My career aspirations are to become a doctor in occupational therapy (OT). My passion and determination to become an occupational therapist started in my own occupational therapy sessions. As someone who has multiple chronic conditions and disabilities, I know the true value of a good occupational therapist! I have spent countless hours in OT sessions and want to make the change/be the person my OT’s were for me throughout my journey. I am in an accelerated program where I will earn my bachelor's degree in occupational science in three years and then my doctorate in three years. I am currently a sophomore and am also majoring in psychology and patient navigation. I also want to make a positive impact, not only in the world of OT but also in the world of service dogs. This educational journey will equip me with all the necessary skills to succeed, including communication, creativity, flexibility, resilience, teamwork, and many more. As an OT, you view a patient as a whole, not just their symptoms and diagnoses. You look at each patient's individual goals and what's meaningful to them, and create a plan of care to get them back to their day-to-day life. You take a holistic approach to their healthcare and focus on their priorities as well as meeting them where they are at. I am hoping to complete one of my level 2 fieldwork out in Ohio, where I got my service dog. I would like to work with the service dog trainers to learn as much as I can so that when I eventually open my own practice, I will have a deeper scope of knowledge. I would also love to raise future service dogs once I am finished with school and settled in at work. It's important that I continue to advocate for service dogs and their handlers because there is a lot of misinformation out in the world, which makes it substantially harder to function in the world as a service dog team. Another thing I would love to do is be an advocate for patients, specifically school-aged, as they try to make their way through this very complicated healthcare and education system. My minor is in patient navigation, which, in other words, is advocacy. I have first-hand experience with how overwhelming and confusing both the healthcare and education systems can be when your health is complex. I want to be able to use my experience and knowledge to help make others' journeys a little smoother by helping them get the necessary support and accommodations they deserve so they can thrive in school. As well as helping to assist them and their families outside of school with things like setting up doctor's appointments, requesting specific therapies and/or medical devices, working with insurance, and overall navigating the healthcare system. My ultimate dream is to own an OT practice that treats clients with long-term/ debilitating diseases from pediatrics through geriatrics that specializes in animal-assisted therapy. I will be able to cater to those who love dogs to help incorporate them into therapy sessions to help the patients' physical progress and provide them with emotional support all at once! Dogs have many proven benefits for all ages, something that I can attest to! After seeing all the positive impact my service dog has had on me, as a patient, person, and all of the people around me, I think that these dogs will make some of the biggest impacts in patients' recovery. I can’t wait to play a helping hand in patients' recovery and lend my expertise to the helping paws, as well.

My career aspirations are to become a doctor in occupational therapy (OT). My passion and determination to become an occupational therapist started in my own occupational therapy sessions. As someone who has multiple chronic conditions and disabilities, I know the true value of a good occupational therapist! I have spent countless hours in OT sessions and want to make the change/be the person my OT’s were for me throughout my journey. I am in an accelerated program where I will earn my bachelor's degree in occupational science in three years and then my doctorate in three years. I am currently a sophomore and am also majoring in psychology and patient navigation. I also want to make a positive impact, not only in the world of OT but also in the world of service dogs. As an OT, you view a patient as a whole, not just their symptoms and diagnoses. You look at each patient's individual goals and what's meaningful to them, and create a plan of care to get them back to their day-to-day life. You take a holistic approach to their healthcare and focus on their priorities as well as meeting them where they are at. I am hoping to complete one of my level 2 fieldwork out in Ohio, where I got my service dog. I would like to work with the service dog trainers to learn as much as I can so that when I eventually open my own practice, I will have a deeper scope of knowledge. I would also love to raise future service dogs once I am finished with school and settled in at work. It's important that I continue to advocate for service dogs and their handlers because there is a lot of misinformation out in the world, which makes it substantially harder to function in the world as a service dog team. Another thing I would love to do is be an advocate for patients, specifically school-aged, as they try to make their way through this very complicated healthcare and education system. My minor is in patient navigation, which, in other words, is advocacy. I have first-hand experience with how overwhelming and confusing both the healthcare and education systems can be when your health is complex. I want to be able to use my experience and knowledge to help make others' journeys a little smoother by helping school-aged children get the necessary support and accommodations so they can thrive in school. As well as helping to assist them and their families outside of school with things like setting up doctor's appointments, requesting specific therapies and/or medical devices, working with insurance, and overall navigating the healthcare system. My ultimate dream is to own an OT practice that treats clients with long-term/ debilitating diseases and injuries from pediatrics to geriatrics that specializes in animal-assisted therapy, specifically therapy dogs. I want to be able to cater to those who love dogs to help incorporate them into therapy sessions to help the patients' physical progress and provide them with emotional support all at once! Dogs have many proven benefits for all ages, something that I can attest to! After seeing all the positive impact my service dog has had on me, as a patient, person, and all of the people around me, I think that these dogs will make some of the biggest impacts in patients' recovery programs. I can’t wait to play a helping hand in patients' recovery and lend my expertise to the helping paws, as well.

