On Wednesday, September 1, 1982 I was born at 8:10 am. My parents were older, Ron was 40 and Carol was 37. My family also consisted of a brother, who was 15 and a sister who was 10. I'm not quite sure the entire family was excited about the newest edition. When I was a month old, my parents brought home a Scottish Terrier from Dr. Pet Center in the Columbia Mall. Fittingly, he would later be named "Scotty". Terriers are not exactly the best family dog, they tend to bond to one member and shun the rest. I suppose due to my small size, I was the chosen one. An instant friendship was born.
1988- I began the first grade at St. Marks in Catonsville. My parents attended Catholic School, as did my brother and sister - th
ey wouldn't have it any other way. The first day of school remains vivid in my mind. Promptly after announcements, I got up, grabbed my lunch box and proceeded to leave the building. I knew immediately school was not for me. Shortly after, I developed massive nosebleeds and was constantly sick. I was tested for allergies, and found I was allergic to everything outdoors. I began getting allergy shots, which I would get for the next 15 years.My father worked really hard to make college possible without any loans or assistance. Therefore, typically Jan - April he would be unavailable for anything. Thankfully, my brother and I became close. He sat and listened while I learned new instruments in the band, and taught me to play softball out in the front yard. He would defend me when I needed help and would take me for ice cream. My sister and I were rocky during my younger years, but would become close around the time I graduated from High School - and build a friendship from there.
By the time I was in the forth grade, sinus infections were regular typically followed by bronchitis. I was also falling behind in school. At the same time, I weighed close to 130 lbs. I had friends in school, but was always picked last for gym class, and aimed at first for dodge ball. I began to get after school help from Huntington Learning Center. Teachers assumed I was just lazy.
Middle school had its ups and downs. Still had friends, but a traumatic event in the 7th grade left me with fewer options. I couldn't let it bother me, and wouldn't. I knew people had their opinions and I had mine. I now weighed 150lbs and was always in between sizes. It was hard to find hip clothes for a 12 year old wearing a size 12. Learning still didn't change for me, I hated school because it was something I was "never good at". When the time came to apply for high school (Catholic of course...) I had my mind made up. Same school my sister went to was where I was meant to be. Except, she picked it because she liked the uniforms, I was trying to follow in her footsteps. There was a rumor associated with applying to Catholic Schools. The day of your entrance exam, you had to list certain schools as number 1, or else you wouldn't get in. Your chances of getting in were much higher if you were (1) following a sibling or (2) coming from a catholic school. Needless to say, I didn't get into my first choice. A few years later I would find out my dad helped them decline me, knowing with my issues and learning - I never would have succeeded.
High School was great. I managed to find clothing that made me look slimmer but I was still around 150lbs. I was on the high school softball team and I was active with art lessons. I was still going to tutoring (yes, on and off since grade 4) in order to get the passing grades. I would catch up, stop going and fall behind. It wasn't until the summer before my senior year (1999) my parents would finally give up and have me tested for a disability. I guess students in Catholic Schools aren't supposed to have Learning Disabilities, but guess what guys - turns out they do! Years of being classified as lazy, I finally found out I had a Perceptual Processing Learning Disability. Shocking. After receiving the right help and right kind of tutor, I spent my senior year finally achieving all A's! Except, this was the time frame to get into college. How was I going to go where I had my heart set on? Majority of the men in my family have attended Loyola College in Baltimore. This was my dream. I had spent enough time on campus helping my dad with Alumni activities, I felt I belonged. I applied and later received a letter stating I had been wait listed. Reason explained in the letter: diagnosis of my learning disability was so recent, they weren't sure they would be able to offer me an environment in which I would be successful. I was crushed. This too, I would find out later, my dad had something to do with. He helped them write the letter, knowing I didn't belong there.
On a whim, my mom's friend suggested I apply to art school. Art School? Are you kidding me? Yes, art school. In one month I unframed almost every piece of art I had made, and developed a portfolio. Some people spent years on this work of art. Not me. I went into the interview and came out with a list of things they "really wanted to see" . I was pissed. I wanted nothing more to do with the idea of "art school". However, I completed what they wanted to see and intentionally shot shitty slides and sent them back. Two weeks later - I received my letter of acceptance.
