Heather Hardy put every thing she had into preventing. Now she’s paying the worth for it.
Regardless of being a comparatively small and unassuming lady out of Gerritsen Seashore, Brooklyn, ‘The Warmth’ was considered one of boxing’s most fierce females. Whereas some MMA followers might bear in mind her run beneath the Bellator banner, it was contained in the squared circle the place she actually shined, constructing a powerful 24-3 document 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 battle, Hardy knew that one thing was severely improper.
“My imaginative and prescient was break up, and double, and bloody,” Hardy mentioned in an interview with Hamilton Nolan. “Typically 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 whenever you go to the physician. You might have medical insurance for 30 days [after a fight]. So I went, I bought my MRI, I went to the attention physician. That’s once they informed me that I can’t get hit within the head, ever.
“There was swelling, seemingly across the optic nerve. There’s quite a lot of analysis that was achieved with fighters who’ve misplaced their sight, and the issues that occur with these type 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 residing with out it. And I’ve had an excessive amount of useless mind.”
Earlier than getting the prognosis that may finish her profession straight away, Heather Hardy had deliberate on competing in three completely different sports activities in 2024, together with a bare-knuckle battle and a possible combined martial arts bout with Serrano.
“By February of 2024 I had determined I wanted to do that naked knuckle battle,” Hardy continued. “And by April 11, I had the prognosis that I may by no means get hit within the head once more. And it wasn’t till September that I bought medical insurance and bought 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 saved saying, ‘It’s not your eyes, it’s your mind.’ They had been slapping glasses on my face.
“Let me let you know, 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 saved saying, whenever you consider CTE and other people getting actually indignant—like Aaron Hernandez killed these folks. He additionally killed himself. You recognize, you get very indignant, after which very unhappy. I saved on saying that I used to be the First Girl of Brooklyn boxing. I’m the First Girl of mind injury.
“Have a look at me, research me, assist me! Like, do one thing for me. That they had needed to ship me to some Cleveland Clinic in Vegas, the place they weren’t even going to assist me. They simply needed to take notes. And it simply felt like, am I even an individual? Is that this actual life?
Hardy obtained no assist from the Affiliation of Boxing Commissions, leaving her little choice for medical remedy. Thankfully, she was in a position to get assist by way of NYU Langone, one of many nation’s premier educational medical facilities.
“Once I bought damage, I wasn’t getting any assist from the boxing fee,” Hardy mentioned. “As a result of I didn’t have medical 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 an everyday 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 type of calm down my face. I’ve no peripheral imaginative and prescient. I’ve critical PTSD. And having no peripheral imaginative and prescient, in case 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 ultimately categorized as disabled, noting that she will be able to’t be exterior for various hours every day earlier than it impacts her imaginative and prescient — an affliction that makes it very tough for her to proceed coaching the subsequent technology of expertise at Gleason’s Gymnasium in Brooklyn the place she initially reduce her enamel.
“Bodily, the outcomes of the mind damage, I’ve an official letter of incapacity from a number of medical doctors,” she mentioned. “As a result of between the PTSD, I can’t even start to let you know 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 exterior hours a day earlier than my eyes damage.
“The one time I’m going exterior is to show my ladies. I come to Gleason’s. It’s like a psychological well being verify… it’s exhausting for me to carry pads, however all of my ladies have type 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 should undergo the ache and struggling that she has and continues to expertise every day.
“I don’t know what I deserve,” Hardy admitted. “Lots of people, you already know, you don’t get your flowers till you’re useless. I’m tremendous with that. My daughter can be on the service at some point. I do know what I did. I don’t know what the game of boxing may have achieved completely 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 once more, Hardy didn’t hesitate to reply that query.
“Everyone requested me, ‘Would you do it once more?’ I might not do a single factor completely 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 improper, 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, ‘Received it. I can’t do it? Let me present you the way I can.’
“I received a world f*cking title on HBO. What? I’m somewhat seashore rat. If I can try this, I can f*cking do something.”
