Throughout my life, I have faced a lot of challenges. The first big hardship I can remember has to be when COVID-19 started in 2020, when I was in fifth grade. Initially, I was excited, because I thought it would just be 2 weeks off of school. However, I quickly realized it was serious and, in the end, I didn't go back to school until seventh grade.
COVID-19
I believe the pandemic is the main cause of my anxiety today. I remember being a lot more confident and social in elementary school, but when I came back to school I just couldn't talk to people as easily anymore. Ever since then, I've continuously struggled with socializing. I believe this was caused by staying inside most days during that time, and my few times out being with family that I already spoke to often, so I lost the skill.
My Mom
Near the end of COVID, my mom got very sick. She lost a lot of energy and couldn't do as much. I don't remember these days very well, but we had to drive down to the hospital a lot. My sister and I would wait hours in the car sometimes. One day, she had a seizure, and my aunt drove us to my cousin's house that night while she was driven to the hospital. My grandparents told us she had unfortunately passed and the coming days were very hard. Nowadays, I still miss her very much, but I'm doing much better and I know she'd be proud of who I am today.
My Cat
The most recent obstacle I've had to face was in August 2025. My mom's cat, Lila, got cancer. By the time we noticed and took her to the vet, it had already spread too much to be able to do anything. She passed on while I was at school one day. I remember Lila as a very shy cat who was scared of most people and things, but she loved my mom a lot and had grown to love me and my sister too. She liked to sleep on my chair and lap, and she genuinely had the loudest meow of any cat I've ever seen. Even though her yelling annoyed me, the house was just too quiet once she was gone. Sometimes, I still glance towards the couch she liked to sleep on, expecting to see her there.
An image representing the pandemicMy favorite photo of Lila
