Setback or Opportunity
... tears filled my eyes, and eventually poured down my face. I knew this break was different from my other breaks; that somehow the hand of protection had been taken off of me, and this accident had been allowed to happen. Over the span of the next year, I had four surgeries on my left leg. During the first month, two closed reduction surgeries were performed. Because the tibia had grown back crooked, Dr. Woo, my orthopedic surgeon at Shands, had to rebreak my leg and place an external fixator into it. Due to the position of my foot in the cast, my Achilles tendon shrank by two-thirds. I was in physical therapy for eight months to avoid surgery on the tendon. Three months later, Dr. Woo performed plastic surgery on my scars. Going from being physically independent too completely dependent would be hard for any one, but especially for an already stubborn, and independent personality such as myself. Taking medications frequently, my weight dropped to 87 pounds. I used a wheelchair for 1 ½ months, and crutches for 5 ½ months. I was in a leg brace for 2 months. My spirit became discouraged. ...