From Pain to Advocacy by Ashley

From Pain to Advocacy by Ashley - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

A simple sprained ankle almost killed me. As my heart rate plummeted and I started to lose consciousness, doctors rushed into the room trying everything they could to get my vitals back to normal however they could. My parents meanwhile panicked in the corner of the room at the thought of losing their eldest daughter. Suddenly, I was fine. Well, only as fine as you could be when amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome caused your ankle to send pain signals so strong that your body began to crash once it couldn’t take the pain anymore. Why did it stop? Doctors have no clue. Will it happen again? No answers. Another trauma to my body could retrigger this incident which has happened to a lesser degree.
This was only fifth grade, but I was already used to the doctors with no answers and the medical mysteries. Since I was born, I have bounced through over 10 medical specialties including cardio, neuro, and GI to treat problems ranging from amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome to cyclic vomiting syndrome to fainting spells that came out of seemingly nowhere.
Fast forward to 2020. This year changed my life in several ways. In eighth grade, my mom got a message from my hospital, Children’s Wisconsin. I had been selected by the board to share my message with their sponsors as a local “champion”. So I shared my message: if you aren’t mentally and emotionally in a place to heal, you can’t physically heal either. Unfortunately, due to COVID, my year as a champion got cut very short and I was invited to be a champion in 2021. They then brought me back in 2022, this time, as a state representative for children’s health. I was gradually invited to events both within Wisconsin and out of state in an effort to share my message, a unique and youthful perspective, with other children and medical staff. This year, in 2023, I am both a national representative for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and a champion for Children’s Wisconsin. Both positions have created endless opportunities to spread my message. Through larger social media platforms, sharing my story on a Honey Nut Cheerios cereal box (yes, my face was on a cereal box), traveling around the country to events where I speak to corporate employees encouraging them to support the cause or being featured on news programs, I take every opportunity to help.
My story may be different from my 9 fellow representatives whose diagnoses range from cancer to cystic fibrosis to sickle cell anemia because I don’t have a single clear-cut diagnosis or reason as to why my body does what it does. Although they aren’t visible, my struggles and pain are real. Mental health has had such a large impact on my healing journey and I have made sure to place just as much emphasis on my mental health as I have on my physical health from a young age. How was I meant to physically heal and get back on track with school if I was struggling emotionally? As a high-reaching individual who always strives to fulfill her full potential even when presented with medical barriers, health (mental, emotional, and physical) is ever important.
My goal is to help kids like me around the country learn this crucial lesson sooner rather than later. Pursuing business would give me the connections and skill set that I would need to make my goal become a reality. Whether it be leading me down a path towards directly working for an organization such as Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, working for a corporation that donates to make change happen, creating my own business and helping through philanthropy, or working for a hospital, a major in business would set me up for success in every way. Every single kid should be taking care of their mental and emotional health. No exceptions. Sadly, this isn’t happening. If almost dying is what it took to get me to a place where I could help kids get the care they need on a national scale, then it has all been worth it. Every second of it.