In 5th grade, I had just moved to a new state, a new town, and a new school. Everything was unfamiliar, and I was trying to find where I belonged. I had never played any sports other than pee-wee soccer, so when my mom asked if I wanted to try baseball after seeing a post about tryouts, I decided to give it a try.

My first season of baseball in 5th grade came naturally to me, and I enjoyed it more than I expected. When the next year's season came around in 6th grade, I joined again without hesitation. During my second season, a coach thought I might be good at volleyball and asked me to try out.Since both of my parents had played volleyball, I decided to give it a shot. It ended up being one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

In 7th grade, I played volleyball in the fall and softball in the spring. Volleyball came naturally to me. The softball season went well—I was having fun and enjoying life. In 8th grade, I played volleyball again, but disaster struck when softball season arrived. I fractured my ankle after rolling it in a pothole, which put me in a boot and on crutches for a month. I was devastated. I loved softball, and it broke my heart that I couldn’t play that year because of an unexpected injury.

I spent the summer healing, and freshman year came quickly. I was excited for volleyball season. I didn’t make varsity, but I earned a starting spot on JV. Unfortunately, the new intensity of high school sports put more pressure on my ankle, and I was out for two weeks with a sprain. Still, I was able to return and play during the last two weeks of the season.

When spring came around, things were looking good. I felt healthy, I looked healthy, and I went to the softball meeting ready for a fresh start. Unexpectedly, I fractured my ankle yet again. I was upset and confused. Why did my ankle keep getting injured? What was I doing wrong?My parents ended up taking me to a specialist in foot and ankle care to figure out what was going on. After X-rays and an MRI, I finally started to understand the issue. I was born with a condition called clubfoot (congenital talipes equinovarus), where one or both ankles are twisted inward and downward. Although my ankle had been corrected when I was a baby and I had a good range of motion growing up, I never ended up getting the tenotomy that is typically performed after casting, so my Achilles tendon gradually tightened as I got older. On top of that, I had a tarsal coalition, meaning some of the bones in my ankle were fused. While most people have three joints in their ankle, I only had two.

My doctor suggested I take a break from sports to prevent further injury. After that appointment, I became depressed and discouraged about my future in sports. Still, I decided to push through my struggles so I could at least play volleyball again. I committed to physical therapy and eventually made my way back onto the court.

Although I can no longer play softball, I am forever grateful to still have the opportunity to play volleyball. I used to think sports would always be there for me, but after everything I’ve been through, I now know that they can be taken away in an instant. In my sophomore year, I earned a starting position as a middle hitter/blocker on the varsity volleyball team, and I don’t take a single practice or game for granted anymore. I hope to continue my volleyball career through high school and maybe even into college. Through all of this, I’ve learned that you shouldn’t take the things you have in life for granted, because you never know when they will be taken away.

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