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I'm Reagan Keogh. I went to UTD where I played basketball all 4 years, and I've been playing basketball organized since I was 7, but I was picking up a ball whenever I could when I was probably 3 or 4. 

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Explain details on how your injury happened.

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My injury was an ACL tear. It happened non-contact during a game, about10 games into my senior year.

Same play that we've just run two minutes before. We ran it again on the other side. I was trying to jump off my right knee and it just kind of gave out. Then I landed on it with body weight on to it and heard a pop. So there wasn't anybody in the way, I wasn't trying to avoid anything. I just tried to jump like I had a million times before, so it kind of took me by surprise.

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What was your reaction immediately following the injury?

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Immediately, it was the most pain I've ever felt by far. I had a bike accident where

I bit through my lip completely- this was way worse. I knew something bad just

happened. I didn't know the extent, I don't know how long I'd be out, but I knew

that I was not going to finish that game. I knew I wasn't going to be doing anything

the next day. I knew something was serious. When I went in to the orthopedics

the next day, he performed the Lachman test and scanned an MRI and said "Yeah

your season's done tore your ACL." That was the worst moment of my life. I broke

down. I never experienced sadness like that before. My parents were in the room they couldn't do anything to comfort me in that moment. It was the lowest of low. I worked hard to be All-State and bring my team to the state championships, and feeling all of that ripped away was the worst thing ever.

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What did you have to do in order to recover?

 

I was prescribed 6 months before full contact was allowed. Right after surgery I was starting to do therapy exercises at home, and a couple weeks after I started going into the actual physical therapy office for 3 times a week.  Just did different exercises trying to build up my strength and trying to get my quad to fire, learning how to walk, and moving my legs again. It was a long process and working in basketball movements little-by-little. By 6 months I fully recovered, but I was playing 5 vs. 5, about four months, post-surgery. My PT did not know that, my doctor did not know that. I told my coach that it was okay for me to be doing that. It technically was not okay, but I was going 120% at it. I wasn't taking no for an answer. If I felt I could do something, I was going to try it. Then by 6 months, I was ready to go. Full speed jumping, cutting as best as I possibly could every day until college season.

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How would you assess your mental health the few weeks to months following your injury?

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I said, "Okay, I can't have my normal season so my season is going to be my rehab. I'm going to win each and every day." With each little milestone I made sure that I appreciated what I was doing and the progress I was making, which kept me in high spirits. It sucked having to sit on the bench and watch my teammates trying to play without me. But as hard as that was, I was able to find purpose and happiness with my own process in the rehab.

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What was the biggest mental roadblock you encountered during your recovery?

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I think the most frustration was seeing my teammates struggle. After I went down, we lost three games in a row at the next tournament. My coach had not lost 3 games in a row in probably 10 years, and to know that I was a part of that-

even though it technically wasn't- was terrible. My teammates wanted to win for me so badly, and I wanted them to win for me, but they couldn't. I struggled with not being able to be on the floor, practicing in the weight room, being on the grind with them each and every day. I was on the bench. I was coaching them up. I was giving my insights to the coaches. I was encouraging everybody else at every game, every practice. I didn't miss a thing, but the hardest thing for me was not being able to be on the court and actually play and put in the work and compete with my team.

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Who was your support system during your recovery?

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Definitely my parents. I'm an only child, so I kind of uprooted parts of their world as well. I leaned on them, and they were fantastic. My teammates really came through, both from my school and my AAU summer club team first couple of weeks between injury and surgery. I was chilling at home unable to do anything, especially right after the surgery with my leg propped up all day. They came and checked in on me and gave me company, and I think those visits really helped in the few days after surgery. My coach helped me as well. He was like a father figure. He was always checking in, asking what he could do.So I think between my parents, my teammates, my close friends and my coach keeping me involved was what really got me through it.

 

Would you say your relationship with them improved?

