When Carleton Ravens forward Darcy Hawkins was diagnosed with a concussion in 2011, doctors said she might never play basketball again. Even the sound of basketballs bouncing off the gym floor gave her a headache.
Named female athlete of the week by Barrhaven Source for Sports just one month earlier, Hawkins went from being an aggressive forward to doing neck stretches and stationary bike circuits at athletic therapy.
One week after Hawkins’ diagnosis, the Ravens women’s basketball team won nationals for the first time.
“We made history and I couldn’t even play so that was really heartbreaking,” Hawkins said. Although the athlete accompanied her team and said it was a fun experience, she described watching nationals from the bench as “rough.”
Less than a year into her first season, Hawkins suffered a series of blows to the head during games and practice. After three weeks of headaches, the athlete said she decided to see a doctor who diagnosed her with a concussion.
“I was so angry I couldn’t play,” Hawkins said. “I literally couldn’t do anything. It was really bad.”
The concussion affected her mood and Hawkins said she would snap at people for no reason. She remembered spinning through emotions – confusion, anger, frustration and near depression.
Gabrielle Léger, Hawkins’ athletic therapist, smiled as she remembered her time treating the basketball player.
“She’s not the type of person that will just take criticism without throwing something back. She’s tough,” Léger said. “We definitely had our moments and our battles but in the end I think she knows that it was all to help her.”
As the months crept by, Hawkins’ friends, parents and teammates started to question whether she would play again. Even so, Hawkins and Léger didn’t give in.
“We just really didn’t give up on her and tried so many different things to get her better,” Léger said.
“People didn’t know when I was getting back and I didn’t have an answer for them, but I just knew I was. I’m very sure of myself,” Hawkins said.
In 2012, Hawkins laced her basketball shoes and jogged back onto the court for the first time in a year-and-a-half. A smile broke across her face as she remembered the day.
“I was ecstatic,” she said. “I’d missed it for so long . . . I was really, really happy.”
Watching from the sidelines, Léger said she still gets nervous when Hawkins plays. After spending almost every day with the athlete for more than a year, Léger takes pride in Hawkins’ recovery.
“It’s definitely rewarding and those are the moments that you cherish and that you’ll never forget as an athletic therapist,” she said. “It’s nice to see her push through and she’s doing so well.”
Although she couldn’t compete while recovering, Hawkins believes her concussion made her a more intelligent player from watching every game. After months of not dribbling a ball, the athlete said she appreciates being healthy again.
“Even now, I’m not the same player I was in first year. I’ve kind of evolved differently because I’ve been out for so long,” Hawkins said. “I’m still trying to get back to where I was and my feet aren’t moving as fast as they used to but I’m still trying to get there.”
