<div>When I held a basketball in the 4th grade, I knew it was more than a game. Just hearing the ball bounce against the pavement and the smooth swoosh of the net as the ball sailed through sounds let me know what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Basketball was not just a sport; it was my identity, passion and reason to be.Expectations weighed my shoulders like a load as I stepped onto the college court. Going from high school to college basketball transported me into another world where the competition was much more intense and the stakes higher. However, fate had one more twist, yet not quite so pleasant. A check-up brought home a brutal reality: hip dysplasia, five surgeries ahead, painful and mirroring shattered dreams and broken promises.These words from the doctor were ringing in my mind, like the ringing of a notification, an alarm drowning every other thought. My love, my life, the dream I had chased since I was a kid shooting hoops in the driveway with my dad, was slipping through my fingers like sand. How could something that I had given my whole life get taken away from me this suddenly?At the time, it was the worst news that I had received. Basketball was more than just a game to me; it had been a lifeline, a beacon of hope in a world filled with uncertainty. It brought me closer to my parents’ dream of a free education and a chance at a better future. Their sacrifices, constant support and pride in my achievements intertwined my love for the game. Disappointment to them, letting go of the dream they had held for me was a heavy burden.A sea of emotions between anger, sadness and regret emerged, in which I could hardly stay afloat while reality stared at me in the face of life without basketball. It was not fair. I only wanted time to run back to rewrite my life’s script. I knew that, in the long run, all the thoughts of what might have been would not help when the time came to consider what was to come. That would be later, though. For now, in the present, I was anchored around love and support from my family. My journey was far from over, although the pain of losing basketball remained inside my heart. Precisely, the same qualities that would drive the will to succeed in basketball would now guide me onto a new path: a path of success beyond basketball.Life would not be the same without the sport I loved, but I decided to go into the future bravely and optimistically. The ball may have stopped bouncing and the cheers may have faded, but the spirit of the game and the lessons learned will. always stay in my heart. Furthermore, at every new start comes the first steps, so I knew the best was yet to come.</div>

Mountain View, CA

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OPINION: Injuries pave new path for former Detroit Mercy basketball player

When I held a basketball in the 4th grade, I knew it was more than a game. Just hearing the ball bounce against the pavement and the smooth swoosh of the net as the ball sailed through sounds let me know what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Basketball was not just a sport; it was my identity, passion and reason to be.