Kenzie Grenell

My name is Kenzie Grenell. I am a current Junior on the Women’s Soccer Team at Mercyhurst University. My story starts when I was born. I had a central line infection that almost killed me. As a result I needed a catheter inserted into my leg in order to pump antibiotics throughout my body. It saved my life, however the surgeon left a piece of the cuff inside my leg. 10 months later, the cuff migrated and protruded out of my thigh in two different places and I needed a second emergency surgery. 20 years later, the scar tissue on my thigh was so severe that I was in constant pain. Playing at the collegiate level, I was lifting more and my body was changing.  The scar tissue on my leg was pulling so bad that I could hardly kick a soccer ball across the field. I no longer found myself enjoying soccer. I was in pain and I was not playing at the level that I knew I was capable of. I became angry and upset with myself. Mentally I was not where I wanted to be. After my sophomore season, I decided to see a doctor and I was diagnosed with a hip impingement which lead to damage of my labrum. The doctors think that this was caused by the pulling of scar tissue. Once the season ended I got surgery to release the scar tissue and to repair my labrum. Soon my 2 scars turned into 5. A short time later 5 scars turned into 7 with a second scar tissue removal surgery. All my life I have been living with my scars, they became normal to me. After my surgery, my leg was different… more deformed, with bigger scars. At first I was angry at the surgeons who messed up in the first place and I was angry that I was unable to play soccer for 6 months. Not being able to play soccer has really given me a different perspective on everything. I realized that instead of being angry about my scars and all of the setbacks that I faced, my scars are a reminder of how strong I am. They remind me of my journey and they are a constant reminder of God’s plan for me. They remind me that I am alive today regardless of all of the complications and setbacks that have followed. Being injured taught me a lot about myself and really helped to put things into perspective. I learned how to be a better teammate, friend, and most importantly I learned that I was not alone. With the incredible support of my family, friends,  athletic trainers, doctors, teammates, and coaches, they helped to guide me back into the right direction and taught me that everything truly does happen for a reason. After my second scar tissue removal surgery I noticed a huge improvement. I feel like myself again and I enjoy the game I once took for granted.  As I am entering my junior season, I am so thankful for the lessons that my injury has taught me. I have a greater respect for the game and I appreciate every opportunity that I get to step onto the field for a practice, games, or just to kick around for fun. My perseverance and determination to play again has helped me figure out why I started playing again in the first place. I am both mentally and physically stronger now than ever before and my scars are a reminder of that.