Cinco de Mayo always coincides with the end of the college semester so it’s almost like a double whammy when it comes to celebrating.  This one started the same as they all do, with some day drinking to kick off the festivities. 

We drink all day in the dorm and once everybody is good and ready to go out, we head to the local Mexican bar to continue what we started on campus.  We pay the cover and walk in but I only make it 10 feet from the entrance before I run into two buddies I know from high school.  We take turns ordering pitchers of shots to split between the three of us.  One of my friends decides it would be easier for  each of us to order our own and simply drink directly out of the pitcher instead of wasting time with the tiny shot cups.  The other friend, not to be outdone, suggests it’d be more efficient to have chugging contests to save even more time.  My brain stopped making memories somewhere around here.

I wake up in the morning and feel surprisingly good.  I’m the first one up which means I must have been the first one to bed.  I put on my gear and head down to the field for my intermural soccer game.  I figured I get a head start on everybody else and get a little warm up in before they woke up.

When game time comes around the rest of the team arrives and I’m already sweating like a pig.  First half goes by and I feel a little light headed and nauseas.  It’s hot out so I figure that’s the reason why and I come back out for the second half.  Somehow, I’ve managed to forget your body needs water to survive and I’ve only consumed alcohol in the past 24 hours.  Near the end of the second half I switch out for a sub and begin throwing up on the bench.  The spectators give me a round of applause for heading back onto the field to finish the game.  The clocks finally ran down and we’re still tied at the end of regulation.  Shootout time.

I’m scheduled to shoot for our squad and I’m trying to patiently wait for my turn despite the fact that I’m now seeing large black dots in my line of vision and everything around me seems to be spinning out of control.  I can't wait anymore, I have to bail. 

I make it to the bathroom and try to cool off but my body wants nothing to do with this process.  I’m convinced that I’m dying because now I can’t see or feel my arms and legs.  My teammates find me and carry me to the campus nurse.  She phones for an ambulance and I’m carted out on a stretcher.  I made sure to take the time to wave to my fellow classmates as I am wheeled through campus.

After receiving an IV in the ambulance and at the hospital, I felt way better than I had felt since coming to college earlier that year.  So good in fact, that I was able to rejoin my friends later that day to repeat the night before all over again.

-Submitted by Anonymous