with the consequences of back-to-back concussions last summer that abruptly ended his normal active lifestyle and made even simple day-to-day tasks an ordeal.

The forced absence of activity — or “restricted activity,” as his physical therapist and neurologist termed it — is in contrast to the life Garrett, the son of Eudora schools superintendent Steve Splichal and Eudora High School science teacher Julie Splichal, knew before July 2016.

“In the fall, I played football. Then I had school wrestling. Right after that was club wrestling and then I’d go to track,” he said of his seventh-grade year. “In the summer, I’d wake up every morning to go to the swim team and then play baseball.”

His team sports activities, as well as Scouting, pickup games with friends and camping, kept him busy except when studying, his mother said.

“He crammed all this in from the fall of his seventh-grade year until last summer,” she said. “He was so active, and that has all been swept away because of an accident.”

A lake tubing incident left Garrett with his first concussion in July 2016, and the second occurred during club wrestling. After the second concussion, Garrett didn’t bounce back. The energetic, active, athletic lad was suddenly fatigued and suffering from dizziness and headaches. His mother said the two concussions in quick succession had led to a serious condition.

“The traumatic brain injury was diagnosed in early August,” she said. “We didn’t realize at first it was as serious as it was.”

The TBI diagnosis came just as school was about to start. With the TBI, Garrett, an excellent student, wasn’t up for the physical and cognitive challenges of an eight-hour school day, his mother said.

“He was not able to attend school a full day until the second semester in January,” she said. “During that time, he had very little physical activity and absolutely no school sports. Everyday activities were very difficult. Cognitive learning was very difficult. He was not the positive, vibrant kid we were used to. We had to see that he had enough down time to give him enough rest to move into the next day.”

The previously active Garrett said he missed his old active regimen as he worked to rebuild his “neural pathways,” but he also learned there was a price to pay for overexertion.

“It would usually start with a headache,” he said. “It would start off mild and then incline. Then the next day, it’s headaches and fatigue. I’m tired — just drained.”

To prevent such setbacks, his parents took care to see that Garrett got the necessary rest, adjusting the schedule of a family that includes daughters Camryn, 16, and Lauryn, 19, in the process.

“The normal activities that would be fine for a teenager, they just wear him down,” his mother said. “When he gets fatigued, any cognitive or physical activity he tries to do is very difficult. So because of that we have to have very structured time in the evenings to give him enough downtime to reach for the next day.

“Normal weekend activities where a family would plan things and do all these different events, that’s changed. We don’t do that. We pick and choose,” she said.

Garrett’s story isn’t static. He and his family know that with time, the skills of his physical therapist and neurologist, and his own efforts, he will continue to recover. He has been diligent in the eye exercises and balance therapy he has been prescribed. He cleared a big step when he started back to school full-time in January.

“We adopted the motto, ‘Celebrate every tiny victory,'” his mother said. “We are seeing many similarities to the pre-injury Garrett. However, I do believe he has an appreciation for activities he can be involved in and opportunities he can take advantage of.”

A month after Garrett resumed attending school full days, he approached his parents about a plan that grew from a classroom appeal to organize a community service project.

“I had the idea for a 5K run,” he said. “I thought I could help out by raising awareness for TBI.”

Garrett’s parents approved the plan based on his progress, his willingness to go public with his experience and desire to help others. The Project Splichal TBI 5K, which will include an associated 1-mile run/walk, will be at 8 a.m. May 20 at Eudora High School. Those wanting to be a sponsor of the event should visit projectsplichal5k.com.

Garrett’s desire to build TBI awareness through the 5K was typical of his approach to team sports before his injury, his mother said.

“Garrett was never a kid all about himself,” she said. “He was about making yourself better and building a team. To me, it shows in his desire to have this 5K event. He is always looking for ways to work with people and turn a negative into a positive. All the proceeds will go to Eudora schools to buy equipment, devices and anything needed to support the learning of students who are experiencing concussions or TBIs.”

From his experience, Garrett knew of the need for noise-canceling headphones and eyestrain-reducing blue screens that fit over computer monitors. Good screens cost about $100, and several sizes were needed at each of the district’s three buildings. Steve Splichal said as concussion and TBI awareness grew, other district needs probably would be identified.

Unfortunately, there is a need for the equipment.

“It’s not unusual to see two concussions a month in my classroom,” Julie Splichal said. “Concussions are fairly common in cheer, soccer and other activities. I think people tend to focus just on the football concussions, but we need to build an awareness that you can get a concussion doing many things.”

The family looks to make the 5K an annual event and eventually fund scholarships for students who have experienced TBIs or had a family members with such an injury.

In early March, Garrett’s hard work with his therapies paid off when he was given the green light to participate in sports again, although contact sports are no longer an option. As a member of his school’s track team this spring, Garrett will run the 100 meters, be on the 4-by-100-meter relay team and compete in the long jump.

He is also looking forward to running in his 5K with the goal of finishing, Garrett said. It’s the latest example of the mindset that helped him get through the dark days of last summer and fall.

“It was hard,” he said. “You want to be with your friends and your peers. It was important to keep things positive, and not to think, ‘Well, it happened, now it’s going to be a bad thing.'”