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The First Breath
On July 15th 2003 at 11:44 A.M., I was born to my wonderful parents 3 weeks earlier than expected because I was already struggling to survive. I was born in the Putnam County Hospital where I was immediately transferred to an incubator. My dad's favorite thing to tell me about when I was born was that he could hold me in one hand because I was so small. A week and a half later my parents took me home for the first time to meet my older brother Paul, my dog Candi, and other family members. -
Shyann's Birth
On December 14th 2008 my first younger cousin was born. I remember being so happy when I first met her and all I wanted to do was hold her. I was five when she was born and I remember when I first held her everyone was telling me not to drop her and to watch her head. But I do have a bone to pick with her because until she was born I was the youngest and favorite cousin. I love her to death and I love having a cousin that's closer in age with me she’s like the younger sister I never asked for. -
My First Cruise
The first cruise I ever went on was a Disney cruise in 2010. My mom surprised us by waking us up in the middle of the night and telling us we were going on vacation. We flew down to Flordia and we got another surprise when we found out that my Aunt Susan and cousin Joey were going with us too. We went to the Bahamas and I remember having the time of my life and the huge water slide that was on the main deck. This trip was where I started to develop my love for the ocean and wanting to surf. -
Dad's Heart Attack
In January of 2011 my dad had a heart attack in front of me and my brother while we were getting ready for school. He said he wasn't feeling good and that he would put me and my brother on the bus and then go to the hospital. That didn't happen and instead, he called 911 and a friend to bring us to school. I was in second grade and I remember calling my mom and telling her something was wrong with dad. They told us that if my dad hadn't called 911 he would've died while driving to the hospital. -
Candi's Death
My first dog and pet ever was a German Shepherd named Candi and she had been there for me since birth, we were best friends and she was my protector. Since she was a herding dog I could never get away with anything especially if it was past my bedtime. She had been sick for a while and she was getting old but my dad had to put her down because she was just getting worse. I remember coming home and asking where she was and this was the first time I would ever experience a death in the family. -
First Communion
My First Communion was the first of many big achievements in my life. I don't remember much about the ceremony except for thinking I was the coolest person ever but I do remember that after the ceremony we went to the Putnam Diner had amazing food and a huge cake. Almost my whole family came to celebrate and I think that was the last time all of our family would be in the same room together. I also remember my Grandma being so happy and filled with joy seeing me take my first steps into faith. -
Going To Acting School
One of the biggest failures in my life I think was going to acting school. While I did meet one of my best friends there, nothing really did come out of it. Only one of the thirty kids in my acting class became successful. But I did get to go to the city every week so that was super fun. I got to meet a few actors like Brooke Bundy and I met some directors and casting agents for some of the big stars back in the 2000s. But because of it, I fell in love with the city and all of its inner beauty. -
Getting Freckles
In June of 2014, we adopted a dog from the Danbury Animal Welfare Society. We originally went to go see a Cocker Spaniel but the dog we saw online was adopted a few days before. We were looking at the book of dogs in front of us and I saw one named Brett and he looked so cute. I showed my mom and she asked if we could see him. When they brought him out the whole family had an instant connection, we put in the paperwork and a week later he was ours. After many fights, we renamed him Freckles. -
Nana's Death
You know how people say when someone you love dies your world stops turning. I never believed it until the day my Nana passed away. I remember exactly what I was doing when I heard she died and how broken I was. She was the only grandparent I met so we had a special bond and she was a second mom to me. She died of cancer that was caught too late. In many ways, her death has shaped me into the person I am today. She had a heart of gold and was the type of person that would do anything for anyone. -
Whats Wrong With Me?
When I was finally diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis I had a huge weight lifted off my chest. Ulcerative Colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease which causes long-lasting irritation and ulcers to form on the large intestine. It has a sister disease called Chron's Disease which is worse than UC. It is one of the worst pains I've ever experienced and of course I had one of the more severe versions of UC. And little did we know that this disease would change my life forever and not for the best. -
Joining The Softball Team
Another one of my biggest failures was joining the softball team in 8th grade. I had made it on the team as a bench warmer and I was honestly so happy. I had always loved softball but my parents never got me into it so I decided 8th grade that I would try out for the team. I had to quit the team because my medical condition was getting worse and I was going to start missing practices and I couldn't devote my all to the team with my condition. It sucked to have to quit but I don't regret it. -
A New Way Of Life
My UC meds had stopped working in March and we were trying to find a way to get it back under control. But in July I had taken a turn for the worse. I underwent an 8-hour surgery to remove my large intestine because it was killing me. When I woke up I was left with an ostomy. I hated it so much, it was a hassle and I had no control over it. I developed self-confidence issues because of it. The hardest thing for me was having no one to talk to because I didn't want to scare my friends away. -
Getting My Last Surgery
After a year of trouble and madness, I got my last surgery. Its one of my biggest accomplishments because I was able to get rid of the bag on my side and live a normal life again. I even went to Disney a week before to celebrate. I have a scar on my stomach where the ostomy used to be. And while it will never go away, it reminds me of my strength and how I'm a survivor. Even though I hate how it looks I'm just glad to be alive. Now I'm living my best life and I'm finally confident again. -
My First Job
Another one of my biggest achievements was when I applied for a job at a place called Red Rooster. I've had some of the best and worst moments of my life. I love my job because I've made new friends with the people that work there, its almost like a second family. But of course, there are setbacks. I hate how people think they are above me and just because I'm a waitress they can be rude to me, but it also showed me a new side of people and who would've thought that people could be so rude. -
Planning for the future
As college and my future near closer, I have a general idea of what I want to do and where I want to be. I want to major in criminal justice and become a forensic scientist but anything in criminal justice will be good. I also want to live in a beach area so I'll probably move South to Georgia or Flordia but my dream is to live in Hawaii. I'm excited about my future but I'm also scared because I don't know what it holds but I know that whatever it holds no matter what I'll get through it.
