BY ASHLEY RICHARDSON

Abbie Kelley recently got foot surgery to fix her walking habits after years of struggling with arthritic pain.  A senior at Beverly High, Abbie has been playing lacrosse her entire life, and for her third season as the varsity goalie for BHS, she will be team captain. At the time of the interview, Abbie has been in a cast for a month. Panther News spoke with Abbie to her about her injury and lacrosse both individually, and as connected aspects of her life.  

Panther News: You’ve had arthritis for your whole life so, why did you finally decide to have surgery to fix your issue now?

I decided to get the surgery for a few reasons. I think it will help me walk better, I think it will improve my athletic ability as a lacrosse player, and help me run better. It’s also going to improve my confidence because I won’t have deranged looking feet when I step outside. I think a good time to do it is now because I’m in the off season and I don’t have much to do.

What has been the most difficult part of life with crutches?

Little mundane activities that require coordination.  Even like going to go make something in the kitchen, I have to be on crutches and I have to hop around, so I think while crutches don’t hold me back too much, doing little activities and not being able to walk some places or long distances gets on my nerves.  Overall, it’s not that bad but I would say those are like the hardest things. 

Panther News: Overall, is being on crutches more or less difficult than you expected? Why?

I think it’s way easier than expected. I’ve never used crutches before and I thought it would be way more difficult,  but like now that I’ve got the hang of it I can go pretty fast on them and I think I’m pretty good at crutching around.

Panther News: I’ve heard that people with crutches generally get unexpected muscle soreness.  Have you had any from using them?

Sometimes my wrists and hands get sore from gripping the crutch handle, but it’s not too bad.

After having to use crutches to get around our four story school, have you had any difficulties within concerning getting around or teachers being understanding?

Sometimes the nurse doesn’t give me an elevator pass because they “run out”, so I have to ask random teachers to swipe their id cards.  I think that’s the most annoying part. But every other teacher is pretty understanding of me getting around. 

What is the first thing you will do when you get your crutches off (besides walk of course)?

Two days after I get my cast off, I’m going to ScreamFest with my friends. I’m pretty excited to go on rides, and to walk around. It’s gonna be really, really fun. I’ll be wicked happy to be mobile again and on the move. So, I’m super excited for that. 

Has being on crutches taught you anything/ made you understand people who have permanent mobility problems at all?

Yeah, definitely. I think it puts into perspective how difficult it is to do even little tasks. It’s almost like a preview of being old.  My grandparents have a hard time getting around and now I kind of understand that. I don’t have a working foot and I have to hobble around. [It’s] definitely helped me get perspective on how lucky and thankful I am to be able to move around for the most part.

How do you plan in preparing for the lacrosse season in regards to your jobs as team captain and physically after your injury?

The  first thing I have to do is run captains’ practices, so, this December, I’m starting up a clinic with one of my friends, Lauren. To prepare for the season we’re going to be helping little kids like the Beverly Youth Lacrosse Program strengthen their skills. 

Right now, it’s just coordinating things with the fundraisers, getting sweatshirts for the team, getting the team together, really just like hyping us up. I think right now me playing lacrosse is more of a mental thing. 

You’re going to have crutches for six weeks, is there any sort of physical therapy you need to do to get your foot back to normal?

No, I think I’m going right to walking when I get the cast off. Pretty good recovery. I was pretty shocked when they said I didn’t have to do any physical therapy.

Although you discussed leading the team a little already, what are u most looking forward to about the lacrosse season and how do you think your leadership will benefit the team

Honestly, the whole reason why I do lacrosse is because I love everyone involved.  This sounds cliche, but I think lacrosse is a family. Our team is super close knit, so I think me kind of leading the pack is gonna be really fun. It’s gonna give me a lot of opportunities to do fun stuff for the team. I’m definitely gonna use my captain privileges to have the most fun possible, especially since it’s my senior year.

Panther News: If I remember correctly, Girls’ Lacrosse has enjoyed a bit of recent success.

Yes, we’re pretty good as a team. Last year we won our first two playoff games for the first time in six years. So we’ve been pretty good lately. I think we’ll definitely see the same success this year.  

We have some really good players on the team. We have Lily Shea (‘24) on our team and she’s ranked 9th in the state.  She’s an All-Star. So is Lauren Caley (‘24).

I’m excited because I think we’re gonna do wicked good this year.