# data[].attributes.body
Thank you mom. Everything you’ve done for me has been a pleasure
since day one and now I’m graduating here in less than a month. You’ve pushed
me this far and I appreciate it all.

You’ve helped me grow throughout my years of school and
always told me to be myself. In grade school years I wasn’t exactly myself. I alienated
myself which made me an eye opener. Nobody really liked me because I kept to
myself and I dressed weird. You, as my mom, helped me get out of that phase I was
going through in grade school/middle school, and made me put myself out there
to make more friends. Which I did overtime.

You’ve helped me pursue my running career through school
that I absolutely wanted to quit because of the people I was surrounded by. You
encouraged me to keep on going with what I loved and knew what I was great at.
I accomplished running because of your encouragement and love to motivate me to
keep on going. Because of you I made states twice. Because of you I won sectionals
twice. Because of you I put myself out there to have a better social life. In
the end I made it, all because of you. I am truly thankful for it.

I thank you for being my role model in some ways. The
military life style you had lived, I want to experience the same thing, and which
I will be coming next February. I have been pushed around and thrown under the
bus multiple times and you were always there by my side to pick me back up. I do
not have any words to express my thankfulness to you other than just showing
it.

Mom, my life has been great because of you being around.
Honestly, if I had lost you to the cancer back in 2007, I would’ve never made
it this far. I would have no one to pick me up when I’m down, no one to
encourage me to run as good as I did, and no one to give me hugs just to give
me one. Nothing would’ve been the same without you here. I am more than happy
to be your daughter even though we have our issues sometimes.

Thank you for giving me a god life, a house to sleep in,
animals that I truly adore and getting me cloths, even though I might not
deserve them sometimes. We bicker but that is what mothers and daughters do. We
are great at it I’d say. I remember the day you told me, “I’ll always be there
for you no matter what time of day it is. If you need me just call. Nothing
will ever stand in the way of me to protect you.” This made tear up a little. I
am just so greatful to have a mother in my life, that I nearly lost, be by my
side till this day.

Mom, I am thankful for you to be here. I love you.

# data[].attributes.body
If you are stressed, there are multiple things to help you
cope your way through it. I personally have things that help me. Everyone has a
different mind set when it comes to stress and it is handled in their own way.

Coping with stress can be hard and sometimes can just make
the stress worse if not worked with properly. So there are 5 techniques that I use
when I become overly stressed that may work on others.

1. Talking it out with a friend or family member: If
you are feeling down or overwhelmed, try and talk it out with someone,
personally it helps me to vent my problems to someone close to me.

2. Listen to upbeat music: Listening to more calm
style music rather than depressing type music can help ease the stress. A proven
fact based on WebMD is that “research shows that listening to soothing music
can lower blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety.” I know I have a lot of anxiety
and stress so music helps me calm down.

3. Color in random pictures: Coloring with crayons,
or personally I like colored pencils, helps cope with stress and anxiety.
Coloring in those complex pictures really takes the mind to a whole new world.

4. Cleaning: Cleaning is one of those things that
helps throw away all of those stressors and anxious thoughts and replaces it
with, “what should I clean next.” Cleaning is a motivational thing for me. Once
I start I can’t stop till I’m completely finished. Then once I’m done, I feel
really great about what I have accomplished. The stress just leaves my body
like it wasn’t even there.

5. Light up some scents: Smelling lavender or very
clean smells help reduce stress. I love the smell of lavender or clean linen because
it helps to ease my mind of those nasty stressors. A proven fact of lighting up
some lavender is that, studies suggest aromatherapy can be a good way to
relieve stress. Certain aromas (like lavender) have been consistently shown to
reduce stress levels (Lebowitz). This is an expert approved fact

6. Exercise: Exercise in almost any form can act as
a stress reliever. Being active can boost your feel-good endorphins and
distract you from daily worries. (Mayo Clinic) So I recommend getting out there
and doing some form of exercise to get those feelin’ good endorphins moving
around.

