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Narrative Essay On Crohn's Disease

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I have Crohn’s Disease.
I am not going to go over what it is, or its symptoms. Right now, with great medical care and a better understanding of myself, I am fine. However, in my first two years of high school, I was anything but normal. Despite my attempts at masking and denying my issues, Crohn’s affected my life, and less importantly, my performance in school. But for the last outcome, I would not even mention it in my application. With only my recorded performance those two years, you would not be able to evaluate me adequately.
I do not offer Crohn’s as an excuse; others have been through worse and done better. I am not terribly comfortable even writing about it, since I kept most of my symptoms hidden from my parents and teachers. Class could be fine or torture, productive or an example of self-denial. I did poorly those two years. The stress of a new, rather intense school, my need for a bathroom, and the emotional roller coaster from Prednisone all coalesced to make me seem unprepared for class. The discussions around the Harkness table skipped over me, even when I knew the material well.

I lost some control over my body. I remember my father driving to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in an ice storm. I lay in the back seat, shivering, a fever of 106, and more concerned about missing class than the onset of a systemic infection. …show more content…

For one of the few times in my life, I let myself down. At my interview for Phillips Exeter, the admissions director asked me how I would face disappointment, given that it would surely occur over the next four years. I thought I knew, but as it turns out, I overestimated my abilities to face it head on. During those first two years, disappointment hurt me. By concentrating on that period of time, you would perceive me incorrectly. But please know this: I am stronger than ever, more aware of my ability to overcome something that hit me

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