1 year ago today on june 16, i was going into the outpatient hospital on post street early in the morning and coming out 2 hours later in a half-asleep state, a huge bandage wrapped around my left knee covered with a big white stocking type of sock pulled up all the way to my thigh, locked in a tight leg brace. i was bounded to the couch during the day and to the bed at night, incapable of the movements i had always taken for granted. the smallest movements caused the biggest pain. knee surgery was the easy part, the tough part is getting myself on my feet again after that, literally.
took me 1 week to get in and out of the shower myself.
took me 3 weeks to perform a straight leg raise.
took me 4 weeks to walk without crutches or a knee brace.
took me 8 months to finish physical therapy.
took me 10 months to start playing alittle bit of basketball.
1 year later today, i look back on the past year and realize this experience has changed and shaped me. i'm all better, able to play ball games on the court again which i did today, and it felt great shooting and driving in. still lost alot of confidence in certain movements and there's still nagging pains in the knee, but nothing like before. i tell people that i will never want to have another experience like this, but then again i will not want to trade this experience for anything else. it has taught me humility, taught me perseverance, taught me hope and hard work. it has definitely taught me pain from a patient's view, and understanding pain by experiencing it is the best lesson i can ever learn. it taught me compassion in everyday life, and i'm looking forward to applying it in my future professional growth.
a year ago when i first learned about the torn ACL and menicus, i questioned why it had to be me. why at the time when i was playing my best game. a year later i finally realized God has an answer for everything. it's just a matter of God's time.
