We have Team Keegsie's first ever Story Of The Month Winner! 

As you can imagine, it was tough to pick just one winner but congrats to Ellie! She shared her story about an unrelenting, sharp hip pain that caused her to sit out of practices while she tried to find answers. 

“By 8th grade, my parents put me in PT for a year and that did nothing :( at the time I was sitting out on XC practices and it was mentally challenging for me. I was doing everything that I was supposed to be doing and yet I was still hurting.” 

 

After going to a new physical therapist (PT), they found the cause. 

“I had extra bone growth on my hip that was causing my labrum to tear due to the extra bone tearing away at it. So finally this year as a 10th grader I got my surgery date in the calendar. Oct 5 (2022) was my right side and Jan 4 (2023) was my left side. Let me tell you it was hard.” 

Through it all, she was able to keep up with school, managing the XC team, and PT.

“It was mentally challenging for me to sit on the sidelines watching everyone PR and I would often come home crying. I had wonderful friends that wheeled me around in a wheelchair at a XC meet and they kept me entertained. I couldn’t have done it without them. Today I am walking fine!”

“I am chugging along with PT still and hopefully be able to run next season. I haven’t been able to run normally for 2 years about. My advice to people who have to go through this is focus on being in the moment and keep your goals in mind but it’s perfectly fine if you don’t achieve them!”

I absolutely loved how positive and real Ellie was sharing this story. I’m sure many athletes can relate to how difficult it can be to watch from the sidelines and the whole other struggle of trying to figure out health issues. Props to Ellie 👏

If you're interested in submitting your own story, click here

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