From a young age, I had always known that you would be by my side for the rest of my life. And you always have been, giving me the chance to play and to compete. More importantly giving me a home and people to call family. At 13 years old, I was determined to get myself through college and then into medical school and I thought if I worked hard enough you may just help get me there. But what I couldn’t have foreseen is just how much you would influence the woman I am today.
Despite always knowing what I’d wanted for my future, you were the only reason I had the confidence to fight for it. You taught me how to be brave and to chase my dreams without fear of failure. I’ve always been a perfectionist, often to a fault, but you taught me that making mistakes is just a part of the learning process.
Over the years, as obstacles have crossed my path, you prepared me to face them head on. In many unexpected ways, you have made me more resilient, more determined, and prepared me for my future better than anything else could have. And when the challenges became too big to handle alone, you put the right people in my life to help me along the way. You changed me in more ways than I can count over the last 16 years but, more than anything, you proved that nothing worth doing can be achieved alone. Because of that, I know I was right, whether I’m dribbling a basketball or not, you will be with me through every phase of my life because I will always need my team. No matter what my future holds, I know I can count on the lessons you taught me and the people you gave me to help me along the way.