Age 11 is a very important time in a child’s life. Transitioning from elementary school to middle school and experiencing the early signs of puberty usually occur at this age. Learning the ways of cliques and crushes consume the early developed brain. The difference between age 10 and age 11 may seem miniscule to bystanders, however, to the child, it’s the bridge between childhood and becoming a teenager. When you’re 11, internal conflicts should involve who you are going to sit with at lunch, or if you studied enough for the Photosynthesis test next hour. Instead, when I was 11, I was told I needed to have brain surgery, or else I would be paralyzed for the rest of my life.
It was the summer before 6th grade when I started to feel the pain.