I recently applied for a scholarship with the Legacy Brain Foundation. This scholarship helps out students whose parents in the North Texas area have been affected by a brain tumor. Well, as most of you know, my father has. I was required to write an essay explaining what kind of effect brain cancer had had on me. I am hoping that this scholarship can help out with next semester's tuition, wherever I end up going!! Please join me in prayer that this story will touch the scholarship board's hearts! Below is the essay that I wrote and I hope you enjoy reading it!!!
"Most little girls grow up dancing around the living room on top of their daddy’s feet. They twirl around in their pink and purple nightgowns, putting on a show for anyone willing to watch. Those little girls are their daddy’s princess, his everything. Every step he takes, they follow, knowing that he would never let them fall. He would always be their knight in shining armor, their hero.
Although I was never a dancer, my father’s footsteps were always the ones I wanted to follow. I knew, as his oldest and wisest princess, that he would never lead me astray. He would, forever and always, be my knight in shining armor. To my little eyes, my dad was the bravest, strongest, most powerful man I had ever known.
Through the years, a majority of these qualities remain true. Unfortunately though, as I got older I realized that I couldn’t live in the fairytale world of princesses dancing around their living rooms with their main man. My world had come to a halt during my junior year of high school when I received the heartbreaking news of my knight, my father, being diagnosed with brain cancer. All of a sudden my father became a little bit weaker, a little bit discouraged. However, he remained my earthly king.
There were several months and even years that were the toughest we had ever faced as a family. Some of these months we continue to face as we try to pay back all of the medical debt, while still keeping me in school. Thankfully, he has remained a strong fighter and has been able to remain in remission for almost three years, including about two years of chemotherapy. His determination and driven soul have challenged me in incredible ways. He is a constant reminder of the value and blessing of life, how beautiful it is that we are privileged with this experience.
During the past year, I have been blessed with an invaluable experience. I am currently a respite care taker for an amazing five year old special princess, Makenna. Throughout her five years of life she has had four brain surgeries. She has been diagnosed with cortical dysplasia, cerebral folate deficiency, epilepsy, and more. Makenna is a living miracle, another beautiful reminder of just how sweet and precious this life is.
My life experiences with my father and with Makenna have led me into a career goal I would have never fathomed without them. I am majoring in early childhood special education and would love to receive my masters in special education. With this degree I want to work with children who are severely and profoundly disabled, children who some fear, children that many just want to give up on. These children deserve the same fairytale we receive as we dance around the living room on our daddy’s feet. Although it may be a different version of this, there is still so much potential in these children. All they need is a set of footsteps to follow.
Throughout my life experiences these past four years, I have come to see just how beautiful this world can be, how much of fairytale we can choose to make it. Granted, it may not be perfect, but it can be made into our own version of a wonderful story. I pray that my footsteps can continue to dance through this life just as my knight’s led me as a little girl."
May those of you that have been affected by cancer be filled with His unconditional love and healing power! Hope you all have an incredible weekend!!! Much love!!
