‘Why me?’

ORANGE PARK – May 9 was a regular day at football practice at Ridgeview High.

My third rep of the day, I was asked to run a slant. Without hesitation, I got in my stance, and took three hard vertical steps, and on my fourth step to cut to the left, my right leg collapsed. Not knowing what just happened, I knew something was wrong. Having a rushing pain throughout my leg felt like it was on fire.

“Why me? Is football over for me?”

That’s the first thought I had at this moment. The first day after the injury, I had an X-ray on my leg. Hoping nothing came up on the results, the doctor came back to the room with news.

“After reviewing your X-rays, I can’t see anything, but after doing my hands-on exam, it definitely has something to do with your ACL,” he said.

My heart dropped. I prayed it was the smallest tear that could be fixed and I could be back in at least three weeks. The next day I needed an MRI to pinpoint the real problem. On May 12,, the doctor walked into the room, and I can tell from the expression on his face it wasn’t good.

“You have torn your ACL and you are projected to be out six-to-12 months,” he said.

It felt like my life was over. I burst into tears crying on my mother’s shoulder, not wanting to accept the reality of the situation. About 15 minutes passed, and the doctor wanted me to start pre-hab immediately. Having no hope, I reluctantly made my way there. The order was to regain my range of motion, trying to put pressure on it.

After my first session and walking again, I didn’t need my crutches as much. I felt that maybe I did have a chance to have a speedy recovery. For the next three weeks, I’ve had three sessions of pre-hab a week. The one thing I’ve heard the most during the process is everything happens for a reason, whether it be from family members, friends, teachers or even coaches.

Now I’m waiting for my surgery on June 13. I am excited to start my re-hab process and nervous at the same time because I know I can recover fast. I’m too hard of a worker to let this stop me from playing at the college level, but nervous because what if I can’t get back to the level I was once at?

Ultimately, no matter what happens, I know that I have a strong support system that will support whatever decision I make after my surgery.