Tiffany was my given nameI

Tiffany was my given name

I have quite the history

Medically so to speak

My 7^th year alive was unique

My brain stroked out

I collapsed on the floor, half aware

The right side of my body

Was flaccid and wilted

Hearing the words inside my head

But only silence flooded my lips

Seizures soon followed, 50 or more a day

A lightening storm was going on in my brain

Too much electricity and not enough space

It was my 12^th year alive

When all of it changed

A 50/50 chance to live or die

They called it exploratory surgery

What was discovered was never before seen

A tumor they said

Hard like a rock, Fat like lard

That was how the medical journals defined it as

A scar like a boom-a-rang was all that remained

Despite the surgeries success rate

Many did not think I would graduate

My brain had been severe into two equal parts

Leaving my right side heavy, and numb

On my own I would learn, what we learn when we are three

I relearned how to eat, and brush my teeth

How to open a car door, and write my ABC’s

I became ambidextrous eventually

My 18^th year alive I walked across the stage

Dressed in a white cap and gown

An advanced diploma is what I received

Despite all the odds that were betting against me

College was a safe next step for me

My 28^th year alive is surrounded by normalcy

Licensed to drive, engaged to be married, and enrolled at university

I am still living life for me

And not a life for my disease