Stories of overcoming adversity? I need some inspiration

GingerSue · Feb 22, 2006

get organized

Semantics · Feb 22, 2006

:confused: How does organization translate into inspiration? I am aware that

organization and time managment are essential skills of life.

nursejoey05 · Feb 22, 2006

Well...I had a 5 year old and a dying husband while I was in nursing school. I finished nursing school with my husband in ICU, on a vent, in a drug induced coma and fighting multi-organ failure. I call that adversity. My advice would be to get yourself grounded in God, make good friends that will support you, and work really hard to impress your instuctors. If they know this is what you want and that you're giving it your all, they will cut you a little slack when you're desperate, or at least give you a pep talk when needed. It can be done. Good luck.

Faeriewand, ASN, RN · Feb 22, 2006

NurseJoey yours was truly an inspiring story! :heartbeat Wow if that isn't overcoming adversity then I don't know what is.

Semantics · Feb 22, 2006

Thank you for sharing. I couldnt even imagine that level of stress.

Dalzac, LPN, LVN, RN · Feb 22, 2006

I did the same thing Joey I was in the last semester in nursing school Hubby with terminal brain cancer and 3 kids. I knew he was going to die and I worked my butt off at school becuase I knew I would need that lisence to support my kids. The ONLY thing i can give credit to was my nursing school. I had missed so many clinical d/t hubby dying I didn't think I would graduate and have to do another semester, and I didn't know if I could do that.

Close to graduation the director of the school came up to me and I thought she was going to tell tough luck. but she said You are going to go the pinning ceremony but, I am not going to give you your pin I am going to give you 2 weeks to make up your clinicals. and then we will all have a private ceremony for your pinning. I was flabbergasted!!!!

They saved my life and I will never forget it

elizabells, BSN, RN · Feb 22, 2006

My adversity is a little different - I'm single w/o kids, but do have a variety of physical/mental health issues. I succeed by bullying myself. I am my own best drill sargeant!

Laura77598 · Feb 22, 2006

Yeah, What she said!!!

I have a story for you...

Since you have a military background, this might inspire you.

I am not an incredibly smart person, but my husband is. I just work VERY hard trying "to be all I can be" because of him. You are 26? WOW you are a young'n. Here's my story:

I met Allen when I was 14 years old. Hhe was a junior in highschool and I was a freshman. When I started high school, I decided to join the high school band. I was never very good, but I needed something to fill my elective, so I joined band. I also had epilepsy. I had temporal lobe epileptic seizures about 3-7 a month. With epilepsy, I was DEFINITELY NOT a popular girl, and Allen, well, he was the stereotypical geek/genius who was teased and ridiculed some as well. Allen was not a handsome guy at all, but he also wouldn't leave well enough alone until he got exactly what he wanted in life!!!!! Although he wasn't very handsome, he could play trumpet better than anyone else in our band! He was our star trumpet player! He was the best trumpet player in the county.

At my freshman homecoming, Allen asked me to go to Homecoming with him. As the new kid on the block, I was already trying to get in the loop with the cool crowd. I really did not want to go out with Allen, but like I said earlier, he just wouldn't leave me alone until I gave in and said yes to one date with him. Boy, was that the beginning of my end!!! I went to homecoming with Allen, and he gave me the largest homecoming mum I have ever seen in my entire life!!!!!!!!!!! I was so embarrassed and ashamed to be going to homecoming with the school nerd. He could have very easily starred in Revenge of The Nerds!!!! But what was done was done. I went to homeconing with him. We were teased even worse than I could have imagined. People made us the butt of every joke. To make matters worse, he had no car and we had to ride the bus with all those hateful people. Well, I reassured myself that this would just be one date. I would never go out with him again. I was just going out with him so he would leave me alone. This may have been the wrong solution to that particular problem. I also went to the prom with Allen. I don't know why, I tried to say no, but the words just wouldn't come out that way. My mouth just kept saying yes for some reason. Well afer homecoming and prom, Allen and I became an item. However, he was 2 years older than me, and he and I broke up his senior year of high school.

After his senior year came, I started wondering what he would do when high school ended. Allen was BRILLIANT- SHARPEST KNIFE IN THE DRAWER, but he had NO money for college, and he would rather die that stay in that backwards excuse for a town. No, he would leave as fast as he could go and never look back. During his last year of highschool, I learned that the military was having a recruiting event at our high school. I figured that Allen might go to check it out. I was right. Allen enlisted in the Air Force that very year. I was sad to learn of this. As miserable as I felt when people teased us, I never wanted him to go off and join the Air Force!!!!! What about me?

