One of the most important choices we can make in our life is choosing to spend time with our family and in being happy. Randy Pausch in The Last Lecture expresses this point perfectly. Pausch chose to take his family to Disneyworld, which is a place him and his family both love and enjoy. Pausch still treated his family no differently than when he did not know he had pancreatic cancer. Throughout Pausch’s last six months he stayed completely optimistic and was never gloomy or depressed when around his family or friends. Although Pausch could have been depressed “At the time, I already had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but I was optimistic.”(1) Pausch expresses that even though he is now informed that he had pancreatic cancer, he still is the same man as before and will still continue to be optimistic and happy every day of his life. If you work towards being something you will achieve it eventually and you will be able to remain optimistic in Randy Pausch’s case (37). According to The Art Of Making A Good Decision many people have trouble making the right choice due to their lack of knowing their priorities. In Randy Pausch’s case he chose the right choice and spent his last six months loving and showing his care for his family and enjoying every day he had left to the fullest. Randy Pausch in The Last Lecture shows many examples in which he chose to show his family he is happy despite his illness.…
After VA-Tech and our marriage, over the past forty-two-plus years, in spite of what has happened, and in defiance of the difficult health problems, I have prevailed. My deep faith in God has allowed me to overcome the loss of three children, all those surgeries, chemical treatments, and death. I have always thought it was my job to get through life as gracefully as possible, and I have done my best to struggle, not always in silence, but always with determination. As you know, I have been blessed to be on this journey with a wonderful man, my, dear, sweetheart, Frank.…
Laughter, let downs, memories, and regrets are all aspects of life itself. Explaining these aspects is the hardest part. When is laughter present? When are let downs expected? Where can memories lead? How do these all affect someone in the long run? The poem “Schoolsville” does a great job of representing life itself. It points towards life in general and explains the comical, serious and memorable, then poignant parts of life.…
Helen Keller once said, “Although the world is filled with suffering, it is also filled with overcoming it.” Adversity isn’t about the challenges; it’s about the strength gained from those challenges.…
Have you had to assist a patient and their families with self-determination? If so, did you have support from your peers and organization at that time?…
I was unable to walk and thus was carried to the office. There I waited for my dad to come and take me to the doctor. That is where my long road of doctors, X-rays, MRIs, and physical therapy started. When I walked into my first physical therapy appointment, I was nervous but I was relieved when I recognized…
With all great stories it is the weight of the adversity that intensifies the need to continue. Growing up, I was always different from the other children due to my heart condition, I was not able to keep up with my peers…
I was 6 years old and my brother was 11, it was a normal day in the Gomez family. My mom was at work and my dad was watching T.V. with our baby sister. My brother and I were irritating each other like always… then darkness. I remember we were sitting on the kitchen tile floor throwing stuff back and forth to each other occasionally looking at the T.V. in the other room. We were throwing balls, toys, erasers; just about anything that was in reach.…
I learned that I should never use my condition to get special privileges, nor should I use it to receive sympathy from others. I’ve also learned to try new things, even if said things seem impossible. After all, the doctors told me that walking and running would be impossible, and yet I deceived them. The doctors told my parents that I’d never be able to play sports, and yet I have the awards to prove I can. The doctors told me I would have challenges in life, but everyone has challenges. In the end it's what you make of those challenges that make you who you…
When I was released from the hospital, I endured severe migraines, amnesia, and depression for several months. I needed a treatment that would make me feel better, so I decided that teaching other people how to overcome tragedy would be the best medicine. Proudly, I spend my time mentoring children who struggle with the same challenge that I have learned to overcome: realizing that a disability is not a limitation. I coach a running team that provides sports programming for special needs children, and I serve as the founder of a club that works with a preschool that enriches the lives of autistic…
I had to put many personal wants on hold until a diagnosis and plan could be put in place. I wasn’t able get my driver’s license at 16; I had to wait until I was 17. I also learned that if I did not get my illness under control then I would not be able to serve a mission. The idea alone was difficult both socially and physically and as a result I experienced depression.…
The issues I have encountered during my life, has made me really think about the important things I still have and have not been, nor do I request them to be, obliterated from me. Although everyone encounters hardships in their life, whether it is personal hardships or national hardships, everyone has a different aftermath, and a different story to tell about their experience. My stories and my experiences may not be the most moving, but they are certainly important to me, and are the stories and experiences I want to remember for the rest of my life. These stories and experiences can change who I will become or want to become, and can set a greater image in my head, on who I should be, based on some issues that has shaped me into the woman I am and will be.…
I remember the painful lump in my throat and how I tried to hold back my tears. I remember wanting to die. That night, I lay in my bed, isolated from my family, and tried to come to terms with my mother’s disease. I wanted the peace of loneliness. I tried to accept the worst case scenario (the one her doctors had given us) and let it become my reality- just for a second, to see if I could survive. I believed that if I could imagine a world without my mom, it would be easier to navigate later on. In the end though, it was really my mom that saved me from drowning in my fear. Her optimism and strength drives our family to be what it once was- healthy and happy. I have not come to peace with her cancer- but I haven’t let it define or limit me either. Instead, I’ve challenged myself to live for the moments I’m given. To value every smile, hug, or kiss I am privileged enough to receive. I do not let my fear of the future hinder me: I let it drive me to be better. So here I am, working towards a future I hope my mom will see, and loving the world through her rose tinted…
Since the age of 18 months I have had numerous hospital stays and operations, throughout these various hospital admissions my parents and my extended family have supported me in coping with this medical condition. They visited me, provided entertainment and thus distracted me from hospital surroundings. As I was so young (18 months) the impact of me being so ill was more devastating for my family as they had to cope with seeing me in a life threatening condition.…
My father was diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and cirrhosis of the liver. The doctors then gave him two options; if he began taking his medications and stopped drinking he would receive the necessary treatments in order to enjoy a lengthy life without alcohol. Option two included taking his medications but not holding off on his drinking problem, the outcome of this would be my father passing a lot sooner than expected. My family and I were able to come together and realize the seriousness of his drinking problem. Once my father’s drinking decreased, he was a completely different man, creating a strong foundation for my family. As my relationship with my family improved, the rest of my life soon followed. During that time I started working at an elementary school that happened to be in a rough part of town and coaching a U12 boys soccer team. I quickly realized that I enjoyed working with the youth and noticed myself having positive productive relationships with troubled students due to the fact that I was able to relate to their problems in certain aspects.…