Im Here For A Reason

The last thing I remember was standing in front of a mirror looking at myself. I felt a heavy burn in my chest but I ignored it. Three days later I woke up in the Intensive Care Unit of Texas Children’s Hospital. The doctor said I fell into a deep coma due to “Ketoacidosis”.

The first person I saw when I woke up was my mom. As I looked into her eyes I could tell she had been crying. I was her youngest child and to see me come two inches from death, really broke her spirit. “You know you could have died right?” “But I prayed to God to spare your life.” I stopped listening to her after that. I started to picture my funeral instead. All I could imagine were the crying faces of my loved ones, but then I quickly snapped back to reality.

“You really need to take care of yourself,” the doctor said with a firm tone, “we did everything we could to keep you here and alive, but God had the ultimate decision.” The word “Ketoacidosis” came up again. It meant that my blood sugar was well over the normal range of 80-150. In fact it was 795, which is extremely dangerous in the life of a diabetic. That’s when it hit me; I was in control of my life. Since I was given a second chance at life, it was up to me to change.

I’ve changed from a wild and crazy teen to a humble, responsible, and grateful young adult. I’ve changed on my own because that experience has taught me to cherish my life. Life is too short to waste it all on stupidity. It’s amazing how I had to come so close to death before I realized that my life wasn’t one big party. That everything I ever did in my past would catch back up to me, in a way that I could not handle.

We all go through tough obstacles in life, but it only makes us stronger. It’s at those times we must remember that God is only testing our faith in him. So I believe that I am here for a reason.