I want to wish my good friend Em a happy birthday! Em is an amazing person. She is an athlete I worked with at NC State. She is truly a team player; always putting the goals/needs of the team first. She plays so hard; she is always hustling, always giving her best whether its at practice, in the weight room, during conditioning, or in a game. She's had 3 knee surgeries to repair her ACL. Anyone who has ever had an ACL surgery knows how grueling the rehabilitation process is. Em once had surgery on her knee, completed the rehab, and the first day she was cleared to participate in activity she torn her ACL again! The first day she was able to play basketball she tore it again. The first day!!! In the first pick up game. I've had a minor surgery on my shoulders, that surgery and rehab pales in comparison to what she went through and if that happened to me I would've quit. I would've given up. Right when she worked her way back to almost normal she had to immediately start all over again. That surgery and all those days of rehab were for nothing... nothing! I can't imagine how frustrating and discouraging that must have been. She wasn't sure if she would ever play again. I remember a hot summer day on the track when the basketball team was running sprints. Her knee was noticeably bothering her. My boss made her stop running. She burst into tears. I remember it so vividly, while all of her teammates were whining and complaining about having to run and it being hot... she's crying because she CAN'T run. I love Em's passion, her drive... her heart. It's inspiring. She never quit fighting. She got discouraged at times but she kept a positive attitude through it all.
When asked in an interview about her knee surgeries and if she had ever thought about quitting, Em replied: "Quitting has never been an option. It never even entered my mind. That’s always been my personality; I’m not going to quit. Basketball was my first love, and nothing can keep me away from it." She looked for the good in her situation and she found it. She found an opportunity to watch and learn. To soak everything in.
Now she is in the starting lineup every game for the Lady Wolfpack. A few weeks ago she scored a career high 16 points against Boston College. I am so proud of her. She is relentless. So many times it would have been easy for her to quit, it would have made sense to quit, no one would have blamed her but she didn't. She didn't because she had a dream and it came true. I hope she relishes every moment. I hope she has an out of body experience where just for a second, she stops and looks around and realizes she did it, she made it. She wasn't sure she'd ever play again but she had hope and she never gave up. She kept battling. I can't express how happy I am for her. I love to watch her play. I saw what she went through. I saw how hard she worked... the blood, sweat, and tears. She deserves it and I hope it makes her heart glad. I hope what she went through has made her a better person. Good luck with the rest of your season Em! Keep playing hard and never become complacent! I am so proud of you. Miss you Nighthawk.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY EM!!!
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