says already he believes that women suffer at higher rates from concussions than male athletes do. So that when you retire from sport, your longevity of your body and mind are in a better state than they would be if there were less information on it. I think what drives athletes is their goal to achieve at the highest level of sport.īut I think with more research around injuries, especially around concussions, I think you can make sport a lot safer. I can't image what it is to have those kind of injuries. Kish says she has been diagnosed with five concussions, but she believes she has suffered more. It's not until you get out of the sport that you start questioning. You're focused on, you know, your goal in that moment, which could be going to the Olympics or going to a World Cup or a pinnacle in your sport. If you go see a doctor, you know their advice is always going to be, 'You need to stop playing.'Īs an athlete, you're not really focused on that. And what does your doctor say about them? So you're 29 and you're having these symptoms. I'm fearful for what my memory will be like when I'm 60. It's sad because I'm not even 30 yet and I'm dealing with stuff like this. The sad part is you get your bell rung and, if you can still see straight and run, they're going to send you back in there. There wasn't a lot of awareness on concussions. How many concussions have you had while you played rugby? I want to make sport safer and I want more information on the female brain because right now we lack it.Ĭanada wins the bronze medal versus Great Britain in the women's rugby sevens event at the Rio Olympics on August 8, 2016. I want a better future for the next generation. Jen, what has made you decide to donate your brain to science? The former captain spoke with As It Happens host Carol Off.

The Edmonton native was one of the driving forces behind Canada's bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Kish, 29, announced her early retirement on April 30 after being plagued by injuries. Ontario passes concussion safety bill 'Rowan's Law'.

Canadian rugby 7s icon Jen Kish retires.

Kish is joined by two-time Olympic champion hockey player Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Olympic gold medallist skier Kerrin Lee-Gartner and hockey pioneer Fran Rider. The Toronto research centre has studied the brains of 44 professional athletes, but all the donors were male. Kish, an Olympic bronze medallist, is one of the first female Canadian athletes to pledge her brain to the Canadian Concussion Centre. Now she's announced that she will continue to contribute to the sport after her death - by donating her brain for concussion research. Jen Kish has dominated the Canadian women's rugby sevens scene for the past 13 years.

Kish bank safe deposit box