# data[].attributes.body
I’ve had some strange experiences in my life but the one I experienced
2 days ago, May 30th, 2015, was the strangest experience ever. A
town not too far from PennYan, New York called Middlesex is a strange little
drive by town out in the middle of nowhere, and I mean that when I say that.
There is a road attached to the outskirts of the town called Newell road, which
is a 2 mile long uphill/downhill stretch and I had taken it.

The road was so dense with fog I could barely see in front
of me along with it being a very dreary day, which made it worse. But before I had
even came to Newell road in the middle of nowhere, I did research on this road.
According to Hear Planet, it is said that “a magnetic, or gravity hill is an
optical illusion where a downwards slope appears upwards.” Some of these are instead
often simply referred to as 'Gravity Hill' or 'Magnetic Hill’. Also according
to this specific spot on the hill, you are supposed to go up to the top by a
mailbox and put your car into neutral after a complete stop and you’ll slowly
start going back ‘up’ the hill. That’s what made it spooky.

As I drove up to the point on the hill, called Spook Hill
for a reason, and stopped at the specified spot I was told to go to, through
the research, I put my car into neutral and slowly started to roll back up the
slanted illusion hill that was going downwards through the naked eye. The fact
that the phenomenon actually worked and the fact that I really didn’t believe
this was even true, freaked me out.

The fog just kept becoming denser and denser which made it
hard to see anything directly ahead of my car. No wonder the place was called
Spook Hill. It really lived up to its name.

A lot of people made articles and videos of this place doing
the phenomenon that was stated and it worked for them too. They were just as
freaked out as I was. I seriously had goosebumps running down my spine, which
made all my hair stand up.

I would recommend people to go see this crazy optical earth
illusion. It is well worth it because after doing it you want to understand why
there is an illusion sitting right on earth in the middle of nowhere. This was
one of the strangest experiences I have had so far and I would love to
experience more unexplainable phenomenon.

# data[].attributes.body
The military isn’t for the weak. Not necessarily physically
but more mentally than anything else. My family is a family with veterans and I
am proud to say I have that. All that have been in every branch, the Air Force,
Marines, Navy, Coast Guard, Army, and Army National Guard.

My great grandfather was a 1st Lieutenant in the Army during
world war two around the time when Pearl Harbor was bombed. He was in a control
tower when the whole entire area was bombed. Anytime we would talk about Pearl
Harbor all he mentioned to us was that he ran for is life to cover and watched
all the brutal bombs land until it was over. He won’t talk about it because it
was a sensitive area of his life. I don’t blame him.

My Grandfather was in the Air Force and retired as a Senior
Master Sergeant (one rank from the highest enlisted rank E-8). He was Active
duty his whole career because he was called out 3 days after enlisting. Just
his luck I’d say. He enjoyed his 30 year career in the Air Force but he had to
put it to an end for my mother’s educational and social sake. He traveled every
1 to 2 years which caused my mom to change highs cools. They lived in Germany,
the Philippines, Hawaii and many more places just because my grandfather was
moved from base to base to support our military personal. It’s not exactly the
greatest civilian life for my mother.

After my mom’s terrible civilian life traveling around with my
grandfather her whole high school life, she joined the Air Force herself! She didn’t
stay in long just because she wanted more to life than the military. She enlisted
as an E-1, Airman, and left just a few day later for basic training. She was an
active duty member just like my grandfather. She was assigned her first unit in
Alaska, which was not pleasant at all for her but then she was moved after a
short period of time to Arlington, Texas Air Force base due to the extreme cold
weather over there.

My grandfather witnessed some things he probably shouldn’t have
throughout his Air Force career. He was at an Air Force base somewhere in the
states casually walking by a building on the base. Right as he walked past it
and became distant from the building, it had blew up. Someone on the base
turned their backs on the Air Force/military personal to become what is called
a “terrorist.” All I remember him telling me is that he ran for his life and
went and got help. Such a terrible thing to witness in my opinion.

