For Australian hockey player Georgia Wilson, recovering from ACL surgery was a challenging journey – but
having support made all the difference.
Georgia remembers being around eight or nine years old when she would tell
people, “Hi, I’m Georgia Wilson and I’m going to play for the Australian
Hockeyroos team.”
She describes herself as “just this kid from Perth Hills with a big dream”
– but her passion, hard work and dedication paid off.
When she was selected for Australian Hockeyroos team, it was a dream come
true.
She was representing her country on the field, but the dream soon became a
nightmare when a shock
ACL injury left her needing surgery.
"I fell over a stick during training and I found out later that it was, in
fact, an ACL rupture, which means a complete 12-month break from sport,"
she says.
Georgia’s journey to recovery
Ten days after her injury, Georgia underwent reconstructive knee surgery.
When she woke up after surgery not being able to move her leg, she realised
that getting back in the green and gold was going to take time and a lot of
hard work.
"I was really overwhelmed and saddened,” she says. “One of the hardest
things was not being able to accept how I was feeling.
"I thought that I
should be feeling a different way, and as a result, I felt even worse about
myself and what I was going through. There were a lot of breakdowns."
Support when she needed it most
Luckily for Georgia, she had the support of her family and her teammates
every step of the way.
As an HBF member, Georgia had peace of mind knowing her rehabilitation
would be covered, giving her time to focus on her recovery.
"I was able to access
physio
and have a lot of that covered, which is why I choose to be with HBF,”
Georgia says.
“It definitely was a huge relief knowing that side of the injury would be
taken care of."
Sharing her passion for hockey
Being off the field gave Georgia time to develop and evolve new passions.
That’s when she started Activ8, a hockey training camp for kids.
"To be able to have created something and bring hockey and these kids’
heroes to them; that for me was a very proud moment I was able to achieve
off the field," she says.
"I would never have been able to have that experience had I not done my
knee."
Georgia worked tirelessly over the next 12 months, never giving up, and is
now back in the squad wearing the green and gold, representing her country.
"To share my love of hockey, that's the main thing."
Get at least 50% back on Physio
Get covered with HBF's Flex 50 Extras so you don't get stuck with large out-of-pockets.
Find out more