Every human being has a special life journey which shapes their identity along the way. My particular identity has been formulated through athletics. My whole life, ever since I was a little kid has revolved around athletics. I am proud to say sports have shaped me into the man I am today, a man for others. Sports have given me important life skills of teamwork, perseverance, time management and hard work. These life skills have guided me when I needed them most in my life. My journey in athletics was brought to an abrupt halt when I was injured playing soccer in 8th grade. The soccer game had just started I was playing goalie a player of the opposing team slide illegally into me which caused a severe laceration just below my knee. Over the course of the next several days the doctors fought to save my right leg and a Vascular Plastic Surgeon performed a major surgery reconstructing my right knee. The morning after I woke up from surgery I thought I had lost my leg due to the excruciating pain. My leg was saved and the surgery on my knee had left me with over 600 stitches. Even though doctors doubted my ability to walk again, let alone play sports again. This did not stop my determination to get better, stronger, and faster. One of the hardest times …show more content…
The time had finally come where all of my progress in physical therapy would pay off. My doctor had finally cleared me to play lacrosse in the spring. I ended up making the club level A lacrosse team without anyone knowing of my injury. I played the entire lacrosse season through the pain and several times I thought that my knee would give out. I never once complained, rather I fought through the painful healing process and continued physical therapy. Instead of taking away my ability to walk ever again, my injury had ultimately made me stronger, both mentally and
I am now officially in my Senior year of Cross Country , and am close to the end of my season. My first race of this year though was a big accomplishment for me, because I hadn`t been able to run. When I ran that race though it made me just so happy I was able to finish it, I was`nt happy with the time, but there is always time for improvement. I was glad to be racing again and being apart of the team again. I believe that my injuries were a barrier in my way, but they did not stop my sports career.
It happened when I was thirteen, I suffered a hockey injury that helped me to realize the area I wanted to study and hopefully have career in. The time it took me to rehabilitate my shoulder was a time of great learning for me but it also came with a great deal of adversity. It was an injury that sidelined me for weeks while at the same time pushed me on my way to a new work ethic and a new enthusiasm for learning.
I have always been an avid athlete. Playing several sports year round ever since I can remember. It instilled many life lessons within me: teamwork, leadership, and an intrinsic motivation for success. In life, our adversities are commonly referred to as life’s “hurdles” that we must overcome to succeed. Little did
Identity. What is identity? One will say that it is the distinct personality of an individual. Others will say that identity is the behavior of a person in response to their surrounding environment. At certain points of time, some people search for their identity in order to understand their existence in life. In regards, identity is shaped into an individual through the social trials of life that involve family and peers, the religious beliefs by the practice of certain faiths, and cultural awareness through family history and traditions. These are what shape the identity of an individual.
At football practice I was running and I tried to make a hard cut and my knee gave out and it hurt really bad and I didn't know what was wrong with it. So about a month later I got an MRI and it showed that I needed surgery. I was very bummed about having surgery but this was the only way I could fix it. So about 2 weeks after my MRI I was scheduled for surgery, I went to the hospital and got my surgery. When I woke up I was in some pain but not very much. After a while I was able to go home and rest, about 4 months after my surgery i was cleared to run again, when i was able to run again my knee was stronger than it had been before. There are many things i believe but i truly believe that things happen for a reason, and i know that know matter what your family and friends will always be there for
Practicing for the upcoming season I was faced with what could have been a season ending injury. I tore my ACL and meniscus, now this injury had to have surgery and at the least six months of recovery. Now I could have either given up in this situation, hung up my jersey and just quit. Or I could have fought through all of this and faced this adversity head on. Now I think you can figure out what I chose. I was never gonna give up on this sport that I have bled and cried for. I have worked for this spot ever since I was a little kid watching all of the seniors play on that court, under all of that spot
It was simple, at first thought, my career was over. As I was rushed to the hospital, I thought I was never going to play football again. The pain was so unbearable, that every bump in the road would sent a shooting pain throughout my leg. I was for certain that I would never return the field again.
