2020 was a year of growth for a lot of people, but for me it started with a break in January. Long story short, I fell while skating on the Rideau Canal and broke my humerus bone. Later that day, the doctor explained that I would have to get surgery and added that I would get a permanent scar. One plate, a few screws, and thirty-three stitches later, my bone was fixed, and my skin was stitched. Now, I have a long scar that starts just beneath my left shoulder and stretches all the way to my elbow.
Healing
Two things that I didn’t expect were how slow the healing process would be, and how tough the skin would feel. To give you a mental image, right after I got the scar it was bright red and it slowly started to turn paler to a pinkish colour, eventually turning white. Even now, fourteen months later, my scar still has reddish patches, as it is still in the process of healing. A lot of people told me that putting Vitamin E on my scar would help it heal faster or fade a little. To be honest, I didn’t see a difference between when I used it and when I did not.
The *stares*
I also didn’t expect so many people to look at my scar. In the summer I stopped wearing my sling and started to wear t-shirts that revealed my scar. I could feel the stares burning into the back of my arm whenever I was in public. It took me months to finally be indifferent to the stares, but I will not lie — my scar made me feel self-conscious for a while… and still does from time to time. I always try to remember that this permanent mark on my arm is only a part of my story and does not define who I am.
Not so scar-y stories
Something that I never thought I would have to worry about is airport security. Sometimes, metal implants in your body can trigger the metal detectors in airports; that’s why some people have documents to prove that they have an orthopaedic metal implant. However, these documents are not accepted everywhere, so I simply did not get one. It’s not a big deal though — if I ever trigger a metal detector, I simply have to show my scar. A lot of people have asked me this question out of curiosity, and I am not going to lie, I asked the exact same question to my surgeon and nurses as well.
I learned a lot from this experience, especially about body image. All types of scars — acne scars, surgical scars, stretch marks, burns, and whatnot — are beauty marks, and you should not be ashamed of them! They may remind you of an unpleasant time in your life, but the most important thing is that you got through it! You are strong and beautiful no matter what.