My name is Kaitlyn MacIntosh. At 22 years old I became pregnant with my beautiful little girl. At 23, I had my daughter at only 23 weeks. She weighed 1lb 2oz at birth. I had to give up my job, my dreams of school, and my personal life so I could stay in the hospital with her. It was the longest 93 days of my life. Watching my little girl fight to survive every day, most days completely alone. We stayed in the hospital 93 days before we were able to bring our sweet girl home. Once home, she had appointments 5 days a week, more than an hour away from home. In that time, she was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, and Autism, all by the age of 3. I’ve had to keep my dreams on hold to be able to find the right specialists, therapists, and get her to every appointment. I’ve had to completely erase who I am as a woman, forget my dreams, all to give her the best future I could. We were told our daughter would never sit up, walk, be independent under any circumstances. I’ve given and done everything to beat those odds. I schedule appointments out of state in order to get her to the very best doctors there are. I genuinely lost who I am as person in these last six years. I’ve lost friendships with people I had known for years because they genuinely do not understand the mental and physical toll it takes on a caregiver. But, I would never take it back though. I am watching my daughter walk across the house, I’m watching her play with her friends, I’m watching her beat every odd, because I know I made it happen. I know that giving up everything for her has paid off tremendously. Being a caregiver is so lonely, not having many who understand, even your own family a lot of the time. But it is so rewarding. Watching how far she’s come and knowing I had a huge hand in it. I have also struggled with my own health due to the pregnancy complications. I was born with 3 kidneys and had to have 2 removed. I now have kidney disease, and venous insufficiency. I’ve have fought through it and found myself my own specialists and truly got ahold of all of it. I’m in such a great place mentally, health wise, and personally. It’s now time for me to follow my dreams. My daughter is also in a great spot, both physically and emotionally, and I feel comfortable moving forward. I want to show my daughter that no matter your disability, what life has thrown at you, you can beat all of those odds and accomplish anything. Your dreams are out there, and you should absolutely chase them. I’ve helped her in so many ways, now it’s time to help show her you can do anything you can dream of, even at 29 years old. This scholarship would help me reach those dreams while not putting such a huge financial strain on our family. It’s money to save to continue to travel out of state for the best specialists. This scholarship would show me, that being a caregiver matters, and appreciated, and it is possible to do both. I appreciate you reading this, and I hope I can receive this scholarship to follow my own dreams. Please help me show my daughter that anything is possible and nothing can stand in your way. Thank you so much for your time. I appreciate it so much.