Well, he graduated and we talked some. He told me he had to do it, and he had to go his way and I had to go mine. He said he would miss me, but it was time to grow up and move on with life. He said that I had to finish school, and he had to find a life outside of this God forsaken place. I knew he was right, but he was my first love. It hurt to lose him. He was leaving me. He couldn't even try to fix that situation. He was 18 and I was 16. I was MISERABLE for the rest of that year!!!!!!!!! I learned to hate Allen after that decision!!!!!!!! I convinced myself that I didn't need the TOWN GEEK to keep me company! I would surely go on and find a good boyfriend after he left. Well, that didn't really work out as easy as I thought. After all, everyone in town saw me as the female geek of the town. No one wanted to go out with the girl who had seizures.

Two years later, I graduated high school. I still missed Allen, but it had been 2 years, and he had moved on, and I had to pick myself and do the same. I decided that I would have to stay at home and go to college at one of the local colleges for a while, until I knew what I was going to study. I couldn't even drive a car to leave town. I had seizures, and I couldn't drive. My exciting life in a town of 4,000 people was miserable. I earned as many hours at the local community college as possible. I still didn't know what I would get a degree in, but I could at least take my basic courses and get those out of the way.

Well two years later, I decided to transfer to a university from the local college. I decided to go to Southwest Texas (Texas State). I knew that I could live on campus at a dormitory and I could walk and ride the bus where I needed to go. About six months later after I moved into a coed dorm, the guys side of the hall decided to have a party to break the stress of studying for midterms. I hadn't done much socializing since leaving home, so I decided to attend the party. After all, I had a clean slate, a new life in a new place away from my old life. No one knew about my seizures or the bad reputation that epilepsy had gotten me. I decided to begin anew and meet new people and make a fresh start.

As the party progressed, the topic of discussion turned to the people we dated in school. Well, it couldn't last forever. I knew that I would have to put the past behind me and move on. I talked about dating Allen when it was my turn. Funny thing was, I never even thought about Allen until that very second. I had put him completely out of my mind. The guys and girls asked me what ever happened to him. I told them, "Oh, he's off in the Air Force somewhere. He fooled around and joined the Air Force when he graduated, and I was still in high school."

The party ended, and I went back to my dorm room. Then about a week later the tests were over, and the dorm was holding a movie night. Joe, one of the R.A.s, came up to me and asked if I was going to go to movie night in the lobby that night. I asked him what they were showing. "TOP GUN," he said.

Suddenly, I felt sad all over again. I was mending very well until then. I had put Allen out of my mind, gone to college, moved to a university, made friends, got good grades, and now suddenly, I couldn't even walk into a room without someone making me think about him. I couldn't watch Top Gun. Too many memories of Allen. Just the very movie made me think about him. I hated life!!!! I backed out and said "No Joe, I really need to catch up on my studying." Joe reminded me that Midterms were over, and I should have some fun too. I told him I would think about it. I never went to see the movie.

A week later I was studying for a test, and I had this sick sinking feeling that I needed to go to my room for something. I wasn't sure why I needed to go to my room, but I knew that something was pulling me to my room. I avoided my room at all costs. Dorm rooms are about 12 x10 feet. Tiny little places. I stayed out in the lobby as much as possible unless I absolutely had to go to my room.This time I knew I absolutely had to go to my room. I just couldn't figure out why? What was pulling me to that room?

When I got to my door, I put my hand on the doorknob and heard my telephone ring. I was really puzzled by that!!! I had been in my room for hours at a time and never gotten a phone call. Who could be calling me?

"Hello?"

"Hello, Laura? It's Allen."

Those four words just about made me pass out right there!!!!!!!!!!!

I just stood there with my door standing open and my mouth wide open. I just couldn't speak. I tried a coulple of times to answer, but I just couldn't. Finally, I got my power of speech back and said, "Allen? how did you..."

Then I realized my mother must have given him my number. I thought: Mother I'm gonna KILL YOU when I see you again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, he told me that he was "back in the states" and he would kinda like to pay me a short visit. Maybe grab a cup of coffee or something for old times' sake.

I was still in shock so I couldn't really formulate an answer, but I said, "Sure." I just agreed, once again, to go out with him. When will I ever learn?

