On this day, November 19th, 2020, my oldest child, Kata was just enjoying the 15th year of her life. An active competitive swimmer since the age of four, she was dedicated and focused on what she knew best: racing. What she did not know was that she was about to step on the block against her greatest enemy, swimming a race for her life.
On this day, my parental instinct was telling us that something was awfully wrong: Kata was in too much pain, more than usual practices and races bring on. We ended up in the ER - for the second time. With faith and hope in the doctors, we were shooting for a solution to her pain, but what we got instead was a misdiagnose. Or probably an ultrasound technician's incompetence - we shall never know. But, in another 24-hour time, we got the answer to our worst nightmare: stage 4 soft-tissue cancer. Inoperable.
The world, the heart, the mind, everything stopped in place for a fraction of time. Then we dove in. At first, I stumbled, I did nothing but stumble, hesitate, doubt, mumble, and panic, and felt like sinking to endless bottoms. But, as we moved on in treatments, ups-downs, therapies, and so much more, I found myself automatically enrolled in a school, more of a college I have never thought I would enroll in: the medical school of life. In my case, it was pediatric cancer. By profession, I am an elementary and language teacher, and I worked in my profession in Romania before moving to the United States. Learning, and reading, therefore, were second nature to me.
During the process, I often found myself contemplating how I could repay all those who stood by us this entire time. I needed to find something. Then, one day, it finally occurred to me as I kept on going back to the root of the problem: the misdiagnosis, the ultrasound exam, and the misinterpreted two large tumors. Then, I decided that I have to do something about it. So, 28 years after graduating, I decided to enroll in becoming an ultrasound technician. My goal is simple and clear: I must ensure that I will be the best prepared, most knowledgeable, and most qualified for this profession. For an educator like myself who has never desired to work in a hospital environment and never intended to operate medical equipment, this is the greatest purpose, challenge, and goal. My desire is to work in the pediatric field and become a reliable professional.
This scholarship would certainly take a tremendous burden off my and my family's shoulders, as I still care for our fragile daughter.
My hobbies and interests are designed to be in relation to what I pursue and dream about. I am an avid reader and an eternal proofreader. But beyond these, I enjoy spending a fraction of my time riding my motorcycle or cooking-baking for my family. Nevertheless, being with my children though is my life, my hobby, my everything.
Like many people, my life has not been easy. I've faced many adversities from the time I was born until this present day. I was born to two addict parents who put me in situations no child should ever experience, no matter what their age. Thankfully, I was raised by my loving grandparents from the age of four until I was 13 years old. However, whenever I spent time with either one of my parents, I was continuously placed in questionable situations. At times I was left with strangers that I didn't know or left in a vehicle, at night, outside of an apartment complex where I cried myself to sleep while one of my parents went inside to meet a friend. Over the years I witnessed a great deal of abuse; substance abuse in the form of drugs and alcohol, as well as my parents either being physically abused or acting as the abuser. As a teenager one of my parents would not allow me to come home, and I found myself quasi-homeless. As an adult I faced my parent, high on drugs, as they screamed in my face saying they wished I would die. After such difficult experiences, many people expected I would become an addict like my parents, but I am happy to say, I overcame that expectation! I saw what my life would look like if I choose to abuse substances like my parents, and I decided to take a different path and live a life free from drugs and alcohol.
The funds from this scholarship will help me give back to the community by easing the financial stress of my education and allow me to pursue my degree in English. Once I've obtained my English degree, I plan on pursuing a career in book publishing, but I would also like to share the love of books with children by tutoring young children in reading and tutoring middle and high school children in literary analysis. I currently homeschool my own four children and often teach them the very things I'm learning about in college, hoping that a deep love of literature will grow with them from a very young age.
I currently give back to my community by donating farm fresh eggs to families, friends, and even strangers in my area who are in need.
I love stamps! I've been collecting stamps since I was 10 years old, and while I do not know how many stamps I have, I do have some really special stamps that once belonged to my great-grandparents. I would encourage young people to pursue philately by sharing unique or vintage stamps with them and ask them to explore the interesting history behind the stamps.
Just the other day I found some unused forever postcards from the early 1980's! I'm so excited for my children to use them and send them to their pen pals in hopes that they will also cultivate a love of stamps.
On a sunny, beautiful November day of 2020, my oldest child, Kata was just enjoying the 15th year of her life. An active competitive swimmer since the age of four, she was dedicated and focused on what she knew best: racing. What she did not know was that she was about to step on the block against her greatest enemy, swimming a race for her life.
On this day, my parental instinct was telling us that something was awfully wrong: Kata was in too much pain, more than usual practices and races bring on. We ended up in the ER - for the second time. With faith and hope in the doctors, we were shooting for a solution to her pain, but what we got instead was a misdiagnose. Or probably an ultrasound technician's incompetence - we shall never know. But, in another 24-hour time, we got the answer to our worst nightmare: stage 4 soft-tissue cancer. Inoperable.
The world, the heart, the mind, everything stopped in place for a fraction of time. Then we dove in. At first, I stumbled, I did nothing but stumble, hesitate, doubt, mumble, and panic, and felt like sinking to endless bottoms. But, as we moved on in treatments, ups-downs, therapies, and so much more, I found myself automatically enrolled in a school, more of a college I would have never thought I would enroll in: the medical school of life. In my case, it was pediatric cancer. By profession, I am an elementary and language teacher, and I worked in my profession in Romania before moving to the United States. Learning, and reading, therefore, were second nature to me.
During the process, I often found myself contemplating how I could repay all those who stood by us this entire time. I needed to find something. Then, one day, it finally occurred to me as I kept on going back to the root of the problem: the misdiagnosis, the ultrasound exam, and the misinterpreted two large tumors. Then, I decided that I have to do something about it. So, 28 years after graduating, I decided to enroll in becoming an ultrasound technician. My goal is simple and clear: I must ensure that I will be the best prepared, most knowledgeable, and most qualified for this profession. For an educator like me who has never desired to work in a hospital environment and never intended to operate medical equipment, this is the greatest purpose, challenge, and goal. My desire is to work in the pediatric field and become a reliable professional. This scholarship would certainly take a tremendous burden off my family's shoulders, and it would become the greatest milestone in my personal life.
Our cancer journey taught me the hard way how to stand up for people I love but also for those who are experiencing hardship and difficulties in life. In the end, without even realizing how much I lead instead of being led, I was ready to tear down any obstacle, break down every wall, and lead my child out of this nightmare called pediatric cancer.
