Road to Recovery: From surgery to post-op, Ellie Walbruch's decision to 'trust in Him'
"I had been having this overwhelming feeling of anxiousness to get the surgery over and it was fast approaching. I wanted to be back playing soccer ASAP — like NOW."
Editor’s note: The following is a journal entry by Ellie Walbruch as part of the college soccer star’s “Road to Recovery” series, powered by Defense Drinks. It has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Support Ellie’s Road to Recovery by using promo code "ELLIE" at defensedrinks.com to save on every order of the patented collagen-based energy and recovery drink.
You can read part I of Ellie’s “Road to Recovery” here.
April 11. My ACL surgery. I may never forget the day.
On April 10 — the night before surgery — I was at the Utah Youth Soccer Association gala event in Salt Lake City with a few of my teammates to speak on a panel. BYU alum and friend Cameron Tucker, who is now with Utah Royals FC, asked me how my knee was doing and when surgery was. I had known when surgery was — but it was then that it hit me like a ton of bricks.
It’s tomorrow morning.
I had been having this overwhelming feeling of anxiousness to get the surgery over and it was fast approaching. I wanted to be back playing soccer ASAP — like NOW.
With a few weeks under my belt and coming to the conclusion that this was actually real life, I was also getting a sense of excitement to start my road to recovery. I have never had surgery before so I didn’t really know what to expect, but the thought of undergoing a major procedure was a bit scary. I knew deep down that I was in the best hands with my amazing surgeon, Dr. Vern Cooley.
Let’s face it: Tiger Woods trusted him; I probably should, too!
And then, the morning of April 11 came.
Up and ready to go at 5:45 a.m. sharp, starting with the 45-minute drive to Park City Surgical Center. My surgery was scheduled for 8:00 a.m. My mom and I drove to Park City, and as we made our way to the hospital, I felt very calm.
We chatted about the usual things and my mind wandered off at a few points during the drive. I remembered one of my favorite quotes, “Everything happens for a reason and that reason causes change. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes it’s hard. But in the end, it’s all for the best. Never stop trusting God and his plans.”
And, that’s what I was determined to do: trust in Him.
My mom was at my side when we entered the surgical center, providing unwavering support and reassurance. I checked in with the receptionist and was ready to get things started.
Only a few minutes passed. I heard “Ellie” called, and it was my turn to head back. The nurse was a cool dude who had played football at Weber State, and he made me feel at ease.
He asked me a bunch of questions and then I got dressed into my gown and comfortable socks, waiting for the nurse to come back in. This time, two nurses came back into the room. It was time for them to put an IV in.
My heart began to beat a little quicker because I’m not a huge fan of needles — and this one was big. Putting the IV in was the worst part. I had to squeeze my mom’s hand pretty hard (sorry, Mom!). 😅
Everything was happening so quick at this point, with people coming in and out of my room regularly. The next thing I knew, Dr. Cooley popped his head in. He was so cheery and happy. He marked which knee he was going to operate and then promised my mom that he would take extra special care of me.
How can I explain to you who Dr. Cooley is? He is like the friend that everyone wants to have. He makes you feel cared and protected. He has this way about him that doesn’t make you worry. I knew I was in perfect hands.
My anesthesiologist came in next and was talking to me about soccer. He was pretty funny and kept my mind off things. He put the sleepy medicine into my IV and about 30 seconds later, I was being wheeled into the operating room, waving goodbye to my mom.
At this point, I was feeling pretty relaxed and all my nerves just kind of drifted away. I was ready to go! I was feeling woozy, but I did slightly feel the shot in my quad to block the pain. I remember being in the surgery room and the anesthesiologist kept asking me questions and then all of the sudden — BOOM, I was out. 💥 😴
During the surgery, I was completely out of consciousness. What felt like just a few minutes was more like an hour or so.
Eventually, I woke up in the recovery room. I was really groggy and kind of in and out, talking gibberish. The first people I saw were my mom and dad.
I told my dad “take a pic of my knee ... Dr. Cooley said it’s all healed!” 😂
I wasn’t in any pain, just very uncomfortable in that big brace around my knee. The care and attention of the nurses was so appreciated because they made the process so easy and smooth. I could tell they really cared about my well being.
I got out of the little bed and was put in a wheelchair to be wheeled to my mom’s car. I got in the car and headed home before I even knew it. The whole process of getting there and into surgery was really fast — it only lasted about three hours.
I got home and settled and immediately started using my Game Ready machine. Can I just say that machine rocks. Game Ready was a huge part of my recovery team, and I wouldn’t have recovered so quickly without them.
In the days that followed, I felt pretty good; not much pain and I got around on crutches just fine. Three days after surgery, I was out watching my little sister Avery playing in an ECNL match in Ogden.
One week later, I began my rehabilitation and physical therapy at Dry Creek Physical Therapy. I love working with Mallory and am grateful for her support of me. I was filled with so much love and support from my family, friends, coaches, trainers, teammates, fans and even strangers, who poured out their well wishes to me. I’m so thankful for them and their help to get me back to 100% and back to doing what I love.
The experience of undergoing surgery and recovering from it has taught me the value of resilience, gratitude, and the love and power of a strong support system. I’m so thankful for everyone in my corner and I can’t wait to share with you the next phase in my recovery.
Thanks to a partnership with Defense Drinks, Ellie will be sharing insights into her Road to Recovery with Salt City FC. The college soccer star will contribute regular journal entries, dialogue and thoughts at saltcity.soccer about her journey, her trials and her victories as she tries to get back on the pitch.
Follow Ellie's journey at saltcity.soccer and across @saltcityfc on social media platforms, and support her Road to Recovery by using promo code "ELLIE" at defensedrinks.com to save 10% on every order.
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So proud of you Elle! 8 weeks postop!!