Dear friend in need,
I know that what you are going through is very difficult for you and your loved ones. Believe me, I know because I was once in the same shoes. I experienced the same trauma, and lack of hope. The only way for you to cope with your situation is for you to discover yourself. I thought the end was near, and all hope was going to be lost, but I was wrong. I realized that knowledge is what I needed to know, to lead to the discovery of myself.
When I was in eighth grade, my mom was diagnosed with a disease known as Multiple Sclerosis. This painful sickness is rare, and has no cure. The medications that were needed to stabilize her body were extremely expensive. My family and I were not able to afford them. My dad decided that the only way to get the medicines that my mom required was for him to get a job in Iraq. By being sent to a U. S. army base, we were given health insurance. The day that he was to be shipped out of this country, was the day that it dawned on me that I had to grow up and take control of everything here in the U.S.A.
Besides caring for my mom at home, my sole responsibility was for me to schedule doctor appointments, and also become her chauffer. She was restricted from driving due to the amounts of medicine that she was on. The days passed, and the seasons changed. Things started getting worse for us at home. Her medicine was not stabilizing her as it should. She woke up with the whole right side of her body paralyzed from the waist down. I immediately decided to take her to the emergency room. She was in so much pain! The doctors rushed her in, and admitted her. The nurses found out her neurologist and called to inform him of her current situation. He told them give her steroids to try and rid her of her numbness. She had to be kept at the hospital for about a week. The steroids took the toll on her and slowly made her better. As she healed, the head doctor on staff came in to her room to tell us that her flare up of paralysis was from the amount of stress she had on her body. I instantly knew that it was from my younger sister and I arguing. I don’t think that I was ever as scared in my life, like I was that day.
Certain things affect others differently than they could affect you. I noticed that my mom affected my sister more than anyone else in our family. She did not know how to talk to us about the disease bothering her. All she could do was rebel. Her decisions were never completely thought through. That caused many issues with my moms’ sickness flare ups. I decided to talk to her and try to understand her feelings and find ways to make her feel better about our situation. Before my mom was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, I was a thoughtless and difficult kid just as my sister was. I thought that I would never have to have responsibilities, and that everything I said was always right. Boy was I wrong! Her sickness changed me just as much as it changed her body. I changed my ways so drastically I could not believe it. I learned so many new things. I found that people can change for better. I did and I will never be the person that I was before. Just because something is difficult for you that does not mean that it cannot be overcome. All things are possible if you just believe and strive to prove it to yourself. You will get through this, never give up hope.