I met Julie on the first day of the semester. This painfully adorable freshman was my neighbor. I could see she had some sort of disability. I didn’t want to point that out first. Hey, we both have disabilities so we should be friends…turns me off like crazy! When we said goodbye, I told her if you ever need anything, my door is always open. Not 24 hours later there was a knock on my door. It was Julie…in tears! After letting her in, the crying didn’t stop. She was having trouble making friends and feeling like she was not fitting in. After that night, the knocks kept coming. I didn’t mind this whatsoever. She was having a hard time! This was the rare time that I could be the one giving and not receiving in a friendship. Over the course of our time together, I learned that Julie has Cystic Fibrosis (CF). I also learned that she did not let that stop her from doing anything! Julie made the Women’s Choir, had been Tracy in the musical Hairspray, we are so much alike! It was Monday of Columbus Day and I got a text from Julie saying that she was in the hospital. She assured me that everything was fine and it would be only a week. My immediate response was asking if I could come and visit. I visited Wednesday afternoon. I was not going to just say I’m your friend; I was going to show her. When I visited her brother, Kevin was with her. Kevin was not the first family member I met. I had met both of her parents, her sisters, and her older brother. I had managed to get involved in her life in a very short amount of time-I have that tendency. After one week, she was not back. I knew this was not good. It turns out that Julie needed a bilateral lung transplant. The transplant was successful. She is still on a breathing tube but is doing well. I’m not doing too well though. I was having a bad week this week, I was stressed, and just down which is not like me at all. My mom was starting to notice that something just wasn’t right. Later in the week, she asked me to really think about what really was wrong and to do something to make myself happy. Desiree, from Student Activities mentioned that she had her wedding pictures in her office. That would make me happy! After I said good-bye to my mother, I headed over to her office. With a big grin on her face, she asked how I was doing. I replied by saying “OK”. “It’s Julie, isn’t it?”Desiree asked. I started bawling. I miss her so much even though for the circumstances she is doing great. I had buried this problem under the stress of school and being busy. Trust me, the stress I’ve been under has been great and I have two tests, one oral report, and a paper due this week so my unusual mood could have been validated by just those two things but I miss Julie so much. I just want her back in my room giving me Crystal Light and talking about normal stuff. For now, I have to go on her Facebook page and ask her brothers questions about how she is. I’m glad I showed up to be her friend that Wednesday because it’s been a long month.
I can’t just have a sad story in this post! Come on…you know me better! My cousin Lauren, her husband Scott and my godson Will were coming to visit. After a lot of e-mails, we determined that it was too difficult to get me back home. Yeah right…like I was going to let that stop me! A week prior to when they were coming; I asked my assistant if she would drive me home. She said yes! We got up at 9:00, ate a quick breakfast and headed out. I should mention that all week I had been talking to my mom like I wasn’t coming. I was having so much fun with it! We get to my brother’s football game and I start screaming. They all came running and were so surprised to see me! Showing up was so much fun. It still brings a smile to my face thinking about it. We get the most out of life when we SHOW UP!!!
Another exciting thing that has happened this month is that I was one of the 50 students that won the Lincoln Academy Medallion. Northern Illinois State describes the honor very well when they say “Annually, an outstanding senior from each of the four-year degree-granting institutions of higher learning in Illinois is chosen to receive the prestigious Lincoln Academy Student Laureate Award. Lincoln Student Laureates are honored for their overall excellence in both curricular and co-curricular activities. The NIU Student Laureate should have an NIU grade point average of 3.5 or higher and should have demonstrated leadership in extra-curricular activities”. I will get to “represent the university and attend one of the most distinguished gatherings in the state, a special ceremony to be held in late early November in the House of Representatives of the Illinois State Capitol. Governor Pat Quinn (or a designee) will present each Student Laureate with a Lincoln Academy Medallion and a modest financial award. The ceremony will be followed by a luncheon” (niu.edu). This award has nothing to do with NIU; however they provide a very good description for a blogger who is very tired.
I have had a busy and fulfilling October. I couldn’t ask for more…well, except for Julie knocking at my door. Please pray or send good thoughts her way.
In Gratitude,
Hannah!
