17/06/2026
Yesterday marked one year since my neural injury.
A year since life forced me to slow down, listen, and learn in ways I never expected.
And today, by a strange coincidence, I start my Masters research journey looking at return to sport after injury.
The timing feels significant.
This past year has taught me things I knew academically, but had to experience personally.
As medical professionals, we spend so much time caring for others — but we also have to learn to care for ourselves. No one else can do that for us.
Rest is not the opposite of rehabilitation. Rest is rehabilitation.
Sometimes the hardest part is accepting that doing less is actually the thing that allows you to move forward. That pushing harder is not always the answer.
Learning about HNPP and understanding how my body responds has changed the way I live. It has taught me that planning, pacing, boundaries, and awareness are not limitations — they are tools.
I’ve also had to face my own choices. In my case, I didn’t seek medical advice early enough, and that is something I have had to process. We all have moments where we look back and think “what if?”
But healing is also learning to move forward.
This journey has reminded me that injury is not only physical. It changes your identity, your confidence, your routines, and the way you see yourself.
I understand now, in a different way, how hard this journey can be.
It’s okay to have difficult days. It’s okay to feel frustrated. It’s okay to not always be “strong”.
Boundaries are not barriers.
They are part of recovery.
I am incredibly grateful for the people who have walked this journey with me — my family, my friends, and my medical team. Thank you for the patience, support, encouragement, expertise, and for being there through the difficult moments as well as the milestones.
Recovery is rarely a straight line, but it becomes a lot more manageable when you don’t have to walk it alone.
Here’s to another chapter — with more understanding, more balance, and a deeper appreciation for what our bodies are capable of.
