Numerous events and people throughout my life have enlightened me, challenged me and prepared me for my role in life. Some of these events are my cleft palate surgery and the recovery process, along with the therapy for the cleft and the motivation from others in the assistance through those rough times to push me to be better and able to speak to be be understood. The cleft palate is, usually, a birth defect found at birth. Unfortunately, mine was found later in life, at the age of five. Hardships in my life I have experienced are the passing of loved ones and the interchanging of friends. Nevertheless, friends and family came through in the end by encouraging me through tough times “Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.” - John F. Kennedy.
Throughout our lives, we experience situations that can undoubtedly challenge our lives. These experiences can have outcomes that are not in our favor, but teach us crucial lessons. In my case, almost a year ago I lost someone who unquestionably had a vast impact on my life. My uncle Sal was taken from me unexpectedly. That day took a major toll on myself and my entire family. However, such an event served as the gate for me to see they type of person I am.
I remember waking up that day and that feeling in my stomach, knowing what was about to happen. Growing up I knew about my father's sickness. My family, I recall, was always supportive. No one ever thinks about how one day, everyone you’re around for years, can just vanish. I cherished my friends as I was growing up. I lived there for a majority of my life, up until fourth grade. I remember sitting at a neighbor's house and having the mother come into the room and inform me that I need to be home swiftly. As I ran home, my head was crowded with thoughts to the point where I could not even think about why I was supposed to be home quickly. That day marked the transition of what would be the biggest change in my life. As by dad became sicker,
On May 11th 2013, my grandma passed away due to pancreatic cancer. A little later that year on September 25th, my mom received a call from my aunt in Guam that my dad had passed away in his sleep. Then on May 14th 2014, my grandpa passed from complications of an allergic reaction to a medication. So within a year, I was left to deal with three immediate family deaths, one right after another. Losing such important figures in one’s life could leave someone depressed and unmotivated to move on with their own life and to rise above those challenges is difficult, yet possible. During this time of hardship, I grew discouraged and saddened, but over time I became motivated to set aside these struggles and make a change.
On July 17, 2002 my family, friends, and I heard the worst news ever that impacted all of our lives especially mine. I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at the age of three. Being so
Finally, a personal struggle that happened in my life was what happened with my mother’s friend, Lynzee. Lynzee had six children, four girls and two boys. She really wanted to have another addition to her family. So, when she found out that she was pregnant with a baby girl she was filled with joy. Sadly, her baby was born too early and was fighting for her survival. Her first name was Violet and her middle name was Hope. Violet fought hard and long for her life, but her body was just too weak. She ended up passing away two years after her birth. Lynzee and her family were devastated at the loss of their family member. She overcame this difficult struggle by being with her family and looking on the
When I look back to why many of my friends died. I remember how they said they couldn’t handle life anymore. These wonderful, amazing, and kind people went out expecting to find more exceptional people yet, they were sadly disappointed. They went out and found a
When I turned 11-years-old my whole childhood began to change my life went from being perfect to everything but perfect. One day I came home to hear the news my father, my best friend; my hero was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. Not knowing the struggle my family was about to take on I just began to cry. I had a million things running through my head what’s going to happen? Will everything be okay? Why him? What is going to happen? With all these things rushing through my head all I could do was cry not knowing this was least worse to come.
Early October 2016 to January 2017, was the hardest time ever in my life. In October we found out that my Grandpa had a very aggressive form of stage four brain cancer. We knew that there was something wrong but we never thought it would be that bad. For the next month, the doctors ran tests, decided on a game plan, and gave results. My grandpa was in severe pain and confusions. We got the results that he would need to go through surgery on his brain to remove the tumor. This was around November 15. That was probably the scariest day of my life. His surgery and I will never forget, was at 12:10 pm. I remember sitting at the kitchen counter and I just prayed for half an hour. After that, I remember going on my computer and searching on Google
In fifth grade I found out my mom had breast cancer. I didn’t fully understand what it meant at the time, but as I got older I understood the severity of the situation my mother had to face. Eight surgeries and seven years later she is cancer free but still faces severe nerve damage and lots of doctors appointments and physical therapy. This put strains on me to take care of her and to do everything in my power to make her day easier by having one less thing to worry about: me. This was, and continues to be my driving force and motivation in school, my extra curriculars, and every day life choices.
Nothing could prepare me for the news I received six years ago about the unexpected death of my close friend Joey. I will never forget the night he died. How I had been with him just minutes before, and how his death was totally unnecessary and preventable. A few weeks before Christmas in 2001, Joey, myself and a few of my other co-workers were closing down the local restaurant we worked at while attending Umass Lowell. It had been a busy night, and we didn't end up finishing work until 1am. Having worked all day, we were all extremely tired, and could not wait to go home. Most of us were staying in Lowell at the time, but Joey had chosen to commute to campus and therefore had to travel out to Reading. I
Have you ever felt so broken and lost that you believed you simply couldn’t keep going on in life, as if the barriers of your life caved in and suffocated the very existence in which you lived? This pain was all that I knew in the months following my grandfather’s loss to cancer in July of 2008. Fighting until his dying breath, it was a moment in my life that rocked and shattered my heart like fragile glass. His death required me to adapt to and appreciate life and showed me that no obstacle is to big overcome if you maintain hope and a positive outlook.
Life is a beautiful struggle are words that I live by. Almost five years ago my life became one big rollercoaster. I had just lost my father and had given birth to my son when my mother had become ill. She had been having these debilitating headaches that were affecting her normal day to day activities. The doctor diagnosed it as a sinus infection. After the 3rd prescription for antibiotics I told my mother she needed to have an MRI done. All along I knew in the back of my mind what the diagnosis would be but I didn’t want to believe it was happening to my mother. That following Sunday she had a seizure further more confirming my suspicions of a brain tumor. Later that
I am going to tell you about my brother, Jacob & what he has went through as a child and even now. As a child Jacob has gone through so much, and to me it’s truly unbelievable. When Jacob was first born, the doctors knew that there was something seriously wrong with him. He couldn’t breathe, so the doctors stuck a breathing tube down his throat but instead of it going down his esophagus it went down his trachea. Putting it down his trachea made everything worse, because he had to be lifeflighted to Hershey for an emergency heart surgery, and this was when he was first born. Jacob’s first heart surgery took 6 hours, 6 hours of waiting and making sure Jacob is gonna make it. The doctors never thought Jacob would’ve made it, and neither did my
“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost and “Death, be not proud” by John Donne are two poems with different meanings but share one of many of the same themes. Although the poems share different meanings as a whole, the reader can conclude the same common theme from both of these poems. Even though the reader may think the poems lack a same common theme, the theme is revealed by the end of both these poems. These two poems share the same theme of hopes and dreams. As the reader explores the same common theme of these two poems, the literary devices of personification, imagery, alliteration, metaphor, and irony can be seen throughout these poems as well.