Inspirational Stories

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monicalopez Monica Lopez ./images/whitespace.gif When I was 14 years old I went to live with my brother and his wife. It was not a good situation to say the least. Drinking and drugs and a fear that they would use me to obtain money for that, drove me out of the house for long periods of time. I would hang out by the bakery a few blocks away. After a few weeks the kind owner invited me in and let me hang out in one of the booths. She would give me free milk and cookies each day! As time went on I learned to trust her and she invited me to watch her prepare the treats for the next day. Soon I was helping. It was the first time I had ever felt worthwhile and wanted. When I was old enough to work she hired me. She believed in me and inspired me for five years. I married and moved to another state. I now own my own bakery where I make cakes and am doing quite well. Emily saved me in so many ways. She was my gaurdian angel, my mentor. She believed in me when I was sure I was not worth believing in. Thank you Emily for Teaching me to above all believe in myself. conniecrammer Connie Crammer ./images/whitespace.gif When my husband and I were first married he became a mentor for about three years to a young man at risk in our community. We moved away and more than twenty years had passed when my husband had a heart attack. We rushed him to the hospital. They said he needed surgery to survive. They would send for a doctor in the area that specialized in what he needed to have done. After several hours of surgery the Doctor came out to tell me how things had gone and to my amazement it was the young man he had mentored so long ago. I thanked him for helping save my husbands life and he replied that he would not have made it to where he was today with out my husband taking the time to be his mentor and helping him BELIEVE he could over come his circumstances in his life. What goes around really does come around !!!! I do Above All Believe !!!! MistyKesler Misty Kesler ./images/whitespace.gif When I was in elementary school I had a really hard time learning. I was diagnosed with a learning disability. It was so embarrassing having an aid come in to class to help me with reading or my Math homework all any of us wants is to be just like everyone else. No one wants to be isolated or different than their peers. But I was, I was the girl who needed extra help. I remember after elementary I begged my mom to not make me have an aid or go to any different classes than anyone else. I just wanted to try to keep up with everyone on my own. So she agreed. From that year on I am not going to lie and say I was a straight A student, I wasn’t but I work twice as hard as anyone. And today I am a college graduate… In education where I can help other reach their full potential, even if they were told their full potential will never be as good as everyone else. I can help them be better than average. All it takes is hard work and above all someone to believe in them… Like my mom did. meganchristensen Megan Christensen ./images/whitespace.gif My name is Megan Christensen, I am 17 years old, and am a senior at my high school. If you looked at me now, it would be hard for you to see past my smile and know everything that has happened to me in the last thirteen years.

On June 6, 1994 I was diagnosed with leukemia. at Primary Childrens Medical Center. I was immediately sent home on chemotherapy and about 10 days later my blood counts that were once somewhat normal, drastically dropped down to nothing. Meaning that somewhere in my body there was an infection so strong that if not treated immediately could be fatal.

Discovering this, my mother and I wasted no time going back to see the doctor at PCMC once again. After examining me he discovered a dark spot at the back of my pallet in my mouth, and before running any tests, he told us that there was nothing to be concerned about, and that we were to go home and continue the chemotherapy. We did so, and in 24 hours, we were back in the emergency room from a fever I had of 102 degrees. I was quickly stuffed in an ambulance and rushed back to Salt Lake City.

Upon our arrival several teams of doctors met us, and after immediate tests were performed, I was on my way to surgery. The last thing I remember was the smell of the bubble gum scent of the anesthesia I had picked out before, not knowing what it would be for. That surgery changed my life forever. Another doctor that knew how to treat this condition did the surgery, and during it took a biopsy of the dark tissue and found out that I had Mucormycosis. A very deadly disease that attacks the blood supply to the brain that causes a stroke and a person to die within hours. Because of the severity of my condition, they had to remove everything in my upper mouth. Including my teeth, pallet, and bone, all the way up to my sinuses. Impairing my speech and eating ability.

The doctor told my parents while I was sleeping, that he did not expect me to live more than 2 days. They were mortified. But I was not about to give up that easily. Through my determination, many tears, and prayers, I made it through. I was only the second one at Primary Childrens to survive the Mucor. It was truly a miracle. It was not easy. It hurt a lot. I could not eat, I could not sleep, and it hurt me to see my parents have to go through it too.

Thirteen years later I am still fighting. Top of the line doctors are doing their best to put me back together. I am like a walking experiment. I have had too many surgeries to count. No one has ever seen anything quite like this before. So I get to be looked at by new and old doctors in Salt Lake and L.A. They take what they learned from me to their conventions and classes and teach others new techniques and ways to do things.

My life has not been easy. I got made fun of at school for not having real teeth, or because I talked funny, but I tried not to let it get in my way. I pray every day for strength to rise above my differences and show people that I am making it, and so can they. Just believe that you can do anything, and you will be surprised at what you can accomplish.

jeremyhenderson Jeremy Henderson ./images/whitespace.gif We all know what it is like during your high school years. We are worried about how many friends we have and what everyone thinks about us. Well at least that is what it was like for me. I was caught up in my own personal image and being liked by everyone. But my perspective changed when I was injured in a car accident at age 16. In the accident I paralyzed my left arm and had damage to my head. Lucky, no serious damage was done to my head but I had to learn to live with a paralyzed arm. It was hard for me because I lived such an active lifestyle. At first it was hard to be positive about what had happened, questions like will I ever be able to use my arm or will I be able to live a normal life, came into my head all the time. But I learned to cope and after lots of thought and realizing that I should have died in that accident I was just grateful to have my life.
I no longer was worried about what people thought of me I just wanted to live life to the fullest no matter what was in my way. If I had to live with a limp arm forever I was not going to let it hold me back. I continued to wake board and play soccer and even mountain bike with a paralyzed arm. But luckily after 2 years of therapy and small miracles my arm was healed and I was once again able to move my arm. Through this experience I learned that all the temporal things in life are not important it is wholesome experiences and true relationships that lift us up and enrich our lives. Now I am studying at USU and I live life to the fullest. I am happy to be alive and I love lifes challenges that come our way.