College and Crohn's

When I was 18 years old I dropped out of University after about three weeks. I started taking classes shortly before I met my husband. When we married I was working on my first semester at the local community college. I started by taking one class, then two, and worked toward completing a certificate in accounting; normally completed in one semester It took me an entire year to complete that certificate.

Earning that certificate was significant to me. It was proof that even if it took me a little longer than most I could do it, earn a degree. After I earned the certificate I continued taking classes until I earned an associates degree in general studies. Then, it was time to make a real choice; what would my major be once I transferred to University?

I picked business as a major because it’s versatile and would allow me to work in any industry. The best advice I give people contemplating a career path is choose a trade that can be learned in a short time while you are earning your basic credits at a community college and then transfer to a University to complete a specific degree.

I graduated from Cleary University Ann Arbor, Michigan in 2007. Then spent 2008 ill. In the fall of 2008 I was transferred to the Cleveland Clinic in an ambulance. I spent over a month and a half in the hospital. My husband didn’t leave the hospital for 45 days and my mom was constantly driving back and forth.

I emerged from the hospital to the Michigan Proposal 1 movement. I weighed only 98 lbs the day I was released. My face was sunk in and I look like an alien. The doctors sent me home without any medicine or IV feeding; they wanted me to go to a rehab or nursing home but I refused.

Instead, my husband helped me walk and nurses came to my home. What I recall most is the moment I walked in the door and sat down at the kitchen table where my dad was sitting. He handed me a joint and when I took the first hit, it was like a breathe of life. Instantly, something changed.

Everyone was concerned and my sister’s wedding was less than two months away. She made arrangements for me to have a seat because no one thought I’d be able to stand through the entire ceremony. However, with the help of cannabis alone, I gained 25 lbs and was able to both walk and stand for her wedding.

After that surgery I was able to return to Graduate school. I earned a certificate in Non-profit management because I hoped to find work in the cannabis or Crohn’s community both of which fell under the category of nonprofit in Michigan. Writing a Ph.D. Thesis is a dream just out of reach but I hope to have the funds someday to finish those last two or three years of school.