Remission: My Non-Fiction Account

2011 was the most memorable, impactful, exciting, painful, fun, worst, and best year

of my life to that point. I graduated high school, flew across the country to attend my

first year of college, and completed my first semester of college. Even more

significant than these events was being diagnosed with T-Cell lymphoma.

However, that’s not the part of the story we’re focusing on. I left school for a year,

got better, or good enough to come back, and had to adjust to a new life.

In order to undergo chemotherapy, I was required to be isolated from society. I

missed the second half of freshman year of college, was unable to interact with my

friends, and watched the world continue as I sat still and suffered through

chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy and the treatment prior to mission from a physical standpoint was

painful but paled in comparison to the mental toll it took on me. I hated it, all of it.

Logging on the internet to see your friends still having a good time, continuing their

lives, and doing all the things I wished I could still be a part of. I was not upset they

were having a good time, I was just sad I was unable to be with them, and had to

watch them instead. I had some incredibly dark times that I’m almost ashamed to

know what ran through my head. I felt alone; I felt as if no one understood me, and I

could not wait for remission, I thought that was the end of all my struggles.

I was wrong.

After making it through chemotherapy and reaching the remission stage I was able

to return to school but the difficulties I faced were not over. I found it challenging to

adjust back into the school population, as I had to be far more cautious with

everything I did. In addition to this, I was a year behind all of my friends so I was no

longer in class with anyone I knew and was lost on a year’s worth of memories that

I’ll never be able to retrieve. I also had to miss a large amount of class in order to

make doctor’s appointments or get over being ill. I could not play sports with my

friends because my body was still recovering from the chemotherapy, making me

far weaker than everyone else which was just another area I found myself excluded.

Everything was more tiring and stressful due to the fact that it was physically more

challenging and I was mentally dealing with more things.

The remission stage I had so longed for was not nearly what I expected. People

were more cautious around me, some even scared thinking they could become ill as

well, and some people treated me as if I was completely helpless. I just wanted to be

treated normally, like everyone else.

However, my life is not a complete sob story things are looking up. I managed to pull

off perhaps the best grades I have gotten since middle school. I finished that

semester with a 3.577 and was selected to complete a study abroad program in

Barcelona for the summer of 2013. The following semesters I continued to raise my

gpa, do summer internships, and regain the physical and mental strength to become

comfortable as myself again. Now, I am graduating from Howard University in

month in a better position than I could have drawn up myself.

I’ve been out of remission for 2 years which bears significant life span implications

that fall heavily into my favor. Socially, I’d like to think I’ve done just slightly above

average and will be able to look back on college and say I had an amazing time.

My road to recovery is not complete but I am striving to not only reach it but

surpass it. I work every day not to be normal again, but to be a far better person

than I was before I was diagnosed, and have a damn good time doing it. I feel as if I

continue to grow and work on the flaws in myself I can be an example or even

inspiration to someone else whether that person may have had an illness or not.

No complaints over here. Thankful.

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