By: Gracie Solis
One month into recovery, 21 year-old Sarah Cabot-Miller of Burlington, Vermont shows dwindling signs of a moderate concussion. The lingering symptoms of her head injury present in the form of light sensitivity to phone and computer screens, mental fatigue as the day comes to a close and a slight degradation of motor-skills. Cabot-Miller cannot exactly recall the accident that occurred on January 29th on a blue bird day at Sugarbush Resort in Warren, Vermont. However she does experience flashbacks she characterizes as “dreamlike” of a steep hill and trees, but is only assured of the traumatic incident by a dent in her helmet. Cabot-Miller’s friend Emily Marcus expresses her concern for her friend’s wellbeing by observing, “She was wearing a helmet though. It probably saved her life.”
An experienced skier, Cabot-Miller learned to pizza and french fry her way down her local Rhode Island slope at the young age of 7. Perhaps it was her level of experience that persuaded her to split from her friends to take a more challenging unmarked trail on that sunny afternoon. “I took a small tumble and I remember that it wasn’t bad, I just like got right back up and I don’t remember what happened next” explained Cabot-Miller. She attempts to describe what little detail she could recollect, “I remember seeing trees all around me and nothing really made sense … I remember thinking who was I with, where am I, who am I?” Alone and scared she wondered to the bottom of the slope. Her memory was foggy and her arm sore from the crash. Eventually she was able to locate her friends who took her to the lodge. What began as a fun trip with friends had ended in a sobering moment of confusion and fear.
Cabot-Miller did not realize that her head had taken a potentially deadly hit until she took off her helmet in the lodge which she no longer recognized— and noticed the dent on its side. What started as a beautiful day had ended up a harsh reality check about the potential risks involved with action sports. After returning home, Cabot-Miller began to act “off” so her concerned friends rushed her to the emergency room where she was diagnosed with her concussion. During the past month she has routinely seen her doctor for ear, nose and throat checkups, a specialist to test memory and recognition and a physical therapist for regaining her motor-skills.
Although Cabot-Miller still has rigorous rehabilitation to come, her road to recovery bodes well for her continued participation in skiing. Although her season came to an earlier than expected close, Cabot-Miller remains positive and plans to continue skiing the mountains of beautiful Vermont for years to come. With skiing being a high risk action sport, she recognizes that she will need to work through her nerves and ski more cautiously but will continue to maintain her love for the sport as she grew up with.