Personal Narrative: My Mother's Disease

14 years ago, in the humid summers of Guam, my mother was left undiagnosed after being bitten by a small and seemingly insignificant tick; unbeknownst to us the real tragedy of her disease. Countless appointments still gave no clues and instead left our perturbed family with the gnawing and ominous feeling of what could happen. No one said anything, but at the back of all our minds stood the brutal truth. We were all thinking of the worst possible outcome. It was difficult watching my mother’s symptoms worsen over the years; her neural damage, her brain lesions, and her memory loss with still no answers. About a year ago, they affected her daily life to point where she wasn’t herself. My mother being a keystone in our house, there were many things our family had to adjust to make up for her incapabilities. I would usually take more time out of my schedule to do laundry, take care of the our dogs, prepare dinners for my siblings and other chores around the house. It was a more of a workload, but it was manageable. The name of our problem was finally given to us last year; yet has done no such thing in easing our frantic minds. My mother, someone who I depended on constantly; was slowly draining away because of Lyme disease. On top of all these struggles the family already faced; my father was also in the process of

Along with maintaining and pushing my NJROTC cadets to perform better and academics, I lost my social life. It’s the thing I had to give up in order to not be swallowed up by work, which was overwhelming at times. I don’t regret my hardships though- It’s like being a military child. It’s difficult, but it is a whole new experience. I’m grateful to these hardships, they have turned me into a mature young woman, who can now handle any challenge that comes her way. I know when I go out into the real world, I can tackle anything life throws at