He’s been thriving since joining his middle school football team here in the U.S. – training hard, earning his place in the starting lineup, loving every minute. And then, two weeks ago… injury. After X-rays and MRIs, he was diagnosed with a Pars Fracture in his lower back. The treatment? A full-time back brace, 24/7 for three months. No sports. No training. No riding his bike. No running off his energy.
For an active, sporty, go-go-go kid, it hit him like a freight train.
This morning, we sat on the edge of his bed, back brace in his lap, eyes heavy with disappointment. And I told him something I deeply believe-
“You can keep looking at this brace as a punishment, or you can see it as the thing that’s going to heal you and make you stronger. Either way, the brace stays. But your mindset, that’s yours to choose. And that choice will determine what the next 3 months looks like.”
As the words left my mouth, I realised, this has been our entire immigration journey. When we left South Africa, it could have been a story of loss. We were saying goodbye to everything familiar- our community, our family, the rhythms of life we had always known.
But we chose to see it differently.
We framed it as an adventure. An open door. A bold step into something new.
And that mindset shaped everything that followed.
Yes, immigration has been hard.
Yes, building a business, a life, a community from scratch is hard.
But the lens through which we see those challenges matters more than we realise.
Sometimes, the brace doesn’t come off.
Sometimes, the thing you wish you could change… stays.
But even then, you get to choose your mindset… And that choice changes everything.
