From a Shattered Leg to a 1st Place Finish
I’m a long-time athlete that was lucky to be a state champion runner starting at the age of 14 years old. Only about a decade later, a sudden sports injury changed the course of my life. People were staring at me, horrified. My ankle had popped out of of my foot after being dislocated, and one of my leg bones was shattered. While I was on the ground, an emergency doc who remains a trusted friend snapped the leg back into place. ‘Crunch’ was the sound. I went into shock — my body’s last remaining form of protection.
Check out the photos — that’s the ankle after it was snapped back in — originally much worse.
That night as the initial shock and pain medication wore off, it felt like someone was hammering a nail through my ankle. Doctors told me I wouldn’t ever be able to walk properly again. With the same training discipline of my racing days, I rehabbed my foot. Five years later, I was determined to race again. Unable to walk for had seemed an eternity, I began to walk slowly; and then one day I was running again.
I went onto to win 1st place that year in a California state-wide race called The North Face Challenge. I hadn’t run a race in years, and on muddy terrain, I ran a time that doctors didn’t think possible.
In our lives, some of our victories mean more to us than anyone can imagine. Learn from them, celebrate them, and go forth. Don’t stop.