2000-2004 would be the best years of my life. I was away from home, but not too far away. I learned how to be myself. I learned to be outgoing and how to be friends with guys. I was able to take 4 years and grow into who I am today. I was allowed to be expressive and I was allowed to explore. I knew from the start Photography was where I belonged, no matter how many times the painting teacher said "photography isn't a REAL art, you shouldn't even be here." My weight would constantly fluctuate while I was in college. We had apartment style living which meant we had our own kitchen. We also had such a diverse population of students, we had a kick ass cafe. MICA was small, but big enough to not know everyone. Classes were intimate and learning was endless. Art history was boring and sculpture was exciting. I went through the phases - black, pink and blond were frequent hair colors for me. "Hair is to have fun with," my mom would say, "just warn us before you walk in the door." Graduation from MICA was one of the saddest days of my life. I had to return to the world where pink hair wasn't acceptable and neither were jeans covered in paint - back to Ellicott City.
During my sophomore year (2001-2002) I began to experience migraines that were like train wrecks. I'd wake up without one, but have the beginnings of one by 10am. I began seeing a neurologist who prescribed medication to control them. One afternoon, on the day of the Superbowl that year to be exact, I found myself in extreme pain. It felt like a nail was being hammered into my brain. The neurologist said to check into a hospital. I spent that night in Johns Hopkins. In the process, they drew blood and noticed I tested positive for lupus. I was experiencing some other symptoms. I began seeing a rheumatologist, who tested again and it came back negative. However, there was no explanation for my horrible headaches. At that time, I started having joint pain. By night time, my wrists, hands, knees, ankles and toes hurt badly and I could hardly move. I got the feeling my primary care thought I was a hypochondriac, so I sought help from my long time allergist. He reviewed my files and realized I had been on close to 50 antibiotics in one year. The file was the size of a phone book. After researching, he felt I had symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. He sent me to a doctor in Newark, NJ who was a professional in that expertise. After a 3 hour drive, I was finally on the road to recovery. I was properly diagnosed, and placed on medication. I took, what I refer to as "uppers" in the morning, and a sleeping aid in the evening. I took medication to control my migranes and was told I could beat this if I continued to remain so positive. I did just that.
During my junior and senior year of college I continued to work at the Ice Rink. When I moved back home junior year and commuted, I kept score for the men's hockey league two nights a week. I had my eye on a certain one, and finally in my senior year we met. Scott has been an extreme rock throughout the last few years. He's helped me make life changing decisions and supported me in everything I do.
2004- current - After graduation, I needed to find a job. I've always loved kids so my mom found an add in the Newspaper for a student assistant in the public school system. I got the job and met my first Autistic inspiration. I was best buds with this kid for a year. We had a lot of ups and downs. I immediately went back to school (community college) to take certification courses for Special Education. The year after I was a student assistant, I became an Instructional Assistant in another howard county public school. That year I realized I really wanted to be a special educator. I completed my HCC courses, passed both Praxis exams (after a few tries... ) and enrolled in graduate school at Johns Hopkins. Who would have ever thought that would happen! I'm now a student in the Severe and Profound disability program along with obtaining certification in the field of Autism Studies.
At the same time, I had reached my highest weight. 180 lbs.
I couldn't do it anymore. In 2005, right after my 23rd birthday, I decided I was ready to join Weight Watchers. I was ready to be a new person. With a little nudging I was able to get my dad to sign up with me. In 9 months I lost 40 lbs and he list 45. He waited for 2 more weeks to make "goal" so we could make it together on the same day. We both learned a whole new style of life. I lost over 30 inches off my entire body. I went from a size 12 to a 6. Life couldn't have been better.
In December 2007 I decided I wanted to run a marathon through Team in Training. I had only started running last June and was hardly even able to run a complete mile. My sister did the TNT Century Ride (that's 100 miles!) around Lake Tahoe and I had recently began working with Jackie, who had run the Rock 'n Roll Marathon in San Diego. It sounded like such an awesome experience, that I signed up in January. On June 21st I'm going to run my first marathon in Alaska. I am super excited. I've also registered to run the 2009 Disney Marathon in January. I've definitely got the bug.
Did I mention that I am now finally a teacher? I began my first year teaching last September, 2007. It has been a totally amazing experience. I have met some really great people and learned a lot about the field.
Scott told me on my 25th birthday: "25 will be the best year of your life. At least it was for me." So far, he has been absolutely right.
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