Karley Campbell: Changing A Man's View Of Life

As a side-effect of experience, every human’s view of life is destined to be constantly altered. For some, an experience may trigger a new lifestyle or priorities. For others, this may lead to a new outlook on life. No matter how big or small the experience, what matters is that the life is permanently altered. It’s impossible to know the span of each self or when the current one is about to change. Yet, humans like to plan. People continue to plan for their future life based on their current life position. During her senior year of high school, Karley Campbell was doing just that. She was making plans, unaware of the changes that were shaping her. While many high school students prefer to be on the basketball or swim team, Karley was dedicated to Future Business Leaders of America instead (FBLA). Like
Her life was about to change faster and more dramatically than it ever had before, something called loss. Growing up, she had been to funerals, but death seems to make more sense when the person had a chance to live a full life. It began the week after her graduation party, when the twelve-year-old daughter of a family friend passed away. She had lived all her life unable to speak and unable to move. She had never spoken a word, but she was a neighbor, a sister, a daughter. This part of Karley’s first real loss experience is why the lack of respect and intolerance for the disabled frustrates her so much. Nobody should be disrespected for being different. A few weeks later, loss would continue to shape her life. Her dad’s best friend, who was like an uncle to her, had been battling lung cancer and pneumonia. He was on track to get better. Unfortunately, it was a disease he had long been coping with, alcoholism that took him. Although she understands drinking in moderation isn’t harmful, this experience of losing a loved one to an overdose has shaped her into a more responsible and aware young