All I remember from the accident is the sound of pennies flying out of the coin tray as the top of my head struck the windshield. That night, I visited the ER and a CT scan revealed something that changed my perspective. My life has turned upside down and back again. My name is Addilyn Martin, I’m a 17 year old girl and I’m graduating from high school in May. I was sitting on the emergency room bed holding my dad’s hand when a nurse handed us a paper and told us that I have a mass on the back of my brain. I think the world stopped for me and my dad, but for her it was regular news on a regular night. I didn’t cry, I just told my dad everything was going to be okay. I remember how badly I wanted to look strong in front of him, but I was scared. I wanted it to be nothing more than anything. I wanted to feel like I had control over what might happen. It is frightening coming to terms with your own mortality. I am very fortunate, I was diagnosed with a low-grade choroid plexus papilloma. It affects around 2500 people in the U.S. Before the diagnosis was confirmed, I was living in fear of not being able to grow up all while playing high school senior. I spent 12 years preparing for my future and I wasn’t sure if I would even be walking the stage. In kindergarten, I was asked what I wanted to be when I was older, I said “Mommy.” I have always wanted to be a mother and teacher. I want to be someone who makes a difference. Living, to me, is doing what I can to be the best person I can be. This scholarship would help me achieve my dream of making a difference in someone’s life and it would make a difference in mine. I would be able to utilize this scholarship in a way that gives me more time to pursue being a teacher. It would take away from the financial stress I have and allow me to give my schooling my all so that I could give future students an education filled with passion and love. I was relieved that my tumor was non-cancerous and that my surgery went well, but I felt so much sorrow for those who experience this that don’t have the privilege to open their eyes and have their loved ones beside them. My mindset shifted a lot with the discovery of my tumor. I laid in the hospital and told my parents that all I want is to be a good person and if I stick to that, that I will have a good life no matter what happens. I was grateful to be alive and to have a loving family. I felt sorry for the people whose lives revolve around superficial things because I woke up after surgery grateful that I could even breathe. I felt so human. I can use my experience being dependent on others to understand how students feel relying on their teachers. I can love and care for others as I have been loved and cared for. I noticed our society doesn't appreciate the small things enough, like being able to get in the shower on our own or being able to put on clothes by ourselves. I now see small things as accomplishments. Every moment matters. I survived the car accident, the tumor, the surgery, the recovery, and I am ready for what comes next.