I am currently going through the process of enlisting into the
Army National Guard as an E-1, Private, to pursue becoming a soldier for the United
States military. I already have a reserved job to achieve when I got to basic
training and AIT. I will be an internment/Resettlement specialist (31E), which
means I will be working in correctional facilities guarding and putting away
prisoners. According to the Army National Guard standards, if I complete my AIT
training to become a 31E, I am capable of working at LAPD, New York City Police
Dept., Louisville Metro Police, Clearwater PD, Alabama Department of
Corrections, Las Vegas Metro Police Department, Kansas Highway Patrol, City of
Chicago and Baltimore Police Department (Go Army). I personally would enjoy
working at the NYPD or LAPD sometime in my life.

Being in the military will be exceptionally challenging and I
know for current veterans and past military personal, training has and will
always be hard. It’s not something the mentally weak can go into and I know a
lot of people that can pursue this life. My grandfather, and my Mother made it
through and as for my mom, she isn’t exactly mentally tough anymore and she
made it through just fine.

All I can say is, pursue your dreams and make it happen. The
military is one of mine.

# data[].attributes.body
Being in the hospital isn’t exactly the best place to be
during the day or any time of the year. My experience, of how about I say, experiences
of being in the hospital were not all that great. Let’s just say I’ve been to
the hospital countless times but of those times, 4 of them were more serious.

My days of being in the hospital frequently ended well over
3 years ago and I am very greatful for that. My first ever experience in the
hospital is when I became dehydrated on Halloween night with the swine flu. I
literally felt like a dying pig rolling on the ground. I barley remember even
being poked with the IV to get the fluids into my body or even being there for
the 9 hours. Being dehydrated really messes with you head I’d say.

Not too long after that visit I came down with Meningitis
and Mononucleosis, the two big M words I did not want to hear. First it started
with back pain after running or even walking and then it turned into me passing
out after my 5K race in the woods and back out. This was not pleasant at all. I
progressively grew a headache overtime but the thing is, it only kept getting
worse. My head felt like someone had taken a hammer and started to hit me with
it over and over again. I wasn’t even able to lay on a pillow it hurt so badly.
All I did was cry when this agonizing pain started to come around.

After telling my mom I cannot take the pain of my head
anymore and I need some help for it, she took me to the hospital because none
of the pain killer I had taken worked. I am not surprised the pain killers didn’t
work because even with a regular headache, nothing kicks in like it should. I was
one of lucky ones to catch the dumb virus because a known fact is that only about,
“25 percent of teens and young adults who are infected with EBV will develop
infectious mononucleosis, according to the CDC” (Bradford). I always seem to
get the short end of the stick with sickness. Why me?

Come to find out after being at the hospital for hours on
end, that I barely remember, it wasn’t just Mono I popped hot for, Meningitis
came along with it also. Meningitis was giving me the severe headache, and I
never though a day in my life id catch meningitis, because it’s nearly fatal if
not caught under 24 hours.

From what I remember, the doctor gave me injected morphine through
my IV and Benadryl all at once and I was out after that. Not literally asleep
but talking without realizing it. I was loopy as hell. The morphine got rid of
my headache within 20 seconds and it was the biggest relief of that day/night. I
was still very sick but with the doctors great help I felt 150% better after I woke
up the next morning.

Thankfully, the doctor found out the problem very quickly
because that meningitis would have killed me. I hate thinking back to that day
because I remember asking my mom, “what’s meningitis do to you?” and all she
said back was, “Hunny I wouldn’t be here right now if the meningitis gave its
full effect” (Erin Cook). I burst out crying that instant knowing the effects
that could’ve came. I am glad they didn’t.

Life is just too
precious to end like that, so soon.

# data[].attributes.body
Being inspired by someone or something is the best feeling
in the world. I have a few people that have inspired me throughout my running
journey. These two people would be the all mighty famous Steve premontane and
Dean Karnazes. These two inspiring men are the greatest runners of all time.
The astounding achievements they have made only make me want to go farther with
running.

