From the day I was born, I was always the fragile child. The one who had tripped and cut her knee open or slipped in the rain. My parents thought I would grow out of constantly needing medical attention, but that was not the case. My medical injuries have continued throughout my life and are something I can always count on, so I am going to take you on a journey of all the medical issues I’ve had in my life.

Starting at the ripe age of seven, I was diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Rheumatoid Arthritis. It’s a long title that basically means I had old people’s disease. When I found out I had arthritis, I was extremely confused. I only knew what it was because I had seen those medication commercials of the elderly walking around in pain awaiting death.

Unfortunately for me, that’s the same arthritis I got. I think I might have been reverse-aging because I thought you were only supposed to get joint pain when your skin began to wrinkle and you started needing assistance to use the bathroom. But apparently, I got it, and I’m stuck with it my whole life. When I was younger, it was bad: my muscles would freeze, and I was always in pain. But now, I barely notice it, aside from my misshapen, swollen fingers. I’m like a walking, breathing female version of Dimmesdale (minus the scarlet A of course).

Next, I was in fourth grade, and one of my so-called friends pushed my face to the bottom of the pool. I cannot forget the sound a tooth makes when it hits the cement on the bottom of the pool and is scraped to a little nub. I had to get half of a fake front tooth, but it broke my sophomore year. Since then, my front teeth are not even.

However, I think my worst fears came true when I had to get braces. After having braces for so long, I found out it ripped off my enamel and I ended up with tons of teeth issues. When I say those metal cages messed me up,  I am not joking at all. Sophomore year, I had 23 cavities filled and about five more junior year, plus a root canal and a crown. Let’s just say my dental bills were not pretty.

Even worse, last year, I got hurt at prom. I was dancing with my hands in the air like I just don’t care when out of nowhere someone rammed into me. They toppled me and two others over like a sad version of dominos. When I was hit by that boy, I literally yelped. As I fell, tears started spilling out of my eyes, ruining my makeup. Simultaneously I heard a crack coming from my thumb and a rush of pain flowed through my veins.  I was left underneath sweaty teenagers grasping for air and light. I tried to walk it off, to say I was fine, but if anyone touched it I would double over in pain. I brought my injury to the teacher and they got me a jumbo-sized bag of ice, which didn’t really help. A few days later, I discovered that my thumb was fractured, but at least I had a fun prom.

About a month ago, I slipped on a shoe and rolled down my stairs around 1 A.M. During my fall, I felt my soul lift out of my body, so I desperately tried to grab anything for dear life. I found the railing, but I overcalculated the strength I needed to keep steady. I still fell, but I also took the railing down with me. I bruised my butt and could barely sit for two weeks.

Finally, about three weeks ago I spent the night in the hospital for possible appendicitis. The worst part was that they had to draw my blood, but I am extremely afraid of needles. The doctor also did this on a bench in front of multiple adults, and they watched as I fought the urge to throw up and run away. I’m pretty sure I saw an old lady laugh at me when I started crying because of my fear. Then they took me to get a CAT Scan, but they couldn’t find my appendix on the scan. Finally, they released me at 5:00 A.M. saying that they didn’t know what was wrong with me.

Overall, I have been, and always will be, the medical child in my family. I don’t know how, but I always end up getting hurt in the stupidest ways.  I am grateful to may parents for putting up with my medical bills, and constant injuries. These are just a few of my medical stories, but I am hoping my health increases as I get older.