Personal Essay 1

LIFE CHANGING INJURY

Setera Stock pd. 4

Language Arts

Injuries are never fun, especially when they can change your life. For me that
was the case unfortunately. This injury was a big one for sure. It happened when I was
at track practice, and I was long jumping. When I landed is when everything went
downhill. All I can remember is laying in the pit for 30 plus minutes with my knee
dislocated. I was put on so much morphine, but none of it helped. The next thing I know
I'm in a hospital room with doctors surrounding me, trying to get me into the bed, putting
IV's in me and while all this was happening my knee was still dislocated. Everything was
happening so slow that I just wanted to be done. After all the CT scans and x-rays, they
had to put me asleep to pop my knee back into place. Once I came back to
consciousness there was a big brace on my leg. My parents had to explain a lot of
things and they were every emotional about it. The doctor came in and said that it's the
worst injuries they have seen, and that I wouldn't be able play sports for a very long
time. I was heartbroken.

I had torn my ACL, MCL, PCL, LCL, meniscus, and fractured my femur bone.
The doctor said that he hasn't seen anything this bad in a very long time, and he has
been a doctor most his life. This news scared us because we didn't know how it would
affect me in the long run. I for sure had to get two surgeries to fix my femur bone and
the torn muscles. The first surgery was a success, but a very painful recovery. I had to
do physical therapy to get my leg bending and straightening back to normal. This was a
constant thing everyday until my next surgery. When my next surgery came it was a big
deal. This was the surgery that would take the longest to heal and get back to normal.
Once that surgery was over I was walking within five days of it. The pain was so bad
that I would just lay there and cry some nights. I would never wish someone this much
pain.

Having this happen to me made me realize that everything happens for a

reason. I didn't know that reason for a long time, but now i think it was to prove to myself
that I could work hard enough to get through this injury. I want to get back to playing the
sport I love and I'm gonna do my best to get that. It has been a very painful five months,
but once I achieve what I have my mind set on, it will all be worth it. Having this happen
to me has made me a stronger person mentally and physically. This has been the
hardest thing in my life so far, and I'm glad it taught me some lessons along the way.