It was a Saturday when I had my first attack.
It was sudden. Unexpected. Uncalled for.
As the school's best athlete, I had raced hundreds of metres without any cases of breathing problems – but Saturday seemed to be exceptional.
It felt surreal.
I could feel my lungs getting smaller, everything around me became blurry and hazy and I was unaware of the things going on in the real world.
I was in my own world – a world that was based on survival.
I was rushed to the hospital. Different tests were run on me. They connected foreign materials to my body – most that I wasn’t accustomed to.
Well, that was the most I remembered before I blacked out.
The main problem wasn’t even about the attack. I had my scholarship to protect.
I was given a sport’s scholarship in the Carsen Hill State University.
It was at stake due to my health condition.
I have dreamt all my life to be a famous athlete and the opportunity was granted to me by one of the best Universities – But now, I know that my dream would remain in the realm of imaginations and man’s desire.
The thing is, during the cause of my moping, I met someone – a boy. He was handsome… But that isn’t the point, is it?
He was nice, kind, caring, understanding and… His perspective of life affected mine.
It started with him asking me out to coffee then we’d go to the park together and stay out late till the stars emblazoned the night sky.
He’d tell me stories his mother told him about the stars.
“My mum always told me to count the stars. I always did but I was never able to count them all. They weren’t even countable.”
Then he’d look at me with his striking and vibrant brown eyes and smile as he holds onto my hand.
“She says that they’re our blessings. They aren’t countable.”
Something in the way he spoke always made me feel good about myself. Like I still had a purpose of living.
He taught me to have faith, to believe, to hope for the best and forget the reminiscence.
And I did.
Maybe that was the mistake I made… Or maybe not.
Our journey turned to one of him admittedly asking me out on dates, staying even later out at night to tell each other our experiences and stories about life and even confessing our feelings – which ignited – to each other.
It took time, but it happened.
I even forgot about my scholarship because I thought I had something better – someone, better.
On the night of my eighteenth birthday, that was when all he had said to me proved to be worthless.
That night, I had a phone call from CHSU concerning my scholarship. It was withdrawn.
Why? Because of my health condition.
All my joy turned to misery, my celebration to mourning, my laughter to tears and the love I once felt to hatred.
But, was that the complete truth?
As I sat on the swing in the backyard of my house, he came.
He came to comfort me. He came to reassure me. He came to reverse all the negativity I felt.
I couldn’t do anything about it – because it was him.
He taught me to have faith, to believe, to hope for the best and forget the reminiscence.
And I did.
Maybe that was the mistake I made… Or maybe not.
Our journey turned to one of him admittedly asking me out on dates, staying even later out at night to tell each other our experiences and stories about life and even confessing our feelings – which ignited – to each other.
It took time, but it happened.
I even forgot about my scholarship because I thought I had something better – someone, better.
On the night of my eighteenth birthday, that was when all he had said to me proved to be worthless.
That night, I had a phone call from CHSU concerning my scholarship. It was withdrawn.
Why? Because of my health condition.
All my joy turned to misery, my celebration to mourning, my laughter to tears and the love I once felt to hatred.
But, was that the complete truth?
As I sat on the swing in the backyard of my house, he came.
He came to comfort me. He came to reassure me. He came to reverse all the negativity I felt.
I couldn’t do anything about it – because it was him.
I had fallen in love and I felt like it was heavenly sent.
He was sent to teach me lessons, to teach me to be patient, to teach me to move on and to teach me to learn.
That night he told me that God was testing my faith.
That statement alone made me realise that maybe not all was lost.
No matter what, God loves his own and would never let me suffer.
Since then, I got up and decided to be an example of a wonder-worker.
How ironic, right?
What would make it less ironic was how on my graduation day, I was offered another scholarship to the Doran College of Arts because of the artworks I did in my freshman year was on display.
The claim was that I had talent. Multiple talents – and you do, too.
Just because you couldn’t pass in one aspect doesn’t mean it’s all over, God has multiple plans for you – they are non-ending.
Anytime you lose hope, I want you to look up to the sky and count the stars.
They’re yours. Your blessings. They’re out there. You have to reach for them.
.
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P.S.
Just so you know, this isn’t a real-life experience. It’s my fictional friend who was just sharing her illusory experience.
P.P.S
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