Steve
Prefontaine, the greatest American distance runner in the history of mankind,
was completely unstoppable on the track. He has all of the records in the 1500
meters, 1 mile, 2 mile, 5000 meters and the 10,000 meter run. These
accomplishments have inspired me to do bigger and better things with running.
As an 8th grader I did break a school records and win sectionals in
the steeple Chase, which is a barrier puddle jump race. One of the hardest and
most tiring races on the track. It was a gruesome race but in the end I made it
through.

One of
my favorite races that Pre has inspired me to do was the 5000 meters, also
known as the 5K run. Its 3.1 miles of straight running. Pre ran the 5000 meters
in 13:21, which is an exceptional time. Over time I worked my way to a faster
time, and I did it. I have a personal best and that personal best has gave me
the experience of states. 19:59 gave me this and it was all because of my
inspiration of Steve Prefontaine.

We
can’t forget the great all American ultra-marathon runner. He has been my
number one inspiration throughout high school running. He has taught me how to
keep pushing through pain and to keep moving forward. I yet have to run a
marathon but plan on doing one sooner than later. Dean is very well known for
running 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. It sounds so ridiculous but he
managed to do it because of his determination and well, he has a weird disease.
This disease helps him out a lot through running. Dean cannot build lactic acid
up in his legs so he never has a problem with being sore or tight through a
race, even the day after. I am completely jealous of it.

I, one day want to accomplish
what dean has done so far. I want to be known all around. He has even ran a 350
mile race in 80 hours and 44 minutes without sleep in 2005. I wish I understood
how he did it but all I know is that he crawled part of it. The one thing about
Dean that inspires me the most is that he keeps pushing and pushing till he has
nothing more to giver, but even then he keeps on going. This is how my mentally
has been since I started running. I give him props to these accomplishments.

Dean
and Steve have and always will be inspirational to me. They only help me become
stronger than I was once before. As once said by Dean, and it speaks the truth,
“The human body has limitations. The human spirit is boundless” (Dean
Karnazes). Steve have the exact same mind set and now, that mind set has lead
its way to my head. I will always follow it.

# data[].attributes.body
Being called fat is such a controversial thing in this
generation. Being called fat is not only hurtful but really puts people’s
self-esteem way down into the ground. Even people that are thinner than a twig
have this problem when being called fat. In my opinion, if I was called fat or
overweight, which I have been, it would make me feel insecure about myself.

If you look at a magazine with all these skinny and fit
women, it really puts people down because not everyone is going to look like
these muscular women. You never really see an overweight person in a magazine
unless the creators of the magazine are body shaming the person/celebrity. It’s
mentally destroying.

I have a side of my family who aren’t exactly the fittest
people in the world and have no problem being the way they are until something
is mentioned about being fat or overweight. This only made them feel terrible
about themselves and not want to do anything about their weight. You’d think it
would motivate them to make themselves healthier but it only shot down there
motivation and self-esteem to do absolutely nothing.

If you think about it, most women only really look good in
magazines due to Photoshop tools to make themselves look better than in real
life. This only makes women hate themselves for how they naturally look. Women
become jealous of most of these fake photo shopped magazine stars, which
shouldn’t be happening. Honestly I become jealous a lot over it.

I’ve heard of many women, and seen women, go ahead and
actually make themselves anorexic because of the photo shopped images of what,
“looks attractive,” in today’s society, when in reality, being stick thin is
not attractive at all. This is where body shaming goes to a whole new level.

Social sites and social products can really be blamed for
this controversial body shaming in this generation because all we have now is
internet social media sites and tons of magazines. Fat talk is such a
contagious thing on the internet. Since the internet is “behind closed doors,”
many people feel free to say whatever they want to anyone without feeling bad
about it. But in real life, face to face, a lot of people can’t say a thing.

# data[].attributes.body
Health and Fitness is a very important part of life, in my
opinion. If fitness wasn’t involved in my life, I would honestly feel empty.
Running, and lifting are one of my main goals to stay in shape so I’m healthy
as a human being.

