Cookies in the oven, perfume, trees, campfires, candles. These are just a few of the things that I can not smell. Just doing one thing wrong, can change your life forever.

As a young child, I was known to be impatient, and sometimes grumpy. When things did not go my way, or I didn’t get to do what I wanted I threw a fit. On May 15, 2011, my impatience changed my life forever.
Here is a little back story. About a week before May 15, my brother got his first longboard that he had been wanting for a long time.I was never allowed to ride the longboard with my brother, because my mom was scared I would get hurt, since I am known to be a klutz

It was a Saturday morning, and my brother Henry and his best friend Sarah were practicing tennis at our neighborhood courts. My brother Johann and I decided to tag along because at the time we also played tennis. I got bored really fast and did not want to play tennis with Johann anymore, and I started complaining, whining and threw a fit and begged Johann to walk me home.

This particular day, he brought along his longboard. I walked beside him as he longboarded. I got really jealous of his “sick new ride”.

“Johann can I please just kneel on your longboard and you push me for a little?” I asked with a pitiful voice.
“No Sophie, Mom said I can only have this if you do NOT ride it...” Johann said apologetically. I begged and begged. I whined and pouted. Being the annoying 9 year I was, I would not take no for an answer. Eventually, he got so fed up he just gave in.
I propped myself upon the board high and mighty, proud I won the battle. “Push me!” I exclaimed excitedly.
“Okay... Hold on tight!” He said with a slightly concerned voice.

5 seconds into the ride, I had no idea what was coming for me. I was just happy I didn't have to walk down this big hill. 7 seconds into the ride. I noticed a speed bump with a rut approaching quickly.  10 seconds into the ride. I was revolved off of that speed bump. Immediately the skateboard stopped, but due to the laws of motion, I kept going. I kept going until an opposing force got in my way. A rock. The opposing force was a rock. And my face stopped me. I immediately was in shock. My arms and legs both did not help to catch me in the situation, so my face did.

I was numb head to toe. I had no recollection as to what had just happened, and all I could see was blood. I had no pain, just a huge rush of energy. By the time this had happened, luckily we were right outside our house. I was screaming about 10 seconds post accident, and my mom came running outside, cleaned me up and immediately  took me to the doctor.

After a few weeks of going to different doctors seeing if i had broken bones or ruptured sinuses, we got no answers. Every doctor said “It is just bruised. Even if it was broken, you are too young to have surgery,” so we just blew it off and waited for it to heal.

About a year after the incident, I started to notice when people would say, “Wow that smells so good!” I thought I was crazy that I could not sense what they were sensing. The ability to not sense things became greater and greater, until now, where the only way for me to sense anything is by sticking perfume directly up my nose.
On May 15, 2011, I lost my sense of smell, and changed my life. Forever. No more smelling the christmas tree in the month of December, no more smelling cookies in the oven, nothing. Although you can live life without a sense of smell, you feel like you have lost a direct connection to the world.