One cold Sunday morning

When I was in elementary, I got into an accident. It was a cold Sunday morning and I just attended the worship service a couple of hours earlier. My mom was three or four months pregnant at that time. She reminded me not to do anything stupid. But she was at home, I was with my friends. We went to a park to play basketball.

We did silly children stuffs. The one I did was the most cowardly but the stupidest. I stood on this giant platform where the scoreboard was. From it, I jumped and I fell lying on the ground. The whole platform followed me and a part of the platform landed on my leg. It broke my femur. It was the first time I knew what it was to lose consciousness.

Prior to losing consciousness, I tried standing up smiling while everyone rushed to help me. I successfully stood up but the pain jolted to every part of my body and I fell down back to the ground.

Because we don't have medical insurance, I was taken to our town's version of a chiropractor/medicinal doctor. He was our neighbor. I begged not to be taken home, I was more afraid of getting beaten by my father than the throbbing pain in my leg. It was days later than I learned that someone scooped me up. He was a nutcase who happened to know my father.  He got me into a motorcycle with his buddy and they drove me home.

I awoke and was conscious the whole time I was being diagnosed. I thought the whole town was in my neighbor's living room. I was a spectacle, the hard-headed son of the village's kindest woman. My mother was all tears while my father was nowhere to be found. I was glad he wasn't there. I worried for my mother though. The stress would have its toll on the baby. I tried telling her I'm okay but my mom wouldn't hear anything I would have to say.

Lolo Telyong, the chiro neighbor, told my mother that my femur was broken. It was a clean cut but it did not guarantee that the bone would heal. He can certainly try but recommended that I be taken to a doctor. He knew though that the cost would be too much for my parents to afford. So it was all up to him.

I stayed at his home for more than two months. For a cast, Lolo Telyong used two pieces of hard cardboard. Instead of medicines, he used plant leaves. He aligned the bones first. Fixing the bones and aligning them is like having your insides taken one by one without anesthesia (I assumed that would be excruciatingly painful). Back then, I wished I were dead. I screamed and begged and cried but the pain only got worst.

The first two weeks were tormenting. My thigh had swollen so red and huge that any small movement caused unbearable pain.

Every day, for the next six weeks, Lolo Telyong reminded me that I may not be able to walk but that everything was still up to me. He said I was young and the bones would heal but the pain would be remembered not by me but by my body and that is something that I have to overcome.

I missed school. But as per my teacher, I've earned enough credits to pass to the next grade. For the next six weeks, I remained bedridden. Every night, I prayed. Every night, I wished. Every night, I imagined the future. I saw myself walking with crutches and it scared the hell out of me.

After two months, the redness and the swelling subsided. The pain became bearable. Lolo Telyong encouraged me to try walking. I was too scared to fall and break my leg again.

Then one day, he brought a pair of crutches. He wanted me to try them and see if its height is good enough for me. It hit me hard. I can't live my whole life walking on crutches.

So every day, while everyone was away, I forced myself to walk. I used chairs and tables as my guide. I never used the crutches. They are a painful reminder of what my possible future would be. I didn't ask for anyone's help and I strived hard to learn to walk on my own.

The next school opening, I enrolled myself to Grade 4 (equivalent of K6 or K7). I was walking crutches free. I also stopped asking help from my parents and began figuring things out on my own. I've learned that the mind is a powerful tool. I've learned that hope is a great thing. I also learned that growing up is not a matter of age and so is taking responsibility.

I also realized that our past, even if they are accidents, is a big factor of how we become in our futures.