Typically, the drive home would have taken two hours. We were seven hours in. The snow was blowing sideways– I was practically blind. I was fifteen years old, with just a learner’s permit, driving my mother home from yet another doctor’s appointment in Denver. We were stuck in sluggish traffic because a car had slipped on the icy pavement into a barrier on the mountain pass. We were grinding at a painstaking five miles per hour and had over thirty miles to go. Still, I drove on at a crawling pace. Remarkably, we were cheerful– laughing, telling jokes, going on rants, and listening to lively Spanish music (as we both are native Spanish speakers). What mattered most was the here and now– our happiness and good spirits. We were trying to disregard …show more content…
It was a full-time job, smack-dab in the middle of my sophomore year. Then, in November of my Junior year, just as my mother began her rehabilitation, misfortune struck our family again. I was in a major car crash caused by a collision with a deer on the highway. This resulted in a serious concussion, missing several weeks of school, and having to quit playing hockey. In the midst of 11th grade I found myself recuperating from a head injury and compensating for the weeks of missed school, while striving to perform well in demanding classes. In overcoming these hardships, I learned several important lessons. I found that no matter what, I need to confidently push myself to do my best and persevere. I learned that I can’t let life get in the way of my own ambitions. Life will always throw us “curve-balls” and, recognizing the importance of finding tenacity, even when feeling uncertain and feeble, is pivotal to …show more content…
Nevertheless, I gained more self-awareness than any other time in my life. I was dealing with tremendous burdens for a 15/16-year-old and needed to make time for myself and look to others for support. I didn’t fully appreciate how much this could ease facing challenges and help me remain social and hopeful. Advocating for myself, trusting others, and maintaining a positive outlook, whilst having so much going on, truly helped me from becoming completely overwhelmed. I carry this with me every day. Still, it wouldn't have been possible without my finding, from deep within, the self-confidence and drive to continue. I also learned that I can handle more than I ever thought possible. I learned that my intellectual side shined, even in the darkest of times. During my mother’s recovery, my curiosity was one of my strongest allies. I did my research and went to her doctor’s appointments. I educated myself about her skeletal structures, prosthetics, medical terminology, and the “super-bacteria” that threatened her life. This understanding allowed me to process at a deeper level what was happening to my mother and it gave me a further appreciation for the work the doctors were doing to save her
There was one time in particular I found myself in a situation which in the past, would have rendered me unable to cope. My Au pair family asked me to take the train by myself to travel to their uncle’s home and bring back their child. I had only been there for a little over two weeks. I still didn't have a good understanding of the Italian language. I was worried I wouldn't make myself understood if I needed help on the way. On my way there, I got off at the wrong station and found myself lost in the center of the town’s piazza. I had never experienced anything like this, and though I was afraid, I kept calm. After an hour of backtracking, I found my way back to the train station and boarded again and was able to find the right destination. I retrieved the child and brought him back home. What an adventure! Later that evening I reflected on how unnerving and stressful the event had been. I was pleased that I’d persevered in the midst of such an anxiety-ridden and intimidating situation. This was one example where I proved to myself how capable I
SWISH! I turn my head to the right with a grin and see my mom cheering as I scored my first points of the season. The last game of the season I scored my first points of my middle school basketball “career.” Now sit back and relax as you read the story of how I got my first points in middle school basketball.
Growing up as an only child I made out pretty well. You almost can’t help but be spoiled by your parents in some way. And I must admit that I enjoyed it; my own room, T.V., computer, stereo, all the material possessions that I had. But there was one event in my life that would change the way that I looked at these things and realized that you can’t take these things for granted and that’s not what life is about.
Nothing could be worst than your dad bringing up "THE CONVERSATION." Starting at age 5 I loved playing soccer,running up and down the field, making moves and kicking balls to the back of the net was always the way to go. Soccer meant the world to me and especially playing with my best friends since the day I started. My days would go something like this, go to school,get home,do homework then get ready and go to a beautiful fun day at soccer!After soccer I would go home sit on the couch and eat.I was a lazy one. That's why I hoped my dad would never ever bring up this conversation.... But he did anyways.
went to sit down on the sofa. A few minuets later my food was ready
I moved to Fresno, California and worked as caregiver sometime in the summer 2012. I lived there for about 7 months then I moved to New York in December 2012. My friend Alvin Almonte invited me to work in New York because he said job opportunities were much better here and that New York is much more accessible. I lost my immigration status in November 2011, while I was in Arizona. In my contract, I was assured that after three years (supposedly 2009-2012), the employer would apply for my Green Card. This was clearly not the case. I was working as a temporary hotel worker with an uncertain status. I started to work as buzzer in a restaurant in New York. Currently, I am working as caregiver for the elderly.