Growing up, I was always the kid who had tons of friends, got good grades, and was involved in many different activities. Whether it was cheer, dance, or any other hobbies I did, I never stopped. One day in middle school, that all changed when my health rapidly declined. I went from being the kid that never had time to rest, to being the kid that couldn't do anything other than rest. Being sick impacted so much of my childhood from maintaining friendships, participating in activities, and even simply going to school. When I got sick I got left behind, not just in school butin friendships. I went from being everyone's friend, to the “sick girl” who was on the outside looking in. It's hard to keep a friendship alive when you struggle to keep yourself alive. Although I never blamed those friends, it was still devastating. At that point, we did not know what was wrong, so if my doctors didn't understand what was wrong, how could I expect middle school girls to? While everyone was learning and growing together, I was growing on my own. The one person who was always there for me was my mom. We quickly became closer, and she became my best friend. My mom never failed to make me laugh during those hard times when I watched everyone else get to hang out and have fun without me. Her struggles of being a single mom with a medically complex kid yet she never failed to advocate for me, make me smile, and make me feel special. Despite the severe financial burdens my conditions caused my mom and I, our bond is priceless. Although these challenges were extremely hard to get through it made my mom and me that much closer. No one will ever understand what we went through quite like we do. It wasn’t until high school when I found Fighting Hard, a nonprofit that raises awareness for rare and chronic illnesses, that I realized my mom and I weren't alone. I had finally found “my people” - peers who understood the pain I felt, how I was grieving my old life, and the judgments I faced. I finally had people I could connect with and be completely transparent with without judgment. Connections can be found anywhere as long as you're looking. People like the courtesy aids, security officers, and receptionists at school that you never thought would make a difference in your life, but do. They are the first people to notice when I'm having a bad day and never hesitate to make it better. I would never have gotten through these challenges without my family and friends, my community. I now value every moment I get to spend with others because you never know when that can be taken away, so I live every day to the fullest. Despite all my illnesses have taken from me, it has taught me to value relationships, hold onto memories, and always be grateful for what I have.

Growing up I was always the kid that had tons of friends, got good grades, and was involved in many different activities. Whether it was cheer, dance, or any other hobbies I did, I never stopped. One day in middle school that all changed when my health rapidly declined. I went from being the kid that never had time to rest, to being the kid that couldn't do anything other than rest. Being sick impacted so much of my childhood from maintaining friendships, participating in activities, and even simply going to school. When I got sick I got left behind, not just in school but in friendships. I went from being everyone's friend, to the “sick girl” who was on the outside looking in. It's hard to keep friendship alive when you are struggling to keep yourself alive. Although I never blamed those friends, it was still devastating. At that point, we did not know what was wrong so if my doctors didn't understand what was wrong, how could I expect middle school girls too? While everyone was learning and growing together, I was growing on my own. When I was finally back in school there were always comments about how “lucky” I was to have accommodations. The accommodations that I have, I had to advocate and fight for. Others didn't understand that my accommodations are not an advantage but rather leveling the playing field. It wasn’t until highschool when I found Fighting Hard, a nonprofit that raises awareness for rare and chronic illnesses, that I realized I wasn't alone. I had finally found “my people” - people who understood the pain I felt, how I was grieving my old life, and the judgments I faced. I finally had people that I could connect with and be completely transparent with, without being judged. Connections can be found anywhere as long as you're looking. People like the courtesy aids, security officers, and receptionists at school that you never thought would make a difference in your life, but do. They are the first people to notice when I'm having a bad day and never hesitate to make it better. I never would have learned how to advocate for myself without these challenges. As a young girl with multiple invisible illnesses, I look “healthy” on the outside. We always hear the phrase “Don't judge a book by the cover” but unfortunately I learned this the hard way. I might have a smile on the outside, but that doesn't mean I'm not crying on the inside. Although my illnesses challenged my inner strength I do not believe I would be this prepared for the future, without it. I now value every moment I get to spend with others because you never know when that can be taken away, so I live everyday to the fullest. Despite all my illnesses took from me it taught me to value relationships, always think about how my actions will affect others, advocate for myself, and never give up.

