As we progress through life, we come across many events that change our lives forever. Disastrous events come in like some sort of element from Mother Nature. We do not know when they will happen or even how much damage they cause. There is no stopping them. One of these events happened to me a few years ago. I felt the light of the tunnel slowly disappearing as I slipped in and out of consciousness. In only a matter of seconds, our lives can tremendously change.

It was early morning, June 21st, 2009, that my life changed forever. I was in the shower early that morning when I began to feel an abnormal feeling rushing through my body. I hurried through my shower just so that I could go tell my mom. I had no idea that the next few moments would be one of the scariest ones of my life.

Right after my shower, I dashed to the kitchen in hopes of finding any medicine. All I remember is telling my mom repeatedly that I did not feel well. As most parents, she waived it off nonchalantly saying it would pass in the next minute or so. Well that minute… 60 seconds, was when everything began to go downhill.

I began to experience a nauseating feeling. I felt as though my house was spinning. Every corner began to turn black. Then, slowly, everything was becoming blurry. I yelled out for my mom repeatedly for her to help. Each time I screamed louder and louder. I began to panic. I had no idea what to do next.
I suddenly felt a sudden thirst. I reached out for the first liquid I saw, but all of a sudden, the thirst dissipated. I wasn't thirsty anymore; this left me bewildered. I questioned whether I should have drunk something or not. I tightened the lid and set it on the counter. The rest became a mystery.

"Catherine, Catherine, Catherine!" I heard my name being called. I wanted to wake up, but I couldn't. For a split second I could hear everything everyone was saying, but my body was just lying there not wanting to get out of the paralyzing sleep. What had happened? I later realized that I had passed out.
Naturally, my dad had rushed over and tried to pick me up. Each time I returned to consciousness, I could hear my mom yelling. Every time I awoke, I tried calming my family by telling them that I was fine. Many people might not know, but when one passes out, it is best for the person to be left on the ground—specifically on their side. Quickly picking up a person who has passed out, does not allow their blood to adequately reach their brain in time. Because of this, every time my dad picked me up, I would suddenly collapse to the ground, as if I were jello.

After three attempts of trying to get me to come back, my sister fed me a piece of banana. I'd like to say that it saved me. When I took a bite of the banana, I felt my body strengthen. It sent a shockwave throughout—I felt reenergized. I sat there on the couch wondering how such an event could have happened. I was confused of my whereabouts. How had I managed to get from one side of the kitchen to the other? How can everything change in a matter of two seconds?

Finally the ambulance arrived at my house, where they immediately pricked my finger to check my blood. My sugar had not gone done, and they said everything appeared to be normal. Still unsure, my mom took to me to the emergency room at Emory. For weeks I was in and out of different doctor offices trying to find an answer as to why I passed out. We even got a CT scan. The scans came out normal like everything else had. We ran blood tests. Once again, everything was fine. We finally visited a cardiologist. Even though this was not the reason as to why I passed out, I discovered something that I had never known. I had a tiny hole in my heart. It was nothing serious though. The cardiologist said it wouldn’t affect me. So, still on the quest to find the answer, we went back to my main pediatrician, where we finally discovered an answer to the mystery. My doctor said my stomach had shut down because I was dehydrated.

I’ve only felt close to passing out twice after that event. However, I have not passed out again. Although this doesn’t compare to other traumatic experiences, I felt as though mine was one to share. It taught me to be thankful for everything I have, and for such a beautiful life. It also taught me to be appreciative of all the seconds I have, and for my loved ones, because everything can change in a matter of seconds.