Blood rushes through my veins and my heart pounds wildly, a frantic drummer. "On your mark!" My fingertips press against the track, energy longing for release. "Get Set!" CRACK! My body explodes, propelling me forward to the hurdles. Right, left, right, jump! Panting heavily, my oppenents' breath is hot with competitive fire. My teammates' hands clutch the sideline gate, their knuckles strain over its cold metal as they scream, "Go Emily!" I clear the tenth hurdle, see the finish line close ahead, and taste the victory burning on my tongue. It is a sprint to the finish as I hear the pounding of my opponents' steps behind me like a herd of buffalo, but they are too late. The loudspeaker booms, "The junior champion of the 100 meter hurdles: Emily McDonald!"
Long before I was praised for clearing hurdles on a track, I have been overcoming personal obstacles of all shapes and sizes. When I was fourteen I developed a severe cold and went to my family physician. Because of the expense of medical bills for someone uninsured, it was the first time I had been to the doctor in years. It was at this point, after having a physical, that the doctor told me I had scoliosis.
After diagnosis, my life changed rapidly. I was referred to a spinal specialist at Strong Memorial Hospital. X-rays showed that I had an s-curve; my spine was curved sixty-two degrees on top and curved forty-eight degrees on the bottom, a severe case. I was scheduled for spinal fusion surgery two months later. Long drives, hospital gowns, echocardiograms and nerve testing all became familiar to me. Strong Memorial accepted me as a charity case and they guaranteed care for a year, free of charge. A month before my surgery date, I told my biological mother. My need for surgery, although great, was not enough to appease her fear of its one percent chance of paralysis. She contacted the hospital and threatened to sue if I received the treatment. Because of the threat of a lawsuit, the hospital decided the negatives outweighed the positives of helping me pro-bono and I was denied care. sports, my determination and passion for competition led me to pursue track and field. The
Almost three years later, I still have scoliosis. Despite the pain and the doctors' advice to quit warping of my spine caused the right side of my back to develop complex additional muscle groups. Consequently, my right arm can hyper-extend over my left leg with ease, perfect for clearing a hurdle. Even though my school does not have a track and I must set up hurdles in the parking lot, nothing has stopped me from becoming an all-star Varsity athlete, setting school records, and qualifying for state championships. My physical struggles have given me a sense of determination and inner strength, and shown me that no hurdle, what ever it may be, is too high to overcome.
