A moment from my past that managed to change me in a serious manner was when I managed to fracture a bone in the 10th grade of high school. The bone I ended up fracturing was the tibia in my left leg, which is right next to the shin in your lower leg for reference. I won’t go too much into detail about how it happened, but just know I slid to base wrong in a baseball scrimmage game… not a good day to say the least.

I ended up having to have a cast on my leg, and I was given crutches to maneuver if I needed to. The incident happened in early March when the weather was just starting to clear up unfortunately. That lead to me having to struggle with a leg cast up until late June. That experience was honestly a nightmare. I vividly remember how heart wrenching it felt having to watch everyone enjoy themselves on the trips towards the end of the year. Just watching people do everyday things like walking to the classroom was depressing. I was the type to skate/bike to school and back home because I enjoyed the thrill of beating the clock for class. I was very active during that time clearly, so I’m hoping you (the reader) can imagine how difficult it must’ve been.

I did try to make the most of the situation, and my balance had improved tremendously because of it. Quick disclaimer: I’m no example to follow. I had disregarded the doc’s orders and continued to get into activities I really shouldn’t have. I had brought my baseball glove to catch with my best friend as I had leaned on the wall with one leg to keep up with practice. I had gone up/down stairs with the help of my best friend to go where I needed to be. I genuinely owe a lot to my best friend for all the help he had really given throughout that entire experience. It just came down to me doing everything I could with the willpower I had, and that was usually enough for me to get by. It still effects my ability to do what I enjoy the most, but I make it work.