Memoir Final

Coming into high school of 5,000 I was swarmed with mixed emotions. Nervousness was an obvious one. Just looking at my enormous school of size gave me butterflies in my stomach. But my mind was filled with hope and expectation. It was football season and we were preparing for our first game. I was unfamiliar with the position I was playing, Quarterback. This position has high regards in the game of football. As the QB you run the show. As many people would say the “captain of the offense”. As for me I was a 14 year old coming in with high expectations for myself. My team and I worked hard in the off season and we were looking for a good regular season. But what I didn’t know at the time was an upcoming event that would change my life forever. When game day came along it couldn’t have been a better day. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the temperature was perfect. The game started off smoothly. We were up by two scores and easily going to score again right before halftime. My nerves were cool and I was in the moment of the game. A bootleg run play designed for myself had me running down the sidelines. As I felt contact I lowered my shoulder to avoid a tackle. But this felt different. I’ve been tackled many times before but my knee made it an awkward movement. A loud pop erupted from it. I winced in pain as I hit the ground. Before I knew it, my teammates helped me up to move back to the sidelines. The game progressed as I sat on the sidelines watching the team win our first game. Like any other injury I was treating it and expecting to be back for the next game. I’ve been hurt before in football but never a knee injury. Something felt cumbersome as I attempted to walk. Going directly straight felt completely fine but as I walked down the stairs it felt out of place as I almost tumbled down them. I needed to see a doctor immediately.
After school on Monday I was sent to the trainer’s room. There my school set up an appointment for me to meet with the orthopedic surgeon. I waited for what seemed like hours in the plain and boring room. The white bricks walls and fellow “walking wounded” made me become anxious to know what happened to my knee. Finally the doctor comes to examine it. “Zach I’m afraid I have some bad news.” As soon as he said it I thought the worst possible and I knew it was coming. I said, “Why doctor what could be wrong?” He slowed his voice as he took his glasses off. “It’s almost certain that you torn the ACL. We need an MRI for further results.” I didn’t know how to react to the news. Coaches and players went in to give me condolences as I sat there helpless in the chair. I wasn’t allowed to play any contact sport for 6 months. This meant I couldn’t try out for basketball and possibly baseball season. I was due for surgery in a month. For the first time in my entire life I had to sit out of sports. This experience was out of the norm for me. Not only physically did I need to overcome my injury but on a mental standpoint as well.
I awoke from surgery feeling reborn. I was happy to actually have ligaments back in my knee although I knew I still had a long road to recovery. The first couple of weeks were the hardest I’ve experienced. Being an independent person I had a difficult time with my injury. I was powerless, with a large brace on my knee walking on crutches. Just moving from place to place was a challenge, let alone to get out of my own bed. Friends and family would stop in to see me and it just made me depressed. I hated the fact that people felt bad for me. Eventually it got to me and I had some breakdowns. But the support of my family and friends kept me in a positive mindset. Weeks progressed and my knee felt completely the same. It was important to become patient because ACL injuries were time consuming. If I were to start running too early it was easy for me to have a setback of another month. I wanted to get back as quick as possible but a setback could cost me the opportunity to try out for the baseball team. Soon enough I was required to attend three days a week of physical therapy. These sessions were the most important factor for my recovery. I would meet with my therapist to strengthen my knee and eventually get me back into athletic shape. At first my therapist workouts were grueling. It was almost like I was learning how to walk again. The simplest exercise like walking up the stairs was difficult. Eventually, little by little months past and I saw improvement. My workouts transformed from easy to complex. My confidence seemed to come back steadily. In my mind I wanted to come out of therapy stronger than I was before. My motivation was high. I knew I would have some setbacks but I wasn’t going to be sad and upset anymore. Life is a long road and my injury was just a bump in the bath. I was going to just move right past it.
Four months after surgery I was cleared to run at full speed. Most patients are in the five range but my work ethic had me starting a month earlier. My knee wasn’t 100% but it was a huge step for me since at one point I was unable to walk. I was already half way done with my freshmen year of high school and I felt like a more mature person. The whole process of surgery and recovery made me a stronger person. My goal was accomplished and I was able to try out for the baseball team. Even though I had a big bulky brace on it didn’t matter to me. I was just happy to be on the field. The whole experience made me appreciate the position I was in. There are people who never fully recover from injuries ever and mine would seem incomparable to them. The experience was a life changer and I wouldn’t be the same person if it wasn’t for it. I did make the baseball team that year and two years later became the starting quarterback from varsity. I may have had a slow bum knee but it never stopped me from what I wanted to accomplish in sports and most importantly life.