1) What was the cause of the bad experience?
During a middle school trip to Washington DC in May 2015, I injured my right knee after tripping on an escalator at the Smithsonian. A friend of mine and I were looking for our assigned group after taking a break to look at the gift shop when we decided to go up the escalator to the top floor. Failing to find our group, we started going back down when we saw our group emerge from an exhibit on the top floor. My friend did not want to wait to go down and back up again so he went up the down escalator. I despite my better judgement, knew that I would probably lose my group if I went all the way down first so I followed him, tripping and gashing my knee on the edge of the staircase. It started bleeding a lot, painting my lower pants leg red in blood in only a few seconds, and was excruciatingly painful. I spent the remaining day of the trip in intense pain.
2) What was lost?
I was unable to bend my knee for several months, having to keep it in a brace to allow it to heal and prevent further damage to the kneecap. A small fragment of the kneecap had been chipped off. It was painful, with the dull pain persisting for weeks, and the brace was uncomfortable. I also made my ankle sore from not being able to bend my knee, which hurt a lot. I was unable to run. It was a very unpleasant experience in all.
3) What was your initial reaction?
I was initially angry with myself for doing such a stupid thing, ignoring the pain, which felt like it was going away. It would return several hours after the injury and would become excruciating. I was also worried about the bleeding, which had ruined my pants. I wanted to cry but I was forced to be stoic because I did want to draw anymore attention to myself than I already had.
4) How did your feelings about this bad experience change as time passed?
I was initially frustrated and angry and I blamed myself. While I still blame myself, after all it was my fault, I am no longer angry and have largely forgotten the ordeal. Sometimes my knee will pop and I have a rather unsightly scar, but I have put it behind me. I now feel unsafe around escalators and stairs, but considering it is just one of many fears and anxieties I have it is no big deal. I do not really think about it.
5) What did you learn/gain from this experience?
I am much more careful around stairs and escalators, and I gained a new appreciation about being able to walk. Considering that I do not play sports and I largely lead a sedentary lifestyle I had taken for granted my legs, When the brace came off I was happy to be able to run and walk normally.
