The Infamous Question by Kim

The Infamous Question by Kim - June 2017 Scholarship Essay

We’ve all been asked the infamous question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and of course as a 6-year-old we pick the most obvious professions, such as, a firefighter, a doctor, a police officer and so on. For me, I knew that there was only one thing I wanted to be in this world, a Nurse.
Growing up, my Mom always had major health problems. Time after time, I would see the paramedics come into the house with a stretcher. Each time I wondered if I would see my Mom again. When I would go and visit her she would always tell me, “I’m okay Hunny”. I was still scared even with her reassurance because I was too little to understand what was going on.
Throughout my school years, I always excelled in Science and thought it was so interesting how the body worked. I remember sitting in my Anatomy and Physiology class, my phone vibrated and lit up. I pulled the phone out of my pocket and glanced down at the screen. I read the text message and immediately felt the gut wrenching pain of fear take over. Before I knew it, my skin flushed and tears began to roll down my face. My Mom had texted me, “I had a heart attack, I am in the Madison Hospital”. I just sat there, in my desk frozen. My teacher asked me, “Kim, are you okay?” I couldn’t find my words; instead, I got up and ran to the bathroom. I burst into tears and tried to calm myself down. After awhile, I called my Dad and explained to him what happened. About fifteen minutes later, he arrived at my school and we headed to Madison. I didn’t say a word the entire time, all I could think of is what do I do if she doesn’t make it? She is my best friend. When we arrived, I headed straight to my Mom’s room and gave her a hug. Immediately, the tears began to flood my eyes. My Mom told me her usual statement, “I’m okay Hunny”. The Nurse came in later on and discussed with my Mom and me what the prognosis was. The Nurse reassured me that my Mom will be okay and that they had put a stent in to open the artery and allow blood to flow through. The Nurse spent a lot of time with me and answered all the questions I had. She had asked me what grade I was in. I replied, “I’m a junior in High School”. Then she asked me, “What do you want to go to school for?” I smiled, and said, “A Nurse”.
Eight years later, I am working on my 3rd semester of Nursing school. My Mom recently had some more health issues and the Doctor believes that she has Pancreatic Cancer, although she did not want to know for sure. She said she wants to enjoy life.
Dealing with my Mom’s health problems has helped me evolve throughout my education by making me stronger and pushing through to make my Mom proud.