I can sit here and tell you words that construe who I am, or I can tell you why I am who I am today. What forms a child, nature or nurture? I had a good helping from both. At a very young age my hero, the man who would do anything for me; my father was diagnosed with kidney failure. A disease that slowly gets worse with time. Knowing that 19 people passed away daily in the United States waiting for a kidney transplant, anticipation grew rapidly. I had to learn to grow up quick so I could be there for him as much as he was for me. It started with waking up every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 3am to make sure he was at the Universal Dialysis Kidney Center for his 3 hour sessions. This gave me a sense of responsibility and determination. Let’s remember I am only around 12 at this time, a mere fifth grader just wanting everything to be all right. He had to eat the right things, drink the right amount, and couldn’t miss his appointments. I would wonder and ask, “Why am I not old enough daddy, to just give you my kidney and make it all go away” this gave me a sense of just wanting to grow up too fast, but I knew more about the sickness then most children my age. What 12 year old knows about Dialysis? My dad would come home every day, I would work on my homework with him, I could see in his eyes how much he wanted to help me but I could also see how he was in pain. His pain gave me bravery. I have to be strong, I have to have courage. I
Litvin 2 cannot show I am weak. This determination fueled me to do well in school and extracurricular activates to show I was ok, to