5 stages of grief: Denial

According to the well-known Kübler-Ross model, there are five stages of grief that most people go through in a tough situation (usually death). In facing the fact that basketball is over, I believe I've gone through them all, perhaps more than once each.

1. Denial
Wikipedia says: "I feel fine."; "This can't be happening, not to me."

Need I elaborate on this one? For over 7 years I kept telling myself the above. It's ok, it'll be ok, just one more try. Out of all people, why would something so horrible happen to me? For over a year 2009-2010 I told myself the ACL could not possibly be torn again - it couldn't happen to me. Sure, 10-15% re-tear their ACL after a reconstruction, but me? Nah. Surely not.

I kept that sentiment, even after the keyhole surgery where I was told it was torn, until I had the second reconstruction. From September 2010 to May 2011 I held on to the hope that a surgeon would look at the MRI scan and say "Oh, sorry we were mistaken. The ACL is fine." And honestly so. For every scan I had done, I expected it out of the doctor's mouth.

Of course, that comment never came but it was all the same: a re-tear was a fact. 


x