Memories of my Life

By Suleima, Age 12

It was my first day of school and I was excited about it. After a week of school, Friday came and I was thrilled because it was my first time doing P.E. with my classmates. I was happy changing and after we started exercising I was more excited. I always looked forward to Fridays until one time I exercised as usual and afterwards I played tag on the hill and fainted.

When I woke up, I saw white clouds and it felt like my head was spinning around. I didn’t know what it was, but the sickness I had was killing me. From the first time I fainted, everything was not normal for me. I always got to my house with my head hurting or not feeling well. The same thing happened over and over again. I didn’t know what was happening to me.

Three years later, I was in Standard I and almost done with the school year when I started vomiting. My head hurt and I started spitting saliva out of my mouth. At that moment Dona Telma came and saw me and started shouting. “Mr. Mike, Ms. Jill, Ms. Aleida! Come! Suleima is sick! I don’t know what she has.”

Mr. Mike and Ms. Aleida picked me up and took me in the jeep to Blue Creek. They took me to the clinic, but it was closed, so they took me to the Orange Walk hospital. They didn’t have the necessary items, so they took me to Belize City. They examined me and they found out I had a brain tumor that was killing me slowly. The doctor told Mr. Mike that they had to keep me in the hospital until the following day.

They called my mother and father to tell them I was in the hospital. When they reached the hospital I had many tubes and wires all over me.

After everything, they took me to my house. Days after, Ms. Aleida went to my house and told me that we had to go to the United States because they needed to operate on me for my sickness. That day came and my father and I had to go to the United States. The day before my family went to tell me farewell in the airport. We gave each other hugs and kisses. The airplane went into the sky. When I looked down I saw green things and blue color that was the ocean.

Hours later, the airplane landed in the airport in Virginia. That was my first adventure. The next one was in the hospital days after being in the hotel. They told us I had to be in the hospital until the day of the operation. They gave me injections in my arms and got me ready until the nurse came. She told me that on the 14th they were going to operate on me.

So one day they took me to a white place – the operating room. Then they put a white thing on my nose and it made me sleep. The operation lasted 4 ½ hours.

After that everything was better and until this day I’m here. So now I just feel like my head hurts a little bit. I’m scared, but I believe in God. So that’s why I’ll always remember Mr. Mike Casey, someone special to me.