How It All Began

In 1997, I was given the opportunity for an education and to play volleyball at LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tennessee.  Although I did not want to go to school after graduating high school, I found motivation to go to school through the sport of volleyball.  Don't get confused about my lack of motivation. I had good grades in high school and had been participating in multiple sports since 7th grade. I guess you can say that athletics were my outlet. Besides, I didn't want to be truant like some of the others. My mom was a single mother raising 3 girls and truancy and jail time was not something that I wanted to try.  That was something that would have made matters worse for my family. So, I did as I was told, went to school and finished the first goal set by many parents for their children. Anyway during my first semester of college, I experienced several setbacks that came in the form of deaths in the family. I lost my grandfather and a few cousins. It was weird! First, my grandfather (Issac M. Stotts) passed away in September due to health complications. Next, a chain reaction occurred until February. All were murdered. School had just started in September. I guess you can say that it was very hard to focus on school when you are constantly at funerals. My coach was a very understanding and patient coach. She helped me through a lot that year. I played my first college game in the middle of September and was welcomed back by the team with open arms. They gave me so much love and support that I knew that was where I was supposed to be.
Let's flash forward towards the middle of the season. I woke up to a swollen ankle. It looked like a bad sprain, but it wasn't painful. It was so big that I couldn't put on my size 8 shoe. I called my coach and she took me to the school health department. They asked me the usual questions about suffering injuries and if I were allergic to anything. They didn't know what to do because I wasn't in pain. They told me to elevate and do bed rest for a week and to see how things turned out. Well, the swelling went done, but it came back depending on how long I was on my feet. It became a major problem because I began to experience limited mobility on the court.  Nevertheless, it didn't stop me from completing the season. After the season was over, I just relaxed as much as I could and elevated as often as possible. I didn't return to the doctor that school year because I felt it was pointless and that is how it all began.