Last night I had a conversation with London about sharing something amazing they wrote.  It is an essay for college admission.  Yes.  You read that right.  An essay...for College admission.  I asked I could share it here for hope.  They agreed.  

Before I share it, I need to back up a bit.  Last time we updated, London had given permission to share about treatments in the interest of informing others of what is out there.  We were looking at two different treatments last time I wrote. We did do both of them.  

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation  (TMS) is brief magnetic pulses that target certain areas of the brain.  We struggled hard finding a  place for this, I nearly lost my mind with one place who wouldn't do a treatment for London because they had previously attempted suicide.  They wouldn't do the treatment for treatment resistant depression because of the risk they might attempt, again.  This was one of the most frustrating things I have ever dealt with.  They were here in Columbus.  Instead, we ended up traveling to Scenic City Nuerotherapy in Chattanooga, TN.  They were amazing.  We chose a newer protocol called iTBS (intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation) which is an aggressive five day protocol with 10 treatments a day.  We stayed in a hotel near the center and spent 10 hours a day at the location.  This yields faster results and because we were traveling, it helped with not having to stay for 6 weeks.  This was not covered by insurance, but I found a grant that helped.   I do believe this helped London. 

London also started taking Lithium, and I believe it is currently saving their life.  After starting the low dose we had London's levels checked and they were still (even on a low dose) under "normal" levels.  Once London's levels where in the therapeutic range we began to see big changes.   We have had to adjust once, but this has been life-changing.  

London turns 18 in a few months and will continue to receive support from us and from the board of disabilities through adulthood due to do some of the permanent damage to their brain, AND, and that is a big and, they are seeing a future now. 

Last night,  they brought us their essay for their application to CCAD.  It is beautiful and I want everyone to see.  Jeremy and I couldn't make it through the first paragraph without tears.  Happy tears, proud tears, relieved tears, and tears from fear if I am being honest.  I know things change and that there will be more highs and lows coming our way.  We are strong enough for it.  London is strong enough for it.  I think after reading their words, you'll agree ...

London Hunsicker

Personal Essay

6 January, 2024

Overcoming  Challenges

Life is different for every individual. People can have similar experiences throughout their time, but what makes us unique from one another is how we choose to handle ourselves with the challenges we face daily. I dealt with a hurdle that was nearly too tall. The ground for me is uneven now that I attempted to take the easy way around it. Everything changes.

I woke up with nothing. I could barely even open my eyes or move, for that matter. It was slow, but I finally understood what people were saying. They kept it together for me, but I know now that they cried when they saw me awake. I had been in a coma for 11 days, with little hope of waking. Throughout my time in rehab, I got my voice back. It was quiet, raspy, and slow. Then, I relearned other necessary functions. I was like a newborn baby that vaguely remembered some things about functioning in their past life. I was happy for that moment because my memories of the bad things were gone. Once I had the strength, I left the hospital.

I resumed school at the Delaware Area Career Center. I was rapidly relearning art and impressed many people with my progression. I made a group of friends and brought a service dog to school. Some people were a bit put off by me because of the way I held myself with my brain damage, but I was still not concerned by others' thoughts while recovering. I made it through the digital design program to my senior year.

Senior year, I got my art skills back. I found interest in photography and storyboarding. I made an infographic resume, did mock interviews to prepare for future jobs, did commissions for holiday pet drawings or tattoos, and got better at talking to people. It is a bit difficult still because of my memory loss issues, but I have been able to handle my anxiety.

From my experience, I have grown. I know that facing this at a young age taught me that I can make my life worth it by using change as a teacher. If you do not embrace that life is never the same between us, you lose the opportunities to get over the hurdle safely. We don't get to start out perfect.