i always had gymnastics talent. i just loved it. i was in the advanced section at my gym, and would eagerly perform on stage. it was unusual for me to mess up. i had been tumbling since i was just a very little girl. when i was 12 years old, i was at a national competition, doing a routine to beautiful, soft music in a purple and blue leotard with a tutu. but i was nervous, and i was rarely nervous. this routine was very hard and was usually used on girls older than me. i just knew something wasnt right. but i went on. i was doing just fine until my ariel cartwheel. crack! i heard somewhere and then it was all black and someone was screaming. when i woke up i was in a hospital. i had severely damaged my spinal cord leading to me being unable to use my legs. ever. i can still remember what it felt like to walk. to tumble. but i will never enter a gymnastics studio again. when i was little, my grandma called me her little star. i was very close to her, and she loved watching me do gymnastics. the next time i saw her, she lifted me out of my chair and held me in her lap. i was still her shining star, even if i couldn't tumble. so ive accepted that i'll never walk again. its just me and i love it.