In middle school, Nora Fotuhi watched her best friend struggle with a serious sports-related concussion, receiving little guidance. Years later, the University of Virginia student runs a nonprofit to ensure student-athletes and their families have the resources and support her friend lacked.
“Watching how difficult and isolating her recovery process was and how little guidance she had really opened my eyes to how overlooked this issue could be and motivated me to do something,” Fotuhi said. “On top of that, seeing teammates return to the (soccer) field too soon after suffering concussions made the issue feel urgent and personal.”
Motivated by her best friend’s concussion in middle school, Fotuhi leads a nonprofit that helps student-athletes and their families navigate recovery with the support her friend never had. (Photo by Lathan Goumas, University Communications)
Fotuhi is a rising third-year student at UVA, majoring in neuroscience and global public health. In 2017, she used a $6,000 grant from the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services to found Concussion Superstars, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating children and young adults on concussion prevention in sports and strategies for safe recovery.
For the next two years, she organized workshops for classmates and teammates, explaining concussions in simple and creative ways, including simulating the effects on brains made out of Jello.
“A lot of the physical and emotional effects of concussions are invisible,” she said. “There’s no scratch on your leg or something you and others can see.”
When COVID-19 brought her in-person workshops to a halt, a conversation with her father inspired her to think bigger, and more permanently, about how to share her message. In 2022, she published “A Brain That Recovers,” a book that provides an evidence-based overview of concussion injuries with practical guidance for recovery and prevention for kids, families and coaches.
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