My Inspiration | Teen Ink

My Inspiration MAG

January 7, 2008
By Anonymous

I was a week into my second trimester of freshman year when my mom lost all feeling in her left side. She tried to blame it on a pinched nerve for days until we convinced her to see a doctor. The day of parent-teacher conferences at my school I met her in front and could tell she had been crying. She assured me that everything was fine and we went in, but she could barely walk up the stairs and refused to tell me what the doctor had said. She just smiled and tried to stay cheery.

That night we ordered pizza and my mom ate in bed because she was so tired. After dinner my dad told my brother and me that we needed to have a family talk. As I sat on the foot of my parents’ bed watching my mom struggle to tell us what was going on, I heard the two words that would alter my whole ­universe: multiple sclerosis.

I was only 14 and hardly well versed in neurological disorders so, naturally, all I could do was burst into tears. She explained to us that multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease that involves the central nervous system – specifically the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves – and that MS can affect muscle control and strength, vision, balance, and mental functions.

The tone in my house was a mix of mourning and solitude in the weeks that followed. My mom’s condition got severely worse before it got better. She was on steroid treatment to reduce the swelling in her brain, and was chronically fatigued and often confused.

In the months after her ­diagnosis I took on a new role in our family. I cooked dinner every night, did laundry, went to the supermarket, and even paid bills. It wasn’t hard at first, but after a while my schoolwork started to catch up with me. If only you knew my mom: she was one of those super-moms who found time to get everything done and was never crazed or disheveled but calm, collected, and great at everything! And then I lost all of that in what felt like the blink of an eye.

I had never felt so alone and helpless. I’m sure if I hadn’t gotten help I would have gone crazy. After a few months I went to my first MS support group. By then I had read every article on neurological disorders. I was excited to attend these meetings and ask the doctors all the questions the articles hadn’t answered. When the speaker that night stood and introduced herself, I was surprised to hear she was a registered nurse who specialized in multiple sclerosis. I had never heard of a nurse having such a specific field, and as she spoke I discovered how much Rita ­understood about how this disease was affecting my family.

I continued going to the support group, and over time I realized what Rita’s job really entailed. I had no idea how interactive a nurse’s career could be. I told her that I had been curious about a career in medicine but had ­never felt as passionate about it as when I realized how much an illness can affect a whole family. That’s when I discovered I wanted to be a nurse.

I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders, because I knew that I had finally found something I could be passionate about for the rest of my life. The work my mom’s doctors and nurses have done with her has vastly improved the quality of her life. They teach her to be optimistic and supply her with many types of support.

I think the best people to help others through hardships are those who have experienced them firsthand. And I feel that my experience will help me become an amazing nurse who can help other families through the difficulty of ­having a loved one with an illness.



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This article has 8 comments.


komokomo said...
on Apr. 21 2012 at 7:35 pm
I think you are so helful to your mother and father. It must be so hard to except , but you are not just acknowlege of dignosis but also encourage yourself to understand the situation you were in. I am admiring you. 

on Oct. 8 2011 at 10:24 pm
editpem3 SILVER, Glendale, Arizona
5 articles 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened" Dr. Seuss

I like how you are so detailed in your writing.!

on Nov. 28 2009 at 10:01 am
XOXOhaloXOXO GOLD, Ellsworth, Maine
13 articles 1 photo 63 comments

Favorite Quote:
I'm the author of my life and, unfortunately, I'm writing in pen=]

i know how u feel. when i went to visit my great uncle this summer(he had als) he was really weak and it hurt me to see him that way. he died a few months later. i hope eveything is okay with u though! great writing!

on May. 19 2009 at 12:18 am
practicerandomkindness, Rindge, New Hampshire
0 articles 0 photos 46 comments
i understand some of what you're going through. no one in my family is really paralyzed, but my aunt is deaf-mute, and I help out as much as I can.

idk said...
on May. 15 2009 at 1:00 am
my brother was born with severe CP. i know what it's like to live with someone disabled. i can complete relate to you, and i know how it feels to find something through all the hard times and feel so passionate about it. though i do not want to be a nurse, i too have found something that i love. i'm sure u will be a great nurse.

2cool said...
on Jan. 15 2009 at 3:20 pm
love the articles man

on Jan. 3 2009 at 6:21 am
I can completely relate, I had a diabled sister and if any thing it taught me to be afraid of my doctors, so im super glad that you were able to find the positive in the mess of helth, keep up the work, you'll be a great healer.

sar232 said...
on Dec. 28 2008 at 11:51 pm
I liked that, I also want to be a nurse when I grow up too. Good luck!