During my first three years of high school, it felt as though my life was overshadowed by constant chronic pain. I spent countless hours in doctors' offices running tests before eventually getting a diagnosis. Endometriosis, a condition that will never entirely go away, and the only hope of lessening the pain was medication that only ever made me feel worse. I was plagued with nausea, passing out, and other side effects as my system rejected medication after medication. I was failed by my body and failed by the doctors who couldn’t help me. At the start of my junior year, the pain became too much, and I had to quit volleyball, a sport I had devoted five years to playing. I had to make a choice: either my condition would control me, or I would seize control of myself. Regardless of the cards I was dealt and the body I resided in, my pain would not overtake my existence. I shifted my attention and ambitions to something I could still engage in through building a support system and finding community. Empire High School’s SWAT, the student wellness advocacy team, felt like a fit. I found a talent for public speaking and a passion for health education and awareness. Previously, SWAT had been restricted to our school campus, but under my leadership, our club could reach all over our community. We collaborated with the city's health department and reached over one thousand students in our school district with our education. The problems that arose from my conditions helped shape my responsibility and strength of my character, helping me push past my boundaries and excel in my passions. I learned how to work around adversity and hardship, finding that those same skills transferred to overcoming challenges for SWAT and myself. Life is too short and precious to hesitate because I feared what the next day would bring. I had to take life one step at a time, eyes set on what I wanted to achieve. Too much of my time was spent being too afraid to take that step because I was terrified of my pain, but through that struggle, I learned what I needed to do to create the life I wanted. Even though my condition still plays a role in my life, I will never let it stop me from loving the life I was given. Instead of condemning myself to stay in the dark place my pain left me, I find joy and beauty in my existence.