The capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties. This is the definition of resilience. However, to me, this word has a much deeper meaning. 3 years ago, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a chronic condition I will always battle with. I remember the day I found out, I sat there in the doctor office, crying to my mother. She comforted me, assuring me it would be okay. At the time, I didn’t believe her, I felt as if my entire world had been torn apart. After my diagnosis, I let the grief get the best of me. Knowing my life span could be shortened, along with a lack of healthcare, had an immense impact on my mental health. I felt lost, hopeless, unmotivated, and eventually suicidal. One night, I let my mental condition take me to a spiral, causing a friend to call authorities for a mental health check. This was my wake-up call, at that moment, I decided I wanted to live. The next day, I applied for health insurance, and upon being accepted, I went back to my doctor. At this point, I was in daily pain due to my condition. Basic task such as running, stretching, and eating became difficult and at times impossible. I remember looking in the mirror and seeing a skeleton. As much as I wanted to be healthy, I had let my condition get a point where recovery would not be quick. I felt as if this was punishment for neglecting myself and allowing for my poor mental health to dictate my life. My entire life had felt like a series of neglect. I was placed into foster care at the age of 7 and rotated through multiple homes until the age of 18. Throughout my entire life I felt alone. But for the first time in my life, I felt motivated to do better, for myself and nobody else. Nobody in my family had ever attempted to reach a higher education, I knew this was my way to do better and prove better to myself. Throughout my entire life I’ve had a passion for making people happy, making people laugh, and entertaining people. This led me to pursue a career in cinematic arts. This career path allows for freedom through creativity, and gives me an outlet to reach people. With my career, I want to change the world. I want to inspire people through my creations, and motivate the next generation. To this day, I still suffer with my condition. However, thanks to years of effort, hardship, and determination, my life is good. I still have bad days, days where I can’t move as quick, or days where I can’t eat, but I’ve worked hard to make my everyday life better through diet, exercise, and regular medical attention. I decided life was worth living and that I was worthy of that life. To me, that is the definition of resilience.