Personal Narrative: Tiny Hairline Break

In 7th grade I learned that tiny hairline fractures had formed in my spinal cord due to a condition called Spondylolysis. Although harmless in small quantities, enough of these minuscule cracks had formed to fragment eighty percent of one of my vertebrae. To prevent further damage, it was vital that I refrain from any and all excess physical activity. I said ‘goodbye’ to gym classes and sports and said ‘hello’ to a new back brace. For an entire year I watched life from the sidelines and yearned to be a part of the game again. Little did I know that I never truly would.
When it was deemed safe for me to go back to my regular life, I was able to shed my back brace and sedentary lifestyle, but my redeemed freedom came with restrictions. For the rest of my life I could not play contact sports or participate in any weight bearing activities. I was an extremely active person …show more content…
I still remember the first day of practice. It began with a 20 lap warm up, which my body was not prepared for since I had not exercised in over a year. The drastic change in activity was too much. My lungs were on fire, my muscles were throbbing, and I felt as though I was suffocating. Pain washed over my entire body and my goggles filled with tears. I swore to myself that that would be my first and last swim practice.
After serious consideration, I realized I had made a commitment to the team and to myself when I joined and I am not a quitter. So days turned into weeks which turned into months and I was still on the team. Slowly swimming grew on me. The team gave me a sense of accomplishment, a second family, and a sport that I would carry with me for the rest of my life. Without my exposure to the Wahoos, I would not have joined the high school swim team. So although it seems to be one of my least significant activities on my application, it has had a great effect on my