How My Anterior Cruciate Ligament Changed My Life

Positivity is Key Rodolfo Costa once said; “Cultivate an optimistic mind, use your imagination, always consider alternatives, and dare to believe that you can make possible what others think is impossible” (Goodreads). Remaining positive has always held an important role in my life. I strive to find positives in every negative situation, and remember that I can always learn something from it. Sometimes changing the way you view a situation can make all the difference. Even through times where I have had every reason to give up, I have chosen to keep a positive attitude. I have found that when I decide to do this, it makes me significantly happier, and I take much more away from the situation.
For a soccer tournament in sixth grade, my team and I went to Woodbury, Minnesota. About halfway through one of the
A few hours later when I went to the hospital, I discovered that I had torn my Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). Initially, I did not know what to expect from the situation, but I came to realize how much it would affect my life. The ACL functions as a ligament that connects the tibia and the femur. It provides stability in the knee, and with this injury, I could not participate in competitive soccer for 10 months. To undergo this painful experience at such a young age is extremely difficult; however, I chose to embrace the situation rather than let it destroy me. I could no longer play the sport I loved, but I could not change anything about that; I could only control my attitude in this predicament. I went above and beyond at every physical therapy appointment, no matter how strenuous/painful the workouts were. Times frequently came