Of the many brave and exciting events I have been in throughout my life, one extra brave experience stands out, the time I had back surgery to correct my scoliosis. As a fourth grader, I acted mature about the doctor slicing open my back to straighten it out. I am sure a lot of my life-river surrounded the long, complex surgery. At any age where one can comprehend, that concept can be terrifying. Not only did I survive the surgery, I survived the horrors of recovery and the aftereffects of the surgery.

Recovery, the worst part of the surgical experience, took six weeks, including one week in the hospital and two weeks at a rehabilitation center. For the three weeks away from home, I dealt with all of the medicine-givers who kept asking if I was in pain, when it was clear that I was in excruciating pain. Quickly, that question became frustrating and annoying. The pain was in every part of my body, as I bravely coped with it. On top of the pain, I battled homesickness, as a hospital and a rehab center are not the ideal home environment for anyone

Looking back at this experience, I cannot imagine going through it again. The stress and discomfort I managed to deal with were heroic and brave, something that most people could not handle, even if a multi-million dollar reward was offered to them. The idea of a little kid going through my experience like I did is incomprehensible. Wow, I can do anything due to my braveness and heroism!