Saying Goodbye to My Grandfather

My grandparents raised me when I was young because my parents were busy toiling away at work to support my siblings and I. Through my grandparents, I learned strength. My grandfather, a former political activist and soldier in Vietnam, suffered a gigantic loss: Losing the Vietnam war. Still, he refused to kneel under the hand of oppression. He restarted his life in a brand new, foreign country with seven children,

My father’s alcoholic. I’m not someone who gets a kick out of pity so I won’t dwell on this too much, but my dad was a rougher parent then most and he would lash out at me. I faced things that I shouldn’t have as a kid. As I got older I understood that this wasn’t normal and I took a greater control of my life. I have worked to create a life that I control now but having to comprehend the failures of adults around me is lesson that I cannot forget.

The medical field is expanding ever so rapidly in today’s society. In the field of Physical Therapy one needs to have the understanding of how the human body works and the injuries one body could sustain. I have chosen a career to help others to battle back from life-changing injuries or surgeries. I will take the first step of joining the medical field by obtaining a physical therapist associates degree. I will become a Physical Therapist Assistant.

Physical therapy to me hits deeply because I had to go to therapy twice for a number of months. The atmosphere and attitudes of the people who helped me were so determined to make sure that I got better and back to my full potential if possible. That is one thing that makes me want to be a physical therapy. I want to be able to help people through a dark time of injury and help motivate them and guide them through their situation. Also, I want to be able to make a great impact on someone’s life in wellness. Athletic training is a desire on my

Now, I was the one who was able to develop treatment plans for patients. I loved being able to help my athletes reach their goals and return to play. Although there were aspects of Athletic Training that I enjoyed, I found that there were other parts of the profession that I did not like, especially acting as a first responder at athletic events. At my clinical rotations, I often found myself thinking about working as a physical therapist. My injury opened my eyes to a profession I had never considered before.

As time passes and deadlines approach, a certain question seemed to constantly come to mind, “who am i?”. I never took the time to ask myself this question, but as my senior year slowly comes to an end, and the time to plan out my future is here, the question arose. It's difficult to find time to ask myself this question, and even more difficult to find the answer with so many other things circling my mind, especially around this time in the year. But in order to get to where I am now, I had to get to know myself first.

Whether I am training for a triathlon or studying for an exam, I am most successful getting to the finish line one carefully planned step at a time. Accomplishing something that I have worked hard to do motivates me, but being able to come alongside someone else and help that person to achieve a goal of their own is even more gratifying. My ability to encourage others while challenging them to use discipline and work hard make me well suited for a career like physical therapy where I will have the opportunity to assist patients in reaching their goals on a daily basis. I hope to be a therapist who is able to help my patients to gain perspective so that they might progress through their recovery effectively with hope and

Alongside that, being an athlete, I had the typical sprain of the ankle or weak joint that would I need physical therapy to heal. Consequently physical therapy was not a new or an alarming concept to me. I went to physical therapy for a duration of one year, in terms of my hips. I attended three times a week after my surgery. Rolling my wheelchair in the front door and hearing my physical therapist say my name put a grin on my face that was from ear to ear. Each little milestone was colossal for me, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Transferring from the wheelchair to the walker, then from the walker to crutches, from two crutches to one, then walking, and the substantial one was running. My physical therapist made sure that I understood everything that happened to me and each step that we took in my recovery process. After I completed my physical therapy and could return to sports; if I had any questions or concerns, he was always there. I aspire to be that person for other people. I desire to guide others down the right recovery path, and be their light at the end of the

There are many experiences that one encounters in his or her lifetime, but only a few of these experiences are significant enough to leave an impact on our lives. It is safe to say that these experiences help shape us to be the person we are today. With these experiences, along with how we are raised, is what leads to our development as an individual; cognitively, emotionally, and spiritually and how we view the world and ourselves. These experiences leave a lasting impression, and we refer back to them when faced with difficult situations. Whether these experiences are good or bad can change the makeup of our identity, and internal perceptions.

If there's anyone who could brighten up a room full of people arguing over which part of the turkey they want, disagreeing over politics, sharing the latest family gossip, it's definitely him. It's Thanksgiving and as I enter my grandparent’s house, I see him conversing with my aunt who's resemblance is uncanny, as he sips his glass of white wine and instantly looks up at me. It’s my grandfather, Gelo.

The scent of fresh pine and baked turkey dominates over all senses, surging into the crisp air of the kitchen. Presents are stacked to the brim of the Christmas tree, while a toy train intermittently passes by. Effervescent ornaments sparkle with the memories of past years. Rooms are full with aunts, uncles, distant cousins, all of who push their troubles aside to celebrate this day once a year: Christmas . It is chaos, but the good kind.

A life-changing event is not something to be taken lightly. Throughout our lives, we encounter many obstacles and changes, some of which bring us joy and excitement, others of which may be hard for us to handle. When I look back on my relatively short life, it may, at first, be hard for me to think of an event that has truly molded and shaped the person that I am today. I have encountered several changes, but at the time, they felt like mere speed bumps along my path. Looking back now, it is easy for me to see that these changes were not by chance, but were placed in my path to form the person that I am today.

My parents as well as my extended family have been crucial in providing the foundation for my beliefs, attitudes and values. I grew up

The Socialization of my life. This is how I become who I am. My early socialization has been a big role in my life along with my significant others, which includes my parents and friends. My defining moments in my life and the experiences I’ve faced. Also with the media's help I’ve become to understand the simple things. Over the past sixteen years I have learned to become the person i am today all because of socialization.

When we were together we were invincible, us against the world. I’d look up to him, not only because he was 6’4, but because he was my grandpa. I have clear memories of him picking me up from school, playing old school reggae music during our adventurous car rides. We’d always sing along to our favorites, sometimes turn the music up so loud the people in the cars next to us could hear it. When I would visit his apartment, the familiar smell of drywall and pennies would fill the air. It was my hideaway, my home away from home. My grandpa collected pennies in water jugs. He would say that one day they’d be worth more than just pennies. I loved it there, not only because he had a freezer filled with many flavors of ice cream to which he would often say to me “you can have all you can eat” but because it was our time to bond. For five years it was my mom, my dad, and my grandpa helping me to grow. Those are my favorite people, my role models. Being around my grandpa brought me such comfort and joy.