At the end of the 2013 softball season, Kelsey Bradford found herself facing a possible state champion title along with a possible surgery. It was a night filled with nervous energy, happiness, and pain. “I will never forget the feeling that I had when I stepped up to the plate as the first batter of the game. I was so nervous but so excited at the same time,” Kelsey recalled. “At the first bat of the game, I made an in the park home run. After rounding first, second, and third base I was approaching home plate and tripped. My natural instinct was to try to catch myself as I was falling, but it did not work out like I hoped it would. When I returned to my feet, I realized my thumb was just hanging there, and my whole hand was filling with a sharp thumping pain. As I was headed …show more content…
After multiple additional points were scored, it was time for the Lady Giants to take the field. Kelsey filled the position of first baser for the team. “When it was time for me to do my job in the field, I could barely move my hand. I was in so much pain and I could barely grip the ball to throw it,” Kelsey remembered. She persevered through the pain and finished out the inning. Once again, it was Kelsey’s turn to bat, but she could not deal with the pain any longer. “I had to ask the coach if I could sit out, and if you know me, I do not like to do that at all,” Kelsey. The Lady Giants took the win that night and earned the title of state champions. It was an overwhelming victory for the whole team, and everyone was ecstatic. With all of the exciting energy in the air, Kelsey forgot about her injury. The following morning she went to visit Dr. Reynolds and discovered that she had torn ligaments in her thumb. “They told me I could wait six weeks and see if it got any better, or I could have surgery that coming Friday. I was so overwhelmed but of course I wanted to heal quickly so I opted for surgery,”