I have been slacking on my posts, I know. I could give a million excuses, but I'm not going to. Especially not after having met the woman I met today.
I work in admissions for a college, so everyday, I talk to all kinds of people. Some are truly passionate about going to school, others are looking for that financial aid refund check. But every once in a while, I come across a person who is remarkably profound, impacting me in ways I never knew a complete stranger could.
It started off like any other interview with a prospective student - introductions, reasons for going to college, ultimate career goals - and she told me why she needed to get a career going, but the closing of the sentence blew me away. "I'm not working and haven't worked for over a year. I need a career. I need to make money. I haven't been able to work because I was diagnosed with leukemia. The doctors gave me 8-10 months to live. I told them that I wasn't going to let leukemia kill me, and here I am a year and a half later. I told my doctors they'll be writing about me in medical journals one day." She was diagnosed with a rare form of the disease that her doctors had only come across a handful of times (by 'handful', I mean four times, and of the four she's the only one alive). She's a single mother of three children and refused to let anything keep her from them. Not even death.
This is the power of positive thinking and a fighting spirit. When the rest of the world would have just given up on their hopes and dreams, she made new ones. She knew in her heart that she would live to see her children grow up, get married, and make her a grandmother. Having already survived thyroid cancer and melanoma, she knew nothing could stop her. I sat there on the phone with her for two hours and two minutes (yes I was counting) and was speechless. I didn't want to talk to her about school. I didn't want to give her any information or interview her for admission. I was in such awe of her achievements as survivor that I just wanted to be inspired. She didn't come from a wealthy family. She didn't go to a prestigious prep school. This was the first time she had ever even thought about really going to college. But she was quick witted, full of joy and laughter, and very, VERY feisty. I loved that about her. Life handed her a barrel of lemons and she's turned her life into a fabulous lemonade stand, sharing her pains and struggles in a way that uplifts and inspires those around her. One phone call and my whole world changed.
She's lived her life on her terms, never settling for less. She knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get it. Tell her "No" and she'll laugh in your face and say "Watch me." After all that this woman has been through, how dare I or anyone else in this world say "I can't." Everything happens for a reason. I've slacked on my dreams for what? Time is precious. There is no better time than now to achieve my dreams. I made commitments to myself and to you. And I have to keep them. While in the hospital, after she had been told that she would inevitably die within the year from leukemia, her son came in the room and asked her "Mom, are you going to die?" She answered "No, I'm not going to let this take me away from you." He then said "Promise?" I had tears in my eyes when she said "When you make a promise like that to your children, you have to keep it." She has. And even if I never speak to her again, I know she will.
♥ - The Bougie Budgetista
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