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Mylene Paat celebrates her PVL comeback following a left shoulder injury.
Throughout the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference, on Tour, and Invitationals, Mylene Paat could only cheer from the sidelines as the Chery Tiggo EV Crossovers ushered in a new era under head coach Norman Miguel.
Last seeing action in the 2024 Reinforced Conference, Paat was forced to sit out after being diagnosed with supraspinatus tendonitis on her left shoulder and needed to undergo a grueling recovery process behind the scenes.
Now, back on the court for this year’s import-laden tournament, Paat can’t help but reflect on the year-long journey she endured just to make her long-awaited return to the Taraflex.
“Actually, sobrang tagal; one year ako mahigit na nagre-recover and maga-anniversary na ako sa operation ko; so sa recovery, madami din kasi akong pinagdaanan eh,” Paat told reporters after Chery Tiggo fell in five sets to the Akari Chargers on Tuesday, October 14.
Like any athlete suffering a major injury, Paat’s road to recovery was a rocky one, where progress was non-linear and physical rehabilitation came with the battle against self-doubt and negativity. Still, the opposite hitter remained steadfast as she worked her way back into shape for herself and her team.
“Hindi ako nawawala sa loob ng training. Nagti-training sila [Chery Tiggo] pero nasa gilid ako nagre-recover, so alam ko ‘yung mga nangyayari sa team ko. Of course, ‘yung journey ko kasi na habang nagre-recover is up and down talaga,” she reflected.
“Minsan nga, downs, downs, downs. Pero ngayon, medyo umaangat na so sobrang thankful lang ako kay God kasi siya ‘yung kinakapitan ko sa journey ko, and of course, my husband.”
As mentioned, a huge part of Mylene Paat’s recovery journey is her husband — Kazakh volleyball player Sergey Rezanov — who became her guiding light during the toughest days of the journey.
“Actually, few months ago nandito siya, so mga three months siguro siya nagtagal dito. Habang nagre-recover ako, tinutulungan niya ako and kahit video call lang, sinasabihan niya ako ‘It’s time for you to do your range of motion’, ganon. So gina-guide niya ako palagi na wag tamarin kasi nandito ka na,” Paat said of her husband’s support.
“Kung back to zero ka, i-embrace mo lang lahat ng ‘yan. So ‘yun na nga, siya ‘yung talagang naga-guide din sakin para makabalik talaga and magpursige pa.”
Now that Paat is back on the Taraflex, she says that her journey has taught her to be mentally tougher, and battling self-doubt has given her lessons that she can also apply to the game itself.
“Ito kasi ‘yung pinaka-major injury na naranasan ko. Siguro, sobrang laking itinulong din nito sa akin para mas maging more tough pa ‘yung pag–iisip ko and ‘yun na nga, ‘yung patience kasi na nangyari sa akin,” she said.
“Sobrang haba nun kaya ina-apply ko rin ‘yun pagdating sa loob ng court. Patience lang talaga na hindi ko man makuha ng isang beses, makukuha ko sa pangalawa o pangatlong [attempt].”
Images courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League.