Cold December

We made the 30 min or so drive to the doctor’s office, and I was feeling a bit nervous. I was now 16 years old, and we were beginning to notice that my growth and development were not progressing like we expected for someone my age. After a loving conversation with my mom, we decided that we were going to try and find some answers. I told myself that perhaps I was just a late bloomer and nothing was wrong after all, or that maybe my hormones were just a bit out of balance.

            All I knew for sure, was that I was not prepared for the news that I would receive later on down the road.

I walked into the office, checked in, and filled out some paperwork. These places had always made me anxious, even if I was only there for a checkup. After a short wait, I was called back. I stepped on the scale to check my weight as usual, and then we went into a small room. We explained everything that I had been feeling and experiencing to the best of our ability. After a series of routine tests and exams that came back normal, I was instructed to go down the hall to a room where my blood would be drawn. I laid my arm out in front of me, and a thick rubber band was tied tightly around my arm. I braced myself and watched as the crimson liquid left my body. This blood test would hopefully be what gave us the most answers and would help us best determine what the next steps would be.

One evening, about a week or so later, my mom’s phone rang. "Who could be calling this late?" I wondered. I knew it was serious when she closed her bedroom door, and came out a while later, her eyes glossy and filled with tears.