She’d learned to push through life’s challenges, and this, she assumed, was just another bump in the road. But days turned into weeks, and the pain refused to subside. It was no longer a dull ache she could brush aside.
It felt like sharp pain, throbbing with increasing ferocity. She would wake in the middle of the night, clutching her side, gasping for air, hoping that the next morning would bring some relief. But the pain only worsened.