¶ … Influential Person -- My Mother

Every child's relationship with his or her mother is an intense one. Few children however get to be an inspiration for their mother when they're only ten years old. I had this privilege. On the other hand, I must also say that my mother became my inspiration later on in life, when I really needed the strength to cope with challenges in my life.

My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 10 years old. This took its toll on the family, and I had to watch my mother go through agonizing treatments. These involved regular check-ups, surgery, chemotherapy, and a host of invasive things that I could not understand at the time. This was a very emotional and difficult time for me, and for a time I was wondering whether I would have to continue through life without my mother.

The emotional price was even worse. My mother's physical suffering agonized her emotionally on several levels. She was very worried about me, and wanted very much to go on living. However, the pain was so terrible sometimes that she became very depressed. During these times, she later told me that I was her inspiration. When she wanted to give up, she simply thought of me and how I still needed a mother. She used this to work through the pain and eventually beat the cancer.

When I turned 14, it was her turn to be my inspiration. The very cancer through which I inspired her, is now the legacy that makes me a better person. Watching her overcome her pain, fear and depression and beating the cancer helped me to understand that willpower is a very important human asset. This helped me when I came to the United States as a foreign student at the age of 14. I had to learn a new language, a new culture, go to a new high school and make new friends. I was away from my family for the first time, and at the same time had to study hard in order to make a success of my study goals. Through all this, the willpower my mother demonstrated when I was ten became mine, and remains to inspire my future.