Some may remember last year’s tragic incident regarding Ali Rahman, sophomore. He was carried off the football field by paramedics after a player from the opposing team landed forcefully onto his femur during a tackle, and his leg snapped. Rahman was in the hospital for many days. To make matters worse, Rahman suffered life-threatening complications of blood clots in his lungs. He feared his high school athletic career was over.

Rahman has overcome so much and is now mentally and physically ready to participate in competitive sports and maybe even return to the game of  football. The journey to get where he is now was not easy, however. Rahman was in the hospital for a long time and had to be readmitted several times. He rehabilitated with physical therapy and used both a wheelchair and crutches for two months. Watching his football teammates finish off the season, he painfully wished he was able to participate.  “I definitely missed and still miss hitting kids in football the most; it was fun just lighting people up on the field,” Rahman said.

Not only was Rahman feeling the pain, but his teammates were too. “ I felt so bad for Ali because he was doing so well. It was tough to see him not be able to finish off the season,” Jordan Haddad, sophomore, said. According to Rahman, having friends who were able to motivate him through his recovery made it much easier on him. “I am very thankful and grateful for my football team who were really supportive throughout my injury and rehab process,” Rahman said.

After battles with trying to keep a positive mind, Rahman is currently on the Homestead JV basketball team. Though basketball is not his favorite sport, Rahman joined to get into shape and condition for track. Many athletes, including Rahman, feel hesitant when it comes to participating in athletic post injury. According to Health Essentials, “When sports result in a serious injury, athletes not only need to heal physically, but they often struggle to regain confidence. These feelings can influence how they react to the injury, approach recovery and get back to their sport.”

After being on the basketball team this season so far, Rahman has experienced a small amount of hesitation but nothing he wasn’t able to handle. “I feel like I lost some confidence and aggression in sports, so I can be hesitant, especially in basketball when I go up for rebounds or jumping in general because of being scared that someone will land on my leg or I will land weird,” Rahman said.

Rahman has been trying to decide whether or not he will come back to the game of football. Missing the advantage of being able to “light people up,” he continues to think about what he will end up doing. “I really want to play football, and my friends are encouraging me to, but my dad is scared to let me play. He thinks I will get hurt,” Rahman said. Although football is a much more aggressive sport, Rahman participated in track last year by doing what he could, although he said that he lost a lot of speed so he stuck with the high jump as his main event. Fortunately, he was able to complete the season with no major pain in his leg.  Rahman feels that if anyone is going through a tough bounce, such as a possible career-ending injury, they should stay open minded and continue to stay positive.