A life changing experience

It was a regular day as any other, but it was my first coast club soccer game of the season. I was a freshman in high school, and everything was new to me. It was so hot the sweat on my face became dry and salty in a second. The grass was dead, and weeds that used to be green were dry and brown. It was hard to control the ball because the field had holes; the field was like a battle field. The humid air and wind made it hard to breathe, I felt as if I was in a desert. We were playing at middle school in Valencia, and the time of the year made it worse. a Within twenty-five minutes of the game I was dying of thirst, and I felt if I was going to pass out. The game between our teams was very intense, and at times it got physical. Something in my gut told me if I didn't stop playing aggressive something was going to happen to me. When I would play I was very aggressive, and I did not let anyone push me around. Players on other teams were not very fond of me, and they wanted to compete against me.

Furthermore, I was playing left back and I had not played that position before, and I felt very uncomfortable. Playing a position you do not know can be confusing, and can cost you to lose a game. A girl from the opposing team had attempted to try to score, but she had a horrible shot and it went out. My best friend Ashley was taking the goal kick, and she usually sends it up; but at this time she sent it to me. As the ball came towards me I turned my body 90 degrees so I could receive it, and I could pass it with my right foot. As the ball touched my left cleat, I turned 180 degrees toward the right, and all I heard was a long cracking noise. The noise was pretty loud, and it reminded me of glass being shattered. I was in so much pain, but all that could go through my head was how bad could this be? I was losing my mind, and I was denial. I could not believe something so loud could come from inside my knee.

Immediately after I fell I knew my life would not be the same. All I could remember from the moment was that I heard a crack so loud. .My scream was so loud it had an echo to it , and people thought I was dying.When I heard the noise I got scared, and I yelled in pain. My parents rushed over and asked me what had happened, and all I could say was “my knee”. The tearing of my ligament was so loud it could wake up the living dead.I had other injuries before, but none could compare. Sure, I had bruises, and got kicked but this pain was not normal, and that noise was not good. I was on the floor for a while, and I knew then and there this might be my last time playing soccer for a while. I was crying thinking that I might never touch a soccer ball again. I had grown up player soccer, and it was my life everything revolved around it. It was my passion for life.

A second right after I heard that horrible noise the pain came, and it was the most agonizing feeling ever. The pain was so agonizing, and I felt like someone had run over my leg. Parents from the other team had heard the crack, and were worried. The pain felt as if someone had stuck a thousand needles in one spot in my knee.. The only thing that was running through my mind was how bad my knee hurt. I could not move my right leg just turning a little was hard. My parents would try to move me, and I would not let. I was on the field for about ten minutes until they could pick me up, and when they did I was crying while they were carrying me. Moving my knee just a little bit felt like someone was stabbing with a knife. My friend's father and my father were the ones who picked me and brought me to the car. After I was in the car my mom told me we are going to the emergency room, and that’s when I found out I needed to go to a specialist. And from there we found out that I tore partial of my Acl. Your Acl stands for anterior cruciate ligament, and the function of it is to keep your knee placed all together. This ligament is major part of how a knee is bending, and how you run and do other activities. In soccer many girl my age have Acl injuries, and it is common based on how our body is. Women have curves and hips, which leads to more pressure on their knees. Thus women have more weight to deal with, and it is hard for the knee to stay strong with all the weight.

Eventully I had to have surgery to fix my knee, and with surgery comes the rehab . After my surgery I had to do eight long months of physical therapy, and it was very difficult . I had to learn how to run,walk,and bend my knee all over again. I had good days and bad ,but I never gave up. I kept trying to be my do my best ,so that I could play again. The process was a very overwhelming,and it took a lot of strength out of me. The only reason I was modivated to get better was so, that I could play soccer again. My recovery was a learning experience, and it taught me to be thankful for living.

Lastly, my experience taught me that I should take each game seriously. I do not know when my time could be up, and the doctor tells me that I cannot play soccer anymore. I never thought that I would tear anything in my body because I took care of my body. However, I was wrong. Any moment something unexpected can happen, and for me, one bad turn was it. It was a very dramatic time in my life, and I still have flash blacks from the accident. Although I try to keep my head up, because my injury didn’t stop me, it made me. Many people do not understand the how precious life is, and at any moment something you value can be taken away. After my injury I learned that I should play every game like it is my last, and I have done so. Lesson learned. Never take anything for granted. I am still playing soccer today, and since my injury I have had two surgeries, but I continue to play and fight all my battles that come my way.