My junior year my mother got into a bad car accident. She was in the hospital for weeks. Once again was worried and stressed because I couldn’t stop worrying about her. It was impossible to focus on school after that. Her car crash brought her brain damage and it was hard for her to be herself after that. When she came home she wasn’t herself, she didn’t know how to do the normal things around the house, I’d try to…
Knowing what you want out of life is only half the battle. The other half is a real opportunity to keep you focused, accountable and on track to achieve it.…
I remember before we left for vacation, my mom’s eyelashes started to grow back and she was so excited to go out and be able to buy mascara again. My mom fought her way through cancer and now she was able to start living her life normally again and that made me more happy than I had been that past year. My mom deserved that vacation more than anything, she was finally able to relax, be spoiled, and know that everything from there on out was going to be okay. Fast forward to the summer of 2014, my mom received her five years clear of cancer and strolled out of her doctor’s office to a round of applause by all the nurses who helped her win her fight. I remember that day smelled like the sunflowers my sisters and I had set on our dining room table for our mom to come home to. It was then that I realized I was given the best role model possible. I could not be more thankful to have a mother who is strong enough to beat cancer and a family who is there for each other no matter what. My family’s happiness and health will always come before anything else for me. My family values have been instilled in me ever since sixth grade, the year my life changed, and as long as I have the support of my family I will be able to take on anything that comes my…
During my high school years, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was horrible news to hear, especially since my mother has been such an influential figure in my life. In addition to this, my father was depressed during this time because of his unemployment and my mother’s cancer diagnosis. My mother was the only source of income for our family, so she went to work throughout her the pain from her chemotherapy. I was distraught from my mother’s illness, but I was expected to take on more household responsibilities so that my mother could rest when she got home from work. I was expected to help shop, clean, and take care of my younger sister by helping her with her homework. These responsibilities in addition to keeping up with my school work made this situation an extremely stressful time for me.…
Due to a nurse, an angle at the children's hospital at UNC Chapel Hill. Filled with joy she empowered me, on a day when I was afraid of the unknown. The same nurse put me to sleep for my second bone biopsy giving me the hope to push for the next day no matter the lab results. Since then I have pursued the healthcare service trying to learn and hopefully being able to give back the hope and joy that I received. At my current age, I have learned that life is not easy. All people will face obstacles which are out of their control that will challenge their faith. Each individual has the choice to rise after the disaster and make the best of the situation. During my youth, I discovered the resilience inside of myself. Finding confidence and courage to keep fighting, pushing forward. I view it as looking for the rainbow at the end of a storm, but not dwelling on the downside of the storm, staying focused on the positive future ahead. Currently I’m thankful to report that I am a happy and health senior at Brevard High School. At my current age of seventeen the difficulties of managing my health has dissipate leading to the exciting news of being cleared by my…
“Everybody goes through trials in their life, but you gotta keep pushing” says Stephen when you ask him about his life now. Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you only spend it once. No matter what obstacles get in your way never let them get you down. Continue to stay focused on what you dream of and never stray away from that…
At age 11, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was caught early enough that she had a good chance of overcoming it but, at 11, anything that ended with the word "cancer" sounded like a death sentence to me. Overnight, a previously silent genetic mutation had flipped my world upside down. Going through chemotherapy and radiation was taxing on my mother both physically and emotionally, as one might expect, but it was also taxing on my entire family. This experience was the first time I ever truly knew how it felt to endure hardship in my family. Prior to this, the most difficult experience of my life was when we had to put our cats down, so this was a major adjustment. I share this story because it has been a major influence on the person I am and the priorities I have…
I am currently a sophomore at Northwest Vista College, I am perusing a bachelors in biology and will graduate with my associates this fall. My road has not been easy to say the least. I am a full time student as well as a full time employee. To contribute to my hectic schedule I am also facing some hardships with my health. My health did make school more difficult to maintain and in the end my health issues force me to take some time off of school. However, I am on the road to recovery and ready to further my education. I am positive that my perseverance and diligence will help me in my road earning my degree and my hardships did act as speed bump, but it made me stronger in the…
