Embrace Change by Morgan

Embrace Change by Morgan - September 2022 Scholarship Essay

To my past self, please embrace the changes coming into your life. I say this because life is about to get very rocky in the future. When I think I have things figured out, life throws me another curveball for me to figure out. The most challenging curveball I have taken is my medical history. I have hidden being the “sick kid” to most people I know. I want my past self to embrace change so that she is not embarrassed by the accommodations she needs to live comfortably.

My medical journey has been a long one. I have been seeing different specialists for seven years now. It started with stomach issues diagnosed as stomach migraines, which turned into Celiac Disease. Having to relearn how to cook and eat was not even the most challenging part of having it. The hardest part is seeing the look of disgust on people’s faces when they see what I am eating. That was the first change I had to embrace in my life, and it took a solid year to be okay with having it. I was so embarrassed about having Celiac Disease that I did not tell my friends I had it for the first year.

Things calmed down for a little while in my medical journey until I contracted Covid in 2020. I was labeled a long-haul Covid patient. That label caused me dismission by every doctor I saw. They brushed all of my symptoms off as long-haul Covid instead of getting to the root cause of my symptoms.

Finally, after two years of nonstop doctor’s appointments, and a doctor who gave the time to listen, I got a diagnosis. I was diagnosed with a genetic connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Although it is gratifying to hear I am not crazy, it is a diagnosis that requires some substantial life changes. For example, sports changed to walks around the block, and braces and assisted walking devices came into my life.

I wish for my past self to embrace these changes, which I was so embarrassed about as I was younger. I wish for nothing but acceptance from her peers for openly expressing her needs and limitations. I wish for embracing change to lead to a seamless transition into a new way of life for her. Lastly, I wish for inner peace for her so that she may not hold back on experiences because of her medical conditions.