Health by Joni

Health by Joni - January 2016 Scholarship Essay

A New Year's Resolution is typically a goal set by an individual in hopes of bettering themselves for the upcoming year. It is a symbol of change and a new beginning. Unfortunately, many people are unable to maintain their New Year's Resolution and often fall back into their old habits. I don't usually make a New Year's Resolution because I personally believe that it is our duty as human beings to strive to be our very best everyday of our existence. However, this year, I decided that I would give it a try. My 2016 New Year's Resolution is to take better care of my health, by improving my diet, exercising more and getting enough rest.
Our health is a vital part of who we are. Unfortunately, many young people, myself included, ignore the importance of our health because we believe that our age makes us invincible from illnesses. We consume large amounts of junk food which contain too much fat, salt and sugar, and since technology is advancing, we aren't exercising as much as we should be. These factors increase our chances of developing diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Routine checkups is another practice which is neglected by young people. It is important that we and our doctors know what is happening in our bodies.
Last semester, I took an intermediate Spanish conversation course. One of the chapters focused on "La Salud", which translates to "health". It gave students advice on how to improve their health, such as not skipping the first and most important meal of the day – breakfast, and to desist from snacking in between meals. My favorite part of the chapter was the Frida Kahlo section. Frida Kahlo was a famous Mexican painter who suffered physically due to her health. At the age of six, Kahlo fell ill with poliomyelitis, which left her right leg and feet twisted. Later on, at the age of 18, Kahlo met in a grave accident which resulted in a metal pole being pierced into her pelvis, leaving her incapable of having children. However, that didn't stop her and her husband, Diego, from trying to conceive. Unfortunately, their two pregnancies ended in miscarriages. Frida used her suffering, along with her tumultuous marriage, her childhood and her worldviews, to create her world famous art pieces.
On January 3rd, 2016, my best friend's mother passed away due to cancer. My best friend, Ajani, had only told our group of friends that her mother was ill two days before it happened. She told us that it was liver cancer and that they had found it in its early stage, so we were all very hopeful. The next day, she informed us that is was actually in its late stage, but we were still hoping for a miracle. Ajani had booked a flight for six a.m. the next day, to come and visit her mom. Around two in the morning on the day of her mom's death, Ajani told us that her mother was no longer responding and that she could not speak. Everything was happening so fast, and all I could do was pray that my friend would get to see her mom one last time before she was gone. Unfortunately, her mom passed 10 minutes after her flight that morning. When Ajani landed, my other friend and I went to see her, just so that we could comfort her. She told us that her mom had apparently been ill for years and that the cancer had spread everywhere. It was and still is hard to know that my friend's mom and best friend had died so quickly, and that she will have to live without one of her parents.
These two experiences have made me more conscious of the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It's my wish to live long enough to spend as much time as I can with my family and friends. In order for this to happen though, my health must be well taken care of. As a busy college student, it will be difficult to maintain my resolution. However, I know that it will help me to function better as a student, by improving my memory and my ability to complete tasks efficiently.