Teilah says the pain from the accident was like nothing she had felt before. Photo \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
As her mum, fellow Tui player Julie Ferguson, drove her to the hospital, Teilah inspected the damage and found there were no cuts or bruises on her face. She realised the force of the hit had gone directly into her eye, but was still hopeful she\u2019d be back on the field in time for the play-offs.<\/p>\n
When she arrived at the hospital and the shock wore off, Teilah says the pain was like nothing she had felt before. Only Fentanyl could take the edge off.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only way I can describe it\u2019s like having a knife stabbed in your eye, hitting your brain and slowly turning around,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
That night, she underwent surgery to determine the extent of the damage. What was supposed to take two hours stretched into eight.<\/p>\n
The moment Teilah saw the surgeon\u2019s face when they arrived to discuss what they\u2019d found, she knew the prognosis was dire.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could tell in the way she was presenting herself that it wasn\u2019t good,\u201d says Teilah. \u201cShe said they tried to form a structural eyeball, but I had done really good damage and there was no chance of my eyesight returning. The world slowed down in that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teilah was discharged a day later and, as she puts it, \u201cstarted my new one-eyed life<\/a>\u201d, with her mum and Leah taking care of her.<\/p>\n It\u2019s five months after her accident when Teilah sits down to chat with the Weekly and she\u2019s remarkably positive about the life-changing news.<\/p>\n In 2024, she thought her rugby career was over when she was unable to play after a herniated disc left her with a numb leg. So to have been able to return for one last season has made this tough pill easier to swallow.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s definitely been a rollercoaster,\u201d admits Teilah. \u201cWhen I was discharged, I said to my friend, \u2018I really need to take things day by day.\u2019 The worst thing I can do is think about the woulda, coulda, shouldas of that game or all the things that I can\u2019t do.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, there are times she longs to be back in the game. Attending a recent Black Ferns match<\/a> in Wellington was emotional as she let go of the dream she\u2019d held since she first started playing at five.<\/p>\n \u201cI definitely had a moment watching that game,\u201d Teilah shares. \u201cI would always tell myself that I wasn\u2019t going to buy a Black Ferns jersey \u2013 I wanted to earn it. But I was like, \u2018Okay, I\u2019ll buy my jersey now.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\nHaving been able to return for one last season has made this tough pill easier to swallow for the athlete. Photo \/ NZ Woman’s Weekly<\/p>\n
Rugby still plays a massive role in Teilah\u2019s life. Photo \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n