The Year to Rise: Aleah Sorrentino
It’s time to share my story. I'm living out my childhood dream of playing Division I basketball at a major up and coming program. My journey to Ole Miss has been a unique story with many chapters. I’ll begin here: I was just 14 when I first tore my acl. Not knowing what it was, and not knowing the physical and mental pain that it was causing me. I went on to tear 2 more ACL’s within the next 3 years and had a total of 4 knee surgeries. Physically it was demanding, nearly impossible at times. Hours of therapy, months of rehab, weeks of pushing myself to limits I didn’t even know I had. Little did I know that the physical part of returning to the game was going to be the easiest part.
Now looking back at myself 3 years ago, I wish I could warn my old self of just how much my injuries were going to affect my mental well-being. Unless you've been through it, you truly don’t understand the weight of watching your team go into battle and having to watch from the sideline. A game wouldn’t go by where the fear of injury didn’t spring on me. The game that I loved so much became tainted with fear. It wasn’t until a few months ago, with the support from my Ole Miss family, that I really started prioritizing the mental aspect of recovery. I began asking for help, knowing that I couldn’t beat this monster of depression and anxiety by myself. I knew that in order to get back to the sport that I loved, I would need to acknowledge the fact that I wasn’t okay.
I began prioritizing my mental health. I began praying again. I began to blossom in my recovery. I no longer ran from adversity, I embraced it. I started seeing leaps in the physical and mental aspect of recovery. Now a few months from returning to the sport I love again I’m ready to embrace what comes my way. I fought day and night to return to the version of myself pre-injury . During this, I realized that I can’t ever return to the Aleah before the injuries, but I can embrace the version of me who developed because of the adversity I overcame.
Although this is a daily struggle, and some days are better than others, I thought this was a good time in my life to share my story. To let people get to know the real Aleah. Mental health goes unnoticed when an athlete is attempting to return to sport and it’s something that needs to be addressed.
I’m living testimony of how God will always provide a way if there is a will . I’m extremely thankful to be in a position where I can speak on this. I know so many of my friends and people I’ve encountered that need to know my story, and here I am. Still living out my dream. Still battling to get back to the game I love so much. Still being someone I’m proud of. 2021 is the year of rising. Rising above adversity. Rising to my calling. And most importantly, rising into someone that inspires others.
