Find a Purpose

It’s very easy to get stuck in the negatives during this time. The one thing that made sure I didn’t lose sight of the positive was the one thing I loved the most, lacrosse. It was the one thing that made the fight totally worth it. It didn’t matter if it was watching, playing, or coaching because I was still around it. I was raised on a lacrosse field and I’m not over exaggerating. I started practicing with my older brother’s lacrosse team when I was 3-years-old. When I started getting really sick I thought my whole future in lacrosse was over. I was willing to do whatever it took to play, even if it meant that I had to buy special pads to protect a feeding tube, or figuring out my timing while playing on pain medicines (probably not the best idea). It was the one thing I could count on to make me happy. It was the one constant positive every day.

Some of my favorite memories while hospitalized were taking long “walks” when in reality I snuck off to the lacrosse field to watch the Georgetown University women’s lacrosse team practice and play. After my transplant I unfortunately had to stop playing. My body couldn’t take the stress of the game anymore. But I didn’t let that stop me from being involved. I continued coaching, and I will continue to coach no matter what my future holds with this disease.

You need to find something that gives you that feeling. The one thing that you can look forward to, it’ll give you the power and strength to make it through the day. It doesn’t have to be a sport like me, it could be art, writing, reading, anything. I can’t stress enough how important it is to not lose sight of the good during this time. It is so easy to slip into the struggle and let the disease take control of your life. While sick, you don’t have control over a lot, I know and that is so hard to accept. Finding one thing that you can control and you can look forward to will make you feel so much better.