Le Paralympian yafunda njani ukuwuthanda umzimba wakhe ngeRotationplasty kunye nemijikelo engama-26 yeChemo.

Umxholo

• Xa uloyiko luguqukele kwinto yokwenene
• Ukuthanda Umzimba Wam Kuyo Yonke
• Ukuba yiParalympian
• Uphengululo lwe

Kudala ndidlala ibhola yevoli oko ndandikwibanga lesithathu. Iqela lasevarsity ndenze unyaka wam wesibini kwaye amehlo am ebejonge ukudlala ekholejini. Elo phupha lam lazaliseka ngo-2014, unyaka wam wokuqala, xa ndandizibophelele ngomlomo ngokudlalela iYunivesithi yaseTexas Lutheran. Ndandiphakathi kwitumente yam yokuqala yekholeji xa izinto zazisiba mbi ngakumbi: Ndeva idolo lam libetha ndaza ndacinga ukuba ndiyitsale i-meniscus yam. Kodwa ndaqhubeka ndidlala kuba ndandisemtsha kwaye ndandiziva ngathi kusafuneka ndizibonakalise.

Intlungu, nangona kunjalo, yaqhubeka isiba mandundu. Ndayigcina kum okwethutyana. Kodwa kwathi kwakuba nzima, ndabaxelela abazali bam. Indlela abasabela ngayo yayifana neyam. Ndidlala ibhola yasekholejini. Kuya kufuneka ndizame ukuyifunxa. Ngokujonga emva, ndandinganyanisekanga ngokupheleleyo kwintlungu yam, ke ndaye ndaqhubeka nokudlala. Ukuze sikhuseleke, nangona kunjalo, safumana idinga nengcali yamathambo eSan Antonio. Ukuqala, benza iX-reyi kunye neMRI baza bafumanisa ukuba ndaphuka ifama. Kodwa i-radiologist yajonga kwizikena kwaye yaziva ingonwabanga, kwaye yasikhuthaza ukuba senze ezinye iimvavanyo. Kangangeenyanga ezintathu, ndandikuhlobo oluthile lwe-limbo, ndenza uvavanyo emva kovavanyo, kodwa ndingafumani mpendulo yokwenyani.

Xa uloyiko luguqukele kwinto yokwenene

Ngexesha lokuqengqeleka kukaFebruwari, intlungu yam yadubula eluphahleni. Oogqirha bagqiba ekubeni, ngeli xesha, kufuneka benze i-biopsy. Nje ukuba ezo ziphumo zibuye, ekugqibeleni sazi ukuba kuqhubeka ntoni kwaye kwaqinisekisa uloyiko lwethu: Ndandinomhlaza. NgoFebruwari 29, kwafunyaniswa ukuba ndine-Ewing's sarcoma, uhlobo lwesifo esingaqhelekanga esihlasela amathambo okanye amalungu. Esona sicwangciso sokusebenza kule meko yayikukunqunyulwa.

Ndikhumbula abazali bam bewa phantsi, belila ngokungalawulekiyo emva kokuva okokuqala ezi ndaba. Umninawa wam, owayephesheya kolwandle ngelo xesha, wafouna naye wenza okufanayo. Ndingaba ndiyaxoka ukuba bendithi andoyiki, kodwa bendihlala ndinembono entle ngobomi. Ndajonga kubazali bam ngaloo mini ndaza ndabaqinisekisa ukuba yonke into iza kulunga. Enye indlela okanye enye, bendizakugqitha kule. (Inxulumene: Ukusinda kwiCancer kwaKhokelela kulo mfazi kwiNjongo yokuFumana iMpilo)

I-TBH, enye yeengcinga zam zokuqala emva kokuva iindaba yayikukuba ndisenokungakwazi ukuphinda ndisebenze okanye ndidlale i-volleyball-umdlalo obuye waba yinxalenye ebalulekileyo yobomi bam. Kodwa ugqirha wam-uValerae Lewis, ugqirha wamathambo kwiYunivesithi yaseTexas MD Anderson Cancer Centre-wakhawuleza wandenza ndakhululeka. Wazisa ingcamango yokwenza i-rotationplasty, utyando apho inxalenye esezantsi yomlenze ijikeleziswa kwaye iphinde ifakwe ngasemva ukuze i-ankle isebenze njengedolo. Oku kuya kundivumela ukuba ndidlale ibhola yevoli kwaye ndigcine ukuhamba kwam okuninzi. Akufuneki ukuba ndithethe, ukuqhubela phambili nenkqubo kwakungeyonto ilungileyo kum.

