This isn’t a blog about regrets. Afterall, like my previous posting states, we must turn the negatives into positives. But all of us who suffer from IBD have had to sacrifice somewhere and somehow because of our conditions.
Colitis has forced me to adapt my life in many ways – diet, exercise, bathroom breaks. Still I have participated in many activities that I wanted to do; I travel, work, and continue to exercise successfully. But when I was 18, my Colitis prevented me from attaining a dream that I had always wanted.
Applying to colleges is a stressful time for high school seniors. Nobody likes the competition and anxiety that goes along with the cliffhanger that consists of waiting for the acceptance letters to arrive. My application to the United States Naval Academy was a process composed of multiple steps, each of which had the potential to disqualify any candidate. I understood the process and that my Colitis was a potential roadblock in my application.
The first step in the process consisted of an interview with an Army General, who interviewed all military academy candidates for my local Congressional representative in Missouri. A month later I received official notification that my Congressman would sponsor my application to Navy. Next in the process was the physical exam – a 5 part test that included push-ups, pull ups, long jump, a sprint and ball throw. Points were awarded based on the results of each activity and I passed with flying colors. Things were looking up so far but I knew my medical exam still loomed. I traveled across the Mississippi River to an Air Force Base in Illinois to take my medical exam, which was essentially a detailed physical. While the results of my exam didn’t cause any alarm, they still had to be approved by a board of examiners who would determine my fate of whether my Colitis would hinder my application.
A month later, I received a letter in the mail explaining that due to the Colitis, my application to the Naval Academy had been disqualified. I was heartbroken knowing that a disease which suddenly “appeared at my front door” without warning or choice a couple years before would prevent me from achieving a longtime dream.
Hindsight is 20/20 and while my Colitis prevented me from attending the Naval Academy, I have certainly used my disease in positive ways allowing me to get where I am today and certainly I don’t regret that.
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