Personal Narrative: The Qualities That Changed My Life

My whole life I have been a leader, the rule maker, the boss, a take charge and a "get stuff done" type of person. These qualities I attribute to being the oldest sibling, raised by a strong mother, and a stepfather determined to raise another man’s child as best he could. I thrive in situations where I can have control and can help guide a team or myself to the best possible outcome. I apply these characteristics to nearly every aspect of my life, sometimes to a fault. After dropping out of college eight years previously, to follow my dreams of being a makeup artist, I woke up one day and decided my life need a change. Not completing school had always weighed on me over the years like an unfinished task needing to be done. So, why now, what changed? My outlook on life shifted after meeting a special little boy named Jackson. I first met Jackson’s family while working in a spa in Austin. I was waiting for my next client to show when I saw a mother with three small children attempting to get her haircut and not succeeding. Since I had some time to spare I decided to help wrangle her brood and entertain them while the stylist finished.
I soon learned that this family was unique, everyone excluding the father had a grocery list of ailments and disorders. The oldest son had autism and sensory processing disorder, while the middle child could speak, but had recently become mute. Then there was Jackson. He was born at 24 weeks gestation, spent his first 6 months in the NICU, and developed neurofibromatosis a skin disorder that causes discoloration of the skin and growth of tumor along his nerve endings. After a week working with the family, I began questioning what I had done accepting a position I was clearly unqualified for, but being the determined woman I am I continued on. I spent most of my days working with Jackson, learning his medical needs and how to best care for