My most meaningful accomplishment was making it through my first year of high school. However, it wasn’t the schooling that proved difficult. It wasn’t a social anxiety problem or having to eat the cardboard they served for lunch daily. It was the running. Literally running. My school had joined the state initiative to make sure that every student completed at least one year of an athletic program before graduation. Yet, I failed to think of a sport where being underweight and lanky helped at all. So I ran track, specifically the 1600 meter race thinking, “What the hell at least if I collapse it won’t be because I got tackled by Ray Lewis’s cousin right?” I remember always walking up to the starting line with my heart in my throat and the track
inding out that I had fully torn my ACL in the fall of my junior year nearly destroyed my world. Goals of mine suddenly sounded like fantasies and plans for that year were forced to come to a tragic end. Life as I knew it had changed forever. The days missed due to doctor visits and surgery to fix my knee did not placate the anguish of having to watch others move so freely and without pain. That part could not be aided by any form of medicine or rehabilitation. I faced distress while doing my rehabilitation in the gym and suddenly looking outside to see my teammates complete their football workouts, despite the fact that I complained about the grueling demands of the coach almost every practice last year. I could only ask myself why. Although
This prevented me from being able to do the sports that I loved. For the next two years, I went to multiple different doctors, each one giving a different diagnosis and a different method of healing. Clearly none of these worked for any real length of time. It was not until the fall of 2017, when I was told once again that I had a stress fracture, that I transferred to a smaller health establishment and was told that I had been misdiagnosed and did not have any fractures. The whole experience was very frustrating and it made me realize the effect that I could have on people’s lives by entering the field of kinesiology. I saw many different doctors, but I never felt that any of them were really trying their hardest to help me. I felt like I was just being passed along after a 30 min conversation. I realize that doctors are busy and that they cannot take the time to think and care about each of their patients, but I feel that I will have that opportunity as an athletic trainer. As awful as the process of recovering from my injuries was, I do believe that I grew as a person. I gained patience and humility, as a hope of being able to help other like-minded
However, my only thought at that moment was to defend my county title from the previous year and so I replied, "Yeah, I can do this.” A family member suggested I give up to avoid further injury, but I ignored their request and focused on my mission. Thirty seconds later, I cleared the height with ease and it was my best attempt of the season. The fans cheered wildly as I jumped off the mat, intending to leap into my coach’s arms. Instead, I collapsed on the runway due to the pain being so unbearable. The next few days consisted of doctors visits, x-rays, and MRIs from which I learned that I partially tore my quad, effectively ending my junior year Winter Track season. My injury was severe enough that it also cost me part of my spring season, the most important for an aspiring Division I
If I had chosen to go to college and play basketball and this injury would have happened then, I would have been devastated. My whole dream was to play pro, not college. I wanted to be a pro basketball player, not a college basketball player. I can always look back and say I was a pro. Now I am in school to become a Doctor of Physical Therapy all because of the injuries I went through and the time I spent in Physical Therapy. I ended up falling in love with seeing patients healed through exercise, stretching, strengthening, and nutrition. I get to look back and say I did it the way I wanted to do it, and I get to think about my future on how soon I will be a Doctor of Physical
Breaking my left ankle in the midst of basketball season, I found myself in the patient role instead of the healthcare provider role that I was accustomed to on the dairy. The orthopedic displayed a fine attention to detail in his treatment plan, casting my ankle for two weeks and following up with an intricate therapy program. Within weeks I was back on the court, landing a full-ride scholarship to play at Tarleton State University. The similarities of the dedication and passion the orthopedic demonstrated and the fulfillment I had while treating ill livestock struck a chord. Through the experiences of this injury, I transitioned my focus of medicine from livestock to
An abundance of obstacles have crossed my path, many I came out triumphant, but the most challenging of all was when I injured my left knee during basketball practice. The incident occurred in a blur, but I can faintly remember the details and the effect it had on me.
... had found my vocation: sprinting. Entering my sophomore year I found myself replacing an injured runner on the varsity 4x100m. After showing marked improvement all season long I hit a hurdle that prevented me from bettering previous times; had torn my left quadriceps. Remembering my commitment to my teammates I limped through the wind and rain to practice daily. All my hard work had led me to the the starting line of a regional qualifying race; where my team would ascertain whether or not we would qualify for states. 43.72 seconds and a personal best later, we qualified for the state meet, something I never would have believed possible. Sadly, I had to defer my spot because after running on my injured leg for so long I could barely walk much less sprint. Injuring my leg taught me that even when life gets tough I have the determination to finish what I start.