06/16/2026
“My PTs were really the backbone of everything. You really just have to keep a strong head on your shoulders…It makes it easier and easier to get through. It really helped me have mental toughness.”
After a devastating ACL tear, Annabelle faced months of rehab with one goal in mind, return to the game she loves. With the help of her OrthoNebraska surgeon, Dr. Samuelson, she put in the work, stayed patient and never backed down from the process.
Then came a second ACL injury. Another surgery. Another long road ahead.
She attacked rehab again with the same determination, showing up every day with the mindset to get better. By October 2023, she was back competing, stronger both physically and mentally.
She finished in the Top 10 at the Nebraska Class B State Championships three years in a row after. A 5th place finish in 2025. A school record for best 9-hole season scoring average. Team captain. Leader. Competitor. Annabelle’s story is what a comeback really looks like.
We’re proud to support athletes like Annabelle every step of the way!
Video transcript
So, a couple years ago, I was playing soccer and during the tournament, I had stepped out to reach for the ball and my knee popped and it was really the first major injury I’ve ever had in my life.
Funny enough, as I was walking in PE, I felt it slip out again. And so, I went back in to the doctor and had another MRI. He went in and did a scope and they saw that I had no ACL in the graft at all. So, they did another repair and I recovered for a whole ‘nother year.
And then just last year over the summer, I had a slight kink in my knee during a golf tournament. And we came in and they said there might be a partial tear, but they didn’t really know. So, I resorted to PT to try and fix the injury.
My family was really great and really supportive about it. Really helped me get through everything.
My PTs were really the backbone of everything. You really just have to keep a strong head on your shoulders and you have to look at those little milestones and every single one that you reach. It makes it easier and easier to get through.
It really helped me have mental toughness. Golf isn’t easy. Playing 18 holes and walking on a hot summer day is not the easiest thing to go through, but I feel like being through this whole process just made me feel like there’s a lot more that I can do and that I haven’t reached my full potential.
Receiving the Comeback Athlete Award, to me, means a lot. It really just shows how far I’ve come and it really just helps me realize that I can do anything, no matter what happens to me.
