South Florida pro pickleball player Greyson Goldin is back on the court after suffering two strokes earlier this year, a recovery he credits to faith, family, and the support of his
community.
In February, Goldin woke up and began his Bible study like any other morning. But
something was wrong.
"I go to start praying out loud, and the words that come out of my mouth are just like,
slurred and gibberish. So I happened to be at my parents house and just went to them
right away," Goldin said. "I was like, hey, something's going on, I need to go to the
hospital right now."
At the hospital, medical staff moved quickly.
"It got very real, very quick. And so they carted me to radiology CT scan immediately,
like 15 minutes. Doc came in like, hey, you had a stroke. He comes back, he goes,
you've had two strokes," Goldin said.
Goldin's artery had been compromised, causing both strokes. He spent six days in the
hospital, underwent countless medical tests, and faced a long road to recovery,
including uncertainty about whether he would ever return to the court.
"I love competing like I'm probably the most competitive person you've ever met.
Like I would always say, like if I was a billionaire, I would still choose the same life that
I'm living right now. You know, having that fear of not knowing if I was going to be
able to do that again or continue, that was like scary and sad," Goldin said.
The recovery forced him to relearn basic daily tasks.
"I woke up different. How do I know that I'm not going to wake up different again?
You know, and the fact that it's like your brain was the scariest part. I was having,
like deep thoughts about just going to the grocery store or walking Arlo, our dog,"
Goldin said. "The stuff that I would complain about sometimes, you know, but like,
that's all I wanted."
His nervous system required careful reconditioning, limiting even the most basic activity.
"After you've had a stroke, I guess your nervous system is like very, very sensitive.
So, I had to learn how to just kind of recondition that to allow noises to just speaking
to people. I couldn't get my head pressure up. I couldn't raise my heart rate very
high," Goldin said.
"So, I was literally just doing nothing. I was laying in bed and I would walk,
you know, I'd do a walk and then I would practice my reading. So, I'll just read in the
morning and out loud. And it was hard."
The mental challenge was just as significant as the physical one.
"The mental side is huge. Just always trying to be positive and trusting God and
understand that sometimes you don't see why things are happening immediately.
But I trust in the process, and I trust and you know, the journey that I'm going to go
through, and I think it's going to make me stronger and hopefully provide value to,
to other people, you know, I guess it's a good lesson and a good experience of it's
just for faith, right?" Goldin said.
"You know, believing that everything does happen for a reason and just letting go."
Over time, the recovery took hold. Goldin stepped back onto the court, competing
with the Palm Beach Royals for their inaugural Major League Pickleball season.
"It's hard to put into words, honestly. I've been through so much in the last five
months," Goldin said.
"You know, I give the glory to God for the recovery because I feel like
mostly back, to be honest, it's crazy."
He said the comeback would not have been possible without the people around him.
"I guess I just want to say thanks to my family and my brother, sister and my mom and
dad and my fiancée. Just the pickleball community, just all of South Florida," Goldin
said. Looking ahead, Goldin said his goals extend beyond pickleball.
"It's just good just to just to be back out here and just to be able to participate in life,
right? I haven't had anything taken from me besides a couple words.
That's a blessing, "Goldin said. "And I hope that, you know, this can maybe turn into
some type of documentary."
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