Football was always Alex Bailess’ escape from the world and a stress release after a tough day’s work, but a devasting diagnosis put an end to it all.
Bailess began her playing career at the age of six playing with the boys in the boggy fields and was later scouted to play for Leyton Orient.
Since then, the 28-year-old moved to tier four side AFC Basildon but after financial frailties, the club’s future was a risk.
The team’s fortunes had changed when Hashtag United stepped in and merged to become their new brand.
Ahead of their new season as Hashtag, Bailess was gearing up to captain her side in their new yellow and blue outfits.
“I was really looking forward to it and I was always someone who didn’t miss a training session, always there early, always keen so it was really nice to get a bit of coverage as we’re all so committed to football and having the exposure Hashtag have, it felt like a reward.”
An exciting period was set to be unveiled for Bailess but a sudden loss within her family a year prior, sprung a devasting blow.
“The year before I had a few screenings because my cousin died. I had been told I might have cardiomyopathy and that I should stop doing sport but that wasn’t really good enough for me, football is my life, so I carried on for a whole other year,” stating in a lower tone.
“I had repeat tests and was a bit worried about it, but I just thought I’d be fine and even when they did tell me, for a while I thought ‘I regret telling anyone’.”
After undergoing countless tests throughout the year, Bailess was later given the heart-breaking news that forced her into immediate retirement.
The former fullback was diagnosed with the heart disease, cardiomyopathy – a disease that ‘hinders the heart’s ability to pump blood around the body’.
“I was at work and answered the phone, I was upset and shocked. People were sympathetic but I don’t think unless you play football and to then have that suddenly taken away, I don’t think you understand.
“I came home, told my partner and then called my manager and told him before I had even spoken to my parents because that was the first thing I was thinking about, football.
“In the next few weeks, I felt quite lonely even though I had a lot of friends and family around. I felt really lonely because I didn’t think anyone really got it.
“For a while I thought if I just kept this to myself I could have just carried on and it might have been fine but that’s not the case. Even when they told me I just said, ‘can’t I play another year’ but I was told absolutely not.”
Despite having to call it quits on the pitch, Bailess couldn’t stay away from the sport as she continued to attend training sessions, partaking in low intensity activities.
With the upcoming season on the horizon, an opportunity arose for the former defender, providing her with a new career path within football.
“I found out [about diagnosis] during pre-season and in the next session some of the Hashtag media boys came down to film a few bits of training.
“I was sitting on the side lines trying to not have a little cry, just watching, and then they came over and said, we know this is rough and come at a bad time but in some ways, it’s come at a good time because of new media coverage, and you can become the face of that.
“I started doing a few bits using their equipment then one of the games we went to, it was away and thought I’m just sat doing nothing so filmed it on my phone and made a video out of it.”
Slotting perfectly into her new role, Bailess continued to create content for her side before being gifted her very own personal camera through the kindness of the club.
Despite a vast change within her footballing career, Bailess remains a prominent member of the squad and found peace within the sport in a different way.
“It’s definitely saved my mental health throughout all of this because football has always been that release. I can be around the team and doing this role has meant I haven’t felt awkward on the side lines.”
With a beaming smile, Bailess insisted: “I’ve felt very much a part of the team, in the changing rooms, in the dugout and even in the huddle before the game/ half time so I still feel very much a part of it and that for me has been the most important thing.”
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