I am a single mother of two wonderful daughters. I had my oldest daughter shortly after graduating high school. At that time I focused on working so I could provide for my family. Attending college was never even a consideration. I had lived with lower back pain for many years and at the age of 40 decided to go ahead and have surgery to correct this constant pain. The surgery corrected my fractured back, however, the pins that were placed into my spine were placed too deep and caused permanent nerve damage. I now have a disability known as a drop foot. I am unable to lift my toes or ankle. I also have limited feeling in that part of my body. This causes me to trip every step I take. I have to take my time. Instead of giving up, I decided I needed to adjust in many ways. My life and the things I can do are now very different. I can't work 40-60 hours a week to support my family. I have to use a cane to move around on my own so that I will not fall. It takes twice the energy to do things I use to be able to do with ease. Physical I've changed, but I'm still the same independent mother I was before the surgery. I knew I had to do something. I couldn't lose who I was because of this. I couldn't let this be what defeated me. I decided to go back to school, work hard and earn my associate's degree in business. I want to learn how to be a successful business owner. Owning my own business, I will be able to work around my disability and at my pace. As well as bring business and add economy to this beautiful state I love and call home. I want to leave a legacy for my children. I believe that despite the obstacles that are put in our path we can continue to be successful in life and can still be someone's role model. This may not have been my original plan, but I will make the best of the new plan. I will continue to work hard and learn as much as I can to better myself and my life. I want my children to know that giving up is not an option and that we have to keep working harder and pushing forward.