Imee Hernandez looks back on the long yet rewarding path to recovery.
It was November 9, 2023, when Imee Hernandez suffered a severe knee injury during the Second PVL All-Filipino Conference with the Chery Tiggo Crossovers. With her team trailing, 20-15, Imee went for a quick hit — only to crumple on the floor and clutch her left knee in pain in the middle of the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
Over twenty months since starting a gruelling journey back to form, the image remains vivid in Imee’s mind as she made her return to Chery Tiggo for the 2025 PVL On Tour. As she and the Crossovers headed to Montalban for their on Tour opener, the memories from that day came rushing back during the short ride to Ynares Center II.
“So habang nasa van kami on the way to the venue, parang biglang doon nag-flashback ‘yung parang moment na kung paano ako na-injure and ‘yung parang gaano kahirap,” Imee told The GAME in an exclusive interview.
“Parang nag-flashback lang siya na parang totoo na ‘to, na maglalaro na ako ulit. So parang sabi ko nga, hindi ako makapaniwala noon na maglalaro na ako ulit…parang kailan lang din ‘yung almost two years na ‘yun; actually naiiyak talaga ako parang on the way doon sa venue.”
Imee finished with eight points in her first game back with the Crossovers, and went on to be part of the team’s breakthrough silver medal run at the inaugural On Tour, and a fourth-place finish at the Invitationals later on.
For the middle blocker, it wasn’t just a mere comeback — it was the culmination of a journey that involved battles against uncertainty and self-doubt. A journey that required countless sacrifices and patience just for her to get back on the court.
“Ang tagal kong naiinggit sa kanila na sila naglalaro, tapos ako nasa sideline lang,” she reflected. “Parang gusto ko lang talaga i-cherish ‘yung moments na naglalaro ako, kasi nga parang doon ko na-appreciate ‘yung mayroon akong opportunity na ipakita ‘yung talent ko kapag naglalaro na ako.”
The long drive back
As Imee Hernandez recalls, this is already the second time that she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury on her left knee, the first dating back to her high school days with the UST Junior Golden Tigresses.
This, she said, brought an added layer of challenges, effectively making her road to recovery longer and more difficult.
“Na-heads up naman ako nila [strength and conditioning coach] Luis De Mesa, ng mga PTs namin and then noong ortho ko na mas mahirap talaga mag-recover ngayon kasi second time na,” Imee explained.
“And then hindi din kasi like ‘yung usual na ginagawa for ACL; iba ‘yung graft nung sakin eh, sa peroneals siya kinuha. Hindi sa hamstring or patellar tendon, so dalawa ‘yung nirerehab ko — ‘yung ankle ko at ‘yung tuhod ko — so medyo naging mahirap siya and kaya tumagal din ‘yung recovery journey ko kasi syempre, ayaw naman namin ma-reinjure ulit ako.”
But these weren’t the only bumps that Imee encountered along the way. Like any athlete recovering from a major injury, rehabilitation sessions came with countless battles against uncertainty.
Having missed time for nearly two years, Imee began to question whether or not she could still return to her old form. Worse, would she even return to the court at all?
“Dumating din ako sa point na wag na kaya ako maglaro; ang dami ko nang naiisip na napapagod na ako, kaya ko pa bang ibalik ‘yung laro ko before?” she reflected. “Parang, ‘Kaya ko pa bang gawin ito?’”
“Kasi nung time din na ‘yun, parang lagi ko pinapanood ‘yung mga previous games ko even sa UST and Chery. So parang kaya ko pa bang gawin ‘yun? Ganito pa din ba kaya kataas ‘yung talon ko pagbalik ko? Ganito pa ba ako kabilis, kaya ko pa bang makipagsabayan? Or ano na mangyayari sa akin, hanggan kailan ako magrerehab?”
Mental battles aside, Imee also had to deal with bouts of flu and other illnesses that forced her to sit out some rehab sessions. At some point, even bad luck had become part of the battle, with an unfortunate incident nearly derailing Imee’s progress.
Imee shared that she could have returned to training in November last year, only for the left knee to be hyperextended at home.