Ukuthanda Umzimba Wam Kuyo Yonke

Ngaphambi kokuba ndenze utyando, ndenziwa imijikelo esibhozo yonyango lwechemotherapy ukuze ndinciphise ithumba kangangoko kunokwenzeka. Kwiinyanga ezintathu kamva, ithumba lalifile. NgoJulayi ka-2016, ndenziwa utyando iiyure ezili-14. Xa ndivuka, ndazi ukuba ubomi bam butshintshe ngonaphakade. Kodwa ukwazi ukuba eli thumba alikho emzimbeni wam kundenze mmangaliso ngokwasengqondweni-yeyona nto indinike amandla okuba ndiphumelele kwiinyanga ezintandathu ezizayo.

Umzimba wam watshintsha kakhulu emva kotyando lwam. Ukuqala, kuye kwafuneka ndivumelane nenyani yokuba ngoku ndinamaqatha emadolweni kwaye kuya kufuneka ndifunde indlela yokuhamba, indlela yokusebenza, kunye nendlela yokusondela kwesiqhelo kwakhona. Kodwa ukusukela oko ndabona umlenze wam omtsha, ndiwuthandile. Kwakungenxa yenkqubo yam ukuba ndibethe ukufezekisa amaphupha am kunye nokuphila ubomi njengoko ndihlala ndifuna njalo-kwaye ngenxa yoko, andinakuba nombulelo ngakumbi.

Kwakunyanzelekile ukuba ndenze iinyanga ezi-6 ezongezelelweyo ze-chemo-18 imijikelezo ukuze ndenze ngqo unyango. Ngeli xesha, ndaqalisa ukuphulukana neenwele zam. Ngethamsanqa, abazali bam bandincedisa ngale ndlela ngeyona ndlela: Endaweni yokwenza into eyoyikekayo, bayiguqula yangumbhiyozo. Bonke abahlobo bam abasuka kwikholeji beza kwaye utata wandicheba intloko ngelixa wonke umntu esivuyisayo. Ekupheleni kosuku, ukuphulukana neenwele zam yayilixabiso elincinci lokuhlawula ukuqinisekisa ukuba umzimba wam ekugqibeleni waba namandla kwaye usempilweni kwakhona.

Ngokukhawuleza emva konyango, nangona kunjalo, umzimba wam wawubuthathaka, udiniwe, kwaye ungabonakali. Ukuyikhupha yonke into, ndiqale nge-steroids kwangoko emva kwayo. Ndiye ndayeka ukutyeba ngokutyeba kakhulu, kodwa ndazama ukugcina isimo sengqondo esihle ngayo yonke loo nto. (Idibeneyo: Abasetyhini baJikela kwiMithambo ukuze babancede baphinde bafumane imizimba yabo emva koMhlaza)

Oko kwavavanywa ngokwenene xa ndandifakelwe iprosthetic emva kokugqiba unyango. Engqondweni yam, ndandicinga ukuba ndiza kuyifaka kwaye-i-boom-yonke into izobuyela kwindlela ebiyiyo. Akufuneki ukuthetha, ayizange isebenze ngolo hlobo. Ukubeka bonke ubunzima bam kwimilenze yomibini kwakubuhlungu ngendlela enganyamezelekiyo, ngoko kwafuneka ndiqale kancinci. Elona candelo linzima yayikukuqinisa iqatha lam ukuze likwazi ukubuthwala ubunzima bomzimba wam. Kuthathe ixesha, kodwa ndade ndayifumana. Ngo-Matshi ka-2017 (ngaphezu konyaka emva kokuxilongwa kwam okokuqala) ekugqibeleni ndaqala ukuhamba kwakhona. Ndisenendawo yokuqhwalela ebalaseleyo, kodwa ndiyibiza nje ngokuba "sisiqhulo sokuhamba" ndize ndiyitshayele.

