Surviving the 11th grade by Chandler

Surviving the 11th grade by Chandler - June 2016 Scholarship Essay

I would now consider myself a very organized on top of things kind of student. I like to turn in my assignments on time, I arrive early for class and take notes to best stay on top of upcoming projects and tests. Through observation I have learned that girls typically fall into these practices naturally and for me being of the opposite sex I had to learn through trials and tribulations how to be the best I could be at organization. I see the benefits of mastering this art and am happy to say it comes effortlessly at this stage of my life.

The trials and tribulations I am speaking of entered my life during my junior year of high school where staying on top of my school work and putting organization a priority in my life became very important. My world was turned completely upside down at this time in my life as my little sister at the tender age of six went into renal failure. The doctors told my parents her only hope of survival would be through a kidney transplant. My sister came home from a long 30 day hospital stay only to be hooked to a dialysis machine in her bedroom every evening. The constant flow of medical supplies being delivered to our home seemed so surreal in the beginning but sadly became our norm. Both my parents were involved in testing to find which kidney was the best match for my sister. Miraculously they both were a perfect match. My dad stepped up to be the donor allowing my mom to remain my sisters full time caretaker. When you think things can not get worse well sometimes they do and in this case my dad came home to inform us that after 10 years of employment he lost his job. My dad's employment was our only family source of income so things definitely got worse.

In order to allow my dad opportunities to interview my mom decided to begin the medical work up and try to donate her kidney. All while my sister was still enduring daily hook ups to an uncomfortable dialysis machine. My mom went through a number of medical tests however she received the devastating phone call that her mammogram revealed she had invasive breast cancer. Further tests showed she had two tumors leading to her needing a year of chemotherapy and enduring a double mastectomy to survive. All plans for a kidney transplant had to be delayed in order to save my mom's life. So I have my little sister fighting to hang on until she could receive a kidney, my dad out desperately looking for employment and now my mom facing the fight of her life. Things definitely had gotten even worse.

Staying focused on school work became quite the challenge for me. I would find myself angry one minute and then feeling confused and terribly sad the next. School became the only place that wasn't crumbling before my eyes. As hard as it was to stay focused I knew in my heart it was what was best for me. I had to relinquish the fact that I had no control over the circumstances in my family at the time but I did have control over how I handled it. Turning my focus on my academics and being organized became my goal. I wanted to somehow be a part of the solution and help my family through this most difficult time but what could I do? My parents raised me to be a pretty responsible kid and it seemed to always make them proud when I brought home good grades. I decided that if my mom and sister can get up everyday facing their difficult circumstances fighting to survive the least I could do to contribute to the solution was do my best to get organized and stay focused on my academics. It was a lot harder than I expected with all the daily uncertainty I lived with. Some days I would come home to find my mom back in the hospital needing fluids or my sister struggling with low energy and needing help with simple tasks. The amount of stress surrounding my home life was unbearable some days. I had to find pockets of "me time" to focus on homework and study for upcoming tests. I was determined to at least remove the worry off my parents in regards to my grades. I am happy to say I made it through 11th grade with great grades and a new respect for the skill of staying organized. I know I made my parents very proud of me which in my book was the best gift I could give them during this difficult year.