Feature by Chelsea Howard
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pennsylvania, October 11. IT's not every day a swimmer has to deal with recovering from an ACL injury, let alone two of them. However, through an enormous amount of perseverance and self-determination, Sarah Henry has bounced back surgery after surgery.
It all started when the Texas A&M sophomore tore her ACL, MCL and meniscus in half while playing ultimate frisbee during dryland two years ago.
"My surgeon and I decided to go with the least invasive surgery because it had the shortest recovery time so I could get back to swimming," Henry said.
However, the recovery process did not go as planned.
"After the first time I tore my ACL, I got back into swimming too fast. I took two weeks off to let the incisions heal and then got right back in the water. If my knee was hurting or swelling I thought it was just part of the surgery and that it would go away eventually," Henry said.
After Henry got back into training and past all of the setbacks of the initial tear, she finished her freshman year successfully. Henry set two Texas A&M school records. She finished first in the 400 IM and second in the 500 and 1,650 free at Big 12's. In the spring, she competed at the NCAA Division I Championships, setting three new personal bests.
Henry thought she was past the hardest part of recovery only to experience another obstacle.
"This past April during dryland I re-tore my ACL. When my surgeon went in to look at my knee after I tore it again, he found that the first graft never took to the bone and was only hanging on by a thread. We decided to go with a more invasive surgery this time and I had to sit out of training during the summer while everything healed," Henry said.
With such a competitive mentality, Henry found that the hardest part of suffering these injuries was her inability to compete.
"I'm a highly competitive person and as much as I love to watch my teammates succeed, I want to be right there with them. Now that I'm back in the water training, I'm nowhere close to where I was a year ago. Every day I get better, but every day is a reminder of how far I still have to go," Henry said.
Despite all the struggles Henry has been through, the combination of an optimistic attitude and an unbelievable support group has helped her along the way.
"In order to keep my negativity in check, I talk with people. Every day my teammates remind me about how far I've come and what my long-term goals are. I use them as motivation because I want to work hard and get back to where I need to be for them and my coaches," Henry said.
Along with a positive attitude, Henry's character has helped her make the best of her situation.
"I have to remember that even though tearing an ACL isn't fun, there is always someone worse off and I have to be thankful for what I have. This time around, I'm focusing on rehabilitating my knee correctly and taking the opportunity to rebuild my strokes into perfect technique." Henry said.
Take it from someone who has been through it all. Henry advises those suffering injuries and those who are forced out of the water to take the time and do rehabilitation correctly.
"There is only one thing worse than being injured and that is being injured a second time. Be smart, get help when you need it and listen to your body," Henry said.