When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait to grow up. I got so sick of people saying, “Oh, she’s just a baby.” It drove me nuts. I wanted to be an adult, and I wanted people to take me seriously. I also had a hunger to start making money as soon as possible.

Of course, on my fifteenth birthday I had to get my permit. But the next day I was applying for jobs. I got my first job at McDonald’s, and I was so excited to start working. I spent about three years there and of course, later moved on to bigger and better things. I began college and still kept working full-time. I was never the traditional college student. I never lived on campus or had roommates. I loved having my own personal space and living in an apartment off campus, and working, of course. Since I was working full-time, I decided to only attend school part-time, which took me much longer.

Working, going to school and going to the gym was literally all that I was doing. My social life had almost come to a halt. I was just so busy focusing on working and obtaining my degree that I forgot about everything else. Unfortunately, my employer decided to stop working around my school schedule, so I was left with no other choice than to go to third shift. This was a huge adjustment, and I had even less time now. I slept all day and was awake all night. I had kept the same schedule on my off days because it was just too difficult to switch back and forth. I worked from 10:00 PM - 7:00 AM and I had class at 8:00 AM several days a week. I would leave work, go to class and wouldn’t get out and get home until around 1:00 PM. On days I didn’t have class, I would go to the gym after work. I would go to bed around 2:00 in the afternoon and would get up at 9:00 PM for work. This was literally my life. Working out has always been a huge passion of mine so that was my only escape from the busy routine—it was my happy place.

For many years, I have worked out for five days a week. Fitness and nutrition has always been incredibly important to me, so I considered myself to be a very healthy person, until one day I got sick, and I don’t just mean sick—I mean really sick. I went to the doctor and I was diagnosed with a mononucleosis. Yes, this is a common illness that most people tend to get at one point in their life or another, but the average case lasts about 6-8 weeks. When I was first diagnosed, I was put on bed rest. I would go back to the doctor every 2-3 weeks for my labs to be checked to see if there had been any improvement. Unfortunately, it only got much worse. Along with the mono, I was plagued with numerous other illnesses. I had pneumonia four times, bronchitis four times, the flu a few times and strep throat a few times. This all happened during a nine month timeframe. My temperature was 103°, and it literally did not budge for a consecutive nine months. Honestly, I am surprised I was never hospitalized. I also had a constant sinus infection and ear infection.

So, just like that, one day I am incredibly healthy, either running or going to the gym everyday, and then all of a sudden I’m not. I was on bed rest, and I literally couldn't do anything other than lay in bed and watch Netflix. I had no idea a person could feel so sick. It was incredibly depressing—just like that, my life had to be completely put on pause.

Finally, I went to the doctor and was told good news for a change. I was slowly healing. I was on bed rest for nine consecutive months the first time. Unfortunately, my good health only lasted for approximately five months. I was living life, and I was so happy I could finally go back to my routine, and then I got sick again and again. In the past two years, the mono has reactivated four times. I would get better for a few months, but it kept returning. The first time was the most severe, but the others were still bad enough to put me back on bed rest. My doctor said it wasn’t normal to keep it for so long, so she finally decided to send me to an immunologist.

To my disappointment, it still wasn’t over. After multiple tests had been completed, it was determined that several components of my immune system had been totally compromised. I had to go through a series of injections to boost immunity and create antibodies. Thankfully, my immune system is finally normal.

I have grown and learned so much as a person after dealing with such a severe illness for two years straight. One of the most important things that I learned is that I was too busy focusing on my career, and I forgot to build a life. Please, don’t make the same mistake that I did. Life is precious. We are only here for a short while. If I could, I would go back and do it all differently and spend my time more wisely. But now I know, and I won’t make the same mistake twice.