This is my first draft of my essay. One of my biggest concerns is that I am not getting a point across, but just tell me what you think and please be very critical of it!
Everyone takes the occasional nap, but I knew this wasn't right. She would sleep from the time I got home till I went to bed. Work had already become too much for her to deal with. Her days had become almost constant cycles of sleep with waking moments spent coping with pain. It was difficult for me to watch the person I loved most, my mother, going through such intense pain. She dealt with so much, so why was I the one feeling self-pity?
As her illness progressed, it had a direct effect on my life. My after school activity started to consist of what seemed to be near constant trips to the doctor. To me, it didn't seem fair that I had to miss out on after school activities or hanging with my friends just to drive her around. It was frustrating not only because of what I missed out on but also because of the time we were forced to just wait for tests-and then more tests-to come back. This went on for months before we finally found what had been taking such a huge physical and emotional toll on my mom and me.
Multiple Sclerosis. I've now heard this word so many times it makes me sick. I'd heard of it before, but until last year it had no real meaning to me. Last year my life was changed forever. Last year my mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
Since then, things have changed dramatically for me. Though my mother is still quite independent, I have gained a lot of responsibility around the house. At first this was hard for me to handle. Mothers are supposed to take care of their children, not the other way around. Eventually, though, I adapted to the new chores and responsibilities. Having to rely more on myself for things has made me a fiercely independent person.
One of the worst parts of here disease is its unpredictability. My mom goes from being active and happy to bedridden and in pain in less than a day. These exacerbations come out of the blue, and used to annoy me more than anything. I remember looking forward to a shopping trip for weeks only to have it cancelled because she got sick. Times like that made me feel so angry, yet so guilty, because I always knew that it wasn't really my mom's fault. I've now learned to cope with this unpredictability, and it has helped me to better deal with any unexpected situation I might come across.
Before my mom stopped working, she was a Registered Nurse. My father and grandfather were both doctors. I grew up around hospitals, and was fairly sure I wanted to work in one. When I was younger, though, my motivations for wanting to practice medicine were ignorant ones that didn't fully consider whether it was something I was passionate about. Seeing what my mother goes through every day motivates me to work hard so that someday I will be able to become a doctor. Instead of letting my mother's illness take over my life, I want to find a way to make a difference.
For every hardship I have experienced because of Multiple Sclerosis, I know my mom has had to deal with so much more. The effects the disease has had on me, however, have helped me to discover who I really am. There were times this past year where I felt powerless, like when I saw my mom in pain. Those times were tough, but they forced me to change for the better. Looking back I see that those times revealed some of my most positive characteristics. I have come out a stronger, more independent, motivated person ready to take on the world.
Everyone takes the occasional nap, but I knew this wasn't right. She would sleep from the time I got home till I went to bed. Work had already become too much for her to deal with. Her days had become almost constant cycles of sleep with waking moments spent coping with pain. It was difficult for me to watch the person I loved most, my mother, going through such intense pain. She dealt with so much, so why was I the one feeling self-pity?
As her illness progressed, it had a direct effect on my life. My after school activity started to consist of what seemed to be near constant trips to the doctor. To me, it didn't seem fair that I had to miss out on after school activities or hanging with my friends just to drive her around. It was frustrating not only because of what I missed out on but also because of the time we were forced to just wait for tests-and then more tests-to come back. This went on for months before we finally found what had been taking such a huge physical and emotional toll on my mom and me.
Multiple Sclerosis. I've now heard this word so many times it makes me sick. I'd heard of it before, but until last year it had no real meaning to me. Last year my life was changed forever. Last year my mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
Since then, things have changed dramatically for me. Though my mother is still quite independent, I have gained a lot of responsibility around the house. At first this was hard for me to handle. Mothers are supposed to take care of their children, not the other way around. Eventually, though, I adapted to the new chores and responsibilities. Having to rely more on myself for things has made me a fiercely independent person.
One of the worst parts of here disease is its unpredictability. My mom goes from being active and happy to bedridden and in pain in less than a day. These exacerbations come out of the blue, and used to annoy me more than anything. I remember looking forward to a shopping trip for weeks only to have it cancelled because she got sick. Times like that made me feel so angry, yet so guilty, because I always knew that it wasn't really my mom's fault. I've now learned to cope with this unpredictability, and it has helped me to better deal with any unexpected situation I might come across.
Before my mom stopped working, she was a Registered Nurse. My father and grandfather were both doctors. I grew up around hospitals, and was fairly sure I wanted to work in one. When I was younger, though, my motivations for wanting to practice medicine were ignorant ones that didn't fully consider whether it was something I was passionate about. Seeing what my mother goes through every day motivates me to work hard so that someday I will be able to become a doctor. Instead of letting my mother's illness take over my life, I want to find a way to make a difference.
For every hardship I have experienced because of Multiple Sclerosis, I know my mom has had to deal with so much more. The effects the disease has had on me, however, have helped me to discover who I really am. There were times this past year where I felt powerless, like when I saw my mom in pain. Those times were tough, but they forced me to change for the better. Looking back I see that those times revealed some of my most positive characteristics. I have come out a stronger, more independent, motivated person ready to take on the world.