This was devastating part in my life because my grandma was my best friend. She went through breast cancer, twice, skin cancer, and a brain tumor. Although it still saddens me to this day, I know that she was not in pain when she passed. I remember Hospice coming to her house in her final months, and I also remember the Physician Assistant. I had never met someone who genuinely cared about a patient and family members as much as her. She was a huge influence on my life, which shaped my decision on thinking about becoming a Physician Assistant as my career. Not long after my Grandma passed way, another disaster came upon my family and I. I was at cheerleading practice, participating in a stunt when a life changing moment happened to me. I fell from the air, and completely broke my tibia and fibula. I remember being rushed to the hospital to get examined and have surgery the next morning. This affected my life tremendously because I thought I would never be able to participate in sports as I have before. I had to be home-schooled for a month, and I was not able to put any weight on my leg. While going through this time in my life, my mother was with me every step of the way. There were nights when I would sleep on the couch and see that my mother was laying on the ground right beside me. Although this affected me, it also had a similar affect on my family. While going through the process of physical therapy, and post-surgery follow ups, I spoke to one of the Physician Assistants that assisted on my surgery. She informed me on how my operation went and I instantly grew close with her. My fear was that I was never able to run again, and she told me that she believed in me and gave me hope. I eventually gained my muscle back, and was able to qualify for the state meet, and assist my teammates on breaking a school record for my
With ups and downs in my career and my personal life, I have become stronger, more modest and grateful for all the chances that life offered. I have always been one of the top 10 students in class. But, I wasn’t able to perform my best in my third and final years of dentistry due to some distractions at home. But my mother always encouraged me with the thought that a failure is life’s way to make you better at something, for which you must keep trying. Holding on to that thought, I worked even harder and not only proved my merit in my second attempt, but got a better conceptual understanding about the subjects than most students around
Hey! Hey! Hey! Said a ruffled voice, coming from my half-opened door. Raising my head from the bed, squinting my eyes, trying to see who was at the door, there stood my chloric father.
When I think back on the many obstacles I have overcome in life, the most challenging would be when my younger brother became a victim of gun violence during my last semester of undergrad at Florida State University. We were both enrolled in school at the time, living over 400 miles away from home. As you can imagine, the pressure of being the first in family to graduate was already high, and on this tragic day I had to juggle being a full-time student with a full-time job, while caring for my brother. There were many times I did not think I would be able to do it all, with our parents so far away and unable to travel to us, I was his only support system. Despite the stress I was feeling, I had to remain strong; not only for my brother, but for my parents who did not think he’d survive.
It was my fault, no one else’s, the time where failure hit harder than someone beating a drum. End of spring 2013 I found out that I was repeating the grade all over again, never have I imagined myself being in that position till that year. Leading up to this was beginning of ninth grade year, terrified knowing that I wasn't going to know anybody I was going to be alone. I went through so much emotionally it began to show the first few weeks of high school. Constantly having anxiety attacks where I end up staying the entire day in the office since I kept crying eyes out.
In the year of 2010 around 11:00AM on a bright and sunny summer morning and not a cloud in the sky, you could hear birds chirping and feel the wind blowing, I was planning on swimming in my clear heated pool in my backyard with colorful lights on the inside, it was planned to be the perfect day. Little did I know I was not going to be the only one swimming.
Very young, my dad was in the fifth grade and having an enthusiastic day on the farm when something dreadful happened to him. It was a clear day, and he was very elated. Until he got in an accident on his three wheeler. Clueless, he didn’t know what to do, fear rushed through his body. So he decided to just sit there and wait for someone to come find him. Someone finally found him, and tried to help immediately. Frantically, they rushed him to the hospital, hoping it wasn’t too serious. They got to the hospital and the doctors feared he had a broken neck, and could never walk again. Scared, he had to toughen up. Everything tensed up in the room when the doctors walked in. Luckily, it was only a shattered jaw, but they had to sew his jaw shut. My dad was very stubborn and would do anything to get better. All the doctors were very surprised when he recovered quicker than expected, and everyone in his family was extremely thankful. Everything was getting better and the stars were aligning. My dad took away so much from this event, what he mainly learned was to be very grateful for family, because they will be there for you. As can be seen my dad learned that sometimes you have to fight through the pain and get tougher to overcome your
Leaving the bodies for last we walked down the drive to take a look. Several rifles and shotguns were leaned carefully again the big oak. Two handguns and some knives were on the grass in front of them. Four people dangled from a branch of the tree close enough to each other to bump like a weird wind chime. A young couple and the other twice their age at a guess from the gray hair and styles of dress. They were probably parents and a married son or daughter with their spouse. Other than being hung there were no injuries apparent on any of the four. From the condition of the bodies they had been dead about a day.
I made the choice to ride my bike down a steep hill, as a result I crashed. I was hit so hard on impact my bike pedal went just about half way through my leg. This happened at a bad time as the football season started in two weeks. But because I made the decision to go down that hill I was on crutches for two months and the doctors said I was lucky I did not tear any tendons in my knee or even hit a main artery and bleed out on the spot. I was crushed, I remember telling myself “I will never be able to get back to normal”. But I stayed strong, with the help of my family, friends, and even teachers. When I felt weakest I would always think of how much I took the life around me for granted, everyday things that were now made difficult were the most missed. I never thought I would miss walking, running, playing sports, or even showering. But I did. It was like being trapped in a glass box-stuck, forced to watch the World around me. This taught me the importance of living your life to the fullest, and doing what you love with your time, because you never know how much time you have left to do the things you love. With this I learned to truly enjoy just the simplest things in life, and don't take them for granted because you never know when you could be back in the glass box