The Three Big Choices in Life

The Three Big Choices in Life

As Jean-Paul Sartre said that life is a C (Choice) between B (Birth) and D (Death), my life has been a series of choices. I have made three big choices until now, and those selections have made me who I am today.
I was 16 years old when I made the first choice that I wanted to be a Rugby player. My parents totally opposed the idea. It took me six months to persuade them, and eventually, I got the permission. I started my journey by playing Rugby back in the summer of 2013 at Yanjung Middle school. Though I knew Rugby is a full-contact sport with a high risk of injury. My passion helped me overcome all my fears. Initially, I was fortunate not to have suffered any significant injuries. However, I got injured during a practice match before a big competition in high school. As I was running with the rugby ball, three players from the opposing team tackled me furiously. I heard a “pop" in my knee just at the impact of that powerful tackle. The very next moment, I was lying flat on the ground, unable to move. I remember I saw my team physical therapist running toward me. He examined my knee and diagnosed it as “a minor bruise.”
I wasn’t convinced that it was just a minor bruise, I felt my knees fall forward, and I couldn’t walk properly. The following day, I went to the hospital, and I had to undergo several special tests and x-rays, and finally, the doctor diagnosed my knee again. It wasn't a piece of good news; the doctor informed me that what I suffered from was not a minor bruise but an ACL rupture. He further told me that Initially, my ACL rupture was less than 30 %, but after the injury, I ruptured more than 80 % of my ligaments due to various movements. What was even worse was that, according to the doctor, ACL surgery was inevitable for me. I was devastated, not because I had suffered an injury or because I would have to go through a medical procedure. But I couldn't help thinking about why my team PT did diagnose a severe injury ACL as a minimal bruise. Had he diagnosed me with an ACL rupture, I might have avoided ACL surgery. Unfortunately, I wasn't the only victim. Three more students had to suffer from serious injuries because of our PT's initial poor diagnosis.
2) My second choice: Rehabilitation, another attempt to be a rugby player again.
In March 2017, I got an operation on ACL reconstruction allograft. The doctor, who was incharge of my surgery, declared that after the surgery, I wouldn't be able to walk for six months at least. I was at a loss at that time; I was ruining the fact that I wouldn't be able to show my performance to the head coach at University. However, my fortunes changed when I met a PT who was working in the hospital. He helped me in becoming o[timistic about my future. I still remember his words: "What your doctor said that your rehabilitation would take more than a year is just a statistical figure. Sometimes, there are cases where rehabilitation is successful quickly, so let's do our best to rehabilitate". These words motivated me, and I finally found hope in despair.
I...