By The Hockey Paper
Alex Danson has spoken in further depth over the mild traumatic brain injury which has halted her career as she aims to make a “full recovery”.
Danson, speaking to the BBC, revealed that she hit her head on a concrete wall after tilting her head back to laugh with her now fiance Alex. The couple were on holiday at the time in Kenya when the incident happened after last summer’s World Cup in London.
“We were on holiday for another couple of days and getting home was a nightmare,” she told the BBC. “I was very unwell. I had my hands on my head at the airport, I was crying.
“By the time I got home, I wasn’t well. I had terrible headaches, light sensitivity, noise. I came back and I was in bed in a dark room for a month.”
Describing moments since the incident, it is understandable why her recovery has taken so long and the process she has had to undergo, as well as attempting to understand head trauma.
“The next few months were really challenging. I was in bed 24 hours a day. I could hardly walk to the bathroom,” she added.
“I couldn’t bear light, sound, touch, anything. It was almost like my sensory dials had been whacked up. Even holding a conversation, I’d have to talk very slowly.”
She says that headaches are the crux of the problem, while noise also makes her feel unwell.
Danson, 34 this week, hopes to be “100 per cent better” by September when her wedding is scheduled.
She has also recently visited her GB team-mates at Bisham Abbey in a bid to help them understand the challenges she faces.
She added: “I’m still the same person. I’m still incredibly competitive. I’ve had the most amazing career. I never thought it would be taken away so abruptly. I still hope to return.
“I’m told I’ll make a full recovery and I absolutely believe that.”
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