I started running when I was 13. I’d say it was one of the
smartest decisions of my life. It may have led to some health problems because I
was so into being a health freak, but in the end I endured through the sickness
and kept on going.

Running…I’ve been running for 4 years now and still plan on
to still do it. The running honestly kept my body in shape and filled me out.
What I mean by “filled me out” is that I became more toned and muscular within
my legs. Not going to lie, I as a tiny thing before I started to run. It kind
of became a part of me over the years. Almost like an addiction, you can’t live
without.

I run on a daily basis. Keeping myself healthy is just a habit
I’d like to live with the rest of my life. Also another fitness activity popped
into my life after I realized my upper body wasn’t nearly as strong as my lower
body. Lifting! Oh how I love to lift.

I actually came quite far in 4 to 5 months of lifting while I
had to wait for my friend to come back from boot camp. It was depressing to
wait so long but lifting was the only way to get it off my mind. Like running
became an addiction, lifting became one also.

One of my favorite quotes as a fitness freak is, “Bodybuilding
is much like any other sport. To be successful, you must dedicate yourself 100%
to your training, diet and mental approach.” (Arnold Schwarzenegger). It’s a very
motivational quote and not only should I follow it but everyone should follow
it.

Within that 4-5 months of lifting, my arms and back and
chest grew and became toned. I didn’t notice it right away until my mom
mentioned it to me. My back had more muscle definition along with my chest and
arms. My biceps measured 11icnhes before I started and then after the 4 months,
my biceps measured 13 inches. I was really happy with myself! The more I improved
the more I wanted to come back and do more.

When I first started to curl weight, I was curling 25 pounds
per arm. Now I curl a max of 35 pounds per arm! It was such an astounding improvement
for myself and I wish to keep doing it for a long time. I think everyone should
become involved with running, lifting and general healthy fitness to make themselves
happier people. I know it makes me happy.

Being fit and healthy is just so important to me. I feel
like I become depressed when I cant work out but then I make it up the next day
anyways. Not only should young people become involved with fitness but older individuals
should too. It’s such a great thing to
have in your life and in the end it will be worth every workout ever accomplished.

# data[].attributes.body
As I’m flying over the Bermuda triangle, on a journey to the
Cayman Islands for the best vacation of my life, the plane gets hit by
lightning, right by my window on the wing! The plane swayed a few times but all
of this is a normal occurrence with planes in the air.

People may say that flying in a plane 35+ thousand feet in
the air, is the scariest thing they’ve ever experienced. Honestly I don’t see the
big deal of flying in a plane. Yes, it can be scary at moments but I enjoy the
feeling of being above and beyond everyone. But it didn’t seem normal because
we were within the Bermuda Triangle.

The best part about flying id say, is the turbulence. It may
sound funny but the jerking of the plane feels pretty neat. Turbulence is one
of the most hated things by people, but I’m just one that enjoys it.

As the journey to the Cayman Islands, the plane only gets
worse because we were within a huge storm cloud. I personally enjoyed it, like I
said before, but many people were holding on for their lives. Especially my
mom, she was literally panicking. She hates flying so she has to take Xanax
just to calm herself down.

The plane ride lasted 4 hours because we had to go within
the Bermuda triangle and then down and around Jamaica, just to get there. The
plane had its good and bad moments. One of the bad moments that scared the crap
out of me was when piece of the wing shrapnel flew off, which I guess is normal
when being in the air for a long period of time. I think only a few people
watched this happen, and I was one of the lucky ones to see it….NOT!

After a while the bumpy ride went to a very calm and
soothing ride the rest of the way down. There were no clouds in the sky, and
you could see the ground from way up in the sky. The waters were clear and blue
with no algae. It was a nice sight to see after being up there for 4 hours. The
Bermuda Triangle gave us a hell of a ride.

