When I was 16 years old, I was diagnosed with ITP. I was scared, confused, and had no idea what a platelet even was or why my body wanted to destroy them all and was a freshman in high school. That began my journey through hospitals and appointments and too many missed days of school to count. My outlook with this condition has always been to look positive. Life can be messy no doubt, but I don’t give up easily. Even on the days when my body wanted me to.

Flash forward to a day even my horrible pediatric hematologist told me would never come. But today I stand before you as a college graduate. I have graduated college cum Laude with my bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and ASL. I was told my ITP might stop me from doing this because of how sick I felt. I did it, I proved them all wrong and even wore a dress (with no bruises thanks to Promacta!) Even when I have sick days (or hospital days) I know the brighter side of life is worth trying for. I stand today to show the people who always said “you never will” that “I just did.”