I was 16 when my father was diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer and my life took an unexpected turn for the worst. As Eritrean immigrants, my parents were no stranger to socio-economic insufficiency, as a result, I witnessed my father struggle to provide for his 5 children. He had three jobs, worked seven days a week, and managed to give me and my siblings the best life he could. Although I rarely expressed my feelings to him, it stands true that he is my biggest inspiration. As he bravely battled cancer, I never expected that the lessons he taught me in courage and perseverance would guide me in overcoming the most challenging period of my life.

After his diagnosis, my parents quit their jobs to seek treatment options. With no stable income, we struggled to pay for my dad’s multiple brain surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation, and extended hospital stays. As if things were not bad enough, at two in the morning on October 8th, I was shaken awake from my home and rushed outside with only the clothes on my back, fleeing from the Tubbs fire. We lost everything and my family and I were homeless. Although we found a rental home months later, we struggled greatly seeing as the insurance didn’t fully cover the rebuilding of our house. We now pay both the rent for our current home and the mortgage for our previous home in order to maintain ownership. Additionally, we had financial deficits from replacing the necessities we had lost such as transportation, clothing, and food, etc.

Not long after these tragedies, I found myself mourning my father. We had not only lost a beautiful soul, but my family was left devastated, unemployed, financially unstable, and lacking any form of life insurance. My mom began picking up odd jobs as a nighttime caregiver and I worked 20 hours a week while simultaneously pursuing the IB diploma. I now help my mom cover the cost of car insurance and other necessities such as groceries. While I found myself sacrificing a lot for the betterment of my family, these new responsibilities I have allow me to appreciate the beauty that is life’s pursuits.

These moments in my life have taught me the importance of life insurance because, with it, my family wouldn’t be fighting every day to keep a roof over our heads. Nonetheless, if I’ve learned anything from this experience it’s that my commitment to persevere, even in the midst of deep adversity, is the greatest weapon I may yield, the deepest power I can hold, and the meaning of true bravery. As a financially unstable first-generation college student, I’ll be faced with the challenge of affording my dream to become a community-oriented doctor. Given this scholarship, I’ll have the opportunity to pursue my medical journey and provide aid as a Pediatrician. While losing my father was the most difficult things I’ve gone through, it caused me to realize how fortunate I was to have him in my life.

I stood in the kitchen facing my grandpa. His face looked more worn than usual and a sense of foreboding clenched my heart. Tears filled his eyes as he told me my family had been in a car accident. My mom was in critical condition, my brother hurt his arm, and my sister injured her head. I took a few deep breaths, and the world spun when I asked about my dad. “Your dad is gone, sweetie,” my grandpa said softly. My breath caught in my throat. The words that came out of his mouth didn’t make sense. My dad…gone? I had seen him two hours before. The drive to the hospital was the longest and shortest drive of my life. I wanted to get there to be with my family but also wanted to act as if nothing happened. But it had. My dad was gone. I had to repeat those four words to myself to get a grip on reality. Losing my dad was a traumatic experience that still haunts me. To this day, if I send someone a text and they don’t respond within an hour, I panic out of fear that they were in a car accident. My anxiety isn’t logical but it is still a deep wound in my heart. The loss of my dad affected me not only emotionally, but financially as well. My dad was 44 and would have earned income for another thirty years. We lost my family’s health insurance and my mom could only afford COBRA for one month. The intoxicated driver who hit my family died a few hours after the accident. Otherwise, he would have been responsible for my family’s medical bills, including those from follow-up care after COBRA ran out. My mom was no longer able to work full time and, therefore, couldn’t access benefits like health insurance. Because we are now considered low income, my siblings and I have health insurance through Medicaid (mine runs out when I turn 19 this December), but Mom won’t be eligible for Medicare for several decades. Her current insurance won’t pay for annual exams, preventative care, or the mental health counseling she needs to re-process her trauma. If Dad would’ve had adequate life insurance, Mom could buy the health insurance she needs, and health insurance I will need when I turn 19 in December. Thankfully, I have a part time job now so I can pay for gas, clothes, and save a little for college. Through this tragic car accident, I realized I want to take care of people. I got to help my siblings and mom change dressings, apply ice packs, and put on bandages. I will now pursue a career in nursing and I won’t let our situation keep me from attending college. I have worked hard to keep a 3.9 GPA. Things have been difficult since my dad died, but hopefully our story can help others understand the importance of having adequate life insurance.