Personal Narrative: My Greatest Failure

Failure isn’t always something you have control of or have the ability to predict. Failure seems to happen at the worst of times; however we need to accept it, because you cannot always win. My greatest failure would be tearing my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), my junior year in a lacrosse game, through no fault of my own in which my body physically failed me, but it truly changed my aspect of life in multiple ways.

Tearing my ACL may not appear to be a failure in most people’s eyes, but to me it was horrifying and a complete let down to myself, as well as others. I worked very hard in the off season and was prepared to be a varsity starter in the spring. The first game came upon us very quickly and I was ecstatic to be on the starting lineup. I had enormously high hopes and wanted to prove my worth to the team and well as the coaches. The game started out as a brutal battle against our greatest rival Walsh, of which many of the opposing players I once played with, but we all played our hearts out. It was towards the middle of the third quarter, and we were down sixteen to six. The game was essentially over at this point, and we had no real chance of coming back to a ten point deficit. I continued to play hard as I still had hope and wanted to prove a point to the Walsh players who once went to

Revere, and also improve on my skills for the next game. Unfortunately for me, those dreams were crushed. I was running in to hit another player when out of nowhere; my own teammate ran into my knee. I heard a loud crunch and fell to the ground in agonizing pain. I had no idea what was going on, but I was quickly assured by a team trainer that I would be fine and that it was just a mere sprain. Little did I know, it turns out my anterior cruciate ligament was completely torn, which is an exceptionally vital part in keeping the knee together, and it required surgery. Devastated by the news, I soon realized my lacrosse season was over and that I would most likely not be able to play football my senior year.
I could not come to terms that my injury was so severe, so I decided to see another doctor and it actually shed some light on my situation.

I was told about a new innovative surgery that would cut the recovery time in half and give me the chance to play football, so I went for it. The recovery time depended almost solely on therapy in this case. Therapy was tough, but I had a goal in mind so I took the challenges to the next level. I was determined to push myself to the limit in order to get better, whether it was with the physical trainer or by myself at home. I did anything and everything it took. I grew stronger in the process, not just physically, but

mentally.
Football season was just around the corner, with practices and a games coming up. I still had not been cleared with only four weeks until the first game and my recovery was not looking good. I was told there was not enough muscle in my leg to keep my knee safe, even with a brace and this is when I knew I had to work harder. I gave it my all in practice as well as in the weight room to get my leg as strong as possible. With only three weeks until the first game, I went in to see the doctor. I paced as I waited, as this moment would determine the rest of my season. To my relief, I had enough muscle built up and was cleared to play. Everything I worked for paid off as I somehow managed to play the first game as a varsity starter.
Though many would not see my failure in the way I did, I think it really changed me for the better. I thought I was invincible before my injury, and it completely altered my view on myself, as well as others. My failure taught me that nothing great in life comes easy, and that everyone needs to overcome great obstacles and setbacks to fully meet their goals.