During my 4th grade wrestling season I had a tragic accident that could have changed my life forever.  I was competing at a district tournament when I was in my lasts match of the day going for first and second place when I was injured during the match.  Me and my competition we were  face to face and when the match started I ended up on the bottom where I attempted to arch my back when my neck rolled practically underneath me.  Once this happened I was unable to move and my entire body went limp.  My vision started to get blurry and I was unable to see.  I was numb from the neck down and was unable to move at all.  The sports trainer came running over to the mat where she accessed the situation.  Once she evaluated all the signs she advised one of her team members to call 911.  Once the ambulance arrived I was taken to the local hospital.  Upon arriving there the health care staff thought I had suffered a spinal cord tear and advised my parents that they were not equipment to handle these types of traumatic accidents.  They had already contacted a life flight helicopter to come pick me up and take me to Dayton Children's hospital.  At this point my parents advised them that they wanted me taken to Columbus Children's hospital for care as their reputation states that they are one of the best in United states.  This was a really scary event for both myself and my parents.  At this point they loaded me up in the helicopter and flew me to Children's hospital.  My parents were not allowed to ride with me at all.  They had to drive separately and from the story my mom tells me it was the longest ride of her life with not knowing what the outcome was going to be with my situation.  Once I arrived at the hospital they took me straight back to the trauma area and started to evaluate my condition.  When I was taken away in the ambulance one of the parents put it on facebook and by the time I arrived at the hospital there was several friends and family waiting on me to arrive. I have to say when I say all the familiar faces this really made me feel more comfortable as I thought I was going to be alone since my parents was traveling by car.  My parents arrived shortly after me and when they walked into the room I was able to move my legs a little and arms.  The hospital performed some test on me and they determined that it was not a spinal tear just a bruise to the spinal cord.  Eventually I was able to regain all my normal function back to my body and eyesight. I had to say the entire night in the hospital for observation and to ensure that I was ok and the hospital sent me home with a neck brace to prevent further damage to the neck. The hospital stated that I was very lucky to have recovered as quickly as I did as well as very lucky to not have had permanent damage to my spine and neck.  I realized at this point that life can change in a blink of an eye.  Things can be going great in one minute and then change drastically in the next minute.   This was one of the scariest times my family has faced with regards to me.  One thing we learned is the life is precious  and you should live life to the fullest.  Always treat people kindly and greet people with a smile.  Always tell people how important they are to you and remember to tell them that you love them as you really don’t know when the last time you may be able to tell them just how much they mean to you.  I realized long before this incident happened that my parents loved me however when things like this happen it makes you reflect back on just how important certain people out in your life and makes you realize what they mean to you.  Wrestling is still a big part of my life and will continue to be throughout my high school and hopefully college career.  Wrestling teaches to work hard and have a good attitude.  It also teaches you to be a good sport and work well as team.