Imagine waking up one morning in unbearable pain, without being able to feel your neck or arms. That unbearable pain becomes your life for the next 7 years. Day after day, wanting to die, being told repeatedly that nothing was wrong, you were simply “crazy”. Specialist after specialist, test after test, yet nothing. Absolutely nothing. Your hope slowly begins to drift away. I didn't have to imagine this, it is my reality. That was until I was diagnosed with an incurable disease, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, known as the “suicide disease”. CRPS is the worst known pain to humans, according to the McGill Pain Index. At first, I was reassured that if I went to 7 therapy sessions a week I would be fine. As years passed nothing changed, I was still in terrible pain all of the time despite trying every known treatment. I was out on home instruction, lost most of my friends, couldn't participate in any of my favorite activities, and was barely surviving. The pain continued to win and my hope was dwindling when I convinced my mom a service dog was the right choice. Coming from a single-parent household with a medically complex child doesn't leave room for any extras. Fundraising was the only option. We put the deposit down and less than a year later I was matched, which was shocking considering we were told it would be around a two-year wait. We later traveled almost 600 miles to meet my soon-to-be service dog and to finalize our training. The second I met him I knew he was my second chance, so I named him Chance. Chance quickly became my lifeline, independence, and reason to keep fighting despite it all. Two months later I thought it was just another day, another doctor but this one was different. Dr.Klinge, the neurosurgeon, came into the room, read my medical history, listened to my symptoms, and believed me! She saw something that no one else did, the thing my mom and I were seeing all along—a tethered spinal cord and Chiari Malformation. Surgery was scheduled for less than a month later. She had my entire life in her hands, one wrong move and I was paralyzed. Yet despite it all, I trusted her because she trusted me. Although the surgery successfully untethered my spine, I still have daily struggles that I continue to work through, and will for the rest of my life but I wouldn't change a thing. Throughout the entire hospital stay, Chance stayed by my side, never wavering. He laid on me when I cried, licked my face until I laughed, and stayed strong for me when I couldn't. I would not be here today, applying to college, finally living -not just surviving– if it wasn't for him. I credit so much to Chance, he gave me not only my independence back but also my normalcy. Although this journey has not been an easy one, I wouldn't trade it for the world. It has empowered me to share my story to help others so they know they are not alone. I can't wait to start my medical career and be able to ensure that no patient feels the way I did. I will be the person I waited so long for, the person who knows what it's like to not be believed. I realized through the challenges, the times you want to break down and cry, the times you do break down and cry, the times you want to give up– those are the times when you grow. This is my second chance.

Imagine waking up one morning in unbearable pain, without being able to feel your neck or arms. That unbearable pain becomes your life for the next 7 years. Day after day, wanting to die, being told repeatedly that nothing was wrong, you were simply “crazy”. Specialist after specialist, test after test, yet nothing. Absolutely nothing. Your hope slowly begins to drift away. I didn't have to imagine this, it is my reality. That was until I was diagnosed with an incurable disease, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, known as the “suicide disease”. CRPS is the worst known pain to humans, according to the McGill Pain Index. At first, I was reassured that if I went to 7 therapy sessions a week I would be fine. As years passed nothing changed, I was still in terrible pain all of the time despite trying every known treatment. I was out on home instruction, lost most of my friends, couldn't participate in any of my favorite activities, and was barely surviving. The pain continued to win and my hope was dwindling when I convinced my mom a service dog was the right choice. Coming from a single-parent household with a medically complex child doesn't leave room for any extras. Fundraising was the only option. We put the deposit down and less than a year later I was matched, which was shocking considering we were told it would be around a two-year wait. We later traveled almost 600 miles to meet my soon-to-be service dog and to finalize our training. The second I met him I knew he was my second chance, so I named him Chance. Chance quickly became my lifeline, independence, and reason to keep fighting despite it all. Two months later I thought it was just another day, another doctor but this one was different. Dr.Klinge, the neurosurgeon, came into the room, read my medical history, listened to my symptoms, and believed me! She saw something that no one else did, the thing my mom and I were seeing all along—a tethered spinal cord and Chiari Malformation. Surgery was scheduled for less than a month later. She had my entire life in her hands, one wrong move and I was paralyzed. Yet despite it all, I trusted her because she trusted me. Although the surgery successfully untethered my spine, I still have daily struggles that I continue to work through, and will for the rest of my life but I wouldn't change a thing. Throughout the entire hospital stay, Chance stayed by my side, never wavering. He laid on me when I cried, licked my face until I laughed, and stayed strong for me when I couldn't. I would not be here today, applying to college, finally living -not just surviving– if it wasn't for him. I credit so much to Chance, he gave me not only my independence back but also my normalcy. Although this journey has not been an easy one, I wouldn't trade it for the world. It has empowered me to share my story to help others so they know they are not alone. I can't wait to start my medical career and be able to ensure that no patient feels the way I did. I will be the person I waited so long for, the person who knows what it's like to not be believed. I realized through the challenges, the times you want to break down and cry, the times you do break down and cry, the times you want to give up– those are the times when you grow. This is my second chance.