We have all had to make sacrifices during the Covid-19 pandemic but the 24-year-old Trinidad and Tobago international has made more than most.
She is effectively stranded in Invercargill which is about 14,000km from home.
The goal shoot moved to New Zealand to play for the Steel this season.
She was expected to make a big impact on the tournament but got in just one game. That was against the Magic in Dunedin, in an empty stadium.
Shortly after the ANZ Premiership was suspended and then the country went into nationwide lockdown to combat the spread of the virus.
Everything happened so quickly. But even if there had been a brief window of opportunity to get home, the star shooter would not have been prepared to risk it.
"By that time everything was just pretty chaotic and I didn’t want to risk hoping on a flight home, potentially getting the virus and then spreading it to my parents and my grandmother who lives with us," she said.
"So I just thought, ‘you know what, just stay put until things kind of get back to normal’.
"It is tough being away from my friends and family at this time. But you know I just have to accept what has happened and just try to think as positive as I can."
McCollin said it was comforting to know that Trinidad and Tobago appeared to be on top of the virus.
The republic had fewer than 120 confirmed cases of Covid-19 as of yesterday.
"It is not too bad and we haven’t had any community spread yet," McCollin said.
"But I think people are getting a bit antsy because they want to go out and get back to their regular life. But people need to understand that this is very serious and things will take time to get back to normal."
McCollin checks in regularly with her family to make sure everyone is well. She is from a netballing family. Her mother, Althea, is the national under-21 coach and her father, Heston, is a former captain of the men’s national team.
McCollin started playing netball as a 6-year-old and playing in New Zealand was something she had long aspired to.
It has not gone as planned but she is staying positive. She shares her bubble with three flatmates, including team-mate Kendall Corkery.
That made training a little easier when you could team up, she said.
With New Zealand moving from Covid-19 Alert Level 4 to Level 3 late tonight, there was renewed hope netball might be able to resume soon.
"The Prime Minister has been doing a great job to try and get a grip on things, so hopefully in a month or a month and a-half [we can play].
"At times like this you think about the important things and the things you take for granted, really — just getting up in the morning and seeing everybody.
"When things get back to normal, you’ll appreciate every single moment you have with people."
