Over the course of my life, I have been to the hospital a little over 300 times. The Children's Hospital Los Angeles has become a second home to me. When I was born, my parents were happy to have successfully given birth to their first baby. However, after some time, they realized something wasn't right. At three years old, I was officially diagnosed with severe anemia called Hemoglobin H Constant Spring, also known as Thalassemia. As a result, every three weeks I need to receive a blood transfusion due to the fact that my body is not able to properly produce hemoglobin and red blood cells. As a kid in elementary school, I used to be very embarrassed by my condition and would come up with an excuse as to why I missed school. My go-to excuse was to say I was sick and stayed home. In reality, I was stuck laying in a hospital bed for about 5 hours hooked up to an IV. Even school staff and my teachers would question why I was absent so often. They could have easily looked up my records and seen that I had a condition but none of them ever did. I would feel ashamed every time I had to ask what I missed from the lesson. I used to constantly question the universe. Why was I so unfortunate to have been born with such a rare disorder? I only had a 25% chance of getting it anyways. "Why me?" I asked over and over again. All I wanted was to just be "normal". It wasn't until my junior year of high school that shifted my perspective on Thalassemia and led me to realize what I wanted to do as a career. I enrolled in a medical elective at my school known as medcore. In this course, we learned the basics of working in healthcare. From learning policies such as HIPAA to practicing hands-on skills like suturing, we learned it. It was then that my interest in health care and nursing sparked. I loved everything about it. I always had a great interest in science and all things health-related. I remember as a kid being excited to pull out the first aid kit and put a band-aid on my family members who got hurt because it felt like being a nurse or a paramedic. In addition to gaining a desire to work in healthcare as a nurse, I also gained a new appreciation for the outcomes that Thalassemia brought upon me. Children's Hospital Los Angeles will always hold a special place in my heart. Over time, I come to become extremely grateful for the team in the infusion center and the hematology/oncology clinic. I've met countless medical assistants, nurses, doctors, social workers, psychologists, and more. Every single one of these members has provided me with the top care and created an amazing support system for me. Whether it be struggles with health complications or mental health, I can always count on them to be there for me. The registered nurses who have taken care of me my entire life mean the world to me. I appreciated and admired their professional care for children. They have inspired me to follow in their footsteps and earn my BSN. My dream is to also work in pediatrics once I become a nurse. I want to care for children the same way I was cared for. I hope to make kids with illnesses feel loved and cared for through empathy and compassion as I can relate to these children.

The song that inspires me is Good Days by SZA. I chose this song because it depicts my journey of discovering my self-worth and taking control of my life. The playlist I created portrays the emotions I felt throughout this journey. My playlist begins with songs depicting a theme of nostalgia and anxiety as high school graduation was one of my biggest fears. I was following a path my parents set up for me and it led to the worst depressive episode I've ever experienced. The playlist then transitions to songs about starting over and looking forward to new blessings.