Birthday Girl Backstory

March 1 is my birthday. I can’t believe I’m turning 30! (Squeals.) The big 3-0 isn’t just another number to me, it’s a testament to surviving a very premature birth. I was lucky because I had only a few things go wrong because I was born so early. I was supposed to be born in the summer. Instead, I came 24 and a half weeks early.

With preemies, you have to worry about everything: the heart, lungs, eyesight, and so on. I was fortunate that my amazing doctors and nurses did everything in their power to make sure that I would have a good life down the road. When they were thanked by my parents and family members, they humbly said, “It wasn’t us,” stating that God had a huge role in this as well. I can never thank my doctors and nurses enough for the role they played in nurturing me while my parents were away and, more generally, keeping me alive.

Accomplishments

I’m proud of my accomplishments over the years. I’m proud of my little victories as I entered adulthood: getting a job, finding a boyfriend, going to college and getting good grades, making some of the closest friends I’ve had in my adult life at Morris…

I couldn’t have done my senior seminar without the help of my incredible professor Vicki Graham. She encouraged me and believed in me, even when I was going through a rough time during my senior year. I also couldn’t have done as well as I did at my senior seminar without my friend Alex cheering me on in the audience. He also asked me some really good questions, too. Lastly, though, my family supported me through this time of doubt and pumped me up on the day of my senior presentation. My dad texted me, and my mom came to see me read.

One person couldn’t be there, though she was with me in my memory and in spirit: Gail Harrington. She was my mentor for church, and she shared her poetry with me. I would also read her some of my own poems. I dedicated my senior seminar to Gail, the woman who was so strong and so loved life. I really wish that she was still here so I could share all of my recent accomplishments with her. I miss her very much.

The List