Well.. that is not easy to deal with... Been there too... Twice in life in fact
I went totally and I mean totally blind in my left eye at 23 and a half years old. I had just started playing volleyball six months earlier. I had always been a rather good basketball player in my early teens through that time has well. I could shot 93 percent from the foul line and unguarded I shot about 65-75 percent from behind the high school 3 point line of 19 and 9 inches away from the basket. I got to where I dunked a basketball with two hands in my senior year of high school... I was pretty darn good for a white boy... Then... Totally blind in one eye...
First time in the gym after hospital stay after that was hard.. Hard to adjust needless to say. . But I did... I got to where I was shooting almost 60 percent behind the 3 point line... And I took 20 free throws and made 18 of 20... 90 percent... Not bad... The first basketball game I played at the gym a couple of nights later was not easy... But the guys around me all heard about my deal... And they all were really great to me. Meant a lot.
Playing volleyball was a big challenge... And I became very popular a person to serve the ball too... And I struggled... It just about got to me... I also made a vow to myself if I could keep playing and get better and used to my new condition I would hopefully be able to whoop those teams and people's rear ends... A lot happened over the next year and half but I got to where I over came it... And I got to where I hit the volleyball really quite well... And I got up with some very good players and we whooped those other people/teams.... That felt awesome. Pay back was well worth it... And one lady was lucky she stopped playing anymore there after that last league we had played against other in.... Because I would have tried to hit her with the volleyball has hard as I could have IF she would have ever shown up and played again... Because I got to where I could hit the ball really really hard...
And I hit one person right on top of her head and the volleyball ricocheted off her head 40 ft into the roof and 40 ft behind her out of bounds in a league game at Dare Elementary school... I wish that the other lady was the one that happened with.
To be able to do all the things I did during those years was greatly appreciated and I was grateful for it.
In the fall of 2007 I told my friends I could not play in the upcoming leagues because I needed to devote all my energy towards school.... That was hard to do... But I knew that what I needed to do...
Then in the summer of 2009 I started playing again after I was done with school. I really enjoyed it again a lot. I continued to play all the way through the fall of that year.
In early 2010 I stopped playing because I was too busy with work and I did not want to wear myself out at all playing volleyball... In early 2011 my friend Scott called and I met up with him to play again... It was fun... But my left knee kept bothering me... And it hurt a fair amount... I knew why... When your leg muscles are not working correctly they do not properly support the joint... Which was another sign of my illness. I felt there was a high chance I could blow my knee up just running, jumping and landing anywhere.... It was the time to stop yet again... This time I felt like it was for good... I needed to be able to work... And it was just too high a probability I could really get hurt bad with my knee/leg... I have not played since... It was hard a bit. But I knew it was the right thing to do.
It is never easy to let go something we enjoy so much... I miss the people more than the games... That is the hard part. I am also so very grateful and thankful for having the opportunities to do all what I have done.
I look back now and am so grateful for all that playing those sports taught me, all the great people I have met and the needed life lessons that were a big big part of playing those sports.
Finding something else to do or potentially play is a very idea... A solitary sport maybe the best bet.. to compete against oneself.
Just take care of yourself in the coming days, weeks and months... Rehab properly and find your way... You can and will overcome this.
I went totally and I mean totally blind in my left eye at 23 and a half years old. I had just started playing volleyball six months earlier. I had always been a rather good basketball player in my early teens through that time has well. I could shot 93 percent from the foul line and unguarded I shot about 65-75 percent from behind the high school 3 point line of 19 and 9 inches away from the basket. I got to where I dunked a basketball with two hands in my senior year of high school... I was pretty darn good for a white boy... Then... Totally blind in one eye...
First time in the gym after hospital stay after that was hard.. Hard to adjust needless to say. . But I did... I got to where I was shooting almost 60 percent behind the 3 point line... And I took 20 free throws and made 18 of 20... 90 percent... Not bad... The first basketball game I played at the gym a couple of nights later was not easy... But the guys around me all heard about my deal... And they all were really great to me. Meant a lot.
Playing volleyball was a big challenge... And I became very popular a person to serve the ball too... And I struggled... It just about got to me... I also made a vow to myself if I could keep playing and get better and used to my new condition I would hopefully be able to whoop those teams and people's rear ends... A lot happened over the next year and half but I got to where I over came it... And I got to where I hit the volleyball really quite well... And I got up with some very good players and we whooped those other people/teams.... That felt awesome. Pay back was well worth it... And one lady was lucky she stopped playing anymore there after that last league we had played against other in.... Because I would have tried to hit her with the volleyball has hard as I could have IF she would have ever shown up and played again... Because I got to where I could hit the ball really really hard...
And I hit one person right on top of her head and the volleyball ricocheted off her head 40 ft into the roof and 40 ft behind her out of bounds in a league game at Dare Elementary school... I wish that the other lady was the one that happened with.
To be able to do all the things I did during those years was greatly appreciated and I was grateful for it.
In the fall of 2007 I told my friends I could not play in the upcoming leagues because I needed to devote all my energy towards school.... That was hard to do... But I knew that what I needed to do...
Then in the summer of 2009 I started playing again after I was done with school. I really enjoyed it again a lot. I continued to play all the way through the fall of that year.
In early 2010 I stopped playing because I was too busy with work and I did not want to wear myself out at all playing volleyball... In early 2011 my friend Scott called and I met up with him to play again... It was fun... But my left knee kept bothering me... And it hurt a fair amount... I knew why... When your leg muscles are not working correctly they do not properly support the joint... Which was another sign of my illness. I felt there was a high chance I could blow my knee up just running, jumping and landing anywhere.... It was the time to stop yet again... This time I felt like it was for good... I needed to be able to work... And it was just too high a probability I could really get hurt bad with my knee/leg... I have not played since... It was hard a bit. But I knew it was the right thing to do.
It is never easy to let go something we enjoy so much... I miss the people more than the games... That is the hard part. I am also so very grateful and thankful for having the opportunities to do all what I have done.
I look back now and am so grateful for all that playing those sports taught me, all the great people I have met and the needed life lessons that were a big big part of playing those sports.
Finding something else to do or potentially play is a very idea... A solitary sport maybe the best bet.. to compete against oneself.
Just take care of yourself in the coming days, weeks and months... Rehab properly and find your way... You can and will overcome this.
