Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? 


I woke up in the middle of the night: anguishing pain, screaming, the emergency room, bright lights, tests, more tests, hospital bed, confusion, red-eyed parents.


I was only seven when I was diagnosed with a life threatening disease, rheumatic fever. The doctors insisted I drop out of school and sports, saying I would most likely never be able to run again. Although I was only seven, I believed what the adults told me- that my only chance of getting better was to swallow the bitter penicillin and eat every revolting herb my mother offered. Gone were my picky days. I finished all my spinach and sprouts, drank every drop of the vile protein drink, and faithfully did the exercises that were designed to help rebuild my strength. I struggled for a year before finally, my health began to turn around. 389 days after that fateful night, I amazed the doctors with full cardiovascular recovery.


In my most desperate moment, I knew that I couldn’t give up, because "it ain't about how hard you hit, it is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." These words helped me to take every complication in stride, never allowing myself to be mentally defeated.


This challenge taught me how to fight for a cause, and though none have been as noble as the fight for my life, I am still able to attack tasks with a tenacity that I never would have otherwise possessed. 


During my ailment, I began to understand the brevity of human life. Even today, I live with the chance of contracting the disease again, potentially leading to paralysis or even death. I recognize that life is precious and thus live each day like it is my last. Whenever anyone asks me why I take so many AP classes, wake up before sunrise for morning workouts, or spend my summers working while my friends are at the beach, I think back to when I wasn’t sure if I would reach my eighth birthday, and that is reason enough.