Episode 1: Her life before it changed

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Melissa Lewis, 16, shares the first episode of a six-part series on a teen's life experiences.]

Normality strikes us all in different ways. Being prepared is our only advice. Growing up, everything seemed so normal, so easily average and simply perfect. Yes, she stumbled a time or two, just as nearly every teen does, but overall, she was very happy, a young and ambitious girl.

She had it all! She was a soccer player, cheerleader, friend and scholar. This girl was enthusiastic and excitedly content with her life. She pursued her passions and set her fears aside. All that was on her mind was fun, sports and dreams of who she might become. She knew her full potential and reached out for the chances she had with confidence, although she was deeply unaware of the future.

When she entered high school, she saw confidence gradually slip from her grasp because this is when her problem struck most intensely. She grew increasingly disappointed with the fun that her friends were having. High school was a harsh reality. She had to learn to grow up and live with unexpected problems that seemed to start at least a year before her freshman year.

Attitudes, to her, are defined differently than for most. She stuck through the beginning of those early teen years with as much of a smile as she could. She treated others with respect, but didn't always get respect in return.

Do you ever wonder what would happen if you lost your world so quickly to something so major? Would people ever take the time to help, care or even understand?

The doctor's diagnosis hit like a heavy weight. It sat upon the shoulders of this girl with no mercy. This peak of endless pain that came into her everyday life changed reality dramatically. She had to give up many things. The most difficult thing, however, was the impact that her life received throughout this process. At age 16, she was strong but timid, nervous but hopeful.

People will never again have an opportunity to knock her off her feet. She has been through enough endless loopholes to know that there is no giving up. She will fight off the health issues and, she hopes, return to the teenager she once was and still intends to become. This girl feels the need to take hold of her old life and take advantage of it. Others have said there is no going back, but there is always hope in knowing there is something better out there for her. She must take knowledge, strength and understanding and let that hold her up. She is known to be fearless. She has the ability to fight problems with nobody by her side, although this is not her preference.

But how was she to know everything that lay ahead?