Just like any other athlete, we frequently make an effort to “suck it up” when it comes to injuries. In the heat of the moment, while our adrenaline is pumping, we are not aware of the pain or the harm we are causing to our bodies. 

At the quick snap of bones and ligaments, before I had even entered high school, I had already been subject to multiple injuries. Just playing the game you love, you never expect to get seriously injured. As I went along my athletic journey I continued to get hurt, every time I would get hurt the love of the game would fall, each and every time it was more loss.

I have recently turned 18 and from the beginning of my journey to now have suffered even more. Three ankle surgeries, four concussions, too many sprains and breaks to count, overall, way more than needed.

And what am I left with? Life-lasting physical and mental scars, unable to play the game I grew up loving.

By no means am I attempting to make others stray away from organized sports, without sports I would not be writing this story but to truly bring awareness from a former athlete’s perspective. Take care of yourself physically but most importantly mentally.

You can be in tip top shape, playing at a professional level but if you cannot stay in the proper, healthy mental state of mind it’ll all go down quickly. I was ranked highly, being recruited by colleges and because I let myself go physically I could not control my mental.

Although everyone’s experience is different there is a common ground we share as athletes. We need to continue to listen to everyone, we need to continue to have empathy for everyone, overall we just need to help not only ourselves but everyone around us.