One year is all it takes to be late for everything, from graduation to marriage to children to upbringing. One month is all it takes to slack and fail an exam. One week is all it takes to prepare to ace a presentation. One day is all it takes to miss an exam. And one moment is all it takes to deprive you of your dream. What was the Kevin ware injury?
The same happened with Kevin Ware, a well-known basketball player who was giving his all on the field one moment and was rushed to the hospital the next after experiencing a gruesome injury. Everywhere he went, people asked him about the injury, to which his only reply was, “I will not let the injury define me.”
Who is Kevin Ware? Early Life and Education
Kevin Ware was born in the Bronx, New York on 3rd January 1993. His parents were Lisa Jr. and Kevin Ware Sr. Because of his father’s name, Kevin Ware was called Kevin Ware Jr. he had 3 sisters named Donna, Brittney, and Khadijah. The family lived in New York until Kevin was 14 years old, after which they moved to Atlanta. Shortly after that, the Wares moved to Georgia to live in a more quiet area.
Kevin was into basketball from childhood. He broke his arm in July 2010, but even that didn’t stop him from playing his favorite sport. Kevin signed a letter of intent with Tennessee, but as soon as Bruce Pear (the coach of Tennessee’s basketball team) got fired, Kevin looked for other options. His other options included Georgia and Louisville Cardinals, out of which he chose the latter.
Kevin Ware started playing for defined and finite minutes, after which his period gradually increased. He had his issues due to which he got suspended from a team too but came back stronger than ever.
The turning point of Ware’s basketball career
Life is not always a bed of roses. Remember that with roses come thorns. It is up to you to pick those thorns or let them bleed you.
The gruesome injury
It was the 31st of March, 2013 when the N.C.A.A. men’s tournament was in full swing. A nationally telecasted and broadcasted basketball game between Louisville and Duke was underway when the unthinkable happened. Kevin Ware Jr., a key player of the Cardinals was showing his best skills in the first half that was nearing the end. An opponent player tried to basket a ball and out of instinct, Kevin Ware leaped forward to block it. All was well when he was mid-air, but the way he landed cost him dearly.
Kevin Ware landed in such a way that his leg broke, a bone tearing through the skin. The young player broke his Tibia and the bone popped out of his leg, something everyone in the game surely saw. In excruciating pain, the medics attended to Ware for a few minutes in the court, after which he was taken to the hospital on a stretcher.
Reactions of teammates, coaches, and the audience
Maybe it wasn’t that surprising to witness such a gruesome injury in a such low-contact sport. The thing that brought tears to the eyes of Ware’s teammates, his opponents, and the coaches of both teams was the way it happened and what they witnessed. Seeing a bone pierce through the skin is enough to make someone sick to the stomach, and witnessing it happen to someone associated with you makes it ten times worse.
The player’s sat down on the ground with tears in their eyes after their teammate fell. God knows how the trained medics were holding their breath while tending to the wound. The injury was wrapped in a towel to block from the view of the players, the audience, and Ware himself.
Surgery was a must but the pain had to be under control before that could happen. So, when the words, “the pain is under control. The surgery might happen tonight” were heard, there was no end to people’s joy.
Kevin Ware’s reaction
Even though Kevin was in excruciating pain, he did not lose his spirit. Before leaving the stadium, he said to his teammates, “I am fine. Win the game.” And win they did.
The matches after that in the tournament were all dedicated to Ware. Players wore jerseys with the words ‘winforware’ written on them, which showed their high morality.
Everywhere the player went, the injury went with him. He was compared with other players who went through similar injuries in the past, and Kevin did not like that much. He did not let that one injury define him and his career, and the player is now back in high spirits for whatever game comes his way.
Moral
When something unexpected and gruesome happens, there are thousands of emotions experienced by a certain individual. You must take your time to recover from this injury, be it physical or mental. But in no situation must you give up and stick to a wheelchair or therapy for the rest of your life. Do not be someone people remember ‘poor thing’ as. Rather, be someone people acknowledge ‘legendary fighter’ as.