I know I’m moving in the right direction when I have the power to keep going even after facing challenges thrown at me from life. I always believed that for success to be tangible, I have to be resilient and optimistic. The ability to withstand stress, adapt, and overcome changes in life is what helps keep me on track and reach your goals. Of course, controlling thoughts and keeping sane through changes in life isn’t as easy as it sounds and that is what I didn’t know the moment I emigrated to America. Even though I had the mentality of never giving up, I didn’t know how difficult it is until unexpected changes beyond my control tested my resilience. The difficulty of speaking the language, dealing with the cultural differences, and most importantly,…
My dad had gotten very sick. The doctors found a tumor in his large intestine. Hearing that, I felt like my whole life crashed before my eyes. My dad was such a good man that sometimes I thought why something so bad, would happen to such a good person. Doctors told him he needs surgery immediately, so dad had no other choice. He went into surgery and my mom and I were there by his side the whole time. Dad needed to stay in the hospital for a full week after surgery so we each took turns staying with him. I would come from school and go to dad, and mom would leave to work. We would take turns. This hardship was difficult for me to bare. My dad didn’t really speak any good English yet at that time, so I had to be there for him and translate everything. I knew I had to help him out. Hospital days were long. I remember sitting in a chair near my dad’s hospital bed and seeing all the nurses come in and out of his room. They were all so sweet and caring. They were all trying their best to get my dad to heal faster and get better. I remember sitting there and thinking to myself, how exhilarating it is to work as a nurse and make a difference in someone’s life every single day. From that day on, I have always wanted to become a nurse. I decided that I was going to study nursing so that I would be able to make a difference in people’s lives one day. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always enjoyed helping people. Whether it was helping my classmates with homework, helping my mom around the house, or helping my dad with translating. I always did it from the heart. I truly think that serving others is my passion and my calling in life. I went to my counselor in high school and told her that I wanted to do running start. She gladly signed me up for it. I did it for two years by taking prerequisites for the nursing program at Everett Community…
On August 18, 2006, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, which had spread through her entire body. My mom began chemotherapy in Lubbock, TX the following week. Seeing my mom suffering due to the treatments was extremely emotionally straining for me. I was terrified my mom was going to die. Shortly after, I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, and was prescribed anti-depressants. During the six weeks of my mother’s chemotherapy, I had no desire to do anything; it seemed even getting out of bed in the morning was an obstacle. I regret dropping out of school; I realize now the importance of an education.…
Every man and woman strives to achieve success, it’s what our parents teaches us from birth. However, a lot of people don’t realize success comes with a lot of failures. I’m not going to lie, I thought life would be easy. I graduate from high school, never got in trouble, and was a promising basketball star. In my adolescence years, things were handed to me, and I never really thought about my future. When the time came for me to take on the real world, I didn’t know what the struggle and the grind of life was. What made it even more tough was, growing up in the urban part of the bay area, which created chains of events that would change my life forever. My life was changing and I didn’t have a direction, and I kept sinking lower, until I…
In the fall of 2014 I developed a severe case of depression and even after time in a primary care facility, I was unable to attend my senior year of high school in 2015. Instead, I moved out on my own where I wandered aimlessly without ever leaving my bed. To admit that my excursion through depression was still holding me back from reaching my potential and that I needed more help was one of the hardest things I have ever done, and also the best decision of my life.…
There is no doubt that education is essential to people's lives. Having a good educational background is an important factor to get a good job and to work effectively. However, one of the saddest issues in today's society is the college dropout rate in many college or university remains very high. Some people are successful because they have the motivation and determination to graduate college; others are less lucky because they start college and feel as if they lack the preparation, desire, discipline or ability to succeed academically or persevere until a degree has been earned. This leads to quite a situation–to find the support needed to continue or to dropout? Whether you’re realizing that college isn’t for you, family issues, laziness or even debt, understanding some of the common causes and effects of quitting college may aid in the decision.…
When I was a child, I knew that I wanted to be a nurse just like my mom. I started preparing myself by majoring in science, math, and typing in high school. I knew that these classes would one day prepare me for college. When I enter college at the University of Memphis after high school, I take all the prerequisites needed for the nursing program. Later, I entered nursing school at Baptist School of Nursing and I was well on my way to becoming a nurse. When I got in nursing school, I lost focus of why I was there and failed the nursing program. I decided to continue my education at Shelby State Community College (Southwest Community College) by retaking my biology classes to enter SSCC night nursing program.…