The Summer going into my sophomore year was the worst one of my life.  At this moment I’m a junior in high school.  At any normal time in my life summer is my favorite time of year.  It is the best time to play baseball, go to the pool, ride your bikes, or just hang out with your friends.  With two month free from school and the work it brings, it is the greatest time of year.  I love everything about summer and I have so many great memories during the break, but not on this particular summer.

If I could describe this summer in own word I would use the word “suck”.

This all started during basketball season of freshman year.  I went into the season not knowing what team I’ll make or whether or not I would play.  After tryouts and a couple weeks of practice the coach told me I was on the A-team and I was the first person to come off the bench.  I was excited to hear this news because although basketball wasn’t my favorite sport, I had a lot of fun playing it.  The season started and I was doing pretty good.  I was getting a lot of playing time and I was performing very well.  Something happened with one week left in the season though.  I could no longer jump using my left leg.  Everytime I tried to, my entire back to leg would shoot up in pain.  It was unbearable but I had to get through it since there wasn’t a lot of time left in the season and we already had two of our ten players hurt and out of games.  I grinded it out.  I could still remember the pain I got from trying to get up from a chair.  I felt like an old grandpa. 

It was a quick turn around from basketball to baseball.  I had two days rest and then baseball tryouts started.  I rested that weekend before tryouts to try and get my back ready for baseball.  That didn’t seem to work though, because when I went to tryout I couldn’t land on my left leg after throwing without feeling my entire back go into pain.  I knew there was no chance I could swing a bat but I tried anyways.  I got into the cage and after one swing I had to leave and see the trainer.

The thing is my brother had a stress fracture on his L5 in eighth grade and missed the entire summer.  He came into the season and his body wasn’t ready to deal with all the physical activity it was going through.  With this in the back of my mind my parents took me to get an x-ray.  I was freaked out knowing this information about my brother.  I got the x-ray and it came back clean so the doctor told me I was having bad muscle spasms and to take a week or two off and go to physical therapy and I’ll be fine.

I did what the doctor told me to do.  I sat out the first two weeks of practice and it was sucked to see all my friends out there competing for a starting spot and not being able to play.

I got through the two weeks and the physical therapy and as soon as I was cleared I jumped back into the mix of things.
That was a mistake.

I ignored all the stretches and exercises my physical therapist told me to do and before I knew it I was shooting up in pain again.  This time it was worse.  I had to take myself out of a game twice.  On the second one I told my mom,”Something isn’t right.  I’ve never had pain like this before.  I need an MRI.”  These tests told us the truth.
I had a stress fracture on my L3.  The same as my brother. 

I went into the season with my body not being able to keep up with the physical demand.  My whole world shattered.  As soon as he could the doctor put me in a back cast.  I asked the doctor how long I’d be out and he said,”Five months.”  These words echoed through my head.  How was I supposed to get through the rest of the school year and summer in a back cast?

I got to school and got my elevator key and went to class.  When my classmates found out, I’d hear whispers of pity for my situation.  I hated every moment of it.

In perspective that wasn’t that bad compared to my summer.  I couldn’t play sports, run, ride my bike, or do anything physical.  I felt bad for my friends every time I saw them because I knew I was holding them back from doing something fun because when I was there, all we did was lay around.  It was embarrassing that I was the reason that we couldn’t enjoy the outside during summer.

The terrible part about it was being in that stupid brace.  It restricted my whole body and in the very hot summer it was always super sweaty.

The worst part about the whole situation was not being able to play the game I love.  Baseball has been my true passion since the moment I could walk.  Not being able to play the entire summer was one of the hardest things I’ve had to deal with in my entire life. 

My summer in a cast was the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to me.