Personal Reflective Essay: A Personal Analysis

Thinking that I was strong minded and never looking at the negatives, ones suspicions changed my whole mind setting. After an endless wait in the mournful waiting room of the hospital, my name was called. The nurse brought us to Dr. Yazay's office where he confirmed his suspicions, and so began my life with scoliosis. Since the age of eight I have been swimming. I was a competitive swimmer for nine years, and now had to deal with a life without the activities I felt defined my identity. The treatment for my scoliosis involved wearing the most uncomfortable thing in the world which was a brace. With several restrictions on my physical activity, I had an abundance of free time on my hands.

Unfortunately I had to undergo surgery due to my curvature getting worse. While I have worked with various causes throughout the year, I decided to try something new. Besides me not being able to swim for a while allowed me to try something new. l have a friend who is diagnosed with MDS which prompted me to volunteer and support him. The

organization provides both emotional and financial support to MDS patients who live. Throughout my countless volunteer hours I met kids of all ages, nationalities and income levels. I sat and listened to whomever needed to talk with someone or a shoulder to cry on. While the months went on I spent as much free time as I could to help with fund raising events, camps, and basically any other project where they needed an extra help. These children always look at what they can do more than what they can not do. And that is what I never looked at when I was going through my issue..
I realized that while my scoliosis prevented me from doing the activities I loved, my life would still go on.

These children however, could not always say the same. I knew that it was a turning point in my life. It brought me to a level of maturity that enabled me to see past my limitations and resentment for my diagnosis. It has now been two years since my surgery and while it is not always pain free, it is manageable. Scoliosis, as it turned out, was not the end of my world but actually the beginning of a new direction in my life. It has renewed my strength of character and made me realize how much I take for granted. It is amazing how in only three short years my perspective on what is really important has changed. After all, after the year of my operation I was able to qualify to swim in the Junior Olympics and place in my age category. I can now understand that anyone can overcome any obstacle in life, due to their health or

income.