Surgery Vs Papito

My name it's Kenneth Cruz, but you can call me 'Papito'.

I am a Muay Thai fighter, been doing it for a while now. If you are a fighter you know the ups and downs that comes with this brutal but beautiful sport.

Just when I was getting on my peak form, fighting almost every month boom! Everything went downhill without me knowing it, my next battle is outside the ring.

It was during my last fight. Second round of the fight I fell awkwardly on my leg, I knew something happened to it but I wasn't sure, but then I threw a kick and my leg went completely. I kept on fighting, it was really important for my coach Jose and I so at that moment we just had to adjust to it. I ended up winning the fight via TKO in round 4. I was probably down on the judges scorecards but it didn't matter in the end. Throughout the 2 following rounds after I injured my leg, it was getting worse and worse. I couldn't even step on it.

But hey, if you have watched some of my fights you know I am a warrior.

I was very happy, I won a nice belt but more importantly I DID NOT GIVE UP.

After that I had a couple of weeks rest, something I never do hahah! If you fight on Saturday you back at the gym on Monday! My leg was a bit swollen and it was painful to even walk, but I just thought 'it will go away, it's part of the game'. I didn't want to go to the emergency department as it's too long and they wouldn’t really do much, I thought. Many things I would do differently now but life teaches you lessons. I will avoid the same mistake twice, it is better to lose a few hours than a few months.

I started doing some light training after 3 weeks rest mainly boxing, doing some physiotherapy and little S&C.

But one day boom!! I hurt my leg again! It was time to go to the hospital. It took over 2 months to get the results back and the orthopedic gave me the sad news.

My ACL and meniscus are completely torn and it will not heal on it's own and that's why I need surgery to have a chance to come back fighting again. For those who doesn't know, with this injury you may lose the full range of movement in your knee, meaning no kicking, twisting or bending, etc; sometimes you will find it hard to stand on the affected leg, feeling unstable.

You fight or you go home. I know I am in God's hand now but I am going to fight this until the end.

It's a long waiting list and I am aware of the unfortunate situation we have with the NHS. You might get an appointment in 3 months but it can be cancelled any time; they are fighting for their rights as well.

Last option I have is trying to go private. It's mad expensive obviously and that's why I need your help.

I have little savings and help from friends and family, but unfortunately it’s not enough. I would need the money for the operation itself and to keep me and my daughter afloat the couple of months post surgery.

I know everything passes so I will keep the hard work, faith and strong mindset. If this post has helped you I am glad it did, you can learn something from other people's experiences. Lastly, I would be forever grateful for any donations you can make.

Stay blessed

Thank you :)