At age 14, 15 and 16, the way we looked was the most important thing in the world to us. My friends and I wanted nothing less than perfection.

In high school, we joined the gymnastics team, and our _________ became even more important to us. We had no fat, only muscle. On the weekends, we would go to the beach, _________ of our flat stomachs.

One summer day, all my friends were at my house swimming. At one point, I was running back to the pool. I _________ on a bee, and while it was dying under my foot, it stung (蛰) me. I immediately started to feel _________. That night, I began to run a high fever and my leg and foot were red, hot and swollen. I couldn’t walk. I could hardly _________.

When my foot started to go numb (麻木), everyone became more _________. My foot was not getting enough blood. I had to go to the hospital, and my leg hurt as if it were _________. I couldn’t move. All I could do was think about how soft my waist (腰部) was becoming. That _________ me more than any concern over my leg.

That all changed when I heard the doctors mention possibly _________ my foot. It was still not getting the __________ supply it needed. The doctors would have to speed up their treatment.

Never before did I have such great appreciation for my foot. And walking seemed like a ____________ from the gods. Less and less would I want to hear my friends talk about __________ and who was wearing what. More and more I expected visits from other kids in the __________, who were quickly becoming my friends.

One girl came to visit me __________. Every time she came, she brought flowers. She was recovering from cancer and felt she should come back and __________ the other patients.

She still had no hair, and she was swollen from medications she had been taking. I would not have given this girl a second glance before. I now loved every inch of her and looked forward to her visits.

Finally, I was improving and soon I went home. My leg was still swollen, but I was walking, and I had my foot! When I went back to the hospital, I often saw my friend. She was still visiting people and spreading encouragement. I thought if there was a(n) angel on this earth, it had to be her.