Now that I really sit back and think about my life, I can only imagine a time where this evil monster was in mine and my whole family's lives. Of course, it hasn't always been in my life, but all of our family and friends have adapted so well that it doesn't seem like life was ever any different. This evil CVS monster is called Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome along with Abdominal Migraines. Just as it sounds, this syndrome consists of agonizing migraines in your abdominal cavity and uncontrollable vomiting that can occur from every five minutes to every hour for days or even weeks on end. In 2006, this illness entered my life. I was nine years old, my youngest brother was three and my older sister was sixteen years old. She was the first of both of us to have the symptoms of the CVS. It wasn't until I was fifteen that I became ill. My youngest brother has grown up with absolutely no signs of this illness and I hope he never has to endure the horrible pain my sister and I have to go through.

Before we even knew the name of this monster, my sister went through several tests and scans and visited several different doctors to finally get some answers. Even after we had some answers, she underwent different trials of medications to figure out which types helped the best. There were many occasions that our illness was uncontrollable and led to hour long E.R. visits and sometimes even ended with us being admitted to the hospital, which could last a day, a few weeks, or even a few months!

At one point in our lives it seemed there wasn't a single day that my sister wasn't in the hospital. Not only was my sister hospitalized for her CVS, but also many different medications that my sister was prescribed had some terrible side effects, including uncontrollable seizures. This meant even more doctors and more trials of medications. In the beginning of this long journey my family has endured, everything was chaotic. Still, our family tried to remain "normal". Even though my sister and I were extremely ill we still participated in social activities.

We still participated in our favorite sports such as softball and soccer. Even when we were sick, we always attended our brother's and each other's games. I also played the bass clarinet for my highschool's Honors Wind Ensemble. Unfortunately, it was a little bit more difficult being a part of your high school's band when you have no choice but to be home schooled.

My sister and I both had eventually been put in a homeschooling program called Home and Hospital, which is meant for students who are unable to attend school on a regular basis or even part-time schooling. Even before, my sister always had tutors teaching her throughout high-school but I had the option of trying online classes. This was not one of the best experiences for me due to my sickness and our dreadful Internet connection. This forced me to travel to a place with better Wi-Fi just to complete my classes. After a while, I was lucky enough to find an amazing tutor to help me in every way she could to help me succeed.

Despite the obstacles that stood in our way, our family still learned to try to enjoy the good times we had to the absolute best of our ability. Even when we were sick, we took our medicine and "sucked it up" and tried to enjoy family events such as trips to the movies, dinners out, and even a majority of our family vacations.

This has taught me that no matter how tough life is, I just have to push through it the best I possibly can. I now have a great job and I am currently attending community college. I am so lucky to have the support group that I have in my life, all of my family and friends, my amazing boyfriend who has stuck by my side through all of this for almost five years, and especially my parents who have done everything in the world they possibly can to protect and love their family unconditionally. I don't know where I would be today without them, I can never thank them enough for everything they have done.