WOW I can’t believe i’m writing this, but I GRADUATED! Crazy crazy crazy. This has, easily, been the hardest year of my life, but our goal as a ‘team’ (my parents, teachers, doctors) was that I would get my diploma. And we DID IT!

Last spring I started having severe abdominal pain, and in the coming months went through drastic weight gain, fluid and stool retention, followed by uncontrollable vomiting, inability to eat anything, and pain in my joints and muscles. I spent another summer working at the pool, rushing off the stand to go throw up all through the day. I’m so grateful for my friends who supported me last summer- Michael, Connor, Marie, I only stayed because you made it so much fun!

In the fall when school started, we knew it’d be tricky juggling the school schedule with my doctors appointments but there wasn’t any other choice. I attended the first ten days of classes, obviously struggling but making it through nonetheless. The hardest part was being so hungry- throwing up the single pudding I would pack to play with and taste at lunchtime.. I was going through a full day with zero energy/fuel.

On the 11th day of school we got a call from my team at Children’s National in DC, saying we had no other choice but to start on enteral nutrition to prolong my life. My dad was out of town that week, driving my brother to California, so it was just my mom and I home, and when we got off the phone we both cried and cried. We still cry when we talk about this reality we’re in, but those first few days were so crazy. My team told us to come in ASAP for testing and placement, but my Grove City interview was that weekend and I couldn’t miss it- so my mom told them we’d be in first thing Monday (lol.. priorities!)

While in Grove City for my interview (and shopping, duh), my mom and I sat in a diner one morning and talked about how we were going to balance this with school. I told her I knew a girl (shoutout to Gabby for being my first sick friend!) who used a homeschool program through the county that’s tailored to sick kids. It was an almost instant “let’s do that”. My mom called the school the next day, and within the week I was out of school and enrolled in “Home and Hospital”. This program was a gift. I wouldn’t have made it though school. I would’ve missed too much, been too nauseous, struggled to navigate my new feeding tube in a huge building with a thousand other able-bodied kids.

The program is literally tailored to help you graduate. They take out all the fluff, and you’re only required to take math and english- perfect. My teachers came once a week for 2 hours, and taught me what I needed to pass the end of the year exams. THIS is the reason i’m able to write this post. This resource gave me a future beyond 11th grade, and I am so thankful.

For graduation, everyone came home! My older brothers all took the day off to come watch and celebrate with me and I love love loved it. Drew got to come too, and this was his first time meeting my brothers so that was special :) Afterwards we all went by the snowball stand to celebrate the jaime way and it was just simple fun. No word to say but thankful. Also, shoutout to my parents for 5/5!!!

Next up: GROVE CITY (but we’ll see how things go these next few months)!