Memoir of a teenager: The hindrance of my life
My struggles have followed me throughout my life. The person I am today has been sculpted by a simple dilemma that has led to prominent problems in my life.
From my birth, allergies have plagued my health and lifestyle. At the young age of 4, the idea of going outside or running and playing with friends was unrealistic, as I would have a coughing fit, start to wheeze, and then would need immediate medical attention.
What seemed easy and enjoyable to my friends was a struggle for me. Going outside was a battle because simple exposure to pollen would lead to devastating asthma attacks which were painful daggers to my chest that would lead to a lasting fear of what awaited me outside. I was a caged bird wishing to be free to fly.
By the age of ten, these attacks would cause Obstructive Sleep Apnea, which would occur when my adenoids tissues intermittently would relax and block the airway during my sleep. In the mornings before school, my challenge would begin by getting up on time. Due to exhaustion, my mother would have to drag me out of bed. I would go to school unfocused, tired, and never in good spirits.
I realized that my life was a river that was blocked by this obstacle and could no longer flow. I had only one choice to solve my struggle. When I was 13, I had to undergo painful surgery. The doctors had to freeze a piece of tissue that was obstructing my nasal cavity area. One of the side effects of the surgery was having the constant taste of blood in my mouth.
For weeks I endured the pain and inconvenience of not swimming and not eating food as I normally would. Time would lessen the effects of my allergies, thus lowering the chances of an asthma attack, however, I will always have this difficulty on my chest. While I have improved throughout the years, on occasion, I still do have asthma attacks that can occur during the winter or during physical activity.
Even though asthma is a hindrance to my life, it has taught me many of my virtues that I stand by today, such as being patient. While it’s not one of my strongest virtues, it is still one that I learned nonetheless. It sometimes seems like my lungs are made of glass, in a world made of flying baseballs.
I now realize that life is fragile and that humans are very delicate beings. I have learned that there are limits to my body and to pay attention to the warning signs that may appear. I recognize the need to protect myself against these health dangers and that the body isn’t infallible, and is vulnerable to itself. The number of roadblocks that I have encountered won’t stop me, as persevering through them makes me a stronger person.
I now recognize that: “Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principal. Some things are within your control. And some things are not.” - Epictetus.
