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“Renée, hurry get out of bed! You got rugby practice in 45 minutes,” Renée’s mom yelled from the kitchen where she was cooking breakfast.



Her mother was a very good cook making breads and cakes and everything in between. There was always something good to eat in Renée’s house.



Renée frantically jumped out of bed and put on her rugby clothes with those painful cleats and rushed downstairs for breakfast. She remembered that she had to drive to the field today and it would take at least a half an hour. She had no time to chat, she had to hurry and get to the field if she was late the whole team had to run laps or do thousands of pushups.



So she grabbed a piece of toast and headed out the door. It was a rainy day in midtown Australia. The rain was coming down so hard you could barely see a mile away. All the cars windshield wipers were going off full speed to get the water off of the windshields.



Renée wondered as she drove if there would still be practice because of the rain, but she remembered her coach say at the beginning of the season,



“We will be practicing whether the weather is sunny, breezy, rainy or snowy.”



So she knew that there would be practice without a doubt. She arrived to the field just barely in time. She parked and locked her car and ran to the dusty field that they had to practice on. It was a pathetic field to have to play on. Where was the grass? She didn’t really mind it though because she loved to play the game.



“Carter get over here, hustle,” the coach yelled to me. He always called players by their last name.



“I am hurrying as fast as I can coach,” Renée said to her coach.



Most people would think of the coach as a big mean man, but in reality he was a very loving person. He was always there for Renée when she needed someone to talk to.



They got in their group huddle to decide who would start practice because the tam had too many people to play at once. As usual, Renée was to play first. She got out there and had a blast running and screaming.



“Renée, be careful you are going to get hurt,” everyone was yelling as she ran like a wild maniac, but she couldn’t stop running.



All of a sudden she came to a painful stop. She had run into the fence and messed up her kneecap. Everyone ran over to see if she was alright.



“Renée are you okay,” some people in worry asked. Her teammates and coach were really afraid that something was wrong because she could not move and she was losing a ton of blood from her knee.



“Hansen, go call 911 and hurry,” the coach said in a panic.



If the ambulance did not get there soon Renée would surely be a goner. But the ambulance arrived shortly after the accident and took Renée to the hospital where she was told she may never play rugby again.



Her whole world shattered.



Rugby was her life and if she did not get to play it ever again she would be crushed. She wanted to play not only because she loved the sport, but to help out her family.



Her dad died a few years ago and then her mom lost her job so now they were living in a horrible little shack. She wanted to be able to pay for her and her mom and sister to live in someplace nice. Now, it looked as if that would never happen. The doctor came in and told Renée about her options.



“Look,” he said, “I know how much you love rugby and how good you are at it. The only way you can keep on playing is if you get a knee operation.”



A tear started to form behind her eyes but she didn’t want to let it be seen.



“Surgery, you mean,” she asked in fear.



“Yes surgery,” the doctor said.



She was afraid of being put to sleep and then being operated on. Renée told the doctor that she would think about it and ask her family what she should do. Then she asked if she could call for a cab to go home. She went outside to wait for the cab and noticed that it was still raining, even harder now. She wondered if the rain would ever let up.



Finally the cab came and she told him to go to 134 Maple Avenue because that was where she lived. The cab driver noticed she was crying and curiously asked,



“What is wrong my dear, why are you crying?”



She was startled by the drivers deep tone and said,

“Oh, nothing.”



The driver asked, “Are you sure?”



Renée was really disturbed by the driver asking her what was wrong and she said, “Yes, I am sure.”



Finally the cab pulled up to her house and Renée got out of the cab and hobbled to the front door of her house. Walking was very painful because she could feel a bone out of place in her knee. Renée was almost in tears because it hurt so much.



She finally arrived at the door and opened it slowly, as in not to startle anybody.



Phew, she thought, nobody was home. Renée went to her room and fell asleep right away on her bed.



“Renée are you home yet,” her mother called from the living room when she arrived home from work.



No answer came from Renée. Her mom walked around the house to make sure that Renée really was not home. She walked into Renée’s room and found her there sleeping. She thought that Renée must have had a rough day at practice and needed rest so she just let her lay there and sleep.



Later in the day Renèe woke up and felt horrible. Everything ached, especially her knee. To make things even worse, she felt sick to her stomach.



“Mum, hurry I need you. Mum,” she yelled for her mother.



Renèe could not even move. She started to panic. Sweat poured off of her head and she looked very pale.



“Honey, I am here what is the matter,” her mother asked when she ran frantically into the room.



“Mum, I do not know what is really wrong with me. Everything aches and I feel sick to my stomach,” Renèe said in complete panic to her mother, “I do not think I can even move.” Her mother thought and thought of what to do but she was completely useless.



“Do you need to go to the hospital,” she finally asked. “No, mum I already went before I got home because I hurt my knee in practice. They told me that I needed surgery but I know we cannot afford it,” she replied



“Oh, honey I am so sorry. You know we do not have enough money for a hospital bill. I already work two jobs as it is,” her mom answered her in complete sympathy.



Renée told her mom that it was okay that she could not get the surgery and that she would just have to try to heal her knee on her own time.



Renée exercises and works on getting her knee healed up. It takes about six months but she is finally able to play again.



At her first game back a scout for a university team is there watching her. After the game he walks up to her and tells her that she did a great job and he would like her to play for them. She agrees on the condition the University talk to a hospital about the surgery she couldn't afford and possibly see about finding a surgeon who will do it for free.



It so happens there is a surgeon who agrees to do it and even help Renée through college as long as long as she keeps up her grades and continues to play.