Every Moment by Harrison Owen

Every Moment by Harrison Owen - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

One of my proudest moments in high school was qualifying for the indoor state track meet my junior year. I never thought I would run track. I had always wanted to run track, but we did not have a track team at my small school. I played football for a couple of years and then the football program was cancelled after my sophomore season. I heard there would be a track team my junior year and since I was no longer playing football, I figured why not try. I ran the 60-meter dash and qualified for state in the very first track meet I had participated in. I would say I am most proud of this moment because no one ever thought I would be able to play a sport much less qualify for state.

You see, I am a miracle baby. I was born December 8, 1998 at a massive 2 pounds 7 ounces. I was three and a half months early and had to stay in the NICU 142 days, that is almost five months. Many complications can develop when being born severely premature. Some of them you only experience while in the hospital, some of them you carry around for life and some you can overcome. A few of the obstacles I have experienced in my life are asthma, a brain bleed, blood transfusions, learning disabilities and almost dying. In my eighteen years I have come a very long way. I have played four different varsity sports despite having a limited lung capacity. Even though there is a track ‘team’, when I run the 60-meter dash it is all me. The way I perform is dependent on how I have trained and how my lungs are doing that day.

Even though qualifying times have been changed this year, my goal is to qualify as a senior in the coming weeks with an even better time than last year. While this is one of my proudest ‘sports’ moments, I really think knowing how the odds were stacked against me at the start, and given a very low percentage to live; then to have any type quality of life, and being told I would not be able to participate in any vigorous exercises, I guess I would really have to say my proudest moment is EVERY moment!