Personal Experience : Life Changing Experiences In My Life

This all begun in 2014, i was recovering from my first ACL tear. I would talk to my doctor about how my recovery was going so far, and he would always reply “your coming along well” but what he never told me was he was expecting it to tere again at any moment.

In November of 2010, I was playing basketball in the fifth game of my senior season. It was just like any other game. However, I would soon find out otherwise. It was late in the game; I drove into the lane and got fouled hard. I was knocked so off-balance that I speared the floor with my knee. As soon as my knee hit the floor I heard a “snap” that I will never forget for the rest of my life. Little did I know at the time, that would be the last shot of my high school basketball career. Not long after my injury, I consulted a doctor. After getting an x-ray and an MRI, the doctor informed me that I had completely torn my ACL and would need to have surgery. An ACL tear can be a very devastating injury. The anterior cruciate

We are interested in learning more about you and the context in which you have grown up, formed your aspirations, and accomplished your academic successes. Please describe the factors and challenges that have most shaped your personal life and aspirations. How have these factors helped you to grow? (800)

It is easily said that my junior year of high school was my least favorite year due to my injury. While I watched my friends compete and my teammates play, I was seriously debating about whether or not to return back to basketball, show choir, and color guard. I thought that I would not be

Hearing the pop of my knee was the last sound I wanted to hear while kicking a soccer ball during tryouts junior year. I fell straight to the ground, and knew instantly something was terribly wrong. To this day, I recall how heartbroken I was when I heard the news that I tore my ACL, and I never thought it could happen to me. Just the thought of not playing sports that year was emotionally difficult because sports have always been a part of my life. I could not imagine a year without participating in athletics, however at the time I did not know it could have a positive impact on me.

When I found out that I had a bad knee I was absolutely devastated. It took five doctors to find out what exactly was wrong and it turned out to be way worse than my family had anticipated.

I was practicing at my competitive cheerleading gym, when my life was unexpectedly turned upside down. While performing a back walkover back handspring, there was a loud “pop” as I hyperextended my right elbow, tearing both my muscle and my ulnar collateral ligament. I promptly sunk to my knees and began sobbing. The next thing I knew, I was laboriously working through physical therapy at NASA Bone & Joint Specialist instead of relaxing at the beach. This unexpected injury would manifest to be a significant

As many know, I had surgery this past week. Surgery is extremely rough, especially for those who have been constantly battling their problem. My knee has been a mystery for my doctor for over two years and I can not fathom why this crazy mishap happened to me of all people.These last two years have been the worst years of my life due to unexpected illnesses and surgeries.

I showed up in uniform to tell my coach of the news I had received from the doctor. He gave me back a response that was the perfect sentiment I needed to hear "That’s terrible man, that’s nothing you can take lightly but you are a part of this team so you are still gonna be with us all the way through even if you cant get on the field,". That’s exactly what I did too. I stayed with my team and went all the practices and every game. I participated as much as I could without over working my arm. None of it was ever enough for me though. None of it was ever as sweet as actually being apart of real baseball and being apart of the wins. It was soon time for the next appointment where there was no good news. The doctor said if there was anything to be done it required immediate surgery. This felt like great news, finally getting something done and going back to the game I love. I went through surgery, and the doctor told he did everything he needed to do to fix what was believed to be the problem. I began the healing process as soon as I could and I went to all my physical therapy sessions with one goal. To get back on the field. Little did I know that there had been no progress inside my elbow and I required an additional surgery. Of course I was ready for anything it took to get back to baseball. So another surgery, more physical therapy, and the entire healing process over again. All of it goes by with one thing on my

I went down in pain and the next day I went in for an MRI and anxiously awaited the results. When the day came, I waited nervously in the doctor’s office. He walked in and said, “I’m so sorry Marissa, but your ACL is torn.” This was devastating for me, but I refused to give up. I asked him if there was anything that I could do to keep from missing the season. He paused for a long time then finally said, “You can postpone surgery and play with a brace. However, the brace is very large.” I played the entire season last year wearing a massive brace, but I did not miss a game. After every game, my coach would shake her head and tell me, “I don’t know how you do it” I would laugh and tell her, “It was my only choice.” In the back of my mind before, during, and after every game was my surgery. Every time I fell I feared making my injury worse, but I had to take this risk because I had to play. I persevered through a very serious injury because I do not know how to give up. I played my heart out every game and earned All League with that ACL tear. I handle most situations in this way, persevering through difficulties and becoming stronger because of it. I sat in tears in Whittier Hospital on March 5, 2013 awaiting my

As I sat there and let the doctor examine my knee and diagnosis me with a “left knee sprain”. I started to cry. I already knew the outcome that I had a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). I tried to continue to play on it until one time I was playing in a tournament, and I went up to block a girls shot and landed on my

Unfortunately, halfway through the season I was unable to play: the pain and discomfort were occurring too often and were disrupting my every activity. My coach was cold and focused on winning and when he noticed me faltering on the field, he pulled me out for the rest of the season. For the next 6 weeks, I spent nearly every day standing by the bench in the cold October weather, forced to support my teammates this way.

It was one life-changing experience I was seven years old when I became grateful for the things that I had. I remember packing for this big trip my parents were planning for a year now. I precisely recall my mother telling me to go through my closet and pick clothes I did not use to give away, I didn't know why, but I didn't ask, I just did it. As the day got closer I remember my parents had accumulated a great amount of things to give away. I quite didn't understand why they were gathering so many things and for what reason.

In life we all have something that has changed the way we perceive things. Most things that change a person’s perception happens to be an experience that they have gone thru and learned from. In my case it wasn’t necessarily an experience, it was a dog that changed my perception on life. My mind and heart was opened in a whole new way. I never thought I could love an animal just as much as I loved the people in my life. I always thought it was strange that pet owners loved and treated their pets the same way they treated their children. My perception on dogs or pets in general definitely changed. Throughout this paper you will see why I am a totally different person because of a dog that entered my life.

Everyone has that one experience that makes them look at life with a new set of eyes. My life changing experience happened a little earlier than most. It was the summer before first grade. We had gotten an exceptional amount of rain in the past months even though it was summer. I did not notice, though, because summer was every six year old's favorite holiday, next to Christmas and their birthday. My summer was supposed to be like any other but it quickly took a turn. For the best or for the worst? That is debatable.