CommonApp Essay Braeden Carolan

1 November 2020

My growing passion for baseball began when I was six years old as playing baseball was

what I did during the springs and summers. During the summer of 2016, I played for a local

traveling baseball team. The experience was like no other as I was playing the game that I love

with some of my best friends all summer long. I felt that nothing could bring me down; and I

never wanted it to end.

However, that enjoyment came to an abrupt halt when I felt numbness in my hand and

fingers that began as tightness and discomfort in my elbow when throwing. Over the next few

weeks, there was minor discomfort that lingered with spikes of more severe pain that forced me

to temporarily stop throwing. I continued to play conservatively and managed the pain until we

made an appointment with our family physician.

That appointment was the beginning of our journey to discovering and correcting the

problem. We were referred to a children’s orthopedic surgeon in Dayton who requested an MRI

and confirmed his suspicion that there was pinching of my ulnar nerve in my elbow. He

recommended surgery to transpose my ulnar nerve to create a shorter path so that it would not be

strained when throwing. I knew that it would require hard work and determination to get back to

playing the game I love, but I was ready for the challenge ahead.

The surgery occurred that fall and everything went according to plan. After an extensive

recovery process, I was back to playing baseball that very next summer. I was not at full strength

in my ability, but the surgery gave me pain-free throwing for the summer of 2017 and the spring

of 2018. Unfortunately, towards the end of that spring, I started to feel discomfort again. I played

through it because I wanted to enjoy the game I love. But as the season continued, the pain
became much worse to the point where I thought my baseball-playing days would soon be over.

The pain kept me from playing during the spring of last year, 2019.

When I was at my lowest point in terms of my arm health, I had a moment of inspiration

that made me want to do everything I could to play baseball again. The summer of last year, I

went to another orthopedic surgeon who diagnosed me with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome which

may have been the problem the entire time. He referred me to a specialist in Indianapolis who

recommended another surgery that would require part of my top rib to be removed along with

detaching a muscle in my shoulder. Knowing the difficult road ahead, I was more than

determined to play again.

The surgery went smoothly and I quickly began my extensive physical therapy and

recovery. After putting in countless hours to regain mobility and strength, I was finally able to

throw again just this past February. I kept working towards my goal and I was able to play

baseball again this past summer for a short season due to covid-19. It is my greatest

accomplishment to come back from two surgeries on my arm to be able to play baseball once

again.

This experience affected me like nothing else in my life. The anguish that was caused by this

nagging injury is something that will shape who I am for the rest of my life. It taught me that, in

the end, everything will work out even in the darkest of times. I also had a realization of the true

power of dedication. It made me notice how powerful we can be when we have a passion for

something that we love. The people in my life are an amazing group of people to lean on in hard

times and this experience made me appreciate them even more.