I graduated from Brenham High School in 2009. I was a three-sport athlete participating in football, basketball and track my senior year. My journey through college has been long and tiresome, but I endured through to this point. In January of my sophomore year I suffered a horrendous head injury at basketball practice after getting tripped and diving head first into a brick wall. A week after that day, I started to have excruciating migraines so I started taking Excedrin every six hours. My doctor sent me to my first neurologist and after countless tests including MRIs and cat scans, my diagnosis was still undetermined, so he sent me to a neurosurgeon, where I got my first lumbar puncture or spinal tap. After that he decided he wanted to do surgery and cut my head open to relieve pressure. My mother and I decided against it so he sent me to my second neurologist whom I see currently. He performed my second lumbar puncture and diagnosed me with lymphocytic meningitis which is basically irritation around the lining of my brain. He prescribed a medicine which I currently take now to keep my white blood cells in my spinal fluid from going too high which cause my head to hurt. Though the medicine works in order to speed the process up, he prescribed chemotherapy treatments every other month. At first the chemo would make me extremely sick, and I was losing weight. People ask me all the time why I smile and laugh a lot. The answer is simple: I am blessed. I made it to graduation, I’m the President of the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice and an active member of The Exceptional Men of the Talented Tenth. I was a college track athlete my first two years here. I met great people and made lifelong friendships. I’m here because I have a strong support system back home. Momma, I made it.
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