Kyra Lockhart, a sophomore at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High in Scotch Plains, N.J. and one of the top 2017 prospects in the country, suffered a scary injury during a recent game broadcast on ESPN3.

In her latest blog for FullcountSoftball.com, the Univ. of Alabama commit details the pain knee injury and the nerve-wracking wait to see what the diagnosis would be.

We first met Kyra, a power-hitting first baseman with the Jersey Intensity team coached by Kevin O’Donnell, last summer at a Surf City showcase and knew instantly when talking with her that she has the personality and energy to be a great blog writer!

Click here to read Kyra’s earlier blogs and those from our other standout players.

Also, check out our video interview of Kyra done last October.

Watch Kyra get a hit at the Sun Classic on Nov. 1, 2014.

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Over the past few weeks leading up to Thanksgiving I have been asked “What are you thankful for?”

Each and every year my answer to this question has been the same. However, this year my answer is a little bit different.

During the fall ball season, I suffered an injury when I was playing for Jersey Intensity during a game against the EC Bullets.

In a game streamed on ESPN, I took a swing, my back foot got caught in the dirt and my knee cap popped out. In that moment I feared the worst: a torn ACL, a torn Meniscus or even worse.

The pain was excruciating until Coach Kevin O’Donnell popped my kneecap back in for me and I was able to get back up and finish the game.

After the tournament, I returned home and I still had pain in my knee. I decided to go see a doctor on that Monday. Getting an appointment with the Sports Medicine specialist is very difficult, so I did not know if I would be able to just walk in.

But I was in luck— there had been a cancellation and, on short notice, I was able to get seen by a Sports Medicine specialist in my medical group.

An appointment was set to get an X-ray and MRI to determine the injury done to my knee. While time passed I kept icing my knee to make the swelling go down.

In the back of my mind I kept replaying every detail of that at bat. The game was shown on ESPN3 so family and friends described to me what they saw during the swing. The intricate details I heard (and pain level) made me nervous. I just wanted to get my MRI done already.

Two long days passed and finally the day of my scheduled MRI came. The time I spent in the MRI tunnel felt like eternity. I just wanted to know what was wrong and when I could get back to playing.

During the whole hour my mind wandered, going over every injury I Googled online. Side note: NEVER get too caught up in Googling injuries… it makes you panic worse!

Once I was finished, I was told I had to wait until 5 pm the next day to find out my results, but they gave me the CD of my MRI, so if I had someone to read it, I could find out that way.

At that exact moment, my phone went off and it was Coach Kevin O’Donnell, who had called me during the week checking up to make sure I was alright. This time he came in very clutch as a teammate on Intensity has a father who’s a doctor and offered to read my MRI for me.

At 8 pm at night, my family and I drove down to the shore—an hour away from my house—to have my MRI read. My parents made casual conversation but they were more worried than me.

When we got to Dr. Hand’s house, he was very warm and welcoming. He brought my family up to his office and put in the CD. Dr. Hands reviewed my MRI and then told me the good news he had for me: my ACL and MCL were fine, I had only dislocated my kneecap. I had never felt more relieved.

So, this year instead of just being thankful for my family, I’m thankful for everyone that helped me during my injury:

• Dr. Hands, who did not have to read my MRI at 9 pm at night, but did.
• My parents who carted me around doctor to doctor.
• Coach Kevin, for checking up on me and putting my kneecap back into place!
• The EC Bullets; coaching staff and players who took time just to see if I was okay.
• Friends who texted me “Get well soon” and “Feel better” messages.

However, I am most thankful for the opportunity to come back even stronger from this injury and to still have a long, lengthy career.

You never know what can happen.

People say softball is a game of failure; but it is also a game of mystery. I am just thankful for everyone who supported me along the way and the people who are helping me rehabilitate now.

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

— Kyra