I was looking at some of my recent posts, and I noticed that they were trending a little more personal and a little less professional. In an attempt to keep a healthy balance, I’ve decided to post one of the essays I used in my application to Pepperdine. This essay was my “Personal Statement” and had to be under two pages in length. This past weekend, as I wrote about in my previous post, was spent with my sister. She was the topic for my application essay:
"He said some day I hope you get the chance, To live like you were dyin" -Tim McGraw..:
My picture perfect life came to a screeching halt when a single defining event took place that truly affected my family and my outlook as an individual. I grew up in an upper middle class area of Fresno, CA. My father is an executive in the Agricultural Chemical Division of DuPont and my mother is a teacher at a local junior high school. I have one younger sister named Suzanne. It was a pretty normal, loving family. We were all fairly content with life and we took a lot for granted. That all changed on February 25th, 1995.
That was the day Suzanne was diagnosed with childhood Leukemia. It is difficult to describe exactly what a family goes through during this type of life-changing event. At the time, my sister was attending the first grade. She had to be pulled out of school and spent countless nights in the hospital. Her immune system had become so susceptible to infection that for several years, anytime we were around her we wore masks to help keep germs from spreading. If she even caught the common cold, it could have been deadly. My sister eventually won the battle with cancer. The fight was long and challenging, consuming over five years of her childhood. The entire process was incredibly draining on all of us. After that experience, my family viewed life differently. We learned just how little time we have to live and were determined to live life to its fullest.
After the illness, my family decided to give back to the organization that saved my sister's life, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We now had a common cause to rally behind and were determined to make a difference. This experience changed not only my family's viewpoint, but also my personal outlook on life. I realized that things in life are not free and not to take anything for granted.
I wanted to be able to create meaningful relationships with children affected by childhood Leukemia. I knew if I could share my experiences, it may help young kids manage the difficult situation they were in. I began by volunteering at a camp called Camp Sunshine Dreams. This was a week long camp for cancer patients and their siblings. I volunteered as a camp counselor and was placed in charge of a cabin with 15 young boys in it. I would sit and talk to them about their situations, listen to their stories, give them encouragement, answer their questions and give them a shoulder to cry on. At camp, we had an event called "Spirit Stick". Once every day, we gathered in a circle and each person carved shavings from a stick into a bandana while talking about their experiences with cancer. At the end of the week, all of the sticks and bandanas are thrown into the campfire along with saved ashes from each previous year. The last campfire is an emotional and touching event, with friends and family coming together for support during this difficult time. This event has shown me first hand the true power of compassion. We also enjoyed many fun activities such as archery, paddle boats, a camp dance, arts & crafts, kickball, volleyball and other typical camp activities. For five consecutive summers I spent time at the camp. Doing this allowed me to make meaningful contributions to many kid's lives and help them better cope with cancer. Speaking with the campers by telling stories and relating to their situation helped me develop my communication skills. I often spoke to large groups of people about emotional issues, which before this experience was difficult for me.
As I grew older, I searched for a hobby that would allow me to continue to contribute to The Leukemia Society. During the summer of 2003, I had just that opportunity. I was living in Germany for four months when I was introduced to the amazing sport of cycling. The family I lived with was filled with cycling enthusiasts and followed their cycling hero Jan Ulrich religiously. The family taught me how to ride and train competitively. When I returned to the states, I bought my first bike and was hooked.
I decided that in order for my support for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to be effective, I needed to contribute in a more financial way. Being more mature, I understood that the demands of a nonprofit organization relied largely on monetary contributions. At a local bike shop, I found an organization called Team in Training, which fundraises for The Leukemia Society by running an endurance sports team. Members of the "Team" train for a marathon, a triathlon or a 100 mile bike race called a Century. While going through an eight month training program, each member is required to raise a certain amount of money for the organization. I decided to try the bike race. I trained, raised the money, completed the Century in Lake Tahoe and felt great about giving back to such a worthy cause. The following year I helped out the organization as a mentor, coaching people new to endurance sports.
Living through a traumatic event like my sister's battle with cancer profoundly altered my perspective on life. I know that I must live every day to its fullest, in an "all or nothing" type of life. I think of the song "Live Like You're Dying" by Tim McGraw. In the song, Tim McGraw sang about how his life became much more meaningful once he found out that he was dying of an unknown illness. He cherished everything in his life so much more because he knew that his life was finite. I have adopted a similar viewpoint for my own life. It was this new outlook that led me to enter my very first Ironman triathlon. On April 13th, 2008 I will compete in Ironman Arizona. I am not sure if it will be during the 2.4 mile swim, the 112 mile bike ride or the 26.2 mile marathon…but I will realize that sometimes it is pain that makes life worth living.
*I competed in the Ironman triathlon and it was one of the most difficult and challenging days of my life...
