Today’s guest blog comes from one of my favorite classmates and friend, Matthew Carberry. Matthew is into social media, a fellow Mac user, and a foodie, so we always have something to talk about. We were even taking the same class this semester with our favorite professor, Dr. Garth Jowett. Unfortunately, I was only able to make it to two classes. I’m pretty sure if we ask Matt, he remembers my chronic hiccups.
When I try to remember how Christine and I became friends, it’s difficult. I don’t really remember us going through the exchange of a formal greeting, or being introduced by a mutual friend. Since I’ve been a student at UH, she’s just always been there. This isn’t a particularly rare occurrence for me. I’ve realized that many of the friends I’ve become close with don’t have an interesting story about how we met. This isn’t a bad thing, it just means that I’ve shared so many other, more memorable experiences with them.
Before I slip off onto a tangent about the value of friendship, let’s get back to Christine. For those of you who don’t know her, she’s a fellow student of mine at UH. She’s way into social media, and every time I’ve ever seen her, she’s been smiling. This says a lot about Christine, because even when she’s been upset the smile never fades.
One day, a few weeks ago, Christine mentioned that she was feeling ill. There wasn’t anything strange about this. People get sick, and for any of her friends to think that her condition was as serious as it was, wouldn’t have made sense. Eventually she realized she wasn’t going to be able to shake it, and she was taken into the ER on February 2nd to get some pretty unsettling news.
Christine found out she had a cavernous malformation in her medulla oblongata that was causing headaches, sensitivity to light and sound, and dizziness among many other things. This condition affects only about 0.5% of the population. It must be something that hits you like a horse kicking your chest. Although, this is merely a guess because I could never imagine how receiving news like this must feel. This diagnosis meant one thing: Brain surgery. The surgery was undertaken February 10th, and was a success. However, it’s going to be a long road, and as with many people, an extremely rare, life-threatening brain condition wasn’t in her 5-year plan.
You see, Christine is very much in love. She and her fiancee, Opie Steagall were planning a wonderful wedding on the Carnival Magic before the surgery. As you could probably imagine, brain surgery can take a pretty large financial toll on anyone, and Christine is no exception. It’s now going to be a struggle for her dreams to come true. This brings me to the reason I’m writing this blog. Christine doesn’t ask for people to help her, yet she’s always more than happy to give for others. She needs help to make her dreams come true, and I am among the dozens of her friends that is trying to make this happen. I’m asking for any help possible from anyone possible.
Maybe it would help if I explained Christine’s impact on people. When I first started telling my other classmates about Christine’s condition, I understood that people were concerned. I mean I get it. When someone you know has to go through something like that, it’s no surprise that people will be worried. However, as I continued to share what was happening, I saw something else. The people I spoke to cared about Christine, didn’t just want to know what was happening and if she was okay. They wanted to know what they could do to help. Maybe without her even knowing, Christine has affected the people around her in an incredibly positive way.
Christine is now in the process of recovering, and considering what she’s been through, she’s doing fantastic. She’s been sharing her story on her blog, and she’s seen an amazing amount of support from friends and strangers alike. I am hoping that this post gets through, even to one person who might be able to help her. Christine is an amazing person, and those that have had the pleasure of knowing her know what a blessing her friendship is. You may contact Christine at her blog http://xtinedanielle.wordpress.com/.
Matthew Carberry, Christine’s Friend & Fellow UH Communication Grad Student
Thank you so much, Matthew! Can’t wait to graduate and walk across that stage in December with ya! Oh wait, we have to get through COMPS first… STUDY GROUPS!
Has my life story touched you? .Inspired you? I welcome you to join in as a special guest blogger, please send here. Thanks guys!
