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Adversity is Quinnipiac star’s greatest lesson
(Photo: Liz Flynn/QBSN)

Adversity is Quinnipiac star’s greatest lesson

HAMDEN, Conn. (BVM) — After having to learn how to walk again, Lauren Wendland was told her chances of playing soccer again were very slim. 

Wendland, a senior at Quinnipiac University, now competes at the highest level of collegiate soccer after a car accident left her in severe condition at 10-years-old.

During a team car wash that acted as a fundraiser for youth sports, Wendland was struck by a car while crossing the street in order to retrieve water bottles for her teammates. From the accident, Wendland suffered a broken jaw in two places, a lost ear, a crushed ear canal, concussion, and memory loss of how to walk or run. 

“I was lucky to be alive,” Wendland said. 

The 10-year-old instantly thought that her sports career came to an end. After being rushed to the hospital and a week undergoing two separate surgeries, Wendland was able to go home and begin her rehabilitation back into a normal life again. However, at home her struggles were still very present. 

“I couldn’t get out of bed by myself and had no energy,” Wendland added. 

Embarrassed to go outside, Wendland would lay in bed thinking her soccer playing days were over. 

Not only were there physical damages, but mental damages also battered the 10-year-old. Memory loss affected Wendland the most. In order to regain her memory strength, Wendland began to play games that would get her mind working. 

“I’d play card games with numbers that I had to remember,” Wendland added. “The more I had to think and use my mind, the more normal I felt.”

Along with regaining her memory, Wendland began occupational therapy to get her basic muscular movements back. Slowly but surely she began to walk before eventually running again. This process went on for about nine months. 

Following her occupational therapy, Wendland showed great signs of improvement. Her strides toward being fully functional were further along than anyone expected they would be at this point. 

Her next step was working with a trainer in order to regain her athletic skills. Wendland began working with Ciaran McCormack, a former professional soccer player. Wendland and McCormack quickly formed a bond that would push her to perform at her full potential. 

As Wendland began to run again, she realized the magnitude it carried with her. Life lessons were abundant during this time. She learned that this process was not just about soccer, but something much bigger than that. 

“You forget how much you care about things until tragedy happens,” Wendland said. 

Having something that she loved ripped away from her at such a young age taught her to cherish every moment of life. Still not being able to play soccer, the thought of her return was the main source of motivation every day. 

About a year after the incident, Wendland returned to the soccer field once again, this time with a much different view on the sport.

“Don’t take a second of it for granted,” the Quinnipiac soccer player said.

After being away from the sport and having the rest of her playing career uncertain, it is a special moment every time Wendland steps on the field. 

The incident is nothing she can undo. Instead, Wendland takes the lessons she learned from this incident and applies them to her life. 

Facing adversity like this taught Wendland valuable life lessons. She was enlightened that major obstacles and roadblocks like this can make us stronger than ever if handled properly.

“I was so young, it taught me never to make excuses,” Wendland. 

Standing by her word, Wendland is now a senior at Quinnipiac University where she plays Division I soccer, something many would never have expected at the time of the incident. She preaches her message about not making excuses to athletes, or anyone that faces adversity in their life. 

As an inspiration to all, Wendland will step on the field every day with a special feeling in her heart.