Personal Narrative: My Anterior Cruciate Trauma

When I was fourteen years old I almost tore my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and had to have surgery for it. The following weeks I spent in a wheelchair, and then eventually I was on crutches. This challenge made me realize how much I take everyday life for granted, and gave me a perspective on how quickly something like that can take away your normal life. Trying to maintain my grades, my guitar lessons, and friendships was a struggle during this time because of my lack of mobility. However, through patience and hard work, I was able to recover somewhat quickly and have learned from the experience. It all started when my friend Matthew, and I were skateboarding. We were going down a hill and at the turn some acquaintances of mine jumped into

Out of everything that I did while I was recovering, physical therapy was one of the harder ones. My leg just did not want to bend, and it felt wrong to try to walk. Though I learned that through working on something consistently, even if it is just a little a day, you make great strides in progress. Soon I was on crutches, and eventually walking became as easy as it was previously.
Though I would never want to go through that whole ordeal again, I learned a lot from the experience, and it has helped shape who I am today. I understand better how to successfully achieve my goals through work and persistence, and I have a deeper understanding for those who are or have been in a similar situation that I was in. Having to put more work into living everyday life made it easier to put forth more effort after recovering. Keeping up with schoolwork has been much easier ever since then, and I have continued my musical work as a hobby. Without having this experience, I may not put forth the same amount of effort that I do today, and I am thankful for