On October 25, 2012, senior Caitlyn Christopher’s life drastically changed.  During a scrimmage at soccer practice that evening she tore her ACL, a ligament that helps stabilize the knee.

“I planted my left foot and reached out with my right foot to try and stop the ball and my knee just collapsed,” Christopher said.  “I heard my knee pop and I immediately could see it swelling.”

After passing out the next morning, Christopher went to see a doctor to get the injury checked out by a professional.

“I got an MRI and learned that I completely tore my ACL and sprained my MCL,” Christopher said. “Right when I found out, I told myself I would dedicate my time to recovering as fast as possible and coming back better than before.”

Before having surgery, much of Christopher’s time was dedicated to therapy.

“I couldn’t do any activities with my friends other than sitting and watching a movie or doing something non-active.” Christopher said.

After her surgery on December 19, 2012 her life began to undergo even more changes.

“I had no range of motion whatsoever and I was hooked up to a machine for two weeks to help me bend my leg and regain a normal range of motion,” Christopher said. “I couldn’t do anything by myself, and I had no time for an actual social life and minimal time for homework.”

The recovery affected Christopher not only physically, but emotionally as well.  It was difficult for her to watch her team play as she knew how long it would be before being able to play again herself.

“At one point I couldn’t even see myself playing soccer again.” Christopher said.

During her recovery, Christopher received a great amount of support from her friends and classmates.

“After surgery, a lot of my friends came to visit me,” Christopher said.  “They brought me food and flowers and helped me kill time.  My coach was also very supportive and he always texted me asking how I was feeling and told me he was excited for my return.”

Two months after Christopher was cleared to play soccer again, she tore her medial meniscus during practice, requiring her to once again undergo surgery.

“I was devastated and scared that this recovery would be the same as the ACL recovery I had finally just finished.”  Christopher said.

Christopher was cleared after the surgery in January 2014 and has been practicing and playing full contact since.

“At first I was not very confident in my abilities because I hadn’t played in so long so I wasn’t even sure if I was good anymore.”

After the extremely long recovery process, Christopher is currently playing for the high school soccer team, which she has played for on the varsity level both her freshman and sophomore years. She was not able to play junior year because of her injury.

“Trying out this year is really important to me because I am so passionate about soccer and I want to represent our school and make a difference on the team this year.”

Before her injuries, Christopher planned to continue to play soccer in college.  Now, she is considering joining the club team at Virginia Tech and engaging in intramural sports.