I’d say the Bermuda triangle is a strange and phenomenal
area to fly over. Some wicked things and disappearances happen all the time up there.
Nobody ever seems to figure out the mysterious cases of Bermuda. For example,
as quoted,” According to author Howard Rosenberg, during the past century more
than 50 ships and 20 aircraft vanished in the Bermuda Triangle, also known as
the Devil's Triangle or the Hoodoo Sea.” (Paranormal-Encyclopedia)

I’m just glad that we made it safe over the Bermuda Triangle
due to the unexplained phenomenon events that have been reported over the
years. I’d say the experience was
interesting but somewhat freaky. But arriving at the Cayman Islands was well worth
the flight over the Bermuda Triangle.

# data[].attributes.body
I have 6 tattoos, and I am proud to have them on my body as
symbols of meaning. Each one has a meaning behind it and why I even had them
permanently tattooed onto myself. I love tattoos and how delicate they can turn
out to be once they are finished.

My tattoos are quite parallel to each other in an odd way
due to me being so OCD about everything. I have one on each wrist, one on each
lower waist, and one on each calf. All of them have a meaning behind them for
my own personal behalf.

The tattoo on my wrists go together. My left wrist has a
bird flying towards my right wrist that says, “Follow your heart,” and the
right wrist has a bird flying toward my left wrist that says “never look back.”
The saying has a lot of meaning behind itself. Always follow your heart and
never look back because that’s exactly what those birds are doing on my wrist.
In the end, it’ll be worth following.

The tattoos on both sides of my waist are very delicate and
pretty. On the left side of my waist is a Japanese cherry blossom tree that wraps
all the way around my ribs onto my back, which is obviously Japanese since I am
a huge fan of the Japanese culture. I also have 3 Japanese kanji winding up my
back along the cherry blossom tree, which are hope, faith and love. On the
opposite side of the cherry blossom tree is a delicate purple flying bird with
a tail of words behind it. It’s a different language, which is in Thai. The
word is translated to, “forever.” The symbol behind the tattoo is to keep on
flying forever and to never give up.

Lastly that tattoo’s on my calves are quite odd since they
were my first tattoos I got. The one on my left calf has a saying which is,
“pain is temporary, pride is forever,” with a bold symbol in the middle of the
saying, “XC.” I am a huge fan of cross country and as a first tattoo I got this
on my leg permanently at the age of 14 and I’m still happy with it. As for the
tattoo on my right calf, which Is just the opposite of cross country…track!
It’s a Hercules foot with wings, complete black and detailed. I love my running
and having these two tattoos shows how much It means to me.

All of my tattoos have a meaning behind them. I will never
jump and get a tattoo that has no meaning to me. As quoted by an interviewer of
Miley Cyrus, she said, "Miley told her mother that she wanted something
that refers to a safe port, something that reminded her that she always has a
safe place to return to," said Fabio. "The significance of the design
is one of hope and a reminder to always have your feet on the ground."
(Celebrity Tattoos) Just like other celebrity’s, Miley, tattoos always have a
special meaning to them, not just a ridiculous picture inked on your body.

# data[].attributes.body
Conquering the Spartan Race was such an achievement for
myself.  But the real question is, should
people under the age of 18 be able to run this race? It was a hot and mucky day
in Pennsylvania, while getting ready to run the Spartan race. Now the race has
started and all of us were off!

The race was not a normal everyday race, it was a military
obstacle course race for 6 miles straight uphill. It was the toughest race I’ve
ever done but well worth it in the end. Although this race is dangerous. More
dangerous than the Tough Mudder and people have to be 18 to run it. As quoted,
“For insurance and legal reasons, ALL participants in the United States, UK or
Australia must be 18 years old on the day of the Event,” (ToughMudder)

As the race progressed obstacles became harder and I’d say
way more extreme. There were hot, sticky muddy pits that you can and will get
stuck in, sharp barbed wire to crawl under, which I cut my back on, and the
most dangerous of all was the hot, roaring fire pit jump. I actually burned
myself jumping over the fire, it wasn’t pleasant. I had to sign a waiver that
states, “Anything that happens will be your own responsibility,” just because
the Spartan race didn’t want to pay any fees. This just proves that once your
18, then you should run it. Not while you’re under 18.

