by Barbara Fisher

Created on: March 03, 2007   Last Updated: September 10, 2009

I am a College Graduate in Spite Of It All

All my life I had three dreams. I wanted to have a big family, get a college degree and become a published writer. The first turned out to be the easiest! I married at nineteen and by the age of twenty-six, I had five children. Back then, I had no time or money for college, and the only thing I wrote was the grocery list! I didn't mind because I knew I would have time for my other dreams when the kids grew up.

When my youngest daughter was nine months old, I began having serious health problems. For six weeks I went blind. I was sent to a Columbus hospital, and after two weeks of tests, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. A short time later, I experienced additional complications and was told by my doctor that I would probably die. I prayed that I would live long enough for my children to remember me and know how much I loved them. I was so frightened. Encouraged by a former teacher, I wrote a book. In my own words I told my kids how very much I loved them, just in case I died before they had a chance to learn for themselves, my book was the beginning of my second dream.
About ten years ago, when I was hospitalized for my MS, my neurologist discovered something that he called funny in one of my blood tests. Funny turned out to be lupus. I knew little about the disease, but I figured it was rather serious because my doctor, who is also a friend, cried as he said he hated to "hit me with another rotten illness." Looking back, I guess maybe my ignorance helped me to accept it.
As my kids were growing up, I was hospitalized about seventy times for ten days of IV's. Somehow my husband, friends, God and I held the family together. I had some terribly rough times, and yet some very special times where, because of my illness, our family became stronger.
The kids grew up and eventually left home. All five married in two years. Suddenly, in spite of my illness, my dreams of going to college and writing rekindled. I was determined that nothing would stand in the way of finally fulfilling my dreams. I enrolled at Terra Community College in Fremont, Ohio, and set my goals to get an individualized Associate of Arts degree in writing, psychology and computers. Because my hands had become extremely numb, my teachers worked with me to do things that were difficult. Again, for a brief time, my world seemed so perfect! I had waited all my life for the opportunity.
In my first college writing class, my teacher would return my papers

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