People often say you never forget your first deeply personal experience.
Mine, however, is marked by fear and chaos rather than joy.
Instead of feeling excitement or nervous anticipation
, I remember tears streaming down my face while a close friend held my
hand and medical staff worked urgently around me.
What should have been intimate became a frightening
sequence of events — a panicked bathroom scene,
hours of hospital examinations, and memories
that linger far beyond the physical recovery.
Culture often frames these
experiences as exciting or funny,
but rarely do we hear about
what happens when they go wrong
. Many communities leave conversations
about health and body awareness unspoken,
leaving young people to rely on
myths and guesswork.