Undergraduate / "my laugh" - UCF application essay - first draft [14]

Prompt: If there has been some obstacle or "bump in the road," in your academic or personal life, please explain the circumstances.

Throughout my life span, the greatest attribute to my character has always been my laugh. It is one of contagiousness. No matter what mood one is in, the second I give off a chuckle, it always tends to make others giggle in response. Who would have known, that the thing I am best known for and brings so much joy to others, would soon bring me harm.

While on a trip to Universal Studios, I sat with a group of friends at a restaurant waiting until they would call us back to the bus to head our journey back home. As we entertained each other with talk and humor, one of my friends said something that made the whole table laugh profusely. As we eventually settled down, I realized that my right hand was shaking uncontrollably. Though my friends thought it was a joke, they soon came to the realization that it was a really serious matter. The trembling that started in my hand, soon spread throughout my entire body. No one knew what to do. They quickly rushed me to the bus to lie down, as I was unable to stand up caused by the shaking in my legs. Many of the spectators believed I was having some form of seizure. As I was able to talk and retained consciousness, the supervisors quickly loaded everyone back onto the bus and rushed me back home.

Throughout the next few weeks, my family took me to numerous different doctors to have countless tests done to figure out why I was still shaking. No one had an answer for me, considering everything came back normal. The only thing doctors could do was label this condition as some form of active tremor. For the next two months, I was unable to do practically anything, especially schoolwork. I had to have my family write everything out for me. What took another student a half hour to complete, took me two hours.

Five months after the original starting date of these intense tremors, it settled down enough to where I would shake only when I was active. However, these activities could be something as simple as writing or even laughing a little bit. This condition hindered my daily activities immensely. A full year later, my shaking stopped. The doctors did not heal me, and it definitely was not any medication they put me on. It was the power of God that healed me.

Although this was a horrible experience to go through, I am grateful that I had to endure this. Through this experience, I learned how to have perseverance more than anyone I know. I gained strength to accomplish any task at hand. I am now able to encourage others through the worst times and understand at least a little bit of what they are going through. Most importantly, it showed that even through hard times, I am able to manage my time while keeping good enough grades to be in the top five percent of my class.