Most students have an identity, an interest or a talent that defines them in an essential way. Tell us about yourself.
“Where’s your mom?”
“Back at home”
“How come we never see her?”
For a long time, this conversation usually would turn into a dead-end. I would shrug off the uncertainty, embracing my childhood ignorance. While most mothers lined up to pick up their kids at school, my mom never did. Why, I wondered, could my mother not do the same.
At about 12 years old, my parents finally approached me to tell me the answer I had waited so long to hear. I was shocked. My mother was suffering from Multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease that I was blissfully unaware of. To my horror, after relentless amounts of research, I learned that multiple sclerosis was in fact a debilitating disease that affects the nervous system. MS also comprises of episodes of intensified symptoms including gastrointestinal complications, excruciating migraines, and nerve pain. I saw these in my mother, and the little mobility she had was limited to laying in bed for most of the day. Hurt, I questioned myself why mother had to go through these side effects and what remedies existed to these problems. Though, only in middle school, I felt that I needed to do something to help my mother.
While my mother struggled with even the most mundane everyday tasks, deep down she held on to her strong and persevering mindset. In spite of her limitations, she would sit up from her bed, go over homework problems, and read books with me. When I struggled with difficult math problems or____ , I realized my problems were so small compared to my mom’s. From early on, I admired her perseverance and wanted to acquire that magical power that allowed her to see the good in every bad situation. Through interactions with my mom, I learned that working hard and being determined was the way to be satisfied.
Throughout our struggle, I witnessed many challenges when she switched to different medications. Every time my mother came back from her doctor’s appointment, I was thrilled to see if the new medication would finally “work”. But despite this optimism, I knew deep inside that my false sense of hope was in vain. MS has no cure. Knowing my mother would have to deal with MS the rest of her life, I was determined not only to be positive, but to be her right hand and fill her with happiness. Throughout these transgressions, I did the littlest things that could help alleviate her suffering. She would walk, gripping onto my arm, and I was happy to walk hand in hand with my mother whenever we were out. Seeing my mother be carefree and cheerful, even in public, was the greatest reward because I knew, for that moment, I took her pain away.
To me, MS is a double edged sword. While it was challenging to see my mother go through such a grueling time, the bond that formed between my mother and I will always be something that shaped my identity. Attempting to understand her, I became the companion my mother needed through her rollercoaster-esque prognosis. Helping my mother and seeing her light up warmed my heart to witness the positive fruits of my efforts. Likewise, my involvement in my mother’s battle with MS instilled in me the revelation that I wanted to be part of a greater good: to help more people by being a part of the medical community. This way, I will be able to interact with people and help give them the hope they need to look past their conditions and lead a happy life. I am grateful for having a mother be so inspiring and encouraging. But most of all, to this day, her fight with MS showed me that through perseverance, you can conquer anything.