“Unexpected lang siya, like nagsuot lang ako ng slippers tas bigla lang siya na-hyperextend!” she said. “So parang nagulat ako na ‘Huh?!’, so tinawagan ko ulit ‘yung PT ko and I asked if napunit ba siya ulit and natataranta na ako!”
“Tas parang pinakalma niya muna ako na i-assess ko muna kung anong nafi-feel ko and bumalik kami sa rehab na medyo na-delay lang kami ulit kasi nag-regress ‘yung progress namin, pero hindi naman siya totally back to zero. Kailangan lang talaga ng pasensya kasi ‘yun nga, mas mahirap talaga pag na-reinjure ka eh.”
If she recalls correctly, even her eventual return to training by January wasn’t smooth sailing either, given her continued bouts with the flu and uncertainties regarding the injured knee.
“Parang February na ata ako mag-start magbola eh, ‘yun din kasi ‘yung plano kasi syempre constant communication naman ‘yung mga nagaasikaso sa akin sa rehab and ‘yung mga coaches,” Imee explains.
“Pero yun nga, dumating din kasi sa point na parang halos lagi ako nagkakasakit, tas hindi ko rin alam kung bakit ako laging nagkakasakit; kapag masama ‘yung pakiramdam mo and parang may ubo’t sipon ka, hindi kasi pwede ipilit, lalo na kung nagrerecover ka.
Kaya kung saan kami naiwan, ichecheck namin kung nandon pa rin kami or if kailangan pa ba namin baguhin.”
Yet, despite having all the reasons to wave the white flag, Imee also found a way to keep going.
Cruising along
Given the bumpy road of her journey, it would have been understandable if Imee Hernandez decided to give up at some point. As she’s already mentioned, there came a time when that became an option, especially as the thoughts of losing her natural athleticism began to cloud her mind.
Just like any athlete, there was also the thought of rushing the journey, where Imee would undercut the process in order to speed up her comeback. But despite these thoughts, the desire to regain at least a fraction of her old form ultimately prevailed for the young middle blocker.
“Syempre naiinip na din ako sa rehab ko kasi ang tagal na, and dumating sa point na tinanong ko, ‘Coach, pwede na ba akong magbola ulit kahit mag-isa lang ako?’. Parang magagalit siya na ‘Hindi pa pwede, wag kang makulit!’,” Imee recalls with a smile. “May testing kami kung ano na yung kaya ng tuhod, kung hanggang saan lang yung kaya ng tuhod.”
It also helped that Imee’s camp preached the value of patience amid the journey, and any timelines that were set could easily be adjusted based on the condition of her knee. At the end of the day, making a full recovery was what mattered, no matter how long it took for Imee.
According to Imee, there was constant communication between her doctors and Chery Tiggo staff to determine the exact progress of her recovery, both mentally and physically.
“Hindi naman siya na parang by this month kailangan ganito or ganyan…If hindi siya kayang gawin ng ganitong month or ganitong timeline, hindi naman siya pinipilit,” Imee explained.
“Talagang dinadahan–dahan namin siya kaya hindi rin siya mabilis. Kasi siyempre depende din sa kung paano mag-recover ‘yung katawan mo, kung paano mag-adapt ‘yung katawan mo and especially ‘yung mental din.”
Her return to on-ball training in February was also a product of patience, where they determined her readiness through constant check-ups.
“First time ko magbola after almost two years na nawala sa court, so syempre ichecheck mo muna kung ano ‘yung kaya mong gawin. Kung alanganin ka pa ba sa galaw na ito kasi more on mental talaga…na ready na ba ako mag-move nang ganito or gawin ito?” she reflected.
Imee was also blessed to have a strong support system, who became her shoulders to lean on, and the very listeners that would calm her down when the going got tough. From her parents to her boyfriend and even her teammates — just about everybody around her was constantly checking up and cheering her on amid the journey.
“Sila daddy, ganyan, nandiyan sila to motivate me, and then syempre si RC [Calimag], ‘yung boyfriend ko, namomotivate niya rin ako kasi parehas kaming athlete,” Imee shared, with RC currently playing for San Beda in the NCAA.
“And parang hindi ko man laging nakakausap before ‘yung teammates ko. Lagi silang nangangamusta, ‘yung coaches, ‘yung management ng Chery lagi silang nangangamusta. Hindi nila ako pinipilit, hindi nila sinabi sa akin, oh maglaro ko na, ganito, ganyan.”
