As the week-long finals end, most people begin winter break in the mindset of having free time. But for others, like Lowden, it's the start of a two-week recovery from their recent injuries.
On Dec. 19, the first day of break, senior Kevin Lang was hit in the right eye, bruising his retina. While playing a home game for varsity basketball, Lang was hit by an opposing team member from San Jose High's inbound pass. Lang was trying to block the ball but was injured instead. Teammates didn't think it was that big of a problem but Lang ended up having to use eye medication for two weeks to dilate his eyes and was required to wear sunglasses the whole break.
"After [the opposing player] hit my eye, it hurt and I couldn't see anything so I thought I was going to be blind," Lang said.
Lang was able to see after a few days and is now fine, but junior Yeeann Chen and Lowden were not as fortunate. Chen injured her ankle at the beginning of break, on the day of the last final, before she could go skiing.
"I was about to go somewhere and while I was waiting for my mom and brother, I decided to practice a dance jump," Chen said. "I guess I didn't spot right so I landed right on my ankle really bad."
Chen dances in her garage and driveway, and believes the reason for her serious injury was bad luck and the shoes she was wearing at the time of the fall, because she has danced in those shoes and done the jump a couple of times previously, safely. Her ankled shoes went into her ankle and with a higher cut shoe the injury would have been less severe.
Lowden, an intermediate skier, was hurt during her skiing trip to Boreal and believes it to be the snowboarder's fault.
"When I was first hit, I was in shock for the first couple of seconds and then there was a rush of pain in my elbow," Lowden said. "The board hit me right in the funny bone, where the nerves are."
Lowden went to the doctor the day after, unlike both Chen and Lang who immediately went to the doctor after the injury. There, Lowden found out that she had nerve damage and a fractured bone and got proper medication.
The opposite of Lowden, Chen felt that her medical experience was far less satisfactory. According to her, the doctor took the X-rays and didn't think anything was wrong.
"It was still swollen so I went back to the doctor's and did more X-ray scans," Chen said. "He made it sound really pessimistic and told me that I had torn ligaments and fractured bone. I also went to an orthopedic doctor and he told me that my bones were also broken not just fractured".
Chen must use her crutches for four more weeks and go back to the doctor in two weeks to get therapy. With the severity of her injury, Chen has difficulty getting around in school and needs a lot of help from her mom at home.
Over break, Chen also noticed that there were many people injured and waiting at the doctors.
"My doctor said it was the weather that could have been the reason for numerous injuries," Chen said. "But I think it's carelessness and bad luck as what has happened to me."
