When I was 14 my brother was starting my freshman year of college at UCSB. At Wood though he was the star soccer player and decided to try to walk on at college.
My brother was good enough to make the team…but a harsh injury he suffered his Jr. year left him not able to do intense cardio without feeling an intense pain in my gut.
When he was forced to stop playing sports he became very sad and down on himself. It made it worse that it wasn’t because of his own skill but because his body failed him.
Because my brother was off at college and I was dealing with my own problems I didn't see the way he was feeling.
One day I heard from my mom that he said that he was feeling a little jealous of me, so I decided to ask him. When I asked him, he told me that what I heard is true.
Hearing that from someone I had looked up to my whole life changed my entire view of my brother. I had felt betrayed, confused, and hurt by what he said because it was something I couldn't control and only wanted his support.
I could've been mad at him.
I chose not to be.
I understood that it hurt badly having the thing you love ripped away from you and this gave me a new outlook on sports.
After that conversation I knew that I needed to play sports like everyday could be my last. I also took my brother with me to every game and practiced mentally.
That way his sports life would never die.
WC-276
I love how you portrayed your experience while also giving insights and empathizing about how your brother was feeling, it shows great character. This is a very inspiring post, and I’m very sorry for what happened to your brother. I hope that he’s still able to enjoy sports non-competitively and I wish nothing but the best for him :)
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