August 18, 2015 was probably one of the worst days of my life. I tore my ACL and meniscus on my second day of preseason at Converse College my freshman year. I remember the day vividly and can still see my knee dislocating and can still hear my knee popping out of place. I thought that moment was the end of my life. Since I was four years old I had played soccer and that was who I was. There were people who didn't know my name, but they knew I played soccer. I didn't feel like myself because of this tragedy.

After seeing one of my best friends from high school go through the injury our senior year the year before I tore mine, I remember saying the words, "I can't imagine going through that." For the first couple of months I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that my ACL was torn; and still to this day sometimes I can't believe it.

You hear all the time that people tear their ACL's and come back and some are even better than before the injury. It is much different when you're actually going through it. It is a daily battle that you have to wake up and conquer each day. There will be activities that you can't do without pain and there will be those that you can't do at all. You have to continue to push yourself passed your mental and physical ability in order to overcome your circumstances.

In order to come back you have to have tons of support. Without my family, friends, and teammates I would not have come back to play. I would've given up more than likely and just turned to having a normal life. My coaches continually said, "We're going to get you back out there." My parents would talk about how I used to play and then say, "I can't wait to see you play again." My teammates were always asking how I was doing and how my progress was. All of the encouragement to keep working hard and being told that I would be back soon kept me going. I can't thank my support enough for what they did for me.

Determination is something you are born with. My mom has always said that I was very driven. You have to wake up every day after an ACL tear with the drive to want to take a step forward in your recovery. Setting small, weekly goals can help motivate that drive. You can't let anything stand in your way. This injury is much more mental than it is physical. You have to keep your mind driven in order to stay on track physically. If you aren't determined to make progress, you will regress.

You have to stay positive and don't let anyone put you down and more importantly don't put yourself down. It is so hard to wake up every single day without the ability to do what you love. You have to look at the bright side and think of the future ahead of you to play again. Other people's positive vibes around you can help so much. Also, when you reach a milestone in your recovery, celebrate it and realize that you're getting closer to playing the sport you love again. You can never have too much positivity, so tell others when you make progress and they will celebrate with you.

After you get released to play again, you have to be confident in yourself. The doctor was confident enough to release you to do what you want with no restrictions, so you have to realize the same thing. Your knee isn't going to fall apart when you fall down. If you're afraid to play again that can be more dangerous than just getting out there. It is a very hard mental hurdle to get over, but the sooner you get over it, the sooner you'll be back to playing your game. There is a huge difference between pushing yourself and being stupid; in the beginning you have to realize what you can definitely do and what you shouldn't try to do yet. Don't be ridiculous and ask to go into a game the week after you get released, but be patient. Your time will come soon.

You have to fall down in order to realize that you can get back up.