We met Miss Brianna over the summer when we went to her home to create her senior portraits. She’s a student at Norwich Tech studying Bio-Technology. When she’s not studying hard she loves riding dirt bikes. She rides as a hobby versus for competition. She also loves watching dirt bike racing and going to car shows. We sent Brianna a questionnaire to fill out however she chose to bravely share her own personal story instead.
“When I was born I underwent my first heart surgery at two weeks old followed by open heart surgery at two months and as my mother calls it, a fix every two years. I have had one closed heart surgery and five open heart surgeries among numerous angiograms and angioplastys. I have a collagen disorder called EDS and I went deaf in my right ear my freshmen year. I often think about going into college and becoming an anesthesiologist. I do not see myself as a strong person, but I can say I do not left obstacles define me. I shattered my heel in fourth grade and had multiple surgeries before I could walk. I walked a month before my eight grade graduation. During my heart surgeries I had my family by my side helping me fight along with friends. I know I may not look sick on the outside, but my scars tell my lifes story. I injured my right knee dirt bike riding in 2016. after a year of pushing through pain and altered gait I should be going in for knee surgery in Oct. I have a high tolerance for pain and due to my collagen disorder I metabolize medication quickly and do not find relief with pain meds so I have learned to push through pain to function as normal as I can daily.”
We wish Brianna the best of luck in her senior year and with all her future goals! Thank you for sharing your story.
