danimalfries
Dec 25, 2013
Undergraduate / A Rare Gift - the ability to push forward regardless of the challenge. [2]
Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?
I received a rare gift two days before my thirteenth birthday. It was acute lymphoblastic leukemia. When my doctor first revealed my situation, I did not take the news well. As much as I refused to believe my doctor, I knew it was the truth. Tears clouded my vision as I fiercely punched the hospital bed. Unable to accept the fact, I screamed, "Why me? Of all people, why me?" Eventually, my anger subsided and I finally faced reality. With the overwhelming support of my family, I decided that, despite the odds, I would give my all to fight my condition.
My battle with cancer was not easy. I remember not knowing of my condition and going into the emergency room to examine the enlarged lymph nodes in my neck. In just 2 months, they grew to the size of ping pong balls. To determine the cause of this abnormality, I had to go under the knife for a biopsy, resulting in a deep scar on my neck. When the results indicated it was due to cancer, the doctor recommended that a catheter should be inserted in my chest immediately, so chemotherapy treatments could begin. I denied the likelihood of survival until my family embedded a positive, determined mindset in me. With this, I agreed to confront my disease.
The treatments I went through drained all of my energy. My immune system was stained with chemotherapy, complicating day to day activities such as walking around, brushing my teeth, and chewing food. Radiation therapy and its side effects, however, were the worst obstacles to overcome. Constant nausea, fatigue, and overall pain caused my health to worsen, but it did not stop my increasing will to survive. I forced myself to eat and to exercise, because I knew my cancer was just another obstacle I could overcome. I refused to let it triumph no matter how hard it punished my body. Letting my family, my friends, and myself down was not an option. With this new way of thinking, I fought my battle until I achieved victory.
I have been in remission for over a year now, becoming healthier everyday. Defeating this obstacle changed my thought process. I now see that every problem I face has a solution within my grasp. Whenever I look at the scar on my neck, I am not reminded of the pain I endured, but of the gift I received: the ability to push forward regardless of the challenge.
Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?
I received a rare gift two days before my thirteenth birthday. It was acute lymphoblastic leukemia. When my doctor first revealed my situation, I did not take the news well. As much as I refused to believe my doctor, I knew it was the truth. Tears clouded my vision as I fiercely punched the hospital bed. Unable to accept the fact, I screamed, "Why me? Of all people, why me?" Eventually, my anger subsided and I finally faced reality. With the overwhelming support of my family, I decided that, despite the odds, I would give my all to fight my condition.
My battle with cancer was not easy. I remember not knowing of my condition and going into the emergency room to examine the enlarged lymph nodes in my neck. In just 2 months, they grew to the size of ping pong balls. To determine the cause of this abnormality, I had to go under the knife for a biopsy, resulting in a deep scar on my neck. When the results indicated it was due to cancer, the doctor recommended that a catheter should be inserted in my chest immediately, so chemotherapy treatments could begin. I denied the likelihood of survival until my family embedded a positive, determined mindset in me. With this, I agreed to confront my disease.
The treatments I went through drained all of my energy. My immune system was stained with chemotherapy, complicating day to day activities such as walking around, brushing my teeth, and chewing food. Radiation therapy and its side effects, however, were the worst obstacles to overcome. Constant nausea, fatigue, and overall pain caused my health to worsen, but it did not stop my increasing will to survive. I forced myself to eat and to exercise, because I knew my cancer was just another obstacle I could overcome. I refused to let it triumph no matter how hard it punished my body. Letting my family, my friends, and myself down was not an option. With this new way of thinking, I fought my battle until I achieved victory.
I have been in remission for over a year now, becoming healthier everyday. Defeating this obstacle changed my thought process. I now see that every problem I face has a solution within my grasp. Whenever I look at the scar on my neck, I am not reminded of the pain I endured, but of the gift I received: the ability to push forward regardless of the challenge.