Making It Through Hard Times by Kelsey Bonecutter

June 5, 2010, was the most tragic experience of my life. The tears and hardships that my family and I had to overcome were almost unbearable. Something like this does not happen to many families, which made it that much harder for all of us to cope with. The long, strenuous days spent at Garden City Hospital were like watching my nightmare come true. The long hallways of the hospital became a regular routine for me, and they seemed to blend in with each other after a while. At the end of each hallway, I could see the giant doors slamming shut as the doctors walked through. The ceilings looked as if they were never ending, and I found myself wondering about them most of the time. If only I had known this unexpected experience would lead me down a whole different perspective.

My whole childhood, I have depended on my mom for everything. The needs that I expected her to meet grew much greater, and I transitioned slowly into my teenage years. I never expected that anything could potentially endanger our relationship, and the thought of losing her would have been devastating. A mother means more to me that just anyone in this world, and I would have done anything to help keep her healthy.

When I was three years old, my mom developed an ulcer near her colon. Doctors at Garden City did not think anything of it at first, so they prescribed medication for her, hoping the sickness would go away on its own. Thirteen years later, my mom started to notice symptoms in the beginning of the year. She waited four long months, hoping that her signs would disappear. She finally went back to Garden City Hospital, not able to wait any longer to heal the pain. She discovered that she had to have her colon removed because the ulcer had gotten worse after waiting all of those years.

Looking down the hospital floors for so long reminded me of a horror movie. This everyday routine took an effect on my social life, my education, and my mental stability. Shortly after my mom’s first surgery, she started experiencing additional problems. She was not breathing right when the breathing tubes were down her esophagus, and her stomach was in a lot of pain. The doctors insisted that they take her in for another surgery, even though she had not recovered yet. My family and I refused to let that happen, so we switched to the University Of Michigan health care. After upgrading, my mom gained better knowledge of her condition and how she could get better. Unfortunately, other problems were developing.

Financial problems started to come into play as well. We were in so much debt; it got to the point where we almost lost our house. My mom filed for disability, but was denied because she was not permanently disabled. On top of the costly bill, she also had to pay for the monthly supply of colostomy bags. However, when we were at the point of losing our house, God gave us a miracle.

My mom received a phone call from a guy who bought our house at auction. He gave us the opportunity to buy our house back from him. We borrowed money from my grandpa so we could pay off our mortgage. When she became healthy enough to work again, she saved up money to pay my grandpa back. My mother and I were truly blessed that we could claim our property back. Unfortunately, almost losing our house caused my mom’s credit to go bad.

A few months later, I developed a habit of helping my mom out with whatever she

needed. While she was very weak, I helped her with all of the household duties. I also made sure she was comfortable and received her medicine each day. Things were really bad for a while, and helping my mom became a depressing time for both of us. I was not at all discouraged, though, because I knew she had the strength to get better if she kept pushing through it. Knowing she could make it through this was motivation for me to start being positive.

One of the things that I learned from this experience is to look at the positive side instead of the negative. I have also grown stronger as a person and I gained better knowledge of my desired college career. Helping my mom get well made me realize that I wanted to keep helping people. I also noticed how well I can work with other people, and I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment, knowing that I made someone feel better.

Also, helping my mom helped me become a better individual. I learned to become more independent and socialized. These qualities inspired me to apply to the one and only school I have ever applied to. After being notified by Madonna that I was accepted, it inspired me to consider what was important in my life. At that point, my life was finally starting to fit into place. Knowing that everything happens for a reason, I could finally put the rest of the pieces together.

Looking back at this experience has made me a better person. I finally have my priorities straight for my future, and I could not picture myself doing anything else at this point. I feel as if I am in the right plac,e and it will be a great accomplishment to excel in the Nursing Program.