I agreed to go get a cup of coffee with him, and he said he would call me sometime with the details.

I decided to wait till he called back and try to backout of the date. That was my honest intention, but when he called back, I just couldn't do it. Well, a week later the date came and I was nervous. I hadn't seen him in about 4 years. What were people gonna say now? Damn him!!I made myself forget about him and I invented a new life for myself, and I get around o.k. without a car, and I don't need HIM poking his nose in it and messing it all up! What are all my friends gonna think when they see me with the town geek? Well, I don't know what else to do, so I will just get dressed up in one of my prettiest dresses and make him squirm! I am gonna look so good he'll wonder why he ever even thought about leaving me. I will definitely make him regret the day he left me!!!!!!!

Well, I was getting ready, and our hall director came on the speaker and told me that I had a guest in the lobby. I was puzzled because I couldn't think of who it might be. Then I realized, Allen was here.

I walked down the stairs waearing the prettiest HOT pink clingy dress I could find. Hair and make up looked great. Now I just need to find him. I looked, hoping that no one would be in the lobby. Oh No, THAT WOULD BE TOO EASY AND PAINLESS WOULDN'T IT? The entire lobby was as crowded as I had ever seen it! Not only was everyone from our dorm downstairs, there were people from other dorms there too! Sure let's just invite the whole university out to the football stadium so they can all watch my private moments!!!!! I wouldn't want anyone missing this!!!!!!!!!!

I entered the lobby, and looked around to see if I recognized him. I looked and looked and didn't see him. Then I looked across the crowded room, and there was a very tall guy in a black leather jacket. No, that can't be... OH MY GOD IN HEAVEN WOULD YOU JUST LOOK AT THOSE SHOULDERS??????? GOOD LORD, WHO IS ....NO THAT CAN'T BEEE.....

OH MY GOD IT'S IT'S ALLEN!!!!! GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZUUUUUUUUS WHAT DID THEY DO TO HIM??????????? ALLEN HAD GROWN AT LEAST 6 INCHES TALLER, AND HAD COME BACK WITH FOUR AND A HALF FEET OF SHOULDERS AND A TAN THAT YOU COULDN'T FIND ON HAWAII!!!!!!AND BLONDE HAIR!!!!!!!!!! SOMEBODY CATCH ME I THINK I'M GONNA PASS OUT!!!!!!!!!!!

My God he was GORGEOUS!!! I just didn't expect to see him all grown up! as a man! I never actually pictured Allen as a man. It looked good on him!

He came over to me and took me to his car and we left. I asked him what he did in the Air Force, and he told me he worked in SAC. I could tell this was going to be a long talk. He told me that he fixed B 52's in the Air Force. He had just come off the island of Guam. He had been stationed there for over 2 years.

Well, after I graduated College with my BA in psychology, Allen and I got married. We first met in 1980, we married in 1990. His mother mad my dress and arranged the flowers.

After he left the Air Force, his term was up,he decided to put himself through college. He went to The University of Texas and earned his bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering! During the last year of his education, he found a job as an intern working for AMD in Austin. Then he got medical insurance and other benefits and I could finally go to a different doctor. I needed to see a neurologist to get a new prescription for some anticonvulsants (Seizure meds). Then one day, he was playing on the internet, and he told me that he had seen a new type of surgery that can treat epilepsy. I told him that if there was a way to fix my seizures, my family would have found it by now. After all, I had had epilepsy for some 25 years of my life now. I told him that I was gonna make an appointment with a new doctor this week, and I would ask him about it. I called and got an appointment with a local neurologist, and mentioned to him that my husband had seen a new type of surgery that is used to treat temporal lobe epilepsy. The neurologist then told me that a friend and colleague of his who works in the medical center at Houston works in that field. He gave me his card and told me to call him. He gave me the referral and I never saw him AGAIN! I called a Doctor in Houston and told him who I was, and how I had heard about him. They scheduled an appointment for me that minute, and I went to see the doctor. He told me that there might be a way to help me. I met with a surgical team, took many medical imaging and language tests, and the surgical team determined thatI would be a good candidate for a TEMPORAL LOBECTOMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY WANTED TO PERFORM BRAIN SURGERY ON ME TO FIX MY EPILEPSY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OTAY!!!!!!! Now Allen had my FULL ATTENTION!!!!!!!! We stayed with my family, and talked about it for a while. Then I decided to go through with it. I even met Jerry Lewis in the hospital. He was there to have heart bypass surgery. He and I were in the same common recovery room. He even talked to me and told me that these people are the best!!!! He told me not to worry, that I was in good hands.

