I'm going to be real with you.

When I get sick, I turn into the biggest baby ever.

I’m talking full on moans for no reason, crying for attention, and unable to do anything for myself unless I am forced to.

Of course, college forced me to. I remember the first time I fell ill while I was in college. It was the worst experience of my life. I was just living my best life, enjoying all the things college had to offer.

Then, suddenly, I get sucker punched by some disease. To this day I still have no idea what exactly was wrong with me.

My first reaction was “Momma didn’t raise no child that can’t withstand a minor cold” (quote has been altered to suit a broader audience). I drank some Emergen-C, chugged some bottles of water then continued my day.

When I woke up the next day everything hurt. I’m talking my neck, my back, my lymph nodes and my crack. Finally, I decided to go to the doctor. Except I didn’t have a car so that idea died quickly. Then I remember my CA mentioning Health Services. I looked up where it was when I was off on my own sickly version of the Odyssey (pun intended).

Once I was at Health Services, they made me sign a whole bunch of forms and asked for my insurance. Instinctively, I called my mother to ask her for all that information. She didn’t answer. Out of all the times she wants to complain that I don’t call her, this is the time she chooses not to answer her phone.

Anyways, Health Services was very accommodating. I explained that I am dying and I know I have insurance. They start my check up and they think I have mono.

That’s right. I’m such a player that I caught the kissing disease from the 0 females who I’ve been with at the time. They test me and it comes back negative (no surprise there).

My mom returns my call and yells at me to get out because she said I should’ve gone to an actual medical office.

The nurse prescribed me penicillin, I made my way back across campus, grabbed the medicine and eventually go to bed.

Now, this story may seem unnecessary and tad humorous, but it was really enlightening.

It was the first time that I had to truly rely on myself, hundreds of miles away from home with my own life and I had to take responsibility for it. Also, it was a big lesson on how life will continue without me. My classes didn’t get canceled, homework didn’t get pushed back, I emailed a professor and I still haven’t got a response.

But I survived.

Being sick and not having my mom there for me? Someone should've warned me about that.