Shortly after the start of my freshman year of high school, I came down with a sore throat. Presumably, this was nothing to fuss over. After ample recovery time, the sore throat did not subside, and an unusual fever lingered. My lymph nodes swelled up like a balloon on the verge of bursting, and were unbearably sore. Headaches became a daily occurrence. Most prominently, I was constantly fatigued. Upon a much-needed visit to the doctor’s office, I reluctantly endured having my blood drawn. Through the results of said blood test, it was determined that I had mononucleosis. Granted the illness typically lasts two to four weeks, there are unique occurrences where the virus causes complications for up to a year after symptoms set in. In my case, symptoms were prolonged for six months. This inauspicious illness did not bode well for my fifteen year old self, as it entailed a great deal of unexpected setbacks and misery. Being the stubborn person I am, I initially attempted to continue my life as if nothing would affect my ability to do so. At the time, my schedule consisted of daily rowing practice (accompanied by weekend races), volunteer work, piano lessons, and attending Olympia High School. The more I tried to push through the fatigue in order to continue these activities, the worse my symptoms got. Facing the reality of my health status became …show more content…
It wasn't until I was physically unable to maintain my busy schedule, that I finally began to question how I want to live my life, and transferred to Avanti High School. In doing this, my perspective on education changed for the better, and I was urged to enroll in college classes. I am now seventeen years old and still have a vague concept of where life will take me. Nonetheless, I am more confident than ever in my ability to overcome life’s challenges. Robert Frost said “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes
Merriam-Webster defines mononucleosis as: "an acute infectious disease associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and characterized by fever, swelling of lymph nodes, and lymphocytosis."1 It is more commonly called "mono," or "the kissing disease." When I was thirteen, I caught this dreaded disease, and it changed the ways I acted around my friends forever.
In the reading “Who Goes to College” written by Cecilia Rodriguez Milanes I was able to see myself in her situation. When she was a senior she had no idea what she was going to do her following year, all she knew was that her parents wanted her to attend college. She always wanted to work, she liked being able to provide for herself but her parents always told her that college would come first. She had no clue of how college worked, what classes she would take or what she would do there. After all the confusion she had of what college truly is, she began to love it. I believe that Cecilia Rodriguez chose the right path, even though she was not completely sure of what she wanted to do she always worked hard and never let any obstacle put her
When I think about the moments leading up to my diagnosis I remember feeling weak, confused, shaky and sleepy. I did not notice that I had began sleeping throughout the day. My body was craving soft drinks like soda and juice but not food. Days would go by and I eventually fell into a deep slumber that I found myself only waking up from to use the bathroom. I knew something was wrong and that if I did not get to a hospital it would get worse. Nothing could have prepared me for the life changing diagnosis I would receive.
Something as simple as taking a walk around the facility can prove to be a battle with patient X. From the day I met patient X it was noticeable that she was lacking her memory. Patient X could no longer tell me her name and everyday it would be different struggle, but for that day it was getting her out of bed to take a walk. From the moment I walked in and introduced myself, patient X could not provide me with her name. Patient X constantly asked if I was her baby, and when dealing with an Alzheimer patient, it’s always best to go along with what that patient is saying. As I got patient X up and out of bed, she started to become violent and resistant. Patient X took forty-five minutes to simply get out of bed and dressed, and that was the very beginning of the battle that would consist all day.
Overcoming an addiction to alcohol can be a long and bumpy road. Many people feel that it is impossible to overcome an alcohol addiction. Many people feel that is it easier to be an addict than to be a recovering addict. However, recovering from alcoholism is possible if one is ready to seek the help and support they need on their road to recovery. Recovery is taking the time to regain one’s normal mind, health and strength. Recovery is process. It takes time to stop the alcohol cravings and pressure to drink. For most, rehab and professional help is needed, while others can stop drinking on their own. Recovery never ends. After rehab, professional help or quitting on your own, many people still need help staying sober. A lot of time, recovering
One hassle in my life is me being constantly sick all of the time. Lately, I
One fateful day at the end of June in 1998 when I was spending some time at home; my mother came to me with the bad news: my parent's best friend, Tommy, had been diagnosed with brain cancer. He had been sick for some time and we all had anxiously been awaiting a prognosis. But none of us were ready for the bumpy roads that lay ahead: testing, surgery, chemotherapy, nausea, headaches, and fatigue. Even loud music would induce vomiting. He just felt all around lousy.
