Can’t help it; hope I’m not adding to the stress of SDMB parents and teens at this stressful time of year. But I’m too glad to keep this to myself: my youngest brother got into Wisconsin today. It’s one of his top choices, and it’s the first school he’s heard back from. I hope the others roll in soon. It’s got to take some of the pressure off.
How many people have worked as hard as he did just to graduate high school? He was diagnosed with cancer as a freshman, missed half that year and practically all of his junior year. Dozens of surgeries, therapy, radiation treatments, chemotherapy, and he got through all of it. I told him he’s outworked everyone else in his class by orders of magnitude, by hundreds of times. I’m sure the valedictorian is bright but this is an entirely different kind of achievement.
I knew this day was coming sooner or later. It’s a little overwhelming and I’m incredibly proud of him. I’m off work, so I don’t have to worry too much about holding it together, which is a good thing. For the last couple of years it was hard to think about him having any kind of future. It’s gotten easier the last few months, but this puts our eyes squarely on what comes next. I just thought about what it’s going to be like at his graduation- I’d put that out of my mind for a long time. He wants to study medicine. He’s going to have the chance to do that.
A year ago he was in the middle of chemo and it was awful. I’d shaved his head about three weeks earlier. In the last year he’s raised thousands of dollars for cancer research. It’s amazing that he’s done all this.
I’m inviting you all to brag about your colleges, and your friends’ and kids and families, but I guess I needed some space to celebrate my brother. Thanks for reading.
Kudos to your brother for taking a lemon and making lemoncello, lemon pound cake, lemon meringue pie . . . and feeding so many others from one little lemon.
Congratulations to your little bro! Whatever you do, don’t have him read the weather forecast for the next few days and imagine hiking up Bascom Hill to class.
That’s great news! Congratulations to your entire family - your brother had to do a good deal of the heavy lifting, but I suspect it was, overall, a group effort.
Outstanding! Don’t tell him I am also a Wisconsin alumnus - it might spoil it.
My cousin and her husband are both grads as well, and also both doctors.
And thanks, Marley23, for posting the good news about your little bro. I am sure I am not the only one following his story with interest and prayers.
Good for him!
You know, I’ve followed your threads about him over the years, and it is just so lovely to hear that not only is he healthy and happy, he’s also having the opportunity to fulfill his dreams.
