It all happened that fateful day I tried flipping. Yes, flipping. I tried to learn how to flip and  my life changed forever...again! The shock was enough to adjust my spine and I will always have a weird posture now. I try my hardest but it's to no avail. I arrive at my friends house to hopefully have a good time, and I had the complete opposite! I see them on their new trampoline doing amazing stunts and flips. Imagine, doing a 360 double backflip, or a 420 front flip pike! I wanted to try too, and the dumb little me decides to go alone! “Deano, this is how you can do a basic front flip.” said my friend who lives in New Tripoli. I tried and I succeed at first. I kept going and I got really good. “ I'm doing it Tyler! Look at me go Joe!” I exclaimed! I did so well that...well.... I got lazy. “ I can do it without a tuck!” I said. For those that dont know, a tuck is where you grab your legs during a flip. Its strongly recommended that you never do a flip by pike or straight. I did anyways. “ Whoopie!” I shouted.

“No Deano! Don't do this!” they shouted at me. Too late! Halfway through, I started to go down. I slammed onto my neck and I got the wind knocked out of me, as well as crushing my head and neck.  I smashed parts of my spine and my rib cage. I started to breathe again when I was pushed up onto my rear. I had an aching migraine and had severe rib and neck pain. “ Are you ok Deano?” asked Tyler.

“Can you stand?” said Joe. I could only groan and wheeze. I had faced a trauma stimulating brain damage. Im ok now, but I had speaking difficulty. My Dad was called and as soon as he picked me up, I was whisked away, to the EmergiCenter of Allentown. I was told I should take Ibuprofens and use ice. “ Is it working?” nervously asked my Dad.

“ Kind of,” I answered. The doctor told me I will never walk right again, and I would endure months of pain until I recover. I was devastated. Imagine, never being able to walk right again. My life was changed forever just from a front flip! It sounds silly but it happened to me. I know I am not alone. I am not the only one. I now have the spine condition spondylolisthesis. This means that one of the bones in your spine called a vertebra slips forward and out of place. It's more common lower down the spine, but I have it in my upper back. I now have to live very cautiously, even though its minor and not about to fall out. My doctor did say it was minor according to x-rays. I had difficulty getting up out of bed during the time after the accident. I struggled really hard. So what? I still got up for school and dealt with spondylolisthesis. Now look at me, somewhat successful, able to walk and stand normal. I only have a lump in my back where the disk sticks out. They said I couldn’t do it. Here I am, almost perfectly ok! Take this lesson of perseverance from me. I can either fight or live lifeless. I chose the call to arms, and I defeated spondylolisthesis. I still have it, its permanent, but I have no symptoms anymore. If I didn't fight, I would probably be in a wheelchair right now.  Perseverance is what kept me walking, and it should keep you going!