Personal Narrative: My Father's Addiction

There was never one day in my house where there was not any screaming. There was never one moment where I saw my mother and father happy together. There was never one day I saw my father go sober. At the age of ten, my mother told me that she was leaving my father. I wasn't sad; in fact it was a relief. My house was always in constant chaos. My sister, my mother, and I faced the aggressive side effects of my father's addiction. I grew up watching my dad treat my family like nothing, as if he was in constant control of us and he was the only person that mattered. When my mom broke the news to me that they were getting a divorce, I did not understand at the time it was because of my dad's drug and alcohol addiction. I thought when he passed …show more content…
For years I refused to see him and only spoke to him when I was forced to. I wanted a normal family like my friends, a dad who would pick me over an addiction. Looking back, I realized that without my dad I would not be who I am today. I realized how strong I am, and I can handle anything that comes my way. Rather than being defeated by challenges I have faced I overcome them. My father taught me through his mistakes. I would not change who he is, because he has made me who I am. College will be a change, but a change that I am ready and excited to take on because I know that I can tackle whatever comes my …show more content…
Being in the hospital for a month is not an experience I would want to relive, I felt like I was never going to get better. The nurses were my lifeline, and they had an incredible impact on me. Seeing the way that the nurses care for and build relationships with their patients inspired me. I want to have a positive impact on someone and help them when they are feeling hopeless, just as the nurses at Children's Hospital did for me. To receive the best possible public health education I am aiming for a Bachelors of Science in Nursing at either Brown University or University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. These institutions have costly tuition, preferably I want to graduate debt free so I can take a gap year after graduating college. If I dedicate a year to doing a program such as AmeriCorp Vista I will gain communication skills and real life experience working with the public. If awarded the Ewing C. Kelly Scholarship this goal will be