{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-story-js","path":"/story/conquering-the-once-impossible-j/","result":{"pageContext":{"data":{"id":"-ed62e46d-caf6-5e2a-90fb-0f911da3d11c","authorFirstName":"Janiesha","storyTitle":"Conquering the Once Impossible","photo":{"asset":{"url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/nr9digz2/production/a7bb9125cfc7ed4224414a64ae8f05435fa6ebe7-1500x1000.jpg"}},"audio":{"asset":{"url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/files/nr9digz2/production/87369b8a1cf369b62590f11610618939f6226dea.m4a"}},"secondLanguageAudio":null,"school":{"name":"High Point Regional High School","city":"Sussex","location":"New Jersey"},"tags":[],"_rawText":[{"_key":"79c5991dcdc7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"6f52238c98b80","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"In November of 2019, I was sitting in the front row of Mr. Anderson’s seventh-grade class listening to CNN10. The news anchors discussed a new virus, COVID-19, that was spreading throughout China and making its way to the US. I thought,"},{"_key":"6f52238c98b81","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":" there is no way that we are going to be affected"},{"_key":"6f52238c98b82","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". "},{"_key":"6f52238c98b83","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"China is so far away."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"daca2971cbfa","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e9d73da4a5d80","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Then in March of 2020, Mr. Schwartz, our principal, announced that we were going to be learning online for two weeks. I was excited not to have to wake up as early and to get all dressed for school. Instead, I could just roll out of bed and sign into the Google Meets. But at the same time, I was upset because I would be home all the time, and I wouldn’t be able to see my friends."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b8cae9db97d3","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"06eeedc61d660","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"As the months of lockdown and virtual learning continued, two weeks shifted into what felt like forever. I found that I was feeling less and less like myself. It was subtle at first. I wasn’t as interested in conversation with my family. I wasn’t reaching out to my friends as often. And I was sleeping more than I usually did. I felt like I couldn’t accomplish as much as I once had. The people I was closest to were telling me that I was pulling away. It’s not that I meant to, I just didn’t realize how much of myself I was actually losing. I started seeing a therapist, and I showed more signs of depression, followed by different health issues."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8438168129d4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"106c2e50e7d00","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"As the pandemic restrictions lifted slightly, my parents began taking me to a series of doctors. The verdict was always, “We couldn’t find anything.” I felt hopeless. I shared my feelings every Wednesday at 4 pm for the next year. I seemed to have something new to cry about each time. It was very challenging for me because I struggled to express how I was feeling. I had so many different emotions, that I couldn’t pinpoint how and why I was feeling as I was. "}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"0a557102ee96","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1ac829f0a5170","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Being locked up in my house and having to wear a mask anytime I left the house upset me. The fact that when people sneezed, people looked at them as if they were diseased, upset me. It was as if everybody was being judged, and I wondered if I was being judged for feeling as I did. "}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"d0713ad54644","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"dd92f078f31f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"In April of 2021, my doctor suggested that I visit a clinic that addressed different health issues related to rheumatology, cardiology, and gastrology.  I thought, "},{"_key":"dd92f078f31f1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I’m finally going to get some answers about why I have felt this way."},{"_key":"dd92f078f31f2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"  Unfortunately, I never received any follow-up information about the results of my evaluation. However, I started to feel slightly better and began to feel a bit more like myself."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"3f0946c9b263","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"87f64bec35890","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"In the summer of 2022, I decided to attend a week-long camp as a member of the marching band. I also started to play tennis. These  experiences seemed to be the remedy that I had been desperately needing--to stay active. Before sports and marching band, I had felt incapable of completing everydays tasks. This feeling changed once I interacted with others through shared interests."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f209b89ec175","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"c3e2479246220","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"I never thought that I would encounter a difficult time like this in my life. I had heard about people struggling with mental illness, but I never thought that I would be one of them. I know that school can be stressful, and it can be difficult to keep up with the everyday demands. However, I learned that it’s crucial to have outlets to remain balanced. Looking back at 2020, I don’t know how I survived without sports and activities. Today, I am even more involved in the school community than I was before the pandemic. I realized that my activities have helped me conquer my previous struggles."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f9d70c0baa0b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"cb18c593b6760","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}]}}},"staticQueryHashes":["3309388390","890781507"]}