The word perseveranceis such a powerful word.
Grasping theword results in ultimate success yet takes a great amount of obedience. Most candefine perseverance as meaning to not give up. Even though people have a goodsense of what this word means I still feel that most do not know the competenceof this word. Merriam Webster gives this definition to the word perseverance;”the act or power of continuing to do something despite difficulties.”. Haveyou ever set targets for yourself that you’ve not been able to achieve orattain? And did you end up wondering just why things don’t seem to work out inyour favor? If so, you are not alone. A lot people never seem to achievesuccess in various goals they set up for themselves; and these very people oftenlose hope in their abilities to do well on anything. A persevering person is onewho has self-confidence, indomitable determination, and untiring energy tocontinue until you’ve completed the task or goal you set for yourself.
InNovember 2017, I found myself, at 17, depressed, petrified, and all aloneengrossed in the news I had just received from the doctors. I had just foundout I had Pseudotumorcerebri, which was the reason why for weeks I couldn’t seeproperly, and I felt so weak. At first, I couldn’t believe it.
How couldsomeone so young have a disease so rare? Was it hereditary? Would I becomeblind? A million questions were racing through my head all at once. On October28th I found out I had pseudotumorcerbri, November 4th I wasdue to check in to the Florida hospital and have emergency surgery on my eye,but it didn’t stop there. After having an optic nerve sheet fenestration, in acouple days it was supposed to relieve some of the pressure in my head andreduce the swelling of my brain. It was also supposed to start correcting myeyesight. So why did it seem to get worse? My headaches became unbearable andnothing helped, the doctors then decided let’s do a lumbar puncture and MRI to seewhat’s going on. Comes to find out my intercranial pressure had sky-rocketed to42 when it was only 35 a couple days before, instead of pressure being relievedit was building up drastically.
I ended up having to have emergency surgeryagain this time I had a lumbar shunt installed to help with the drainage ofspinal fluid. Following all the major surgeries, I felt alone and depressed, I couldn’tdo anything by myself, I felt like such a burden on my dad. I couldn’t Movefrom off my left side due to the incisions on my right side and lower rightback. I couldn’t eat without being nauseated.
I couldn’t use the restroomwithout a bedpan, 4 nurses, my dad and A lot of Screaming and crying. Perseveranceis something I had to acquire, and I had to acquire it quickly. After sendingaway the physical therapist a couple of days, the next day I woke up and said, “I’mgoing to try walking today”. The first step was hard, and it hurt so much but Iknew if I wanted to hurry and get out of the hospital in time for thanksgivingI would have to push myself. For days I got Up and tried walking to the hallwayeven if it took all day I was determined.
What I soon noticed though is that I hadto balance with doing a lot and not doing too much, with the shunt in placewith too much movement I could become weak and dizzy because my intercranialpressure was then too low. I had a walker for my good days and on days I wastoo weak to move and couldn’t feel my legs I had a wheelchair. After spendingthe rest of 2017, In and out of the hospital and sick, I am now, because of my perseveranceand the dreams I have set for myself, walking on my own and taking things dayby day. It’s been a rough couple of months, I found myself slipping intodepression, I mean senior year was supposed to be my best one yet. Yet here I amwith this disease, I can’t go to school till I get clearance from my neurosurgeon,I might not go to college because I’m missing all the deadlines because I’m inand out the hospital, and I’m going to miss ACT/SAT testing.
See whatpersevering will do for you, with having the right mindset, you’ll be turningthe key to your success