Our World, Quarantine

During my ten years as a competitive swimmer, though especially once I reached high school, I never understood why my teammates seemed to consistently improve while I often stagnated. One meet per year I performed to my expectations, but during many more meets throughout the year I emerged from the pool disappointed. I do, however, have the ability to control my own fate. My coaches always encouraged me to keep working hard, and I took their motivation to heart. I was by all measures one of the hardest workers in the pool. I knew that if I let the failures negatively affect my work ethic or discourage me, I will never reach my true potential. However, after yet another poor championship competition at the end of my sophomore year, I had to question myself a little. What needed to change? Was it time to leave the pool? I did not realize it yet, but my situation would have to get worse before getting better.

The diagnosis came in November, after four different blood tests to “make sure” and an upper and lower ‘scope to “really make sure.” Sure enough, I had Crohn’s disease, and although some would become disheartened by this, I finally had an explanation for my fatigue and inconsistent swimming performance. I wasn’t going to sit around and feel sorry for myself but instead used it as motivation for the future. While this was certainly not a failure for me in a traditional sense, my lackluster performance in the pool finally made sense and this diagnosis actually gave me hope. These recent set-backs would not stop me from reaching new goals, especially with a properly-targeted improvement plan. I didn’t give up when I was at my weakest physical state and this persistence will pay dividends in the future. Living through my failures before I understood the root cause taught me that perseverance is an essential component of eventual success in all areas of my life. I have now been given a gift of a new opportunity to succeed and reach new goals I never could have before. In a way, my diagnosis was a blessing, because I know myself better now, and I know how to push this true version of myself to its potential.

Changes – Cameron Huber

During an intense lacrosse game, my friend fell on her knee and was rushed to the hospital. Once observing her bandaged knee, I was oddly intrigued, leading me to look at knee ligament diagrams and form a diagnosis on my own. Before my friend’s accident, I did not consider the category of sports medicine, for I planned to become a veterinarian. I decided to challenge my sudden change in interest by interning for my assistant field hockey coach, Dr. Trina Liskos ‘95, who is an orthopedic physician. The first day I interned will forever mark a special transition in my life, for my eyes seemed to be opened up to a new world. I was fascinated by every test Trina did and how quickly she was able to process the patient’s symptoms and determine their diagnosis. One patient, a wrestler named Joe who came in for trigger points, further pushed my passion by sharing his story with me. As a dedicated wrestler, he frequently was injured, and Trina would relieve his pain through specific trigger points. He then went on to discuss the connection he was able to form with Trina, inspiring me to pursue a bond with my future patients. Joe was so thankful for Trina and her hard work, that he offered private self defense lessons for Trina and her family every month. The heartwarming and simple story confirmed my eagerness to pursue this career in order to help others and in turn establish a relationship with them. Luckily, Trina noticed my