My name is Abigail Bush. I am currently 19 years old and live in a very small town in Pennsylvania called Apollo. I grew up very close with my family; they are all my biggest supporters and inspirations. One person, in particular, stands out to me as an inspiration to pursue a career in the healthcare field: my great grandma. My great grandma was an extremely successful and interesting woman. She owned businesses, was an amazing mother and grandmother, a wonderful cook, and just a very kind person. She had a very hard life and still somehow always had the biggest smile on her face. I, unfortunately, lost her at age 93 in November of 2018. In her last 8 years of life, she suffered through a lot. She had a stroke in 2010, which led to her being unable to use the left side of her body for the remainder of her life. It was very hard to see someone I always saw as so strong in this condition, but she handled it with grace, as she did everything else; that made her stronger than anyone else I knew. I always had an interest in learning about the body, but it was not until I saw the relationship between my grandma and the nurses at her nursing home that I knew I wanted to pursue nursing. It made us feel so much better that she had nice, genuine people taking care of her because we were unable to. I made it my goal to be that friendly face to someone in suffering and for their families. I know firsthand how much of a relief one kind person can be for people during hard times. She not only inspired me to pursue nursing, but she made me set on doing very well in school. She always told me that “Bush’s get A’s… Well, I didn’t, but you will.” I wish she could be here for me to tell her that I have in fact, gotten all A’s throughout my first year of college and plan to continue doing so. She taught me many things, but most of all, she taught me to appreciate people while they are still here and to always to follow my heart. I hope that I can influence many people in a positive way as a nurse, and I will be doing it all because of my great grandma.

One of my favorite quotes about dogs is, “Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really.” By Agnes Sligh Turnbull. It stands out to me because it is true. I have encountered hundreds of dogs in my life, and every single one of them has made my day better. I did not grow up with a dog of my own; however, my mom has a four-pound Maltese Yorkie. She is my mom’s best friend, and though friendly to everyone, she never bonded with anyone else the way she did with my mom. Their relationship always made me want a dog of my own. It was not until I was 17 that my dream came true. My neighbor’s relative had puppies for sale, and they stopped at my house for us to see them. I immediately fell in love with the puppy with the light blue collar. There was one thing in my way, my parents. Although they love animals, they never wanted a big dog or one that sheds, hence the four-pound Morkie. It just so happened that the dog I now knew I needed in my life would grow to be at least 100 pounds and had black hair that would shed like crazy. I figured it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission in this case, and I knew they could not say no once they met this puppy. I gave the woman selling the puppies the deposit, and we arranged for me to pick my new buddy up in three days. I spent those three days buying all his toys and food; I was so excited! The day came, and I brought him home. I knew he would win my parents over. It was time for everyone to meet him, and the first thing he did was poop on the floor of my mom’s bedroom, which was not the first impression I was hoping for. After my mother's choice words for me, they agreed that this would be a good thing. This happened during the first lockdown of COVID, and they knew he would bring some happiness to our lives. We all sat down and brainstormed what to name him. We settled on Leroy. This name meant something to us because it was the nickname of one of my friends that had passed away. My new puppy and Levi (Leroy) had the same goofy energy, so it fit him perfectly. That was over two years ago. Leroy is now 123 pounds of pure love. I have not yet found a bad bone in his very large body. He is also the smartest (when he wants to be) dog I have ever met. I have taught him many tricks, and he loves to show them off to anyone he can. And yes, we still have our four-pound dog, Lily, so the house has an interesting dynamic. Lily is the boss of Leroy; he is terrified of her, among other things, such as balloons, sweepers, leaves, and the hose. We refer to him as the “gentle giant.” He truly is my best friend. Every day I get to spend time with him is a good day. He sleeps with me every night, although it usually ends with me smushed into the farthest corner of my bed. He never fails to make me laugh, cheer me up, and keep me on my toes. He has made his spot in our family, and I cannot imagine my life without him. I think that Leroy was supposed to be my dog, and there was a reason that I did not get one before. I believe that everyone would be much happier if they had a Leroy.

Leroy says, "Mom, I'm smiling!" This picture was taken a few days after we first brought him home; he's been my best friend ever since.