Even though the Tough Mudder is almost double the length and
has more obstacles than the Spartan race, in my opinion and from what I’ve seen,
the Spartan race is much worse. A 100 foot knitted tower has to be climbed for
an obstacle in order to proceed. There is no safety down at the bottom if you
fall and that’s the most feared part of it.

The Tough Mudder does not have obstacles that are
dangerously high up but even if there were, you have to be 18 anyways to run it
with a waiver stating you are your own responsibility during the time of the
race.

In the Spartan race, well the two I ran, there is actual
live wire that everyone has to run through to once again proceed through the
race. In my opinion, I think live wire is just a little too much. Running
through them felt like multiple bees stinging you over and over again all over
your body. Not the best feeling in the world, I’d say.

The Tough Mudder doesn’t even have live wire as an option.
Which is a smart idea. This just proves that the Spartan race should be postponed
until one is 18 or older. Don’t get me wrong, I would run the race any day but
for security and protection, I would wait. The dangers of the race are not
worth encountering when you are young, just wait because it will be worth it.

# data[].attributes.body
With one of the most devastating moments of my life, never
thinking this could happen to someone so close to me, it did. My mom was
diagnosed with cancer. Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. This cancer is much more
treatable than most cancer, but still, the news brought me to tears.

July of 2006 the news was heard and shattering as I was
coming home from a friend’s house late that afternoon. I didn’t really
understand exactly how bad this disease was until I found out more information
as to what this cancer does to a person’s body. It’s a blood cancer that
attacks the spleen or the Lymph nodes and red blood cells. My mom only had two more weeks to live, if she
hadn’t have gone to an Oncology appointment she had made for that day, and would’ve
died in her sleep. It’s such a terrifying thing to think about. My own mom
dying.

My mom had found out that she had the cancer in her spleen
and bone marrow but later on come to find out the cancer was attacking her
Thyroid also, which she does not have to this day. The cancer actually killed
her Lymph nodes which had to be surgically removed from her neck. She is on a replacement
thyroid medication now called Synthroid to keep her hormones in check.

She had gone through 8 stages of chemo therapy treatments
and Immunotherapy treatments but the chemo did not react well with her body.
First, she lost all of her hair and secondly she had an allergic reaction to it
and the chemo nearly killed her. I hate thinking back to that moment because if
it wasn’t for my grandfather being in the room with her that night, she would
not be here right now. My mom went into cardiac arrest, one of the most
terrifying moments of her life and mine.

I did not see my mom for about 4 to 5 months because my dad
did not want myself and my two brothers exposed to what she was going through
in the hospital. I’m pretty positive that I was the only one that knew what was
going on with my mom at that time. My two brothers were too young to exactly
understand. I hated knowing that my mom could die and never return home. I
still, to this day think about the cancer and just wished she never had it.

Even though it was a terrible day for her, it made me just
as emotional as my mom. The amount the Chemo and Immunotherapy she went through
probably should have killed her but I am more than thankful to have her around
still today. She has been 8 years cancer free now, almost 9 in November. My mom kicked cancers butt and I am completely
thankful to the doctors and my families help and support. Non-Hodgkin’s
Lymphoma is no more.

# data[].attributes.body
I was welcomed to
Hell once, believe it or not. It wasn’t exactly a scenic area at first but it
was quite scorching. A 102 degree day, standing there. The town of Hell belongs
to one of the three Cayman Islands and I was standing on it. The grandest island
of all three. All that could be seen for
miles north was grey, pointy, ugly rocks that had no purpose being there. Once you turn around looking to the south walking
into that town was a pleasant area to be in, although I had a really eerie feeling.
There was only one little red shack as you entered Hell that says, “Welcome to
Hell, the Devils Hang out Gift Shop.” It was a neat little shack.

