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Jema Galanza reveals her struggle with a nagging foot injury.
Health will be of utmost importance for Jema Galanza as she steps away from the court indefinitely.
Amid her absence in the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference, Galanza revealed that she has been dealing with a left foot injury since last year, which was aggravated during the Creamline Cool Smashers’ bronze-medal run in the Invitational Conference last August.
“Actually, hindi namin alam pero last year pa siya masakit, tapos nitong last Invitational Conference, parang ‘yung pain niya kasi everyday ko na siyang nafe-feel,” Galanza told reporters after Creamline’s four-set win over the Petro Gazz Angels on Tuesday, October 13.
“So parang sinabihan ko na ‘yung PT ko na hindi na siya normal; Nung pina-MRI ko na, may nakitang something sa bone,” added Galanza, who is currently wearing a walking boot on the injured foot.
Without going into detail, Galanza confirmed the career-ending nature of the injury, hence the need to prioritize a full recovery even if it means hitting an indefinite pause on her volleyball career.
“Mahirap kasi siyang isugal kasi hindi nga namin kung saang stage na ba. Kung naghe-heal ba siya, naghe-heal pa lang, or malala pa rin siya,” she explained. “So ang agreement talaga namin ng coaches and ng PT is talagang mag-focus sa pag-heal talaga ng bone.”
Disappointing as the news may be, Jema Galanza is keeping her eyes on the bigger picture, knowing that a career pause will be key to preserving her long-term future as a professional athlete.
“As an athlete, kailangan din namin isipin ‘yung longevity ng career namin. Hindi rin natin masasabi kung kakayanin ba ito or tatagal ba ito buong season, so mas mahirap na mas lumala pa siya and mas matagal pa ‘yung recovery; hindi natin alam kung ‘yung balik ko ba is 100 percent or mas okay ba, ‘di ba?” the star spiker reflected.
“So ‘yan din ‘yung sabi sakin ng doctor na delikado din if tinuloy ko kasi mas malaking chance na mag-end ‘yung career ko, so mas nag-focus kami doon sa mas mag-heal na lang siya kaysa isugal namin na hindi namin alam kung saan tatagal.”
Images courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League.