What age were you when you were diagnosed with a life changing illness? I was 13 years old coming out of a pandemic. My life was flipped upside down, learning how to cope with an illness that decides your fate. I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. 2022 I had my first colonoscopy, I had a really rough recovery from that which is unusual. After that I was put on medication to help keep down my levels. There are 4 levels to ulcerative colitis. I was moderate to severe, I was out on alot of medication and from that I developed anxiety and depression from not knowing if I could every go back to normal. If I could go outside to play with my friends, would I be in pain. From my illness I became anemic and low iron, I need to eat more iron foods and no nuts or seeds for at risk it would clog up my smaller intestines. I lost alot of weight from my illness and the medicine. The medicine made me immunocompromised, I got covid 2 times from 2022 to this year 2024. Each time it became Harding and harder for me to fight off. For the past 3 years I have to get blood work done every 3 months to make sure my levels haven't change, because if they do I have to go on a higher dose of medicine, But there just one thing my doctor couldn't figure out and it was why my medicine wasn't responding all the way after a second colonoscopy they still couldn't figure it. Until I got an ultrasound that answer all the questions my doctors were trying to figure out. My inflammation was in my lower stomach, with ulcers colitis it from your esophagus down to your rectum so everything in between is effected. So with the ultrasound it showed most of my inflammation was in the stomach. So that why I want to enter the medical field to help those with questions get answers, and to not suffer. I want to be an ultrasound tech to give parents the answer they want for there children. To find answers so there kids can live a normal life. After my diagnose I was able to accept my new life. I'm now a junior in high school with straight A's and there's so much in my life I want to accomplish and now that I have the time and ability to do I want to do it and helps other do what they want to.I want to be the change that this world needs to see

What age were you when you were diagnosed with a life changing illness? I was 13 years old coming out of a pandemic. My life was flipped upside down, learning how to cope with an illness that decides your fate. I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. 2022 I had my first colonoscopy, I had a really rough recovery from that which is unusual. After that I was put on medication to help keep down my levels. There are 4 levels to ulcerative colitis. I was moderate to severe, I was out on alot of medication and from that I developed anxiety and depression from not knowing if I could every go back to normal. If I could go outside to play with my friends, would I be in pain. From my illness I became anemic and low iron, I need to eat more iron foods and no nuts or seeds for at risk it would clog up my smaller intestines. I lost alot of weight from my illness and the medicine. The medicine made me immunocompromised, I got covid 2 times from 2022 to this year 2024. Each time it became Harding and harder for me to fight off. For the past 3 years I have to get blood work done every 3 months to make sure my levels haven't change, because if they do I have to go on a higher dose of medicine, But there just one thing my doctor couldn't figure out and it was why my medicine wasn't responding all the way after a second colonoscopy they still couldn't figure it. Until I got an ultrasound that answer all the questions my doctors were trying to figure out. My inflammation was in my lower stomach, with ulcers colitis it from your esophagus down to your rectum so everything in between is effected. So with the ultrasound it showed most of my inflammation was in the stomach. So that why I want to enter the medical field to help those with questions get answers, and to not suffer. I want to be an ultrasound tech to give parents the answer they want for there children. To find answers so there kids can live a normal life. After my diagnose I was able to accept my new life. I'm now a junior in highschool with straight A's and there's so much in my life I want to accomplish and now that I have the time and ability to do I want to do it and helps other do what they want to.