Sydnee Marshall
A Fraction of Me
Not every day do you fracture your foot in a spot that has the absolute slowest healing
rate than any other area on the foot. The very first week of my senior year of high school I
managed to accidentally put myself into this precise predicament. On this unfortunate day, I was
at dance practice rehearsing for our first game of the season. Everything was going great until we
got to our last run-through with the band. To paint a picture, we were in a confined hallway with
both the band and the dancers performing. About midway through the routine, I jumped
extremely high and slipped on the tile floor due to the lack of grip on my sock. The next thing I
knew, I came crashing down on my foot folding it in half with the force of all of my weight.
Being the tenacious person I am, I tried to push through the remainder of the dance but the pain
was just too unbearable. Because of this excruciating pain, I had to crawl to the side and onto the
stairs in complete shock, embarrassment, and disbelief. I had never hurt myself this bad, let alone
in front of this many people. Once practice was over, I attempted to walk back to the dance room
but ended up hopping because it was physically impossible for me to walk. Soon after, my
mother picked me up, and immediately I broke down. This was supposed to be MY year, the
most important year of my high school career both dance-wise and academically. I had so many
plans as a first-year vice president of the social officers on my dance team, and now I would
never get the chance to fulfill them. Later that night, the pain had slightly subsided, but my
parents were still worried so they took me to an orthopedic emergency room. This emergency
room specializes in these types of injuries, so as soon as I walked in they rushed me to the back
for an x-ray. After a long worrisome wait, the results were finally in. The doctor told us that I had
a Jones Fracture in two places. Immediately my world came crashing down and I knew my dance
career was over forever. The sport I grew up loving and participating in my whole life had come
to an unexpected end. The next day I went to a different doctor for my surgery and he gave me
an ounce of hope. This doctor said that about three months after the surgery I should be fully
recovered and back on the dance floor. Little did I know this was only the beginning of one of
the longest, most challenging roller coasters of events and emotions I would ever experience in
my 17 years of life. The recovery process was extremely long and saddening but I made the most
of it. Despite going everywhere in a walking boot, being nicknamed "boot" schoolwide, and
watching my teammates live my dream out there on the football field; I still managed to run for
homecoming queen (and get recognized on the homecoming court as one of the top 3 nominees
of 10), hang out with friends and family, and pick up a new hobby that is art. Once my three
months passed, I was finally cleared and able to dance in my school's last four games. All was
well until the week before Christmas break when I landed on it way too hard coming down from
yet another jump. I heard a crack and immediately knew. The pain was not as bad this time so I
decided to put the boot back on and give myself a two-week break. On the last day of this break,
I got into a horrible car accident totaling my car and sending me to the hospital. Luckily, my foot
was not further injured, but I still had a few scratches and bruises on my hands and body. I was
also informed that my foot would not be completely healed for another month, because the left
Sydnee Marshall
side of the bone where the fracture was located was still not completely healed. Mentally I was
all over the place. I went through a slight depression and was overall still shocked, scared, and
traumatized. As if this was not enough stress, I was diagnosed with the coronavirus about 3 days
later. The recovery process was long and torturous, but I wouldn't allow these unfortunate events
to take my joy. Rather than ruining my life, I feel like all of these circumstances combined taught
me three essential lessons: To slow down in all aspects of life, be on time with everything I do,
and spend as much time as I can with my loved ones. Through all of that darkness, I found light,
changed for the better, and became the most productive, organized, and appreciative I have ever
been.