Ndiyazi ukuba kubantu abaninzi, ukuthanda umzimba wakho ngotshintsho oluninzi kunokuba ngumceli mngeni. Kodwa kum, ibingeyiyo. Kuyo yonke le nto, ndaziva kubaluleke kakhulu ukubulela ulusu endandikulo kuba lwalukwazi ukuluphatha kakuhle. Khange ndicinge ukuba kufanelekile ukuba nzima emzimbeni wam kwaye ndiwujonge nge-negativity emva kwayo yonke into eyandinceda ukuba ndidlule. Kwaye ukuba bendikhe ndanethemba lokufika apho ndifuna ukuba semzimbeni, bendisazi ukuba kufuneka ndiziqhelise ukuzithanda kwaye ndiyabulela ukuqala kwam okutsha.

Ukuba yiParalympian

Ngaphambi kokuba ndityandwe, ndabona uBethany Lumo, umdlali wevoli yevoli edlala kwiParalympian Imidlalo eboniswe, kwaye ngoko nangoko waba nomdla. Umxholo wezemidlalo wawufana, kodwa wawudlala ngokuhlala phantsi. Ndandisazi ukuba yinto endinokuyenza. Hey, bendisazi ukuba ndiza kuba yincutshe kuyo. Ngoko njengoko ndachachayo emva kotyando, amehlo am ayejonge kwinto enye: ukuba ngumdlali weParalympian. Khange ndiyenze ukuba ndiza kuyenza njani, kodwa ndiyenzile injongo yam. (Idibeneyo: Ndingu-Amputee kunye noMqeqeshi-Kodwa khange anyathele i-Gym ndide ndibeneminyaka engama-36)

Ndiqale ngoqeqesho nokusebenza ndedwa, ndakha kancinci amandla am. Ndiphakamise iintsimbi, ndenza i-yoga, kwaye ndade ndadlala nge-CrossFit. Ngeli xesha, ndafunda ukuba omnye wabasetyhini kwiQela lase-USA naye une-rotationplasty, ke ndaye ndaya kuye nge-Facebook ngaphandle kokulindela ukuva. Akaphendulanga kuphela, kodwa undikhokele kwindlela yokufumana indawo yokuzama iqela.

Gqithisela phambili namhlanje, kwaye ndiyinxalenye yeqela laseMelika laseMelika leVolleyball, esandula ukuphumelela indawo yesibini kwiParalympics yeHlabathi. Ngoku, siqeqeshelwa ukukhuphisana kwi-2020 ye-Paralympics yeHlobo eTokyo. Ndiyazi ukuba ndinethamsanqa lokuba nethuba lokufezekisa amaphupha am kwaye ndinothando oluninzi kunye nenkxaso yokundigcina ndiqhubeka-kodwa ndiyazi ukuba baninzi nabanye abantu abadala abangakwaziyo ukwenza okufanayo. Ke, ukwenza indima yam ekubuyiseleni, ndaseka iLive n Leap, isiseko esinceda izigulana ezikwishumi elivisayo kunye nabantu abadala abanesifo esongela ubomi. Kulo nyaka siqhuba ngawo, siye sanikezela ngeLeap ezintlanu kubandakanywa uhambo oluya eHawaii, iinqanawa ezimbini zeDisney, kunye nekhompyuter yesiqhelo, kwaye sikwinkqubo yokucwangcisa umtshato wesinye isigulana.

Ndiyathemba ukuba ngebali lam, abantu bayaqonda ukuba ingomso akusoloko lithenjisiwe-ngoko kufuneka wenze umahluko ngexesha onalo namhlanje. Nokuba unomahluko ngokwasemzimbeni, uyakwazi ukwenza izinto ezinkulu. Zonke iinjongo ziyafikeleleka; Kufuneka nje uyilwele.

Uphengululo lwe