Heather Hardy put all the pieces she had into combating. Now she’s paying the value for it.
Regardless of being a comparatively small and unassuming lady out of Gerritsen Seashore, Brooklyn, ‘The Warmth’ was one among boxing’s most fierce females. Whereas some MMA followers might bear in mind her run under the Bellator banner, it was contained in the squared circle the place she actually shined, constructing a powerful 24-3 report and capturing the WBC world featherweight championship.
Sadly, Heather Hardy’s profession got here to a crashing halt in August 2023 after going 10 rounds with former undisputed light-welterweight queen Amanda Serrano. Instantly following their struggle, Hardy knew that one thing was severely fallacious.
“My imaginative and prescient was break up, and double, and bloody,” Hardy mentioned in an interview with Hamilton Nolan. “Generally that occurs after sparring, you get a headache, however now it had lasted two days. So I went for the MRI, as a result of fighters know that’s once you go to the physician. You could have medical health insurance for 30 days [after a fight]. So I went, I acquired my MRI, I went to the attention physician. That’s after they informed me that I can’t get hit within the head, ever.
“There was swelling, probably across the optic nerve. There’s numerous analysis that was accomplished with fighters who’ve misplaced their sight, and the issues that occur with these sort of traumas, mixed with a number of concussions. They defined that each time you get a concussion, a bit of your mind dies, and also you simply go on dwelling with out it. And I’ve had an excessive amount of lifeless mind.”
Earlier than getting the analysis that will finish her profession right away, Heather Hardy had deliberate on competing in three totally different sports activities in 2024, together with a bare-knuckle fight and a possible blended martial arts bout with Serrano.
“By February of 2024 I had determined I wanted to do that naked knuckle struggle,” Hardy continued. “And by April 11, I had the analysis that I may by no means get hit within the head once more. And it wasn’t till September that I acquired medical health insurance and acquired my very own MRI. As a result of for all that point, the fee was simply sending me to the attention physician. And that physician was so good, however he stored saying, ‘It’s not your eyes, it’s your mind.’ They had been slapping glasses on my face.
“Let me inform you, CTE is an actual factor. TBIs, traumatic mind accidents, are an actual factor. I used to be leaving messages, asking for a therapist. As a result of I stored saying, once you consider CTE and other people getting actually indignant—like Aaron Hernandez killed these individuals. He additionally killed himself. You understand, you get very indignant, after which very unhappy. I stored on saying that I used to be the First Girl of Brooklyn boxing. I’m the First Girl of mind harm.
“Have a look at me, research me, assist me! Like, do one thing for me. That they had wished to ship me to some Cleveland Clinic in Vegas, the place they weren’t even going to assist me. They simply wished to take notes. And it simply felt like, am I even an individual? Is that this actual life?
Hardy obtained no assist from the Association of Boxing Commissions, leaving her little choice for medical remedy. Luckily, she was in a position to get assist by way of NYU Langone, one of many nation’s premier educational medical facilities.
“After I acquired damage, I wasn’t getting any assist from the boxing fee,” Hardy mentioned. “As a result of I didn’t have medical health insurance, I didn’t get the MRI. I wasn’t conscious that each one I wanted to do was pay $1,200 and I may have gotten it. NYU Langone saved my life. They gave me an MRI, they gave me a therapist, they gave me a daily physician, they gave me an OB-GYN.
“They’re gonna assist me file for incapacity. I can’t work. I can’t focus. I’ve to smoke [weed] simply to sort of chill out my face. I’ve no peripheral imaginative and prescient. I’ve severe PTSD. And having no peripheral imaginative and prescient, in the event you can think about, it’s my mind, not my eyes. So my mind didn’t perceive that I couldn’t see anymore.”
Hardy revealed that she was finally categorized as disabled, noting that she will’t be outdoors for various hours every day earlier than it impacts her imaginative and prescient — an affliction that makes it very troublesome for her to proceed coaching the subsequent technology of expertise at Gleason’s Health club in Brooklyn the place she initially minimize her enamel.
“Bodily, the outcomes of the mind damage, I’ve an official letter of incapacity from a number of docs,” she mentioned. “As a result of between the PTSD, I can’t even start to inform you the bodily stuff—I’m in dangerous form. However I’ll say I’m in a protected place. So I’m feeling okay. I’m on the mend. I’ve about 4 outdoors hours a day earlier than my eyes damage.
“The one time I am going outdoors is to show my women. I come to Gleason’s. It’s like a psychological well being verify… it’s onerous for me to carry pads, however all of my women have sort of huddled round to verify mother can get by way of 4 hours of labor.”
Heather Hardy Wouldn’t change a rattling factor
Requested what she believes the game of boxing may do to forestall extra fighters from ending up in her place, Heather Hardy had a tough time developing with a solution.
The one factor she is aware of for certain is that no one ought to need to undergo the ache and struggling that she has and continues to expertise each day.
“I don’t know what I deserve,” Hardy admitted. “Lots of people, you realize, you don’t get your flowers till you’re lifeless. I’m superb with that. My daughter can be on the service someday. I do know what I did. I don’t know what the game of boxing may have accomplished totally different, however I do know that the First Girl of Brooklyn boxing, the First Girl of DiBella Leisure, by no means ought to have spent 2024 the best way I did.”
As for whether or not or not she would do it yet again, Hardy didn’t hesitate to reply that query.
“All people requested me, ‘Would you do it once more?’ I might not do a single factor totally different,” Hardy mentioned. “As a result of no one ever did it earlier than. So who the f*ck is gonna inform me I did it fallacious, or I ought to have did it one other approach? No one did the sh*t I did. They mentioned, ‘No Heather, you’ll be able to’t do it.’ I mentioned, ‘Bought it. I can’t do it? Let me present you ways I can.’
“I gained a world f*cking title on HBO. What? I’m somewhat seaside rat. If I can try this, I can f*cking do something.”
Trending Merchandise
