{"id":2673,"date":"2021-08-06T18:38:32","date_gmt":"2021-08-06T18:38:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.codetrauma.com\/?p=2673"},"modified":"2021-08-09T16:03:14","modified_gmt":"2021-08-09T16:03:14","slug":"saved-by-my-bike-helmet-a-story-from-an-avid-biker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.codetrauma.com\/en\/saved-by-my-bike-helmet-a-story-from-an-avid-biker\/","title":{"rendered":"Saved by My Bike Helmet: A Story From an Avid Biker"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve always loved biking, but I’ve not always loved wearing a bike helmet. This is the story of how I changed my mind.<\/p>\n

When I was a teenager, I felt invincible. I was lazy about wearing my bike helmet on my ride to school. After all, my school was only 2 blocks away from my house, and I liked the feel of the wind in my hair. My mother would often insist that I wear it, repeating the order as I left the house for school. Every time I arrived at home wearing nothing on my head, my dad would give me an exasperated look, reminding me how careless I was acting. At the time, these reactions did nothing but reinforce my behaviour. I couldn\u2019t have cared less about protecting my head.<\/p>\n

When I grew a bit older, I realized my parents might have been right all along I had a white helmet at the time, which I happened to like a lot. I started wearing it to school, tying it to my school bag once I got there. Inevitably, the chinstraps and side straps got looser, which meant it wasn\u2019t as efficient at protecting my head. I remember how poorly fitted it was. But I didn\u2019t care, at least, I thought, I was wearing my helmet.<\/p>\n

My First Hit : My Sister’s Accident<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One summer day, Gaby, one of my sisters, was in town. We had planned to get together for supper. We were so excited! I was in my bedroom getting ready when the phone rang. I heard my mom pick up. A few minutes later, she gathered my family and told us: \u201cYour sister was hit by a car.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was impossible. Not Gaby! She was always so prudent on her bike. We soon learned the backstory: she had been heading home after work on a busy bike path. A car had turned at the precise moment she was passing\u2014the driver hadn\u2019t seen her. When I heard they had given her a cervical collar, I was SO scared. She he had suffered a concussion\u2014 but at least, she had no broken bones, no severe trauma to the head. I was relieved but from that day on, I always wore my helmet. This was my first hit.<\/p>\n

My Second Hit : Saved by My Bike Helmet<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A few months later, I was riding with my twin sister on Camilien-Houde Way, across the Mont Royal. We were chatting, riding at an easy pace. In a moment of distraction, we got so close that our wheels brushed against each other. Because we were on a slope, I lost balance. My head hit the ground, shattering my helmet. I went into shock, feeling dizzy and with my head throbbing. I, too, was diagnosed with a concussion, and it took me a long time to recover. This time, my helmet had saved me. This was my second hit.<\/p>\n

At that moment, I chose to start thinking with my helmet<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Every time a driver nearly opened his door as I was passing beside his car;<\/p>\n

Every time I had to brake quickly because the car driver did not look at his blind spot;<\/p>\n

Luck saved me.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For each time luck saved my head, I want to help save others\u2019.<\/p>\n

Do it for your head. THINK WITH YOUR HELMET<\/a>.<\/p>\n

– Alexandra Germain, McGill Medical Student and “Think with your Helmet” Student Ambassador<\/h5>\n

\"Alexandra<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve always loved biking, but I’ve not always loved wearing a bike helmet. This is the story of how I changed my mind. When I was a teenager, I felt invincible. I was lazy about wearing my bike helmet on my ride to school. After all, my school was only 2 blocks away from my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[161,133,131,134,162],"class_list":["post-2673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-bike-helmet","tag-bike-safety","tag-biking","tag-helmet","tag-safety-on-a-bike"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSaved by My Bike Helmet: A Story From an Avid Biker - Code Trauma<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Alexandra tells the story of how she started wearing a bike helmet, and why.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.codetrauma.com\/en\/saved-by-my-bike-helmet-a-story-from-an-avid-biker\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Saved by My Bike Helmet: A Story From an Avid Biker - 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