Undergraduate /
My dad's journey to his new liver - it has inspired and shaped me into the person I am today. [3]
common app prompt: some people have a story so central to their identity that their application would be incomplete without it. if this sound like you then share your story.
okay so down below is my essay and I feel like I didn't do a good job with it so please help with the editing.
Throughout life, we come across many people who impact us in a way. Their impact can be for a day or for a life time. It's common to not recognize the impact someone has left on you until a certain moment. The person who left a life changing impact on me, is my dad.
Three months after turning fourteen, my life was great. I was getting settled into high school, my grades were already starting off great and I was making friends. One day as I came home from school, I walked into my living room to find my mom and dad talking. My parents turned to me and told me to sit down because there was something important they had to tell me. I soon found out that my dad's liver was failing and he needed an immediate transplant. I was shocked and confused because my dad seemed fine. He was working and never looked sick. My parents told me not to worry because everything would be fine. Four months had passed and my dad still had not received a new liver, he was progressively getting worse. His body seemed to be getting weaker, but he constantly said he was fine and not to worry.
Times were getting hard for my family and I. My dad had to quit his job leaving my mom to be the only provider. I had to take on the responsibility of cleaning the house, cooking meals and checking on my dad while my mom was at work. I had to cut back on hanging with my friends because my dad was beginning to go in and out of the hospital. My focus for school was starting to slip and so were my grades. Two nights before my school spring break, my mom received a call from the hospital that my dad had been in a car accident and that he was in the hospital. Surprisingly, my dad hadn't received a scratch on him, even though his car rolled over five times, and the hospital released him within three hours. That very next night my mom received a call from the hospital aging stating that there was a liver that matched my dad' s body and that he needed to g et to the hospital immediately. My family and I rushed to the hospital and my dad was admitted and brought into surgery. The next morning, his doctor informed us that his surgery was successful, but my dad couldn't leave the hospital for at least a month.
During my dad's month stay at the hospital and journey to his new liver, inspired and changed me in so many ways. My dad's journey to his new liver has inspired and shaped me into the person I am today. Having to take on so many responsibilities at home, still manage my school work and constantly worry about my dad has helped shaped me into the person I am today. I'm more responsible and because I had so many things to do, I can say that this has helped me with my organization skills. Also, having to see my dad in a hospital for a month has inspired me to go into the medical field as a future career. In just an instant our lives can change, so seeing my dad remain positive and strong throughout his journey has taught me to not take my life for granted.