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Definitely. Especially with those AAU guys because we already played our last

game together and they came to check on me anyway. They didn't have to do that,

so I knew that they really cared. Same thing with my friends at school they're

offering to give me rides to places, help me with my backpack when I was on

crutches after surgery. My parents stepped up and made sure that I had everything

I needed and kept me positive encouraged the whole time. Everybody that was

there to help me. It did strengthen that relationship with everyone for sure because

I knew that they really did care.

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How mentally prepared were you for recovery?

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I was mostly prepared, but still some of the things that go on like you get to the PT the first day and you sit you on a table and they say, "Okay, raise your leg". And I'm looking at my leg and nothing's happening, my quad doesn't work. I was thinking, "Man, I gotta learn how to walk. I gotta learn how to use my leg like I'm a baby again."

So some of those obstacles like that had to rewrite the mindset even more. But, I think I was just humble about it and knew that it was going to be a long grind, but, day by day, bit by bit, it would get better.  Yes, I had to focus on the long term, but more importantly the short term of each and every day. 

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Would you have changed anything in the process if you could go back?

 

Honestly, I'm happy with how I did things. Like I said, each day was a new opportunity to find a win, whether that was something super super small or I made a huge breakthrough at PT, or I saw an adjustment at a game on the sideline that I told my coach to use and it worked. There's some way that I found a win every single day. I didn't let myself think that I wasn't going to get through it. I didn't let myself think that I wouldn't come back stronger, better, faster. I didn't let those thoughts creep into my head and I'm really proud of that because it's not easy to do. Shutting down is the first thing you want to do, but once I got over the initial couple days it was like "Okay, this is my reality. This is what I'm going to do now, and I'm not going to let it affect me." Because I knew I had bigger things coming in college basketball.

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What's something positive that emerged from your experience?

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Now whether it was academics in college, or whether it was relationship issues

with a friend, family member, girlfriend, nothing seems that difficult anymore 

because I knew I got through ACL, meniscus, bone bruise at 17, 18 years old. 

If I could get through that and come out on the other side as well as I did, I can

get through anything. I always draw on that and I remind myself of what I'm able

to do. Looking back on that is a really proud moment. I use that to get through

whatever I'm facing now.

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Does your injury affect your quality of life to this day?

 

I have a little bit less flexibility in my right leg, but it's mainly when I'm like trying to stretch and can't go as far on certain things. But, I go play basketball, tennis, kickball functions, whatever. I don't really think about it anymore. I don't need a brace. I don't even think about it anymore, so I'm probably lucky in that way because I know a lot of people with this injury do have lasting effects. The one thing that does get to me is when it's super cold outside. My knees don't want to bend. But besides that, I don't have any really real issues with mine, which is a blessing.

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Top 3 Recovery Tips

 

1.Focus on the Wins

Find one thing that was a win or accomplishment each day, whether that be actually at PT, whether that's at home, or you realize that you did something and an hour later you're not as sore as you were the day when you did it. Finding that one thing every day to be an accomplishment and say "I did this. I got past that step." No matter how small it is. 

 

2. Lean on the People Who Want to Help.

I was always a really independent person. I didn't want help from anybody. I can get through it myself. Then when I got to school in a big immobilizer and crutches with a backpack on, I couldn't get to class on time. I had friends offer to take me to class, but I insisted no. I ended up being 10 minutes late to class, stumbling around with my backpack. I eventually accepted the help and leaned on those people, letting them help. I learned it's okay to do that. Don't think that you're too good for that or you're not supposed to need help. You need help. Let those people help you.

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3.Only Positive Thoughts

If you find yourself, focusing on the bad stuff, go do a PT exercise that you know you can do. Go take a step or do a stretch that you know you can do, just to remind yourself that you are making progress and that you're gaining momentum towards your end goal.

As terrible is as it is to have your knee blown out and you lose your year, find silver linings. It makes you better, it builds your character. It reinforces that you can get through way more than think you're capable of.

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