Season-ending injury least of Mingo’s worries at Purdue

A torn anterior cruciate ligament is a serious knee injury for most athletes.

But it almost seems like child’s play when it’s Drey Mingo’s knee that is in question. Almost.

Of course, in reality, the injury is no less serious for Mingo, a 6-foot-2 senior forward on the Purdue women’s basketball team. She blew out her left knee in a recent preseason practice and faces a tough road of recovery and rehabilitation.

She also must face the frustration and disappointment of spending her entire senior season, which likely would have been even more productive than her all-Big Ten campaign of a year ago, on the bench.

But, here’s the silver lining for Mingo: she’s faced tougher roads, and far more serious medical problems. And she made it through.

That lesson is definitely still fresh in her mind.

It was less than a year ago that Mingo faced the biggest battle of her young life, a battle that made national headlines.

Two days before Thanksgiving last November, Mingo was clinging to life.

She was found on the floor of her apartment in West Lafayette with only a slight pulse. Rushed to the hospital, Mingo was diagnosed with a serious case of bacterial meningitis.

She was given a 50 percent chance of survival.

“I was pretty out of it when I first got to the hospital so I had no idea how serious everything was,” Mingo said. “The scariest moment for me was when I did wake up and I saw the looks on the faces of my friends and family.

“At that point, I knew something was really wrong.”

Mingo also couldn’t hear anything. The meningitis had caused complete hearing loss in both ears and Mingo was terrified that she’d never be able to hear the bounce of a basketball, or anything else for that matter, ever again.

“The weird thing was, I had just taken an exam about meningitis and what it can do to the brain and the body,” said Mingo, a pre-med student. “It was overwhelming for me when I couldn’t hear anything.”

Gradually, Mingo’s hearing returned, although not fully. Today, she has 60 percent hearing in her right ear and 15 percent hearing in her left.

Mingo eventually returned to the court, too.

In fact, less than a month after she was found in her apartment, she made her first appearance in a game, a tilt against Auburn at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

“The doctors were telling me at first that they didn’t know if I’d ever be able to play again,” Mingo said. “To be back out there in a matter of weeks was so wonderful. The fans at Conseco even gave me a standing ovation to help me celebrate my life. It was the greatest moment of my career.”

Amazingly, Mingo gave Purdue fans plenty more to cheer about last season. She wound up leading the Boilers in rebounding (5.8 rpg), field-goal percentage (52.3 percent) and 3-point field-goal percentage (48.1 percent) and was second on the team in scoring (12 ppg).

With a clean bill of health heading into this season, Mingo was looking forward to bigger numbers out of herself and better results out of Purdue, which has been picked as one of the favorites to win the league title.

Then, she heard the infamous pop.

“In that moment, I was like, ‘Seriously? Are you kidding me?’” Mingo said. “Right away, my teammates and coaches were all rallying around me and helping me. It was like how they (rallied around) last time (for the meningitis). That made me feel better.”

So did Mingo’s strong faith. She says she’s been able to stay upbeat and positive every day since her injury.

“I really believe that everything happens for a reason and that something good will come out of this,” Mingo said. “God has a bigger plan for me.”

Mingo, who wants to be a pediatric cardiologist but is hoping she’ll have to put off medical school for one more year if the NCAA grants her a sixth year of eligibility for hardship, says that the plan is for her to be the best doctor possible.

“I think having gone through all the things I’ve gone through, it’s going to make me a better doctor,” Mingo said. “I think maybe God is going to use me to help others who are going through tough times because I’m going to know what that’s like.

“I’ve been through some pretty tough times.”

pbabcock@dailyherald.com