Soccer is without a doubt my favorite sport to play and I have been playing all my life.

When I was playing my last game of my soccer tournament in California, I was the happiest I

had been in a while. However, this happiness didn’t last when my knee started swelling up and

causing me pain with every step.

When my knee first started swelling, nobody thought it was a big deal. That was until the

swelling and pain were not going away after several weeks. So I went to a doctor where he gave

me an x-ray. This x-ray revealed that I had Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD). When I heard this

news about my right knee, I was still confused. I had never heard of this disease before so I was

nervous and unsure about the length of my recovery. A few days later, I got an MRI and received

even worse news. The doctors explained that on top of having an OCD lesion, I also had three

large loose bone fragments in my knee. The doctors told me that I would need surgery if I ever

wanted to run again and my heart sank to the floor.

On August 2, 2018, I had the surgery that would change my life. When I got out of

surgery the only thing I could think of was how I couldn’t feel my knee. When I looked down at

my knee, there was an enormous brace on it that was locked in place. The doctor told me that I

wouldn’t be able to put any weight on my right leg for 6 weeks! Initially I thought this wouldn’t

be too difficult, but I quickly realized just how much of a challenge this really was. The first day

wasn’t too bad because I was still feeling the effects of all the medicines from surgery. However

the following day would leave me in a whole world of pain. When my mom helped me up out of

my bed, and I stood up on my good leg, I felt easily the worst pain I have ever felt in my entire

life. This is the point where I realized this was going to be a very difficult journey back to

recovery. I began to question if I would ever be the same soccer player I was before my injury. I
didn’t let myself wallow in self doubt. I told myself that I was not only going to recover, but I

was going to be a better athlete than I ever was before my surgery.

After the first few months of rehab, my progress looked great. I was able to do basic

workouts with squatting, push ups, etc. When I went back to the doctor, he told me that my knee

was swollen, and he wanted me to get another MRI. I was a little worried, as I already have done

so much to get back on the field. When the results came back, it didn’t tell me very good news.

The doctor told me I would need another surgery to get rid of more loose fragments. Originally I

was disappointed, but in the long run it only set me back a month or so. Within a month after my

surgery, I ran for the first time in around 6 months.

A few months ago, I played in my first game since my surgery. It had been 15 months

since that last game in California when my injury was first discovered. I was confident that I was

stronger mentally and physically than I had been before. I had worked so hard throughout my

rehab process and setbacks. My knee injury and surgery were the most painful things I have ever

experienced, but I persevered and came back stronger.