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Never Give Up

Debi
17
Portland, Oregon, US

Everyone thinks that ADHD is such a bad thing. I mean it can make things hard, but family and friends can make it a little easier.

I always thought that I was different and wasn’t as smart as the other kids in my class when I was in elementary school. But as I’ve gotten older, I have learned that that wasn’t the case. I slowly started to understand the fact I had ADHD. I still thought I was different but my parents said I wasn’t. And when I got to middle school, my grades started slipping which was one of the hardest things for me. But when I got into high school my grades were okay but school was hard. But even when I failed a class in my freshman and sophomore years, my parents supported me and gave me hope. They did this by being understanding and helping me as much as they could.

I still thought I wasn’t as smart as my peers and even my older brother (who is seven years older). My family told me not to worry so long as I did the best I could. There were times that I just wanted to give up and quit. But I never did. I found that by writing poetry and sketching and writing short stories that it helped me relax and focus. My mom suggested that I submit some of my poems to poetry.com and I thought whatever, I’ll do it to get her off my case (‘cause I didn’t think I would become a finalist or anything like that). About two months after I submitted my favorite poem, I got a letter saying my poem was the editor’s pick of the month. And all I could think was “Are you serious…my poem? Wow.” And I kept submitting poems and kept winning awards.

I even was able to get into more sports than just swimming. There were still times that I really just wanted to quit and give up. But my friends and family wouldn’t let me. And they helped me see how smart and great I really am. There was even a point in my junior year that I really thought I wasn’t going to be on track to graduate for my senior year. And that was so hard.

But now I’m a senior and on track to graduate on time with the rest of my peers. And I have some high goals to graduate. I want to graduate with at least high honors. And I got my varsity letter in water polo. And I learned that if you give up you will always wonder “what if?” But if you push through, you will be so happy and proud of yourself and so will your family. My main point of this story is for those who think that they can’t do something, to just try and never give up.

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