Everything is Connected
Growing up I was always very active and loved to play all kinds of sports; there wasn’t a moment that I wasn’t outside. I loved to run. It was my favorite thing to do. I was always the fastest kid, but there was something else that separated me from the other kids. I walked, jogged, and ran always on my toes. Wherever I went, the soles of my feet never touched the ground.
As I grew older and continued to walk on my toes my parents began to grow concerned. When I was about 12 years old my parents began to take me all over town to see doctors. Every doctor we went to had a different opinion for the course of action that needed to be taken, but they all shared the opinion that there could be long term ramifications if nothing was done. The first doctor said I would grow out of it, but nothing had changed over the years so it didn’t seem likely. The next two doctors we went to suggested surgery to lengthen my calf muscles so that I would no longer stand on my toes. One of the last doctors we went to suggested something entirely different. Instead of surgery, he wanted to place two casts on my legs to stretch out my calf muscles.
As I grew older and continued to walk on my toes my parents began to grow concerned. When I was about 12 years old my parents began to take me all over town to see doctors. Every doctor we went to had a different opinion for the course of action that needed to be taken, but they all shared the opinion that there could be long term ramifications if nothing was done. The first doctor said I would grow out of it, but nothing had changed over the years so it didn’t seem likely. The next two doctors we went to suggested surgery to lengthen my calf muscles so that I would no longer stand on my toes. One of the last doctors we went to suggested something entirely different. Instead of surgery, he wanted to place two casts on my legs to stretch out my calf muscles.
My parents and I discussed all of our options. None of us thought that I was going to outgrow walking on my toes. As for surgery, it would have cost a lot more money and my parents did not want me to have to go through surgery at such a young age. Ultimately, we decided to go with the casts; what an awful decision.
For about two months I wore a cast around each leg and had to go back to the doctor’s every week to get them adjusted. For about half a year, I couldn’t play sports or run. I was forced to sit indoors and slouch around all day. I gained some weight, became depressed, and lost friends. After I recovered I thought it would all be over. It wasn’t.
When I had recovered I started to make everything go back to normal. I began to play all of my sports again and was once again outside everyday and loving it. What I didn’t realize was all of the problems these casts caused for me. As a direct result of wearing these casts: my feet became flat-footed, my feet began to point outward, my muscles became weak, and I began to have back problems. The procedure also ruined any possible career I had for sports. This all occurred just because of my feet.
To this day, I still have all of these problems. My back hurts after standing up for too long and my legs aren’t what they used to be. Despite everything that was ruined and everything that was taken away from me due to this experience I am still thankful everyday. Still, when I think about everything that has happened it still saddens me today. But I could not have asked for a better experience for myself. As a result of this experience I do believe that I gained enormous character. After it all I am still thankful for everything, whether for better or for worse, my legs have made me who I am today. So just remember: whatever you do in life, one thing always affects another; everything is connected.
For about two months I wore a cast around each leg and had to go back to the doctor’s every week to get them adjusted. For about half a year, I couldn’t play sports or run. I was forced to sit indoors and slouch around all day. I gained some weight, became depressed, and lost friends. After I recovered I thought it would all be over. It wasn’t.
When I had recovered I started to make everything go back to normal. I began to play all of my sports again and was once again outside everyday and loving it. What I didn’t realize was all of the problems these casts caused for me. As a direct result of wearing these casts: my feet became flat-footed, my feet began to point outward, my muscles became weak, and I began to have back problems. The procedure also ruined any possible career I had for sports. This all occurred just because of my feet.
To this day, I still have all of these problems. My back hurts after standing up for too long and my legs aren’t what they used to be. Despite everything that was ruined and everything that was taken away from me due to this experience I am still thankful everyday. Still, when I think about everything that has happened it still saddens me today. But I could not have asked for a better experience for myself. As a result of this experience I do believe that I gained enormous character. After it all I am still thankful for everything, whether for better or for worse, my legs have made me who I am today. So just remember: whatever you do in life, one thing always affects another; everything is connected.