Gordon Hayward speaks out for the first time since his injury
Gordon Hayward shared a detailed blog post on Wednesday evening, illuminating what the past two weeks have been like since his horrific ankle injury in the Celtics’ season opener. From the start of the fateful play under the basket to the beginning of his post-surgery recovery, Hayward chronicles the series of events with his first-hand perspective.
Here’s what he had to say:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/gordon-hayward/in-an-instant/729977353869385/
On his thoughts immediately following the injury: “It was like once my brain figured out what had happened, I was hit with shots of pain. The training staff came running over to me super fast, but however long it was—three seconds, five seconds—I just remember sitting there, looking at my foot the wrong way, and it felt like an eternity. Dr. Rosneck, the Cavaliers doctor, braced me as he explained that they wanted to try and pop my ankle back into place. I held on, and the moment they did it, there was just a massive shot of pain, probably the most pain I’ve ever felt in my life.”
On the second half of the game against the Cavaliers: “That felt like the longest half of basketball ever. Everyone was trying to console me, and tell me it was going to be okay. I knew they had good intentions, but all I could think about was the anxiety and stress running through my head. I was wishing there was something I could do that could make it feel better, that could make it get healed magically. My thoughts started to go to a very dark place.”
On the first night in the hospital: “Robyn met me at the airport and rode with me in another ambulance to the hospital. That was good, just to see her and have her there. Coach Stevens, his wife Tracy, and our assistant general manager, Mike Zarren, followed the ambulance and stayed with us while we checked in. That was pretty incredible considering that we had just played a game, and there was another game the next night. It’s not like they could do anything for me, and it was two o’clock in the morning or something like that. But they stayed for a bit just to make sure we were okay.”
On the doctor’s assessment: “The initial diagnosis from the doctors was pretty good. “If you were going to have a horrific leg injury, this would be the one to have,” they basically told me. As bad as it looked, they said I’d have a full recovery if the surgery went well.”
On his procedure: “They prepped me and gave me the anesthesia. When I woke up, I was super groggy, and my foot was throbbing and heavy, with a huge wrap on it. It was five o’clock in the morning, and all I wanted to do was sleep, but I remember calling the nurse. When she walked in, I asked, ‘How did it go? What did they say? Can someone tell me what happened?’ And she said, ‘The doctor will tell you in the morning, but from what I know, the surgery went well. You should try to get some sleep.'”
On his daughters’ reactions upon arriving home: “The girls both lit up when I got back from the hospital, but they were confused by what was on my foot. They were confused by the crutches, too. (Bernie is two; Charlie is one.) What they both loved was the scooter I got to ride around on. They thought it was the best thing ever. The scooter has a little basket on it, and Bernie is obsessed with things that have baskets. She has this little shopping cart, and she has this little stroller that she puts her little baby or her little stuffed doggy in. She wanted me to ride around with her doggy in my basket, which was pretty comical.”
On his wife Robyn’s support: “From the first minute we spoke, she was like, ‘Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.’ She was there with me at the hospital the whole time. Ever since I’ve been home, she has been a superstar as far as getting me everything that I need, dealing with everyone, trying to update them about what’s going on. There’s a bunch of pills that I’m on right now that she has to regulate. You can only take so many per hour. She’s got a chart marked down for all that. She’s also been really encouraging. ‘We’re going to come back from this stronger than ever,’ she tells me. ‘You’re going to be fine. But we’re going to have to work at it, so get off your ass and start now!'”
On the support from fellow Boston athletes: “I’ve only been in Boston a short period of time, so to have the Red Sox and Patriots players share videos and messages wearing my jersey was just incredible. The entire Boston community—from the professional athletes to what I’m quickly learning is an amazing Celtics fan base—has overwhelmed me. I’ve made one basket as a Celtic, and yet all of these people have made me feel like I’ve been in Boston my entire career.”
On transitioning back to basketball: “I’ve started by watching the games. At first, it was just grueling to try and watch. I was overwhelmed with frustration, knowing that I can’t be a part of it right now. I’m not even with the team. It’s hard mentally to watch the games because I’m sitting here thinking, ‘I’m not going to be able to help the team on the court this year.'”
On the current state of the Celtics: “We have such a young, exciting team filled with incredible character guys. I owe it to all of them to find my way to contribute. Some of the younger players will have to grow up a little quicker than was planned. They’re going to be thrust into situations where they’ll have a lot more responsibility. But this will be terrific for their careers. There is nothing better than experience in the NBA, and they’re going to get a lot of it. I still believe that by the end of the season, we can be something truly special.”
