By Peri Sualp….
Last week I broke my foot! It really was very painful. I was in so much pain and the worst part of all was that I wasn’t at home.
I was in Kalkanli having a sleepover and a study session with my best friend. We had decided to take a break and play a little bit of 
basketball. I don’t usually play basketball but I did, which was the only time in a year, and I end up with a broken foot!
As I wasn’t at home, I couldn’t quite explain to my mom the exact situation of my foot and how deep the pain was. Also I didn’t want to put my friend and her parents in an awkward position. I didn’t want them to feel guilty or feel even worse than they were, so I put up with the horrible pain and suffered for more than 24 hours.
Finally when I arrived home, my mom saw my foot all swollen and looking a terrible colour. She grabbed me there and then and took me to the nearest hospital she could find. To be honest, my mom was panicking way more than I was and I had got used to the pain, but I definitely wanted it gone!
Eventually after x-rays and more painful experiences, they gave us the results. Broken! I couldn’t believe it. Should I feel proud that I was in so much pain and even from the very beginning I did not cry?
Should I feel sad that I now have to sit and not move for a month? Or should I even feel more pain standing around while waiting for my results? I sat down in the nurse’s room. I have never seen my mom in such panic (except during my concerts!)
The doctor asked us why I pushed it so hard and walked on it. The doctor had noticed that I made the break even worse! I was walking on my foot to pretend that I was fine to my best friend and her parents and I ended up having something worse than just a break! He told me if I had pushed it just a bit more, I would have needed an operation! Now who wants that? Nobody! Especially a 13 year old girl who’s afraid of even a tiny needle!
Then they put me in a half cast and I had to wait a couple of days and go back to the hospital and to have a proper cast put on. Now I have the real big heavy cast on and it’s not really a good feeling! I definitely do not wish it on anybody! I learned that if I had told the truth in the first place to my mom, maybe the break wouldn’t have been this bad. If this cast doesn’t work, then I will eventually need an operation!
How to prevent breaks?
- From the example above, I also learned that sports can be dangerous! You must follow every sport’s specified rule. Basketball might seem like all fun and games but if you do not have the right outfit and shoes you can end up with serious injuries! This does not go only for sports but any type of activities. Rules for people of certain ages might seem unnecessary and that is the main reason that most people do not follow them. For example, 21 year old young boys riding their motorbikes without a helmet to show off their hair in the wind!
- Be careful! Now, you probably hear it everywhere. Be careful! Be careful! Be careful! Listen to the warnings and be more careful! Don’t purposely put yourself in danger even if it’s for fun! I learned this the hard way! Protect your body because your body is your most precious thing you own, your personal home that you cannot survive without..
What have I learned from this experience? From now on I will never hide anything from my mom or hide anything from anyone regarding health issues. I learned that your health and safety comes first, no matter what!
My best friend will be a pair of crutches for minimum one month, now looking at it from the bright side, I realise that I will have stronger muscles in my 2 arms and 1 leg! Yay!
The interesting thing is that I have never received as much attention as this in my life before! Even when I have performed in very important places and people. In school everyone is super nice to me even the bullies!
My last recommendation is, try to look at everything from the bright side! Everything happens for a reason, everything we experience is a learning experience! And most of all smile… no matter what…
