This was going to be MY year, my SENIOR year. I was going to make this the best year of high school yet, not to mention all the perks you get as a senior. I was going to make all my “High School Musical” dreams come true. I was going to be FCA president. I was going to be a varsity volleyball, basketball, and track player. I was going to be a part of the drama club and I was going to make the grades to get into a good college. Until something horrible happened.

On July 27th of 2022 the Riverside Lady Rebels went to a tournament in Houma, La. The first set of the first game I went up to kill the ball and when I came down, I fell and I wasn’t able to get back up. Little did I know that it would put me out for the whole season before it even began.

A few days later, I went in to see a doctor who told me the most heartbreaking news I’ve gotten so far in my 17 years of living. I would need surgery to repair the damage that had been done to my knee and I would not only miss out on volleyball season, but basketball and track seasons as well.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and I honestly didn’t want to believe it. I felt like all the hard work and time I put into the sports I love to play was wasted.

I had my surgery on August 18. I missed a week and a half of school while I was trying to recover from the surgery. One of the hardest parts about this experience is having to balance making up school work that I’ve missed, trying to recover and do physical therapy, and trying my best to attend as many school events as I can without overworking myself.

Not being able to participate in senior activities and missing out on games that I’ve looked forward to playing all summer is a feeling that I can’t put into words. This isn’t how I imagined my last year of high school at all. But it gets a little better everyday.

I often wonder what the rest of my year will look like and how my plans for the future will change, but only time will tell. Until then, all I can do is make the best out of my situation and I hope if anyone is going through similar circumstances that they will know that it DOES get better.