Hi guys, my name is Elijah Bunn, and I am on the GVSU Men’s wrestling team. I am from Rockford, MI, and I am currently entering my senior year at GVSU, where I am majoring in Sports Management. I am excited to share my journey with athletics, mental health, and injuries throughout my time at GVSU, and how I struggled with my identity and who I was when wrestling wasn’t part of it.

My wrestling journey began when I was little, but it wasn’t until 7th grade that I decided that I wanted to be great. The next 6 years of my life following that decision comprised a level of commitment that most people can never say they’ve had to one thing. I dedicated countless hours to practicing, running, lifting, and traveling across the country to become the best wrestler I could be. I poured real blood, sweat, and tears into this sport. I was as much of a wrestler as I was Elijah Bunn, and when wrestling wasn’t a part of my life, I didn’t know who I was. 

My freshman year at GVSU was the inaugural return of the varsity Men’s Wrestling team after it had been cut due to Title 9 many years earlier. It was a great opportunity to be a part of something incredible and make history. I was stoked to be a part of this group of guys, especially coming off a great senior season and my best summer of training to date. I truly believed I had an opportunity to make contributions to this team's success on the mat, and it all disappeared in the blink of an eye.

My first week on campus practicing, I ended up in a position where I landed awkwardly on my shoulder. When I landed on it, I heard a popping noise and felt a pain that I had never felt in my life before. After that happened, I was able to schedule an MRI, where I found out I tore my labrum in my shoulder, which would require surgery, and a 6-9 month recovery. As the weeks passed, I could not face the reality of the situation, so I attempted to practice and work out with the team. I tried everything I could to push through, but the pain became too much. Every attempt to wrestle was met with my shoulder instability and dislocations. As the hope of my season faded away, I began to drown out my feelings with drugs and alcohol to mask the pain I felt inside. I could not accept the reality of being injured; there was so much hatred and anger inside of me toward the world. 

The months that followed were some of the hardest of my life. Every day, I had to watch my teammates practice and compete while I sat on the sidelines. Wrestling had always been my identity; without it, I felt lost. I questioned who I was if I wasn’t an athlete. I isolated myself from the people who cared about me and continued making unhealthy choices because I didn’t know how to cope with the emotions I was feeling. Looking back, I realize I wasn’t just recovering from a shoulder surgery, but I was battling my mental health. 

Eventually, I reached a point where I knew something had to change. I underwent surgery and committed myself to the rehabilitation process. Physical therapy was challenging, but the mental recovery was even more difficult. I had to learn patience, accept that healing takes time, and understand that my value as a person wasn’t determined by whether I could compete and wrestle. I started leaning on my teammates, friends, and family for support instead of trying to handle everything on my own. 

Returning to wrestling hasn’t been easy for me; it’s been a constant journey of ups and downs. Since my initial freshman year injury, I’ve had an additional three surgeries, two on my knee and another on my shoulder. In total, I have wrestled 5 collegiate matches in my career. For a long time, that number was something I was ashamed of because it felt like all the years of hard work had been taken away from me. But today, I can proudly say that these experiences gave me a new perspective. Through these hardships, I was taught resilience, gratitude, and the importance of taking care of both my physical and mental health. I realized that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength. 

If there’s one message I hope everyone can take away from my story, it’s that injuries affect much more than your physical health. They can impact your confidence, your mental health, and your sense of identity. Whether you’re an athlete or not, it’s important to know that your worth is not defined by what you do, but by who you are. Life will always bring setbacks, disappointments, and challenges, but those moments do not have to define you or your future. They can become the very experiences that shape you into a stronger, more resilient person. You can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can control how you respond. Keep moving forward, trust the process, and remember that even the hardest seasons of life will eventually pass.

-Elijah

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