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Romina Shafikhani
Professor Clare Browne
English 1A
4 December 2014
Perseverance
“Ball, Ball, Ball!” were the last words I mouthed before everything went dark. As I lay in
a fetal position, grunting in pain on the freshly trimmed grass, I could only think about the
negative repercussions this event would have on my future. I felt as though I was floating in my
own thoughts; I was unaware that the referee had blown her whistle, unaware that my pregnant
coach had carried me off the field, and mostly unaware that my knee had swollen up the size of a
cantaloupe. I used to wish I had not played that day or that the opposing player had not run into
me with full force, because if I had not torn my anterior crucial ligament (ACL) or my meniscus
I would still be able to play soccer or volleyball and I might have even been on a college team.
Due to my severe injury, I not only put a hold on my athletics but I was also forced to undergo
surgery, intense physical therapy, and resting for a total of ten months. Although this large
amount of time was very difficult for me and at times unbearable, I gained a lot of knowledge
about myself and my hardworking spirit. As a young fifteen year old, I learned that although I
would encounter many defeats, one being my knee injury, I not only would be able to persevere
through the pain and suffering, but would also come out as a more grateful and knowledgeable
individual with a greater purpose in life.
I used to be known as the girl who always involved herself in any athletic activity, never
going a day without some sort of exercise. As a child, I was enrolled in both soccer and

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volleyball. As a result, I fell in love with every sport and made it apparent that I was going to be
a star athlete. Because sports were my most central goal and hobby for more than half my life, it
is understandable that such an extreme event greatly impacted my life. Throughout those long
nine months, I watched my teammates continue to thrive in their athletics while bonding with
one another during games and tournaments. I witnessed all of my friends enjoy going out to
dances, concerts, and other events without me, because walking more than eight feet with
crutches deemed impossible. During that resting period I gained over ten pounds due to the lack
of exercise and furthermore lost all sensation and muscle in my left leg. Most importantly, my
injury put me into an awful mood and often times caused me to feel insecure and unhappy almost
every day; however, once given the chance to walk without crutches I gained motivation to heal
and return back to my normal self before the injury.
For some form of inspiration I always referred to a quote by Maya Angelou, “You may
encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter
the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of
it”. The iconic Maya Angelou’s bold words not only lifted me up when I was feeling low but
also motivated me to look past the negative effects of my injury and see “how [I] can still come
out of it”. After my period of resting was over, I was convinced that I could still resume my
physical activities. For months on end I would constantly go to volleyball practices and play just
like I used to, if not working even harder, thinking that my knee brace would be enough
protection. Tearing both an ACL and meniscus weakens the knee tremendously; not only does it
inhibit range of motion, but the injury also causes lack of stability. Therefore, it comes as no
surprise that I reinjured my knee every time I attempted to play any rigorous sport, especially
volleyball and soccer. Unfortunately, after multiple trial and errors, I realized that although I

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wished and truly thought that I could go back to my normal self, reliving the pain and feelings of
defeat was both unhealthy and unnecessary. Shortly after, I ended my efforts in returning to the
sports that I came to love, eventually deciding to put that energy into something similar yet
healthier and even more rewarding.
I knew my major and career path at the age of sixteen, solely based on experiences due to
my knee injury. Attending sessions in a physical therapy clinic for over a year caused me to
become interested in the human body and the physical remedies that reduce pain. I also loved the
idea of being able to help other individuals push through the same or similar obstacles I once
endured. I feel incredibly blessed and grateful to have had such wonderful supporters throughout
my time of need and also to have had multiple physical therapists as role models who aided me
when was I weak and who also intend on helping me through my journey of being a physical
therapist as well. It is refreshing to know that one can indeed see a rainbow after experiencing
horrendous storm, and ultimately great to see how a new and improved path can come out of the
a tragic end to a road. In addition to majoring in Kinesiology and my desire of being a physical
therapist, once given the license, I hope to further expand my knowledge and experience aiding
those in under developed and under privileged countries with prosthetics. With role models like
Craig and Marc Kielburger founders of Free the Children organization, Anne Hathaway, and
Angelina Jolie who clearly made a significant impact around the world aiding those in need I
found a desire to help others as well. Although my injury and my suffrage does not come close to
those of females in predominantly male appreciated countries, children forced into child labor,
people in starving countries, and much more I understand the need for help from others and hope
that I can make a change as well. I have a passion to help others, but most importantly those who
do not have the resources and opportunities we are privileged with in America which is why my

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main focus is to help those out of the country and be an active citizen. My ultimate goal is to be
able to join or create an organization with United Nations in providing prosthetics and physical
therapy practices to those in need all over the world. Reaffirming what Maya Angelou once said,
it is very likely and at times “necessary to encounter the defeats” in order to truly be grateful for
what you have and to also “know who you are”.
Through pain and suffering comes knowledge, understanding, and most importantly
growth as an individual. It takes a lot in a human being to undergo traumatic experience as little
as having knee surgery and as serious as suffering a loss of a loved one. Either way, experiences
such as these alter an individual in every way possible both physically and mentally. In my case,
I not only was forced to end my soccer and volleyball career but I also went through significant
amount of pain in both surgery and rehabilitation. This situation altered my perspective on my
purpose in life, whether or not I was destined to play sports and furthermore, guided me to a
career path in physical therapy If it were not for the opposing soccer player three and a half years
ago I would not have been able to discover my ability to persevere through obstacles, nor would
I have known my major and life goal in helping others. On the other hand, if it were not for the
opposing soccer player three and a half years ago I would still be able to play the sports that I
love.