This topic is hard for me to even think about, let alone write down. But, I feel like it's time to thank the people that helped me get through the hardest times of my life.

Let me give you a little run down of my first serious hospital experience.

When I was 12, there was a bad case of the Swine flu going around the schools in my area. A lot of kids were getting it, so it wasn't a surprise that I eventually got it. The part I wasn't expecting was to be affected by it so much later in life. One night, I went into my parents' bedroom because I was unable to breathe. My mom could immediately tell something was wrong. I found myself in the emergency room not even 20 minutes later.

I spent a few days in the hospital without any improvement with my breathing. The doctors had come to the conclusion that the Swine flu had gotten into my lungs. After so many days, I wasn't getting better. Right as I was about to be transferred to a different hospital, I started to improve.

Long story short: I spend a week in the hospital before I was allowed to go home. The recovery wasn't as hard as my second experience. But ever since the flu, I have had asthma, which isn't ideal. I mean, it is better than the alternative.

My second experience.

Not even two years later, I was in a whole world of pain that I could only assume was the flu again. I stayed home from school for a few days with stomach pains and the inability to really move out of bed or move at all. After a few days at home, I felt better so I went to school. My mom will never forget what I said to her when I walked out the door to go to school.

"Mom, I have to go to school to practice walking."

I don't remember saying that to her, but you can assume as a parent hearing that from your child you would probably freak out about your 13-year-old daughter had to practice walking.

I ended up at a friends house later that day because her mom is a doctor and my mom wanted to see if there was something extremely serious happening before heading to a doctor. Of course, my appendix was inflamed. If I didn't get to the emergency room soon, it was going to explode and put my life at risk again.

Arriving at the emergency room, I went into surgery as soon as they could get me in. Luckily, they were able to remove it in time. But, the fact that I was back there with another health issue was hard for me to handle. I was a very active teenager. I was in basketball and soccer at the time I got the flu and my appendix removed. It was a hard recovery, but I managed.

And now we're here, 7 years later.

The doctors that saved my life both times hold a special place in my heart, as they should. They were able to fix me and make sure that I was able to go back to my life as if nothing had happened (minus asthma). I can't thank them enough. I know it's their job, but being in two different life-threatening situations so early on in my life was a challenge for me and my family.

Here I am, a sophomore, soon to be junior in college, and I am living my absolute best life thanks to them.