Nightmares happen
From simply looking at a person’s face, one can easily know many things about the person. What race is the person? Approximately what age is he/she? However, all of these observations are completely superficial; none of which tell about the real person that lies within the shell. The person inside can be anyone, ranging from one extreme of the spectrum to the other. Additionally, the face has a knack for being able to hide the plethora of experiences a person has had throughout their entire life.
At first glace, my face is that of an average teenager; a random pimple here and there, two eyes, a nose, a mouth, small squinty eyes of a stereotypical Asian. But does that really summarize who I am? Sadly, the truth is, much like everyone else, there is more to me than meets the eye.
To start off, it was many years ago, when a fateful event occurred, and changed my life. I was in the first grade, as carefree as anyone else, running around during recess. But it was then that I stopped dead in my tracks, what was this pain in my stomach? It was excruciating to say the least. Being that I was only 6, I continued to play, only thinking that it was a stomach ache that would soon pass. Boy was I wrong. That night, during dinner, I couldn’t eat anything at all. All I could do was twist and turn, writhing in the agonizing pain. After seeing this, my parents took me to the pediatrician to have my situation analyzed. After a series of scans and blood tests the doctor came to the conclusion that it was a grave matter and promptly referred us to a larger hospital. Soon after, we were informed that I had a rare malignant tumor and underwent surgery. In the beginning, the doctors were extremely pessimistic and skeptical about my predicament. They even told us to prepare for the worse, and that my chances for surviving this ordeal would be slim to none. To say the least, this was a drastic blow to me and my family. However, I continued fighting on and my family kept looking for alternative ways to aid me. After bouncing between two different hospitals, undergoing 3 major surgeries, many cycles of chemotherapy and various treatments of Chinese herbal remedies the specialist team at Memorial Sloan Kettering was finally able to remove the tumor.
After everything was said and done, this traumatizing chapter in my life came to an end. However, I truly believe that this was a catharsis – a cleaning of the soul for any misdeeds that I had committed in a previous life. For that, I was given another chance to start all over, a fresh start to right the wrongs and make something out of what was seemingly nothing. Till this very day, there is not a moment that passes in which I don’t try to make the most out of my life. Life is not to be taken for granted, for any moment, in a split second, a life can be ended or taken. Therefore, we must live life to the fullest and never waste a moment to dwell on should haves, would haves, or could haves. We must continue moving forward and do all that is in our power to help others. Now there is no such thing in my vocabulary such as impossible, unless it pertains to examinations, for I have overcome, quite possibly, the largest obstacle that anyone should ever encounter in their lives.