Personal Narrative: A Decision That Changed My Life

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.

Last September, my injury never fully got better from ballet. So, in March I heard my knee “pop” and, I could not walk on it. I was on crutches for 5 days due to the pain. I had to wear an ugly knee brace everyday and used a lot of ice. The physical therapist thought I might have torn something in my knee. I was happy to find out that nothing was torn in my knee after all.

I got up and tried to walk it off but something didn't feel right. I felt as though my knees had turned to jello. I sat down on the bench and removed all of the medical tape to find that my knees were covered in blue and black bruises. I started to panic

But only five minutes into our warm ups I came to find out I was not supposed to participate in the track meet in the first place. I didn’t have a doctor’s note that said that my knee was good enough keep participating. In the same week I went to my doctor hoping to have some answers if I can keep practicing and going to the meets. However, my doctor didn’t say that instead he told me to go get an MRI done. It’s funny how all things have to come to an end because sadly, this was my first and last track meet and surgery was scheduled July

When I was 13 years old, my parents started to think about moving to United States because my dad was already working here for a company. We started all the immigration related process which took a while to end. When I was 14, one day I came back from school and my parents told me we were moving to US in 2-3 months. When I heard it first, I was happy, but later I started thinking about how I will be leaving everything behind. My family, friends and neighbors whom I have been with since I was little, I will be leaving all of them in a few months. As the date approached closer, we started to pack more and more things. There was

“Allie it looks like you tore your MCL, ACL and meniscus” My doctor said softly. Tears and tears began running down my face. I remember wanting to be strong in front of my doctor so I waiting until I got into the car before I broke down. “We should plan your surgery date and get you into physical therapy immediately.”  I asked my surgeon if I could have my surgery right away so I could get back to the thing I loved most, basketball. “I’m sorry but you can’t have surgery until your MCL is healed and you have full range of motion which will take around 2 months.” My heart was broken. We planned on having my surgery on my spring break in April, and let me add that I was suppose to go to California with my friend and her family. The two months before my surgery I was going to physical therapy 3 times a week and it was kicking my butt. I can’t even begin to explain the pain I had to go through just to get my knee to bend 1 centimeter. Knowing that after surgery I was going to have to do it all over again made me hate life more than I already did. The week right before my surgery was one of the best weeks. My surgeon told me I didn’t have to wear my brace to bed or during the day as a present for working so hard the past several weeks.     The night before my surgery came and I was a wreck. Horrible thoughts filled my mind,  “What if they do the wrong knee or what if something goes wrong and I die?” Thankfully the surgery went really well, and I woke up on a lot of drugs. I don’t remember this but my mom told me that I cried because my foot was orange. Also, because I wanted my bed and dog which seemed pretty accurate. Showering was a horrible struggle and I never wanted to do it because I had to sit on a shower chair while I showered. It was painful just to get out of bed and go to the bathroom. When I thought of what Hell would be like, immediately I thought of my physical therapy place. I would

As I was staring at the blue and white tiles on the floor, I felt the fear in body pressing me down. I turned around to see that my friend was pointing towards a piece of paper taped to the brick wall. He advised me to get ready to put on my swim cap and goggles because my swim event was coming up shortly. The event seemed quite easy, the only problem I had was the pressure that had built up inside me. All the previous thoughts were stuck in my head, making me

I was laying on the field for minutes after the play was over, threw off my helmet so I could breathe, and held my leg in agony moving from side to side trying to control the unbearable pain I was feeling. After getting helped off the field from the trainers they examine and tested my leg not knowing what was wrong, I didn’t know what was wrong with my leg until the weekend passed and it became Monday when the doctor told me my MCL and PCL are completely torn. I wouldn’t be able to do any sports for seven months and for the first three and half months I wouldn’t be able to walk and would have to sit in a wheel chair with my leg in a full cast. During this time in high school, I was going through different attachment styles, I was insecure with how I looked in a wheelchair

The saying goes “Change is what makes the world go round”. Well, my world would move much smoother if I got rid of a few things. Table condiments, meatloaf and roller chairs have got to go! My world would be a better place if these items didn’t exist!

Things aren't always what they seem. There's always something or a reason to why things happen. I believe this situation was one of them. The end of the school year was over for most of my friends, but I still had one month left. I had one more month left of work,projects, and assignments. Personally to me it wasn’t really a pain in the butt, simply because it would help me out a lot and I would also be ahead of my new classmates. The dedication and time I put into my last month of school was something that my teachers thought should be rewarded. We were warned that there was a camping trip coming, and ahead of time i had already planned to to not attend, simply because of my lack of confidence and insecurity. I was always that kid that would like to be alone and rather sleep. I would not even socialize unless I knew who that person was, most of the time it was my friends and family. That was simply how i was and that was my way of living.

I froze like a public speaker with stage fright. I had a lot of work ahead of me. The orthopedist went over the films and showed me the tear He was impressed that I had been able to get up and keep playing. He then muttered two devastating words: NINE MONTHS. I was going to be out of sports for nine months. This meant no softball in the spring or volleyball the following school year. Still, I did not cry. I vowed right then that I was not going to be halted for nine months. Less than a month later, I was being lifted onto an operating table with a stinging IV on the anterior surface of my hand. The plan was to undergo a full ACL repair from harvesting my own hamstring as the new

For six years I have battled an ongoing illness. It has affected every aspect of my life. At the roughest times I have had to leave traditional school and attend virtual school or do my classwork in the hospital or at doctor offices. It took a toll on my GPA, my social life, and how I had previously led my life. I could no longer play lacrosse or softball. My family dynamic changed and revolved around doctor appointments, hospitals, testing, treatments, and medications. I had a choice to make give up or overcome.

Hi Ms. Reese, You probably don’t remember me and to be completely honest, I couldn’t care less if you did. But it’s me, Jasmine. You had me as a student when I was in 5th grade at Whittier Elementary. I know, you’re probably wondering, Why on earth are you private messaging me?

He came in looked at all my scans, which included bone scans, MRI’s, x-rays, and took at a look at the ankle itself and how I walked. He then had to talk it all over with his intern, some nurses, and Dr.Argo until he had a solution. I had an extra bone in the back of my ankle causing years of pain because the cartilage between those bones was injured when I got kicked in fourth grade. He had two solutions for me. Either get a cortisone shot or surgery to remove the bone. My parents talked it over for weeks and finally came to a solution. I needed the surgery.

“Pop”! I collapse on the cold hard floor as immediate pain rushes to my left knee. All I manage to utter are groans as my friend asks if I’m okay and tries to lift me off the ground. I limp off in his arms as I’m assisted to the nearest bus stop. Once I’m off the bus I observe that I’m limping badly and my knee is swollen to the size of an orange. A little voice in my head told me this wasn’t the common mishap that happens during basketball. It told me I wasn’t going to be able to slap on an ice pack and be okay the following day. However, I temporarily disregarded this voice, and, being the optimistic person that I am, hoped for the best. I figured I would be back to normal within weeks. This wasn’t the case. My mother eventually decided