Rising from Adversity: Navigating the Comeback Journey as a College Athlete and Taking Those Lessons Into Life After College Athletics

It's often underestimated how challenging the journey can be for a college athlete. When you commit four years of your life to a school or maybe even more, it's not just a path paved with smiles, but one that is also marked by tears. Until injuries happen to you, you don't know how to feel. You can have a million people around you telling you all different opinions, but in your head it all feels like mush.

For me, it was the string of injuries that brought a torrent of emotions that I didn't even know resided within me. From the feelings of deep sadness to sudden moments of relief, it became a constant rollercoaster that demanded not only physical healing, but mental healing as well. Every athletes story is different, that's what makes us all so unique. I'm excited to share some of my story fighting through injuries and how I worked my way back.

It started back in 2017 as I started my senior year of high school. We are three games in to the varsity soccer season. I go in for a non-contact tackle and I hear a pop in my knee. I knew from there the outcome wasn't going to be good because I couldn't walk. I ended up getting an MRI and it was confirmed that I tore my ACL and meniscus fully and I was going to need surgery to repair them both. As I started to deal with the reality of my diagnosis, the thought that I was leaving to play division 1 lacrosse started to overwhelm me. There were so many unknowns. I soon realized I wasn't going to be able to tackle any of this alone and I was going to need to lean on the people closest to me. I was really angry, I couldn't wrap my head around why God did this to me. After that thought I knew I needed to change my attitude, even though I don't know why this happened I need to make the best of it and learn from it. God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers and I needed to embrace that. I'm forever grateful for this injury because it helped me later on down the road when more adversity came my way.

Let's fast forward to my sophomore year at Stony Brook. I was feeling really good after my freshmen year, almost completely normal like I didn't have surgery on that first knee. However, God had other plans. I end up fracturing my my femur during a fall ball practice. I didn't even know that was possible. After discussion with athletic trainers, doctors and my coach it was decided I need surgery. So once again, I went under the knife. Nothing I haven't experienced before, I knew I would rehab and be back on the field in no time. It wasn't until preseason where I really lost all hope. Back from surgery and fully cleared to play, 4 days before our season opener at Syracuse, I hear a pop in my left knee. I knew what happened right away, this wasn't my first time hearing that dreaded noise. Once again after confirmation, I fully tore my left ACL. All the positive thoughts I had completely went out the window. I felt like I had nothing left to give, everything I worked so hard for was taken away from me in the matter of seconds. After the now third injury, I had no idea what to think. Was this God telling me that maybe I'm not cut out for this? I really wasn't sure. However, I was so lucky to be surrounded by incredible teammates. If I wasn't I don't know what I would've done. I probably would've hung up the cleats right there and gave up. Having them there with me through one of the hardest times showed me that it was worth fighting through and worth the pain of going to rehab and the days where I couldn't walk down the stairs. They showed me what strength I needed to get through this for the next year.

No one tells you when you step on to campus for the first time what your story is going to look like. If someone did tell me mine was going to look like this I probably would have given up. But let me tell you, I am so grateful I didn't. The string of injuries didn't just show me that my body needed to be physically healed, it showed me that mentally I needed to heal as well. If my mind wasn't in the right place my body wouldn't be either. Adversity comes in all forms. The injuries I've faced have taught me that being open about vulnerabilities is how you grow. This doesn't just apply to sports, but life itself. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable will help you later on down the road. Don't be scared to lean on others in times of need, you never know, one day you might do the same for them. If there is one piece of advice that I could give and wish that I heard myself back then, trust God's plan and don't be fearful for what may lie ahead.