"A Painful Lesson" by Anna Kretzer was an incredibly moving piece. The memoir is about how Anna went boogie boarding with her friends, but decided to look at them rather than the ocean for a minute. A huge wave crashed down on her, and although she was saved from drowning, she hurt her neck on the ocean floor. The impact caused her spinous processes to snap and her nerves to twist around the bones, forcing her to get surgery. Despite making a recovery, Anna still feels the pain today, although she manages to cope with it most of the time.

Anna obviously must have gone through one of the most excruciating experiences I doubt I could be strong enough to handle. I praise her for being so strong, especially due to the fact that she can still feel the terrible pain, which she describes as feeling like she "was constantly being stabbed by knives." This piece truly makes it wonder what it would be like to personally experience these horrible events myself, and I can really sympathize with the writer.