Along with the work that they did on her knee, Imee’s doctors would also do their part in reassuring her throughout the journey, which became instrumental in her attempt to regain her lost confidence.
“Sobrang hands on ng mga PTs namin sa team. Sila agad yung nilalapitan ko kapag medyo masakit dito, may na-feel ako dito,” she said. “Tapos ‘yung confidence din kasi sa sarili ko lang din siya nakuha. Kailangan ko magtiwala sa sarili ko kasi matagal ko din tinrabaho na makabalik. So doon ko hinuhugot ‘yung confidence ko.”
Health is always wealth
Patience continued to be the mindset for Imee’s eventual comeback in the PVL on Tour. As with the previous stages of her journey, there was still the constant communication about her health, along with the reassurance to take her time as needed.
Chery Tiggo’s coaching staff, led by Norman Miguel, took their time to ask whether or not Imee was ready for the PVL on Tour, which Imee would consult with her doctors.
“Magtatanong ako sa mga PTs namin kasi sila din naman ‘yung may direct communication sa ortho ko na pwede na ba ako pasalihin dito? So eventually, hanggang nasanay na ako and naglalaro na ako nang may kasama and then nakikisali na ako sa 6-on-6 tuneups,” she explained.
“Eventually naging okay naman siya and kusa na lang din dumating ‘yung kumpyansa and ‘yung tiwala na kaya na.”
Even as she made her gradual return to the court, Imee continued to receive the same reassurance she once did — that if she didn’t feel too good about her knee, or if she was still suffering any after-effects, then there would be no issues if she needed to take a break.
The star middle blocker also held herself to a similar standard once she was cleared to return to the PVL on Tour with the Crossovers.
“Ever since talaga na sinasabi ko din sa mga PTs ko na if maglalaro ako nang may pag-aalangan ako or mag-hold back ako, huwag niyo muna ako palaruin. Parang sinasabi ko din sa kanila na palaruin niyo ako yung gusto ko na hindi ako nawala,” Imee reflected.
“Yan yung lagi ko sinasabi. Gusto ko bumalik ako na parang nagpahinga lang. Ayoko ‘yung makikita sa galaw ko na na-injure ako or meron akong iniinda talaga kasi ibig sabihin non, hindi ko nagawa nang maayos ‘yung rehab ko.”
The journey isn’t quite over yet for Imee Hernandez. But if there is anything that she’s learned from the long road to recovery, it’s that health will always be wealth. This time around, she’s allowing herself to take some breaks if she’s feeling under the weather, along with placing an added premium on the little things.
Although there is pressure to perform at a high level, Imee is also aware that her and other athletes’ careers will depend on the state of their bodies, and taking their health for granted could end their time with sports prematurely.
“Biggest lesson ko as an athlete is ‘yung disiplina sa sarili and parang wag mong ipilit kung hindi kaya ng katawan mo,” she reflected. “Pati ‘yung tulog, malaking bagay talaga siya, kasi laging sinasabi sa akin nila PT or ng doctors ko na mas malakas talaga maka-injury ang puyat.”
While Imee attributes her injury to a bad landing, she also wonders whether or not some rest could have prevented it from happening in the first place.
“Naaalala ko kasi puyat din ako nung na-injure ako kasi may ubo’t sipon ako, so nagigising ako sa ubo ko, and though mahaba ‘yung tulog ko, hindi siya quality,” she revealed.
Still, the whole journey has become an eye-opener for Imee Hernandez, who battled through strong periods of uncertainty and self-doubt on her way back to the court.
Now that she’s back on the court, Imee returns as an athlete with a better prioritization towards her health, while being grateful for the chance to continue showing her talents as a professional volleyball player.
Imee shares, “Mag-recover ka talaga nang maayos kasi siyempre kung nasa bakbakan ka, bakbakan talaga. So kailangan mong mag-recover nang maayos, kailangan mong kumain nang maayos, at kailangan mong matulong nang maayos.
Lahat ng pwedeng makatulong sa katawan mo, kailangan mong ibigay sa sarili mo, tulad ng supplements at nutrition.”
Images courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League.