Not According To Plan
Four years ago, as a senior in high school I faced a debilitating injury that forever changed the course of my life. I was a pole vaulter at the time and ranked fourth in the state. I was also an Airman in the Air National Guard. I ran a 5k with my unit in April of 2017, during which I tore a major tendon in my leg, ankle, and foot.It didn't hurt so bad at first, but a couple of days later I was running laps during practice and was faced with some of the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. It coursed through my foot and lower leg and I fell to the ground panicking and in tears. My track season was over right then as I was unfit to walk let alone pole vault.
I spent the next few months tediously caring for my injury, it was eventually determined that I needed surgery to reconstruct the tendon. But even after all that I was still in pain. My doctor deemed the injury to be a chronic one. I was then considered unfit for duty in the military and was discharged soon after.
My plan for my life fell apart that day I injured my leg, I had to re-evaluate everything that I wanted to do. It took my time to rebuild my goals. Figuring out what else I had a passion for that didn't involve me being too active was no small task.
The injury and the months after the injury were difficult at the time, but ultimately I learned a lot. Life doesn't usually go the way you plan, and sometimes that's a good thing. I enjoy where I am today much more than I enjoyed where I was going back then, and I would never have gotten here if I never got injured.
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