Road to Recovery
Ishmail (Ish) is not your typical club sports athlete. A laser focused University of Oregon student and rugby player, Ish had already signed on with a professional team in New Zealand by winter of his senior year. However, his dreams and future were put into jeopardy during a match against Western Washington University on January 26th, 2019.
Having only picked up rugby 2 years prior, Ish dedicated every day to training, learning the intricacies of rugby. Often drawing inspiration from Navy Seals, he took on the mindset that his body was a temple that could be molded into the perfect athlete. Going into the game against Western Washington, he was confident about taking home a win. “I was about to be a fucking problem for them.”
After being tackled on his fourth run of the game, he heard the fateful “pop” every athlete fears.
Unknowingly misdiagnosed on the scene, Ish began rehab for an injured meniscus.
The University of Oregon fosters a symbiotic relationship between club sports athletes and students pursuing a masters in athletic training by ensuring student trainers at every event. A poisoned chalice, this program pairs inexperienced, understaffed, and underfunded trainers with athletes playing high risk sports often on ill kept fields such as the one Ish was hurt on.
Only six months away from meeting his new team in New Zealand, every day was vital to his recovery. A misdiagnosis such as this set him back significantly in his timeline. It was a failure that could have easily been avoided if Ish had been provided with the proper medical attention on the field at the time of injury.
This lack of education and funding directly contributed to Ish’s misdiagnosis and the delay of his inevitable surgery. The athletic trainer that evaluated Ish on the field said he passed all tests for ligament damage and determined it was a slightly injured meniscus. Over the coming weeks utilizing the free athletic trainers, Ish began rehab at the after hours clinic. After seeing little to no improvement, he decided to seek a professional opinion and was immediately given an MRI.
“I was shocked when I received that phone call Friday morning that I had completely ruptured (tore) my ACL as well as tears on my meniscus.”
For the next 8 weeks he was in physical therapy twice a week, paying out of pocket for the care. In addition, Ish began seeing a personal trainer specializing in mobility and rehab. He was relieved to have found someone who understood how to help him come back from a serious injury, showing empathy and compassion during such a difficult process.
Back on track to recover in time for his departure to New Zealand, Ish now faced the impending medical bills from surgery and rehab. During this journey, the lack of interest the University of Oregon took in the health of its club athletes became blatantly apparent. A stark comparison to the world class sports scientists and equipment the school brings in to care for the NCAA division 1 athletes.
“My goal is to make it somewhere with rugby, to come back to the U of O and donate to the club. Help them progress and stay healthy, to be independent from the school. If you can’t do it for us, we will do it for ourselves.
“This is something that I’m glad that I didn’t have the school to rely on because at the end of the day you have to really want it and be dedicated to it. It’s up to you to be disciplined.”
Over the course of his rehab Ish made a concerted effort to show up at every practice and game he could, supporting his team throughout the duration of his last season.
“I want people to realize that it is doable, I am not even to the next level and I really do plan on grinding for it. I want others out there to know when they have an injury like this that it’s not over.”
Ish is now playing professional rugby in New Zealand. This is a continuing story currently on hold due to the COVID-19 outbreak and international travel restrictions.