My hero growing up was my dad and I chose to play soccer because that was my dads favorite sport. My dad grew up in a bad area in Miami, Florida with a mother addicted to drugs and he had to work three jobs since he was in high school to support him and his younger brother. My dad loved sports but he never got the chance to play and become part of a team because he had to make money. So I think I filled that void for him and it turns out I was a good soccer player ;)
Trust me he was a total soccer dad! LOL
I was like those little Italian kids from the movie kicking and screaming LOL
Unfortunately something wrong started occurring in my knee and with a popping sound I would constantly fall to the ground while feeling a sharp pain in my knee.
When I was in the 3rd grade I had a problem with my knee caused me to be in a wheelchair for a year. I guess I was born with a small tear in my meniscus that gradually worsened as I played sports as a kid.
I know what you are thinking...wtf is a meniscus...
Two wedge-shaped pieces of cartilage act as "shock absorbers" between your thighbone and shinbone. These are called meniscus. They are tough and rubbery to help cushion the joint and keep it stable.
After getting x-rays and being misdiagnosed twice we finally got an MRI and saw the results. My meniscus was ripped in half, dead and folded underneath my kneecap. We went to a specialist here in Las Vegas Dr. Steven Thomas who informed us that even with surgery, rest and therapy I had a 20% chance of walking again let alone playing sports. I still remember the disheartened look on my dads face and it made me feel terrible. Like I was letting my best friend down and there was nothing I could do to fix it.
After days of crying and being afraid I got the surgery and they repaired my meniscus. The surgery was supposed to take 1 hour but it took 4 hours! This was the most important time of the healing process because I wasn't allowed to put ANY pressure on my leg. If I put pressure on my leg then the stitching would come out and they would have to redo the surgery. so what was the solution? I had to be placed in a wheelchair and at night had to sleep in the same bed with me every night because sometimes I would have to use the restroom so he would wake up, pick me up and help me handle my business.
It was a hard year for my family and I but I prayed every night to God and I followed every instruction the Dr gave me. I did extra rehab I worked my ass off because I just wanted to run again. IDK how many of you are religious and i'll be honest I am more spiritual than religious. All I know is someone somewhere for some reason helped me because I made a full recovery. I could finally walk, run, jump, turn and I felt normal again which made me so happy!
I think what happened to me was both misfortune and blessing because it taught me to not take things for granted. Injuries suck but I think they are very humbling experiences and in my dark time I had friends and family that supported me and now are bonds are stronger because of it.