[Injuries] There’s no way a person can come anywhere close to imagining what it’s like when their body fails them. I was 15 when I tore my ACL and I wish people were more honest about what it was going to be like (and talked about it more often)

I wish someone had told me how mentally taxing it was going to be, how long it was going to take me to walk - only to have surgery a few months later and do it all again

I didn’t know how to talk to my friends about how worthless I felt and I couldn’t justify any reason for why school was important

My brother walked in on me once crying because I couldn’t comprehend why watching my team practice was so difficult, or the feeling I got in my stomach when I saw how small my left quad was compared to my right.

The first thing he said was: “You’re so lucky to be so young and have found something you’re so passionate about. People wait their whole lives for that”. I never forgot that day.

Much later after I got surgery, I would wear an ace wrap around my knee just because my scar was so dark and I felt self-conscious of it. My coach told me, “You should be proud of it, your body has endured so much”. I stopped wearing it

I’ve unfortunately had 2 other smaller-scale knee injuries since then, but have luckily had the support of so many incredible people to help me back up. I don’t know who needs to hear it, but if you’re recovering, just know there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel

If your body is trying to tell you something - take a break. If you’re still waiting for your big chance, it’s coming. Keep working. And one other thing that my one sibling always says to me, victories can come in all sizes (big and small) and they’re all important