Hi

I’m Annette and on October 2nd 2022 I was tackled off the ball in a Championship South rugby match, in the process of kicking the ball. Four months on, I’ve just received my MRI results and it’s the news no athlete ever wants to hear - my ACL is completely ruptured as well as a full medial meniscus tear.

Waiting lists for ACL reconstruction in this country are anywhere between 6-14 months, and as an athlete looking to fall pregnant with my second child in the next year, time is against me in order to get my ACL reconstructed in an appropriate time window, in order to not let my rugby career be defined or ended by this injury.

I still believe I have more to give to the sport of rugby as a player, and without private ACL reconstruction surgery, I could be waiting until 2025 for surgery, as surgeons will not operate on me if I fall pregnant. I will be funding the majority of the operation and aftercare myself (and I’m prepared to fund it all if I have to), but I am grateful for any support in order to raise sufficient funds to be privately operated on within the next 8-12 weeks. 

Thank you for reading