Any criticism or help would be greatly appreciated
Topic: Write a personal statement of an obstacle that you have had to overcome and how it has changed you
Everyone is challenged by obstacles in his or her life, but it is up to you to change the outcome of that obstacle. An obstacle can come in all shapes and hinder an individual's progress in life. Some people are defeated by their obstacles, while others fight through their obstacles.
In my obstacle, I had the support of my family and close friends. I never saw it coming but in the year of 2009, I was diagnosed with scoliosis. This medical condition would change my life forever and push me to be forced to overcome the obstacle that was now placed into my life. Learning about this condition became to be a hard time for both my family and myself. Scoliosis is a medical condition in which ones spine is curved from side to side. The spine of an individual with scoliosis may be portrayed in the form of an "S" rather than a straight line. Scoliosis can cause great damage to an individual's spine if it is not corrected. My parents and I were forced to make a decision to have the surgery to fix my curved spine or chance my spine getting worse.
I was on my way to the doctors to get a physical in order to play sports. Once my mother and I arrived at the doctor's office, we waited for our turn to get my physical. We did not know that we would find out life changing news on that day. A few seconds later my name was called and my mother and I walked to the back of the doctor's office. The nurse began to take my weight, view my eye sight, and check my height. When the nurse told me to bend over, she noticed an odd curve in my back. She told my mother and I that in order to complete my physical, I would need to go to Duke Hospital and get my spine viewed. The nurse told us that it was only to make sure nothing was horribly wrong with my back and make sure everything was completely intact. Later that day we arrived at Duke Hospital to find out if we would be told good or bad news from the doctor. We were both frightened because we did not know what to expect or let alone what was really going on. When we stepped into the hospital we were immediately taken in and x-rays were taken of my spine. It did not take long before the doctor came into the room and told us the life changing news. He told us that I had a bad case of scoliosis, which had grown to be worse over the years. My spine was curved a 50 degree angle. Neither of us knew I was born with this medical condition, so we both just sat there in shock. The doctor told us my only options were to get surgery or let the scoliosis get worse which could result in me not walking again. We were distraught by this awful news. My mother and I cried a lot in the doctor's office because we could not understand why this was happening to me.
In July 2009, I was scheduled to have a spinal fusion surgery done at UNC Chapel Hill Children's Hospital. All my family was there to help me through the way and help calm my nerves. Preparing myself for surgery was one of the scariest moments I had to go through as a young adult. The surgery lasted for eight and a half hours. When I woke up I was surrounded by all my family and friends, so I never was alone. The surgery left me with a hard recovery process, which lasted for several months. I could not do anything by myself without the help of my family and nurses. This made me feel useless to my own body. The surgery left me with having to learn how to move my body on my own, walk on my own, and get items on my own again. If I did not have my family and friends, I honestly do not think I could have got through this hard time in my life.
I believe that this obstacle has shaped me into the person that I am now and I would not change anything about this obstacle. I have come to realize that nothing will come easy and the only way to obtain success is by working hard and being dedicated. I now use this obstacle to tell others that they can take their obstacles and turn it into something worth living through. Life will sometimes bring many obstacles, but I decided to turn my obstacles into something positive. Without obstacles you cannot become the stronger person that you are supposed to be, so take your obstacles and overcome them as I did.
In July 2009, I was scheduled to have a spinal fusion surgery done at UNC Chapel Hill Children's Hospital. All of my family was there to help me throughalong the way and help calm my nerves. Preparing myself for surgery was one of the scariest moments I had to go through as a young adult. The surgery lasted for eight and a half hours. When I woke up I was surrounded by all my family and friends, so I never waswas never alone. The surgery left me with a hard recovery process, which lasted for several months. I could not do anything by myself without the help of my family and nurses. This made me feel useless to my own body. The surgery left me with having to learn how to move my body on my own, walk on my own, and get items on my own again. If I did not have my family and friends, I honestly do not think I could have got through this hard time in my life.
