Life Altering Events

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How many life altering events does it take to truly change a person? Or perhaps a better question would be, can individuals change? I believe they can, as for me personally, it took three life events to transform me into who am I now. The birth of a child is a joyous and extraordinary moment, but when that child is not expected to survive, it soon transforms into a sorrowful affair. Furthermore, realizing that those dearest to you have fallen prey to a terminal illness is beyond disbelief. Lastly, deciding to shift from having an active role in the workforce to a full-time student not only enriched my mind but also my soul.
As far back as I can recall, I always envisioned myself growing up, getting married, having six children, working, and …show more content…
A routine ultrasound and the black and white image of a fragile baby boy altered my plans. After being referred to a specialty doctor and having a more detailed ultrasound, I was approached by a genetic counselor who explained I had two choices. First, I could continue my pregnancy, give birth to a child who would be born with a number of deformities including congenital club feet, Dextrocardia and cystic anemetoid malformation of the lung (CAML). If at birth it was discovered that my child had a chromosomal abnormality, I could terminate the pregnancy or if I continued it, upon birth, he would be allowed to pass away. Second, if I was willing to have an amniocentesis performed before his birth and it was determined that my child did not have the aforementioned, upon delivery, surgery would be performed in order to remove the cyst from his lung, thus allowing him to breathe. Unfortunately, if I chose to continue the pregnancy, my life would be jeopardized. The CMAL, causes hydrops to form within the fetus’s chest cavity, causing its death; the mother’s body mimics the passing and body lives expire. and ultimately. I chose to have the amniocentesis and continue my pregnancy, my son was spared from chromosome irregularities. After making that choice my life consisted of weekly ultrasounds, MRI’s and after his birth, it …show more content…
I felt it was major accomplishment to work for a globally recognized company. I acquired several beneficial work ethics, for example, adhering to work schedules, avoid absenteeism, and working both independently and as a team. My employer encouraged me to give back to the community and I joined the United Way in 2001, as a donor and more importantly as a volunteer. After having my son in 2008, I joined the March of Dimes, I wanted to contribute in any way I could to organizations that focused on premature children. Subsequently, I decided to leave my job of 14 years in order to pursue a career in social work. Many didn’t understand my decision, they expressed concerns such as losing my health insurance, insurance, 401k, economic status status, and friends. There was truth in their words but my outlook on life had drastically changed due the two aforementioned events. I began to think back as to why I didn’t go to college after high school. Aside from financial reasons, I realized that my high school teachers and counselors would ask what career I was interested in pursuing after graduating, my only response at that time was, “I don’t know”. Yet when I thought about that same question a couple of years ago, I didn’t hesitate to answer because I knew I wanted to become a social worker. My cousin recently graduated from UHD, at first she
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