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Kathleen and Gordon Stringer once met a woman who, after expressing her sympathy, said she had made her own son attend the funeral of their daughter, Rowan, because the young man wanted to play rugby and she wanted him to see for himself that it was dangerous and that he could die.

“It took both of us aback so much,” Kathleen Stringer said, “because that was never something we really thought of at all and it has never been a message that we wanted to get out.”

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Instead, the Stringers say, their focus has been on improving education and awareness about concussions and how to treat them safely so other young athletes don’t experience the same terrible outcome as Rowan, who died in May 2013 from Second Impact Syndrome following repeated concussions in high school rugby matches within a matter of days.

There have been several small victories along the way, they add. A University of Ottawa rugby player told Kathleen Stringer via Facebook that she had kept herself on the sidelines after getting her bell rung, a friend of Rowan initiated a discussion about concussion treatment during first-aid training and, most prominently, MPPs have been debating legislation known as Rowan’s Law intended to enhance concussion awareness, education and treatment initiatives in Ontario, particularly with regard to young athletes.