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20170705 What is one sentence that changed your life
What is one sentence that changed your life?
Can be a real-life example, literature, etc.
Maria Balli
Answered Jun 8
When I was 8 years old, I went Girl Scout camping with my troop. I was very shy, especially since all of the girls went to the same public school together and I went to a private school. This was my fourth year in the troop and I still didn't talk much.
I woke up one morning with a terrible itch on my right shoulder. I picked at it under my sweatshirt, but it was still itchy. It was bad enough that I went to tell my troop leaders about it.
They pulled my sweatshirt off my shoulder to see what the problem was. I was terrified when they exchanged a look of dread.
It was a huge tick, embedded in my shoulder and happily sucking away at my blood.
The area I live in is one of if not the worst place for ticks in the United States. Those things are rampant here and a majority of them carry Lyme Disease. Everyone around here knows the basic rules, and one of them is that a tick should be removed immediately to lower the risk of contracting Lyme. You have to do it just right though, because if you squeeze the tick it will release more saliva and potentially the disease with it. My leaders had to get it off of me as soon as possible.
They led me into the center of the campsite, where it was the sunniest. Little faces popped out of tents; everyone wanted to come watch. I took a deep breath as my leaders began to dig.
The tick was stubborn. It wasn't going anywhere that easily. My leaders ended up breaking its body off, which is hard because the head will remain and will keep biting into your skin. It's not too tough to remove the tick in one piece, but once just the head is left, you're in trouble. I swallowed hard and bit down on my lip upon hearing the update, and looked straight ahead, trembling.
That's when it happened.
One of the girls I'd always liked best gazed at me. “It's okay to cry,” she said softly.
I burst into tears at that, releasing all the fear and discomfort that had been building up. I have never, ever forgotten those words. I am someone who is hesitant to share my feelings, and I often still hear a little voice in my head telling me it's okay to cry.
And in case you're wondering, I didn't get Lyme Disease!… that time, anyway, and when I did the tick had been long gone for two months. That's how it happens in most cases. You never even know you've been bitten, nobody thinks to test you, and if you do get tested sometimes it comes up as a false negative. A lot of people live with it and never even know. I only knew because in an absolute fluke, I got the signature bulls-eye shaped rash and that's why I got tested.
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By BolazynesWhat is one sentence that changed your life?
Can be a real-life example, literature, etc.
Maria Balli
Answered Jun 8
When I was 8 years old, I went Girl Scout camping with my troop. I was very shy, especially since all of the girls went to the same public school together and I went to a private school. This was my fourth year in the troop and I still didn't talk much.
I woke up one morning with a terrible itch on my right shoulder. I picked at it under my sweatshirt, but it was still itchy. It was bad enough that I went to tell my troop leaders about it.
They pulled my sweatshirt off my shoulder to see what the problem was. I was terrified when they exchanged a look of dread.
It was a huge tick, embedded in my shoulder and happily sucking away at my blood.
The area I live in is one of if not the worst place for ticks in the United States. Those things are rampant here and a majority of them carry Lyme Disease. Everyone around here knows the basic rules, and one of them is that a tick should be removed immediately to lower the risk of contracting Lyme. You have to do it just right though, because if you squeeze the tick it will release more saliva and potentially the disease with it. My leaders had to get it off of me as soon as possible.
They led me into the center of the campsite, where it was the sunniest. Little faces popped out of tents; everyone wanted to come watch. I took a deep breath as my leaders began to dig.
The tick was stubborn. It wasn't going anywhere that easily. My leaders ended up breaking its body off, which is hard because the head will remain and will keep biting into your skin. It's not too tough to remove the tick in one piece, but once just the head is left, you're in trouble. I swallowed hard and bit down on my lip upon hearing the update, and looked straight ahead, trembling.
That's when it happened.
One of the girls I'd always liked best gazed at me. “It's okay to cry,” she said softly.
I burst into tears at that, releasing all the fear and discomfort that had been building up. I have never, ever forgotten those words. I am someone who is hesitant to share my feelings, and I often still hear a little voice in my head telling me it's okay to cry.
And in case you're wondering, I didn't get Lyme Disease!… that time, anyway, and when I did the tick had been long gone for two months. That's how it happens in most cases. You never even know you've been bitten, nobody thinks to test you, and if you do get tested sometimes it comes up as a false negative. A lot of people live with it and never even know. I only knew because in an absolute fluke, I got the signature bulls-eye shaped rash and that's why I got tested.