When I was only a freshman in High School I fell victim to substance abuse. I was sucked into this long trap just as easily as anyone else because I thought partying and doing drugs every day was what I had to do to fit in. Just three short months after I had become a victim of Xanax; I overdosed. The normal pills I had been taking were laced with Fentanyl. My parents were out of town that weekend and arrived home Sunday morning to the sight of their youngest daughter passed out on the floor of her bathroom. They rushed me to the ER where the nurses and doctors did everything they could to keep me alive. When I became conscious again, my life felt completely upside down. For months on end after my overdose; my relationship with my family was strained. I was only 14 and they wouldn't let me out of their sight. Being a young teenager at the time I didn't understand why they couldn't automatically trust me again; so I resented them for it. In their eyes, I became a messed up rebellious child always compared to my perfect older sister. My overdose became a huge secret they felt they must keep when talking to any other friends and family. This put an immense amount of pressure on me to fix my life and become the perfect daughter again. It took months of intensive therapy for me to understand just how many people I hurt. During this time I was no longer addicted to Xanax and trying to better my relationship with those who loved me. It has taken a long time to see my mistakes and recover from them emotionally, but I can say now about 3 years later that I am the happiest I've ever been. No matter the judgment I get from people when I share my story, if this didn't happen to me I would never have learned and grown a passion for healthcare the way I have now. I truly believe the compassion and zero judgment I was shown by the nurses and doctors in the ER is what sparked my want to become a medical professional. From learning so much at an early age with substances, I want to be the person to help save others from the road I was on and to show compassion to everyone dealing with substance abuse with absolutely zero judgment. As a woman going into the healthcare field, I hope to make a positive impact on every single one of my patients every day.

When I was only a freshman in High School I fell victim to substance abuse myself. I was sucked into this long trap just as easily as anyone else because I thought partying and doing drugs every day was what I had to do to fit in. Just three short months after I had become a victim of Xanax; I overdosed. The normal pills I had been taking were laced with Fentanyl. My parents were out of town that weekend and arrived home Sunday morning to the sight of their youngest daughter passed out on the floor of her bathroom. They rushed me to the ER where the nurses and doctors did everything they could to keep me alive. When I became conscious again, my life felt completely upside down. For months on end after my overdose; my relationship with my family was strained. I was only 14 and they wouldn't let me out of their sight. Being a young teenager at the time I didn't understand why they couldn't automatically trust me again; so I resented them for it. In their eyes, I became a messed up rebellious child always compared to my perfect older sister. My overdose became a huge secret they felt they must keep when talking to any other friends and family. This put an immense amount of pressure on me to fix my life and become the perfect daughter again. It took months of intensive therapy for me to understand just how many people I hurt. During this time I was no longer addicted to Xanax and trying to better my relationship with those who loved me. It has taken a long time to see my mistakes and recover from them emotionally, but I can say now about 3 years later that I am the happiest I've ever been. No matter the judgment I get from people when I share my story, if this didn't happen to me I would never have learned and grown a passion for healthcare the way I have now. Alongside my struggles with substance abuse, I've seen family members fall victim to this. I truly believe the compassion and zero judgment I was shown by the nurses and doctors in the ER is what sparked my want to become a medical professional. From learning so much at an early age with substances, I want to be the person to help save others from the road I was on and to show compassion to everyone dealing with substance abuse with absolutely zero judgment.