by Ashley Strehl, Editor-in-Chief
In January of 2018 I was diagnosed with a disease known as rheumatoid arthritis.
My health declined greatly and I was always in pain, day in and day out. All my professors were worried about me, but I came quick to learn that Miss Z suffered from RA as well.
This horrible disease is invisible. It breaks your spirit and changes your life. I felt like no one understood me. People thought that just because I was a 21 year old that meant there was no way my bones weren’t caving in on themselves. To some, I was being dramatic and lazy.
Miss Z understood … She gave me tips on how to deal with it, not just physically but emotionally as well. My pain often turned me into someone that I didn’t like, I was angry and bitter.
However, the way Miss Z dealt with it was quite the opposite. Her smile gleamed of a thousand sunrises and she lit up every room that she was in.
I took that to heart, I really did. I wanted to be more like her.
Conversations about our health always turned into conversations about our life. I used to tell her all about my boyfriend, the good and bad, and she always gave me great advice. Most importantly, she listened and cared.
She was like that girl friend that you’d invite over to watch “The Bachelor” with, but at the same time she was an educator who I respected and had a professional relationship with as well. I would have used her as a reference on my resume, but I would have gone out to coffee with her after school too.
I loved her. I loved the impact she had on me and every student she had. I will always love her and I will always be grateful for the change she made in me.
She believed in me and she was always looking out for me. At the beginning of the semester she worked to keep a class open just so I could have it to graduate.
Just the last week she praised me for the work I was doing in my graphic design class. As she held my art-work in her hands she smiled her beautiful smile and told me she thought it was amazing. I take comfort in knowing I will see her again when I get to heaven.
She always told me how proud she was of me and even now I can still feel her looking down and feeling proud. Until we meet again Miss Z, I love you girl.