In December of 1992, I met with my surgeon, and he said that I would be an almost IDEAL surgical candidate. He said He was going to remove my right hippocampus!!!!! I was just still so shocked that this was actually going to take place!!!!!!!!!! I asked, "You mean you're just gonna open me up and take it out????????? You can fix it just like that????????????????????????" He said, "Yes." So at the end of December 21, 1992 I had a unilateral temporal lobectomy to treat my epilepsy!!!!! The last thing I told my surgical team was, "I have always dreamed of giving my doctor a really good peice of my mind. This just wasn't the way I thought I would do it!!!!!!!!! They entire staff laughed at that. I woke up at the end of surgery, and ran my hand over

the right side of my head and found some 60 staples on the side of my head and a hole on the back of my skull that I could put a quarter in. That was ONE BIG HOLE!!!!!!!!!!! After I healed I went back to Austin and Allen taught me how to drive a car. Then he bought me a car. We now have two Daughters, and he works for NASA as an engineer on the return to flight crew in Houston. He is currently training to work in Mission Control for their next launch. I have no more seizures, and now I am studying to get my nursing degree. Hopefully I will work in a neuro unit. I would love to e able to be there when someone gets their life changed like that. My daughters are my source of inspiration. When I feel weak and like I can't continue, I remember what I have already come through, and I laugh. I just can't conceive of stopping until I get where I am going. My husband had NO help FROM ANYONE in HIS LIFE!!!! He built up every penny he had and got where he is all by himself!! He is my inspiration! Not only did he Repair B-52's in the Air Force, BUt he worked his way through The University of Texas with a WIFE and paid (with combination of insurance and his own money) for a One hundred thousand dollar BRAIN SURGERY when he was about 27 years old.

I really love my husband! He is why I am doing this! He has single handedly changed my life, and all he wanted from me originally was just to see me and have a cup of coffee!

Now I hope I have given you some inspiration.Just go to God, and ask him for help. I didn't even go to Him and LOOK at the MIRACULOUS THINGS HE HAS DONE FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

O.K. You are probably tired of reading this, and I think I have written enough to inspire you. Point of the story is: you can do this!!! raising kids is hard and these classes aren't a cakewalk, but if you make up your mind to do something, You can just keep going until you have done it. you won't fail unless you stop trying!!! So figure out a way!

Make it happen Navy Man!!

Hope this helped you some

Thant's my story.

Laura.

Hoping LVN2BSN · Feb 22, 2006

First I'd like to say hello. I have been browsing to forums for little over a year now. Took make a long story short. I have transitioned out of the military (navy) and have decided to make a career shift to nursing. I began going back to school for the first time in 7 years.
Hi Semantics,
We are in similar boats, but mine is a little lighter. I just got out of the Navy myself two years ago. I got married then, started a job about three months after from which I was fired from for pregnancy, and gave birth last May. Transitiong from an MA in the Navy to a nurse is quite a leap, especially while my husband is on deployment and being here by myself with a baby. But like a few of the other posters said, get your faith and belief system together if you have one, you'll need it. That's all I had when I walked through the doors to enroll a week before classes started. I had no plan for childcare, no extra money to pay for school, really on a wing and a good prayer. I took the last spot in the program, had my sis-in-law watch my daughter until my father offered to move in with us from across the state to take care of her until I graduate and start work, and my school extended the payments for what financial didn't cover out to 5 years-which was a fluke but since the financial aid rep. made a mistake, and it's in my contract, they have to honor it.
But remember everything happens for a reason, keep an open mind and be flexible though it might not work out now, if it is meant for you there is nothing that can stop your progress, if you want it, it will happen!

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Feb 22, 2006

:eek: OMG - LAURA, YOU MADE ME CRY!!!! What a beautiful story.

Thank you for sharing with us. Surely Semantics will get some inspiration from that!!! I know I did!! GOD BLESS YOU, YOUR DAUGHTERS, AND YOUR WONDERFUL DH!!! :flowersfo

Semantics · Feb 23, 2006

Wow. I dont even know what to say... Thank you all for sharing such inspiring personal stories. I will deffinately have to bookmark this post so I can come back to it when im feeling...blah. I guess at times I spend to much time and effort looking at what not going right instead of focusing on what I have to be thankful for.