What trial has taught me
Hey guys! Soooo I wrote this when I was 20. When I'm having an off day or feeling a little discouraged (like today), I always look back at this. Figured maybe it could help someone else out there. Enjoy! ____________________________________________________________________________________ This month marks the third year since my scoliosis surgery took place. Since this event in my life has passed, my viewpoint on the experience has changed tremendously. Being a 17 year-old, almost a freshman in college, I was mortified at the thought of having spine surgery. I went through a period of time where I just felt sorry for myself. My thoughts on everything going on consisted of me wondering why this all was happening to me. Why I did I have to go through two ACL surgeries and now spinal surgery? Every fitness comeback I had made felt like a waste...so I thought anyways. June 19, 2011 came around and I had my spinal surgery done at the St. Louis children's hospital. Here are the before and after pictures from my surgery. I recovered that summer and attended Bradley University on time with the other students. I had to wait months before I could hold over ten pounds of weight. I had to wait even longer to run or play any contact sports. Now, eighteen years old, I still felt sorry for myself and angry that I had a few setbacks from where I wanted to be physically. I went back for my three month checkup since the surgery took place. My mom and I had hours to buy so we usually went and sat in the cafe. As we were sitting, I took in my surroundings. Across the aisle from me was a little girl, no older than 4 years old. She was bald and had an IV hooked up to her arm. She was fighting cancer. Her mom and her were sitting together, coloring pictures, and enjoying each others company. Something inside of me snapped a little. How could I feel sorry for myself about a procedure that truly benefited me in the long run, when there was someone that young fighting for their life. (Take a good look at those pictures above I posted. The after shots really show how much the surgery improved my spine) This was my first wake up call. Ever since that day, I became a lot more observant of [...]