On a typical summer day, I unexpectedly woke up from the sound of sirens and my obnoxiously barking dog. I quickly glanced at my alarm clock, which I had set for summer camp, and saw it was only five in the morning. As an innocent fifth grader, I began to panic and think to myself what could possibly be happening. Nervously, I stood up from my bed and looked out my window when I saw someone who I seemingly thought was my mother being put in an ambulance. My eyes began to fill with tears as I thought that would be the last time seeing my best friend. I turned around to my father standing in my room with tears rushing down his face when he told me that my mom was having a heart attack. At that very moment, my body became numb, and I couldn’t process the news my father had told me.
My mother was always my life coach, guiding me to be an independent woman. I was truly afraid to lose my best friend in life. After nine long, sleepless nights, sobbing tear after tear while my mother was potentially living her last moments of life, she finally arrived home. I spent as much time with her as possible, and after every frightening episode she had, I grew stronger as I needed to show her I am the person she wished I would become.
I repeatedly questioned how a healthy 44-year-old could possibly have a heart attack. It did not make sense, given her perfect blood work results and vitals. My mother always went to doctors for annual checkups, so I never thought something like this would happen to her so young. I have learned the significance of frequent doctor visits and occasional testing from this incident. It is important for people to be on top of their health as you never know what a doctor may find from a simple visit. Ultimately, I learned that no one is too young to suffer from a disease, let alone a heart attack.
Written by, Cori Friedman-Age 22