Members of the ODYSSEY staff visit freshman Fear Churchwell during his recovery period after undergoing surgery on his left wrist. Photo courtesy of Ceci Churchwell.
By FEAR CHURCHWELL – Web Staff
Sympathy. Everybody has at least of little bit of it in his or her heart. And having two broken wrists, I am getting a lot if it from everyone.
Whether it is your friend or your worst enemy, you still always get at least an I’m so sorry or Feel better soon. Occasionally one might offer to carry your books or your lunch tray, but the list doesn’t go much farther after that.
Sympathy may feel good but, after a little while, it starts to get repetitive, and a few kind words from everybody comes nowhere close to compensation for breaking both wrists. I then have to consider that none of my classmates are miracle workers, and saying a few kind words or helping me carry my books is the best they could do.
Although you get sympathy from other people, you also get their stares. Being in a school with 1500 other people, nobody knows everybody, so it is simple to say that I get a lot of awkward looks in the hallways.
Who is that kid? Is he okay? What happened to him? Those are some of the typical questions when they see a kid with two broken wrists walking down the hallway. Most of them probably never meant to bring embarrassment on me, but multiple people giving me awkward glances doesn’t really make me feel very comfortable.
With my schedule getting more and more busy, two broken wrists was probably among one of the last things I needed. Now, not only do I have to complete fairly difficult assignments, but I have to complete them with two injured appendages.
I might have more challenges to face in school and in life, considering my injuries, but my teachers, even the strictest ones, seem less strict and more lenient than they once were.
My teachers are striving to create assignments that allow me to complete my work more easily. They do this by giving me alternative assignments that are physically easier for me to do and by giving me different deadlines and goals than the rest of the class.
In addition to making class more accessible, my teachers permit me to leave the class a few minutes early. This allows me to avoid the hectic and chaotic hallways during class changes.
Having two broken wrists is not an experience I would reccomend to anybody, but everybody you know is trying to make you feel at least a little bit better.
