McKenna's Road to Recovery

Serious injury has been a hard pill for me to swallow, especially since this injury has pushed the pause button on my livelihood, my passion and what defines my identity. As a commercial fisherman and professional big mountain skier, both of my occupations come with risks and both can not be achieved without a strong and able working body. I have always been well aware of the potential for injury and what it would mean for my livelihood, but when it actually happened, it still came as a shock. 

I initially blew up my left knee in April of ’24 while working on a ski film in Coastal British Columbia. The injury was severe, it was difficult to get out of the mountains and back home to Idaho and I pushed to get into surgery as soon as possible. I canceled my plans to go fishing that summer and allowed my boat to sit in the harbor. A range of complications with my knee lead to 2 more surgeries, another missed fishing season and one missed ski season. Recovery has been a long and slow road. A year and a half after the initial accident, I am finally able to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I will be cleared to ski this winter, and if all goes well, I will be able to operate my fishing vessel next summer. A small setback in the grand scheme of things and also a big hurdle to tackle. 

I’d like to share a few of the learned lessons that have kept me going and kept me in a positive state of mind throughout this injury and recovery process:

1) Two steps forward, one step back is still forward momentum. Setbacks are inevitable on the healing path. Take the hiccups in stride and keep pushing, don’t allow them to stop you completely. 

2)  It’s OK to ask for help. In fact, friends and family WANT to help. The people around you want to help you, even with the small tasks. My neighbor was stoked to carry my groceries from the truck to the house for me. Give people the chance to help. 

3) Time is your friend, not your enemy. This falls in line with a ‘glass half full’ mentality. We have more time than we think we do and it takes longer to recover than we would like. This is OK. This process has taught me the importance of slowing down and moving forward at a pace that is in line with what my body needs. 

4) Celebrate the small wins. Acknowledging the small steps of progress feels good and has kept me motivated. Things like gaining 5 degrees of range of motion or doing a full revolution on a stationary bike should be celebrated, out loud and with excitement. 

5) Don’t compare your progress to others, we are all individuals and all have our own specific journey. To be completely honest, this was my biggest struggle. I found myself comparing my recovery to people on instagram, people in my gym, and friends that I knew had gone through the same process. No one’s recovery is the same and there is no comparison to what I went through. Once I accepted this fact, I was able to settle into my own pace and rhythm while trusting the path I was traveling.

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