"Ring, ring", I wondered who was calling me at this time of evening. "Yes; o.k.; Yes, I'll be there", I said before hanging up the phone. What was wrong, I wondered all that evening that the doctor wanted me to come in to discuss my lab results? I had never been asked to come in to the office after doing blood tests before; when receiving a call as this the mind plays tricks on the person and wild things start popping up in the head.
My story began on a cool summer’s night twenty short years ago. From my earliest memory, I recall my father’s disdain for pursuing education. “Quit school and get a job” was his motto. My mother, in contrast, valued education, but she would never put pressure on anyone: a sixty-five was passing, and there was no motivation to do better. As a child, my uncle was my major role-model. He was a living example of how one could strive for greatness with a proper education and hard work. At this tender age of seven, I knew little about how I would achieve my goals, but I knew that education and hard work were going to be valuable. However, all of my youthful fantasies for broader horizons vanished like smoke when school began.
Using narratives to gain an insight into human experience is becoming an increasingly popular method of exploration. Assuming that people are in essence narrative beings that experience every emotion and state through narrative, the value of exploring these gives us a unique understanding. Narrative is thought to act as instrument to explore how an individual constructs their own identity (Czarniawska, 1997) and explain how each individual makes sense of the world around them (Gabriel, 1998). It may also give us an understanding into individual thought processes in relation to individual decision making practices (O’Connor, 1997). It is evident from studies such as Heider and Simmel (1944), that there appears to be an instinctive nature in people to introduce plots structures and narratives into all situations, with an intention to construct meaning to all aspects of life in its entirety. The value of narrative is that it is a tool that allows us to understand what it means to be human and gives us an insight into a person’s lived experience whilst still acknowledging their cultural and social contexts. Narrative is thought to be significance as it is ‘a fruitful organizing principle to help understand the complex conduct of human beings (p.49)’ (Sarbin, 1990) The construction of a person’s narrative is thought to be dependent on each person’s individual awareness of themselves and the circumstances that surround them. However, a debate to whether a person is able to formulate a valid narrative in the face of a mental illness such as schizophrenia has emerged. Sufferer’s symptoms are often thought to interfere with their abilities to perceive within a level deemed acceptable to their society’s norms and therefore the validity ...
One moment you’re entering high school and in the blink of an eye it’s senior year. The thought of college is becoming more and more prevalent in your mind as each day passes. You’re forced to make so many decisions about your future, even though you still feel like a kid. The idea of the future can feel so daunting, so unmanageable. There are so many different paths to take, whether it’s the most common one, or an entirely different one. The hard decisions lay outside your comfort zone and require drive and knowledge to choose. You can choose to take the clear-cut path or venture out on your own. I know that my path is college. In college there are so many opportunities for me to take my own path and become my own person, without letting the politics of high school get in my way. High school was a rough time for me, as it can have too much focus on the social aspect of things, rather than staying
Let’s flash back in time to before our college days. Back to then we had lunch trays filled with rubbery chicken nuggets, stale pizza, and bags of chocolate milk. A backpack stacked with Lisa Frank note books, flexi rulers, and color changing pencils. The times where we thought we wouldn’t make it out alive, but we did. Through all the trials and tribulations school helped build who I am today and shaped my future. From basic functions all the way to life-long lessons that helped shape my character.
My best option is to turn to the Internet for help. With all of those dangerous diseases out there, I could have easily mistaken something as small as a common cold into something threatening such as meningitis. Performing searches on my health usually generate a feeling of paranoia. However, having this paranoia motivates me into caring for myself more causing me to feel even better after sickness. Normal health is always overlooked and when sickness overcomes me, I am given the incentive to care for my body in different ways. I start to miss the feeling of being healthy because I want to be comfortable in my own body. Feeling healthy gives me the opportunity to live free without physical
In pondering what my life will be like when I am finished with college, I have to consider the rapid life-changing events and choices that I am facing now at the age of 17. In a short span of time I have had to make a decision about my future career and, based on that decision, choose where I would go to college. I realize that I am in a crucial part of my life now, and that the commitments I make today will drastically affect my status ten years from now.
We all have those days where we feel so hopeless or unable to do anything right. We have all felt that we couldn’t finish school or other life challenges. We question everything about life, that’s what happened with me. I had never had a normal life and now it takes a turn for the worse. I grew up under the circumstances that forced me to become more responsible and mature, which has enabled me to succeed later in life.