Skin Writing

I just finished some scholarship essays... and I feel like this one is "blog worthy." So here ya go:

Identify a significant personal obstacles you have faced and/or are currently facing and how you overcame or currently manage the obstacle:

Over the past three years I have had several health issues that have significantly affected my life. At the beginning of my sophomore year in high school, I was diagnosed with dermatographism, informally known as "skin writing." I went to doctors almost every week and was assured by each one that my rare disease would go away in the next 3-6 months. Three years have passed and I still wake up each morning with hives all over my body and throat. Last year doctors also found that I have asthma, severe allergies to almost anything living and severe heartburn occasionally.

This is not me...though it very well could be

Life hasn't been easy. I wake up in the middle of the night with burning hives all over my body sometimes. I get made fun of and stared at as I walk around in public with marks on my body. People constantly asked if I got scratched by a cat, or other ridiculous assumptions. I am constantly worried about what I lean against, touch or what touches me. People take for granted simple things like resting their arms on the desk. I can't do all the things my brothers, sisters and friends can do. I have mini asthma attacks weekly and wake up with excruciating pain in my chest all the time. Most of the time I'm in pain, itching, or tired from sleepless nights.

This is not me...though it very well could be.

Though I have been through a lot of emotional and physical pain in my past three years, I have chosen to stay positive and hold to my faith. Sometimes life is out of our control. I choose to look for the good in my trials instead of dwelling on the bad parts. Although I've been through so much pain, I've become closer to my mom, more aware of my health and especially closer to my religion and my faith. It is not about what happens to me. It's about my reaction to my trials. 

Each trial I face draws me closer to my Savior, as I lean on him for support and strength to keep going. With each Priesthood Blessing, prayer and opportunity to feel his love, I grow and become more solid in the Gospel. Even though I have been through much tribulation, I would not take back any of my problems for the world. These rough conditions make me who I am. They make me a better, stronger person.