All my life people have told me how I inspire them, the way I persevere through, not only the struggles I’ve faced with my mom’s illness, but how those struggles morphed into my own personal hardships and I’ve kept my eye on the prize and worked hard to succeed.
In March, 1989 my mom was diagnosed with IGA Nephropathy, a rare disease that attacks the auto-immune system, in turn causing a complete kidney failure. She was told she would never have kids and only had 8-10 years to live. Yet here I am, 17 years old, healthy as can be.
Since I was a child, I’ve loved playing sports. With my mom, being as sick as she is, it was hard to make every practice and games and often I missed opportunities because of it. I would go out of my way to make sure I had rides for each practice and money for what I needed, whether by asking for it from my parents or doing what little things a 12 year old could do for money. I was determined to be the best I could be.
Though my mom was in and out of the hospital, I never let it get to me. Even at the worst of times, when we were told she may only have days left, we prayed about it and I kept myself together. I never let my grades slip and kept up with my class work despite missing school to go to the hospital to be with my mom. Once I got into high school, I began getting involved in many things, from being the Drum Major this year, to running Cross-country, or even volunteering in the community, driving my mom to and from dialysis in between my activities. Through all these struggles I have held my head high and pressed on to keep my future options open.
I always hated when people would tell me I couldn’t do something, it would drive me that much harder to prove to them I could do absolutely whatever I set my mind to. I’ve been told so many times I can’t go to a major college because of money and I am beyond determined to be able to walk out onto the stage at my high school graduation and for them to announce that I will be attending “The University of Florida” and to look out to the crowd and think to myself, “I told you so.” I have gotten used to putting 100 percent effort into anything and everything I do and anyone who is asked will gladly say the same. The struggles I have faced have led me to realize that if you want something bad enough, you will find a way to achieve it. I will, as I have done my entire life, give everything I can to be my absolute best to further my education in contribution to The University of Florida’s campus.