Desperation to Determination by Hailey

Desperation to Determination by Hailey - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

Joyous occasions can swiftly turn into horrific accidents but then blossom into a beautiful lesson.

My friend, her older sister, my younger sister, and I were on our way to the movies without any parents for the first time. Out of nowhere, a car slammed directly into us. The seatbelt around my torso thrashed against my throat and we were all jolted into shock. The accident only took a split second, but the aftermath had a much greater impact on me.

Once the car stopped, no one could move or fully register what just happened. Only after a few seconds did I come out of shock and yell at everyone to get out of the car. Our instincts immediately led us to grab the car doors but they wouldn’t budge. As panic set in, my heartbeat accelerated and it felt like a rush of adrenaline shot throughout my entire body. I used both legs, and all my might, to finally thrust my door open and everyone scrambled out.

Once everyone escaped, my eyes quickly scan the scene to check if we were all okay. Everything seems to be fine, besides the car and my head. I could feel severe pain from the side of my neck tracing the lines of the seat belt bruises. At that moment my younger sister turns around and all the pain leaves my body replaced with fear. The lights are brighter, people stuck in the traffic were yelling, yet they all seemed static. Blood is painted all over my sister’s face, dripping from her forehead to her chin. She didn’t even notice, but once she put a finger to her cheek, she knew something was not right.

My instinctual older sister's impulses rush into action as I run to her aid. Without a single adult to defer to, the decision of what to do rested upon me. But, with no formal medical training, everything I knew came from TV shows. If wrong, would I make the situation infinitely worse? All I could do was wipe the blood flowing heavily off her face until an EMT arrived.

When reflecting on the accident, I don’t think about the crash itself, but my overwhelming sense of helplessness. As her older sister, I always thought I could protect Khushi from anything. Her status on the autistic spectrum compounded my strong sense of protection; it has always been my duty to look after and help her. It is my responsibility to ensure her safety whenever our parents are not around and our excitement for the movie made me lose sight of checking her seatbelt before we left.

Adding insult to injury, what upset me the most was that I rejected an opportunity that summer to train as an EMT. Thoughts of what could have been different if I became an EMT continually ran through my mind. Would it have helped during the accident? If I had the training, could I have reacted immediately to avoid any sense of helplessness? With all these questions running rampantly through my mind, slowly going down a spiral of what-ifs, I realized that these thoughts stemmed from an unfortunately missed opportunity.

This sowed the seeds for solidifying my desire to pursue healthcare. From the rubble blossomed the realization that any opportunities that come my way should always be seriously considered. This is why after dedicating myself to the path to becoming a physician, I engaged in healthcare-related classes, starting a HOSA(Health Occupations Students of America), and volunteering with Assisted Living and Memory Care Seniors. As a physician, I hope to not only heal others but also to learn and educate others on EMS(Emergency Medical Services) so others will have knowledge that I never had.

Her blood on my shoes forever serves as a reminder of what I could not do then but what I hope to be able to do in the future.