A young woman was rushed to the hospital after suffering a severe injury.

What I didn’t know at the time, but came to understand much later, was that what happened wasn’t simply a result of bad luck or coincidence. It was preventable.

If I had known what to do, if I had been more aware of my own body and the risks involved, perhaps I wouldn’t have ended up in that hospital room, feeling so confused and vulnerable.

The worst part of the whole experience wasn’t the physical pain or discomfort—it was the emotional toll it took on me.

There’s a certain silence that surrounds these kinds of experiences. We grow up hearing about the milestones of life in a way that makes them seem fun, lighthearted, and exciting.

But these experiences are often glossed over in our culture. We’re told that it’s something to look forward to, that it’s a natural part of growing up or moving forward.

But we rarely hear the truth about what happens when things go wrong. When complications arise, when things don’t go as planned, there’s no easy fix, and certainly no “funny story” to tell afterward.

It’s not something you can laugh about or take lightly when the situation takes a turn for the worse.Continue reading…