Antea's Pneumothorax Condition
Donation protected
Hello everyone! My name is Antea and on April 11th, 2016 I was getting a ride home from my friend after school when we were t-boned. The other driver hit my door directly which led to the window shattering and slicing my eyebrow in the process. I hadn't known at the time but when I bent over to gasp for air, my newly-fractured rib had popped a hole in my right lung.
Three days and thirteen stitches in my eyebrow later, I couldn't find a position to sleep in whether it was sitting up or laying down. My lung was hurting so badly that I had no choice but to pull my bruised body up and get my mother's attention. She left an appointment as soon as my doctor's office was open. When we did visit them, they kept insisting it was just the bruised muscle tissue from the collision that was bring me pain but sent me through several x-rays just to be safe. Within half an hour of driving back home we received a call to go back to go to the E.R. immediately. I can't ever forget that day when I entered the emergency room with an escort and how all of their faces fell when my escort told them I was diagnosed with pneumothorax. Soon I was explained what pneumothorax was exactly (which is a condition where your lung has collapsed) and that I had no choice but to remain in the hospital for at least the rest of the weekend.
Just two and a half days in a hospital created a phobia of the smell of a hospital for me. From needles to monitors to hourly breathing exercises to cold wires patched to my chest to my mother sleeping on the sofa in my room was all it took to make me hate the place. Even after I was released and back to school I would come across random smells of my hospital. What was the worst part about that week was having to take an ACT a day later with one eye because my other eye had swollen shut thanks to my eyebrow. And when things couldn't get worse, I passed out during the English portion of my standardized test because of how physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted I was. Yeah, that was a single week.
For several months I was at the hospital so often that all of the employees knew my name and I knew theirs. However, it wasn't until cross country season was right around the corner that finally broke me. I have always loved running. I have always loved the smell of fresh cut grass, the feel of the track under my feet during the last 200 meters of the race, and the feel of qualifying for the next race. Yet, having a collapsed lung ended my relationship with something I loved dearly. I was told I could never run again like I used to and I turned into an emotional train wreck. I still registered to have my name on the list just so I could be there for the girls and because it was my senior year. The memory of my last race kept haunting me because I remember telling myself that the tough course kept me from beating my personal record. I told myself that there was always next year even though at the time I didn't know there wasn't going to be a next year. The idea of not running in college or ever again will never stop to hurt me but at 17 no girl should have a dream shut down like that.
Regardless of the emotional rollercoaster this last year has been, it has been even crazier for my parents. We have a shoe box at home just for all of the medical bills under my name. As of today the total amount has come to $103,756. 23. When discussing how much my driver's insurance would pay me for reimbursement it only came to $25,000. To some that may seem like a lot of money but the last overnight hospital bill came to just a bit under 25 grand.
I got a job as soon as I could to help my parents with all of the financial weight I had added to their shoulders. While my friends would get a job to buy the newest shoes or save up for college, I would save up for any medical problems I would have in the future. At the moment, I am struggling on committing to the universities that have accepted me because I can't stop thinking about what if my lung collapses again in the future and I have to relive another horrible and expensive year. While balancing school and work I know I will drown in debt once I do go to college especially because everything I have raised up so far has gone to my health condition.
In the future, I plan on becoming an actuary because 1) my past financial struggles have made me greedy for a well paying job and 2) actuaries analyze the risks of businesses, most specifically for insurance companies. With all of the ups and downs within the past year, I have always managed to keep moving forward with an optimistic mindset. I have remained motivated and hard working. I hope with my story you will understand how important even $5 towards my goal will aleviate the stress college and pneumothorax has put upon my family and me.
Thank you and God bless everyone!
#MarchScholarship
Three days and thirteen stitches in my eyebrow later, I couldn't find a position to sleep in whether it was sitting up or laying down. My lung was hurting so badly that I had no choice but to pull my bruised body up and get my mother's attention. She left an appointment as soon as my doctor's office was open. When we did visit them, they kept insisting it was just the bruised muscle tissue from the collision that was bring me pain but sent me through several x-rays just to be safe. Within half an hour of driving back home we received a call to go back to go to the E.R. immediately. I can't ever forget that day when I entered the emergency room with an escort and how all of their faces fell when my escort told them I was diagnosed with pneumothorax. Soon I was explained what pneumothorax was exactly (which is a condition where your lung has collapsed) and that I had no choice but to remain in the hospital for at least the rest of the weekend.
Just two and a half days in a hospital created a phobia of the smell of a hospital for me. From needles to monitors to hourly breathing exercises to cold wires patched to my chest to my mother sleeping on the sofa in my room was all it took to make me hate the place. Even after I was released and back to school I would come across random smells of my hospital. What was the worst part about that week was having to take an ACT a day later with one eye because my other eye had swollen shut thanks to my eyebrow. And when things couldn't get worse, I passed out during the English portion of my standardized test because of how physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted I was. Yeah, that was a single week.
For several months I was at the hospital so often that all of the employees knew my name and I knew theirs. However, it wasn't until cross country season was right around the corner that finally broke me. I have always loved running. I have always loved the smell of fresh cut grass, the feel of the track under my feet during the last 200 meters of the race, and the feel of qualifying for the next race. Yet, having a collapsed lung ended my relationship with something I loved dearly. I was told I could never run again like I used to and I turned into an emotional train wreck. I still registered to have my name on the list just so I could be there for the girls and because it was my senior year. The memory of my last race kept haunting me because I remember telling myself that the tough course kept me from beating my personal record. I told myself that there was always next year even though at the time I didn't know there wasn't going to be a next year. The idea of not running in college or ever again will never stop to hurt me but at 17 no girl should have a dream shut down like that.
Regardless of the emotional rollercoaster this last year has been, it has been even crazier for my parents. We have a shoe box at home just for all of the medical bills under my name. As of today the total amount has come to $103,756. 23. When discussing how much my driver's insurance would pay me for reimbursement it only came to $25,000. To some that may seem like a lot of money but the last overnight hospital bill came to just a bit under 25 grand.
I got a job as soon as I could to help my parents with all of the financial weight I had added to their shoulders. While my friends would get a job to buy the newest shoes or save up for college, I would save up for any medical problems I would have in the future. At the moment, I am struggling on committing to the universities that have accepted me because I can't stop thinking about what if my lung collapses again in the future and I have to relive another horrible and expensive year. While balancing school and work I know I will drown in debt once I do go to college especially because everything I have raised up so far has gone to my health condition.
In the future, I plan on becoming an actuary because 1) my past financial struggles have made me greedy for a well paying job and 2) actuaries analyze the risks of businesses, most specifically for insurance companies. With all of the ups and downs within the past year, I have always managed to keep moving forward with an optimistic mindset. I have remained motivated and hard working. I hope with my story you will understand how important even $5 towards my goal will aleviate the stress college and pneumothorax has put upon my family and me.
Thank you and God bless everyone!
#MarchScholarship
Organizer
Antea Pela
Organizer
Roselle, IL
