Three years ago, Gord and Kathleen Stringer lost their 17-year-old daughter Rowan after she suffered multiple concussions during high school rugby matches.
On August 10, Rowan's parents will join a panel of world-class clinicians and researchers in London, to tell their heartbreaking story to prevent it from ever happening again.
The fourth annual "See the Line" concussion symposium, hosted by Western’s Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, is being held to raise awareness about the seriousness of concussions, and how they impact athletes.
"If we save one other family from having to go through this, it will have been worth it," says Kathleen during a promotional video for the event. "Concussions are going to happen, and so what we need to do is make sure that when they do happen, it's taken care of promptly and properly."
Gord and Kathleen will also speak about the Ontario Government’s newly-passed Rowan’s Law, which outlines concussion education standards. The legislation is believed to be the first of its kind in Canada.
Dr. Michael Strong, the dean of Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, says it is hoped the event will educate those who play any sport in which concussions are a risk. He says the danger is not just exclusively for career athletes.
“These are athletes, it’s not always going to be the elite athletes,” he says. “We’re focusing on what happens to the ‘weekend warriors’ and to our kids who are playing, and what are the risks and how to watch for it.”
Strong says he's impressed and thrilled that the event has grown in such a short time. He says the auditorium has sold out to over 900 attendees.
“What we’ve seen is increasing numbers, particularly in the afternoon sessions,” he says. “When we first started this, we only did an afternoon session with the intent purely being that it was an open session to anybody in the community who wanted to come and hear.”
Strong says that the Community Information Symposium, the main event at "See the Line," will host an “all-star” speaker list, panel discussion, and round-table meeting with advocating athletes, including NHL Hall of Famer Eric Lindros.
Lindros, who has been an avid supporter of the cause, will be attending the symposium as the honourary chair.
