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43 · Friday, April 9, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com Surgery not the end of life, but eye-opening n By Omar Othman GRADE 11, ABBEY PARK H.S. H aving to go through surgery is an unforgettable experience. One that I found to be very memorable as I thought I was going to die. This experience was what I thought was the absolute worst day of my life. Not only I had gotten my first blood test, but I was also told that I would not be able to play soccer for four weeks. This was definitely the worst news I had heard that day. I could deal with "You need an appendectomy," but I could not deal with "You can't play soccer." School soccer would begin very shortly and rep soccer tryouts were just a few weeks away as well, I definitely thought that I was out for the spring/summer season. As I sat in this futile state I began to think to myself `What if this was permanent?' I began to wonder what would I do if I were in this state for the rest of my life? I also realized and felt the pain young athletes go through when they're told they will never be able to play their sport again. My issue was only temporary and yet, I felt like time would never pass. How does a young athlete, or anyone for that matter, deal with a life- changing incident like this? It must be so completely devastating to think that your whole life, your life's work and passion, you will no longer be able to contribute to anymore. I started to think that there must be some alternative to this abyss. What services are out there? What can we do to help this situation? I'll be okay, but these people have to live this way for the rest of their lives. I know if I was forced into a life where I could no longer do what love I would not want to live. Of course you can always follow the sport or your chosen activity through TV, Internet and even going to see the event live, but I think not being able to actually participate in it would be just tragic and I wouldn't be able to live like that. I can now really empathize with athletes in this position and I have so much respect for them as well because I realize just how strong they have to be on a daily basis. I never really felt the pain of one who would be in this situation, but having experienced a temporary peak into how my life would be, I want to find ways to contribute towards helping people in these situation to get back into their favourite pastimes and hobbies in whatever way possible. People can contribute to the War Amps, who provide prosthetics to young people, we can donate to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) -- imagine not being able to see, when your whole life it was never a problem? We can contribute to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and of course donating money to cure cancer. Think of Terry Fox and his fight and how much of a difference he made to the fight against cancer. You could always run the Terry Fox run, or walk it. There are many events organized to support finding the cures for all kinds of life-changing diseases and donating or participating in these events would be a great way to support not only athletes who have suffered, but people in general. Remember, even a small donation of time, volunteering in our local hospital, can change someone's life. www.housewarmings.ca WAREHOUSE SALE 2170 Speers Road Unit #2 April 15 & 16 .....10am to 7pm April 17 ............... 10am to 5pm April 18 .............11am to 4pm Previewing the latest Men's and Women's Fashions for Spring/Summer 2010 Downtown Oakville BIA & Mercedes-Benz FASHION SHOW Saturday April 17th Doors open at 7:00 pm ~ General Admission $50 ~ VIP Admission $75 TICKETS ON SALE NOW at these Downtown Oakville locations: Avanté Boutique ~ Barbette II ~ Black Forest Bakery ~ Barrington's By Tocca ~ Chatsworth & Hall Ltd. ~ Especially! ~ Johnathan Quinn Mainstream Clothier ~ Silkeborg ~ Tocca Finita and on-line at Follow us on Twitter www.oakvilledowntown.com housewarmingsmh