Over the past four years touch footballer Leanne Hew has completed university, moved across the country and ruptured her ACL twice. Leanne opens up about her experience and how she managed to fit it all in.
“I was introduced to touch football in primary school, but I wasn't more involved until 2013 when I was in uni.”
“In 2014, I had collided into the person, clicked my knee, and had just completely fell down. That was a full rupture of my ACL.”
In the midst of university exams, her injury could not have come at a worse time.
“Having with private health was a good thing for me because it allowed me to decide when to actually have my surgery and be in somewhat control of those controllable areas.”
“I was able to sit down with the surgeon and say, ‘I am free after this date, can I please do it at this time’, it was easy to schedule a particular date.”
What followed next was 12 months of rehab before finally getting back on the field.
“In 2018 I was playing touch football again, there was a bit more of a rough push from someone. I was pushed off balance and I felt the same sort of clicks in my knee," she adds. “But that time I didn't really know if I had done it, so I actually kept playing, thinking that it was okay. I found out later that it was a bad tear as well.”
With only weeks to go before moving to Canberra, Leanne called the surgeon she had seen only four years earlier.
“Then the second time round, it was very much more of a rush because I was starting a new job in a week or two, I went in to see the surgeon on a Monday and two days later he said, ‘yep, we can do your surgery’”.
Unable to play touch football, Leanne was determined to get back on the field.
“I have been part of an eight-week program to help me return to sport.”
“That was one thing that I was really excited about coming to Canberra, was playing touch football.”
Having private health insurance provided Leanne with the luxury of choice, giving her the opportunity to avoiding lengthy hospital wait times and get back what she loves doing most, playing touch football.