a little background: i was born in a third-world country where I broke my arm. i was maybe 4 or 5 when it happened. when i was treated it healed incorrectly. i got a lucky(ish) break when i learned i would be moving to the US. one obvious perk from this was access to better-trained doctors who could fix my arm.

welp, i'm 25 now and my arm is still... wonky. you can most notice the deformity when it's outstretched, and as a result, i've been accustomed to resting my arm on my waist so as to make it less noticeable. it's subconscious now. other than that, my arm functions normally.

i'm VERY insecure about my arm.

i don't remember this, but apparently, upon newly entering the states, i had a consultation where it was explained that to fix my arm it would have to be broken again, and that could cause a lot of trauma for a little one like me. so the decision was made that i would live my life with this wonky arm instead.

i tried to retell this story as unbiased as possible, but i posted it in this subreddit so it's probably a little clear what i think. as a parent, would you have fixed my arm? why or why not?