My family and I spent the whole day there. There were a lot
of exciting things to do the opposite side of town.

Sting ray city isn’t exactly what you think. We don’t just
go to an aquarium and see the sting rays, we actually swim with them and feed
them. At first, I was scared to get into the water but these naturally tamed creatures
were so sweet. They would rub up against your leg so you would feed them squid
as they sucked on your hand like a suction cup. It seemed as if they couldn’t
harm a fly. All though, if you stepped
on its spine by accident, it would slice your foot open. The sting rays back is
a defensive mechanism for any predator, and will tear anything to shreds. With
just my luck it did have my foot sliced a little bit by the creature. Not too
badly.

Everyone would think going to Hell isn’t an enjoyable time
at all but in reality, if anyone could go to Hell I’m pretty sure they’d love
it just as much as I did. Some of the adventures we went on kind of proved the
point that we were in hell. Like my dad being tied with a noose and having to scrub
the poop deck of the pirate ship and getting yelled at. All though it was a
joke but it seemed so real. I’m not going to lie, I seriously thought my dad
was going to be lynched.

People say Hell isn’t a pleasant place but I thought it was
one of the greatest places I’ve ever been to so far. It’s so ironic being in
Hell enjoying the place as to oppose to being tortured like everyone in Hell is
generally. The clear blue skies and clear waters with the tamed stingrays is nothing
like the reality of Hell. It’s a pleasant kind of place. Not a torturous kind
of place. Hell is where it’s at.

# data[].attributes.body
I am a New York State high school senior getting prepared for next step of life ahead of me. That would be college. I work really hard to pursue my dreams everyday. For example, keeping my grades up, applying fro scholar ships and working well with others. For me, running and school are my main important factors to get through life. These two things will only lead me into a brighter future. I have plans to  be an Athletic Trainer or a Pharmacist and pursue these things as an Air Force Officer. Never did I ever think I would go into to Air Force but this is dream ive always wanted to succeed in and make myself proud.

# data[].attributes.body
Run, run, run and more running. It
can be fun but it also has its downfalls. Running has let me down quite a bit
but hey, that never stopped me from getting back up and trying it over and over
again. There has been many times when running has let me down in funny ways
also, like a pile a horse has made for me to come by and trip on during a trail
race or a nice big icy mud puddle I’ve fallen through in the middle of the
darkened woods. I’ll tell you, it was not a pleasant aroma in the air, and well
it did feel the need to follow me for the last 2 miles of the race on my shoes.

Running is boring but yet so fun. I actually kind of hate it
but keeping in the shape of your life is better than being lazy.

Being sick is never what anyone wants especially when you
try and devote yourself to running like I do. I came down with Mononucleosis and Viral meningitis 2 weeks before the
big sectional meet of my 8th grade year. It was the worst 2 weeks of
my life. Being put into the emergency room due to dehydration and a severe
agonizing head ache. Like I said before, I’ll always get back up and try over
and over again. And I did get up and run after 2 hospital visits later. I had
“won” top ten at the sectional meet with my first ever patch along with states
only a weekend ahead of me.

It felt so unreal.

Once you start running you honestly can’t stop, well I know
I can’t stop and probably along with any other runner out there. It becomes a
part of you for the rest of your life no matter how little or how much you have
done it for. It is a huge part of my life, along with going to the gym to keep
myself in better shape.

Usually I take running a little too seriously. I’ve been
known to follow running schedules or a written up training guide my coach has
made for me like a religious fanatic follows the holy text. Following a
specified schedules really eases the mind of the stress of coming up with one
by myself. I’ll admit, I’m not very creative.

Overall running is like a love hate relationship to me. It’s
almost like relationship between 2 cats fighting and then making up. I love it but yet I hate it at the same time.
There are good days and bad days. Just like stepping in that great big pile the
horse had left me and face planting over a big black steeple barrier into the
water directly below my feet. I had such a laugh over the times I’ve screwed up
running. These were very exciting and great times for me but in the moment of
time it wasn’t all that great.