Get Catherine Back On Track

Hello, Firstly I’d like to thank you for visiting my page. I hope to get as many people aware of my story as possible, so please go on to share this page to help me reach my target. Now, to tell you about me and why I’m asking for your support. You may or may not know that I am a track athlete - specialising in the 400m. At age 17 back in 2015 I was in the height of my career (so far). I had the season of my dreams, winning the NatWest Island Games, getting my first Great Britain call up, representing GB at the IAAF World Youth Championships, where I ran the race of my life, winning the Bronze medal and achieving a time that put me in a position to see my lifetime goal of becoming an Olympian within my reach. It was all perfect, getting ready to finish my season by travelling to Samoa to represent my home - the Isle of Man, at the Commonwealth Youth Games. Then, things began to go downhill. In the preparation for CWY’s, I started to notice knee pain when going up and down stairs. At first, I thought nothing of it, thinking it was just tiredness from a busy season (I had experienced similar in the past). I went away on a family holiday, with hope that the few days of rest would do me some good. Upon my return home, I had noted that the pain had not got any better, and was now becoming noticeable when walking for long periods of time, going up hills, and running. This was my worst nightmare. Despite not having full training in the upcoming weeks to CWY’s, I set off with team Isle of Man, in hope that once I arrived in Samoa, I’d be able to get my “game face” on and get through one more competition. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. I just about managed to limp through the heats, qualifying for the finals by the skin of my teeth. The day of the finals came around and it was painful to walk, let alone run. Upon a medical review by team England’s physiotherapist, it was decided that I needed to pull out the final. I was gutted. This was the moment I knew I needed to do something serious to fix this knee. Then, what seemed like a lifeline was thrown my way. A sports scholarship in America - a college with amazing facilities, coaches, and medical teams. I packed up my bags in August 2016 and moved my life to America, in hope that not only would they be able to fix me, but that I could train with some of the best. 2016 and 2017 were two years of sheer disappointment. Going through physiotherapy and rehab seemingly successfully, to experiencing pain and discomfort all over again once my training began to pick up - attempting to race, and constantly disappointing myself with times where I knew I was capable of so much more. It was frustrating and exhausting, as hopes were constantly being built up, to later be shattered when my knee flared up again. Unable to take any more heartbreak, I moved back home to the Isle of Man in December 2017. Since then, I have been working extremely hard with my physiotherapist Ruth Cooil, and with Isle of Man Sports Aid to get me to a point where I am pain free. Unfortunately, nothing has been working, despite all of our hard efforts and commitment. I’m in pain on a daily basis, most days struggling to walk without pain. We had to start thinking the about the bigger picture - travelling off island to see consultants to try and get more of an answer about how to progress past the pain. This is why I’ve made this page, as I need help. After meeting a consultant in London, we have discovered that the problem is that my left knee cap is abnormally high, meaning it doesn’t sit where it should. Along with this my knee cap is not central, as the tendon (patella tendon) that should assist in holding my knee cap in place doesn’t attach in the correct area. I am to undergo a surgery which involves lowering my left knee cap, as well as realigning the tendon. Without this surgery I would have to accept the fact that my day to day life will be uncomfortable, as well as being likely to have somewhat severe arthritis in me knee by the time I am thirty. Basically, without this surgery, my future in any sort of an active life looks very uncertain. This surgery costs approximately £8,500, and I can safely say that funding this alone is going to be a strain. We have already paid around £1,500 towards consultations, X-Rays etc. and there are going to be follow up travel to London and check-ups post surgery. Hence, in order to help in funding all this I wanted to see how much I can raise from outside sources - from friends, family, fans - from you. Whether your donation be a little or a lot, I can’t even begin to explain how appreciative I would be. Athletics is my dream, and this surgery may be the answer to all the questions I’ve been asking for the past three years. Thank you for taking the time to visit my page and read my story. And if you decide to donate, thank you for your generosity and support. I cannot express how grateful I am. Catherine.