Tianna Li

I was recently accepted to USC and am looking forward to becoming a part of the Trojan family.

In 2001, at the age of six, I was diagnosed with serve asthma after suffering from a serve case of acute bronchitis. After two years of ineffective treatment from my pediatrician at the time, my mom brought me to China to in hopes to find a treatment or remedy that [would] control my asthma. I was hospitalized in China for two months. During the two month hospitalization, the doctors pumped me up with steroids to suppress my asthma symptoms. The two-month stay left my family completely broke.

A few weeks after my mom and I returned to California, my asthma symptoms worsened. I had rashes everywhere, my feet swelled up to twice their normal size, and huge deep dark blue bruises covered the bottom of my swollen feet.

In September 2003, my mom, fearing for my life, brought me to Huntington Hospital. The doctors suspected that I had SARS due to my recent trip to China. They immediately rushed me into an isolation room. I then realized the fight for my life has begun.

The following night as I lay lifelessly on my hospital bed watching cartoons, my airways suddenly closed. I gasped for air. I heard all the machines that were hooked up to me begin to alarm. I pushed the nurse call button and said weakly with my last breath, “Help,” as I slipped into a coma.

A week later, I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar room at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. As my mom cried with joy and relief, 20 doctors crowded my room asking me questions, examining me, and explained my diagnosis.

I was diagnosed with an extremely rare systemic vasculitis known as Churg-Strauss syndrome. I am one of very few people in history that have been recorded with Churg-Strauss syndrome. I had a very slim chance of survival and an even slimmer chance of not being partially brain-dead. Yet, I beat the odds. I had to learn how to walk correctly again, have frequent trips to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and will probably have to take 15 different types of medications for the rest of my life, but I don’t mind. I survived, it’s all that matters.

Reflecting on my past experiences, I now understand that my illness is both a blessing and a curse. It has helped me become who I am today. These are lessons I will never forget. Because of my personal struggles, I now know that every experience, every memory, every person you meet becomes a piece of you. They add to your character. I have learned about physical and mental toughness from my extensive treatments, empathy from my experiences as a patient and volunteer at Children’s Hospital, and most important, strength from my disease. Strength is not measured by how many pounds you can lift, but by your ability to stand up with your head held high and accept the challenges of life.

It has been eight years since my diagnosis. I am now 17 and I still have the rest of my life ahead of me. I was recently accepted to USC and am looking forward to becoming a part of the Trojan family.