Growing up and being a teenager can be challenging, a constant
struggle of trying to fit in, figure out who you really are, identifying
your interests, while trying to be well-liked without sacrificing your
values. In the midst of all the chaos of being a teenager, life decided
to throw me an unexpected battle…leukemia. “Audrey, you have
leukemia” is all could hear while every other sound transformed into
a distant muffle—time stood still. In that moment, my life changed
forever in the most powerful ways imaginable. The endless laughs
and joys of life turned to endless doctor visits and needle pokes. My
friends and family were completely stunned…how could something
so horrendous happen to me, why me? Thousands of questions,
worries, and fears came to life inside of me. What would my future
bring; would I ever be the same; what would others think of me; will
my life ever be normal—will I die?
For a while, and rightfully so, I was numbed by the fact that I had
cancer, I did not want to believe it. I had to learn to accept that I
would be different, that every day would be a constant struggle to
get better, and an acceptance of the fact that my fight may not be
successful. There are days, moments, events that transpired
throughout my months in the hospital that are forever engraved in
my memory. Watching the video of my middle school graduation
while having my hair shaved off; asking my sister to leave the room
as the nurses prepped me for my first round of chemotherapy, or
falling asleep mid-sentence with my best friend in the room. In
essence, time as I knew it simply stopped, while the world carried
on its normal routine. As my friends went on to their first year of
high school, I was forced to find happiness and peace in other
ways. With time, I learned...
