[COLLEGE DRAFT] 500 word: Rough draft college essay

In the ___ of 20__, I walked into my mother's bedroom to find her crying.  The hero of my life and protector of the family was showing an emotion that I seldom saw.  She had just got off the phone with her doctor, she had breast cancer.  Once that word reached my ears, I rushed over to her to comfort her, all the while staring into open space, trying to comprehend the ordeal.  The possibility of living a life without my mother was unthinkable and unspeakable among my family.  Our lives and happiness entire, revolved around this wonderful person who now in an instant, had been stricken with a life thre3atening condition.  As my sister rushed in and joined our huddle, I came to the sudden realization that I now would need to be the man of the house.  Within an instant I had begun to develop a new sense of life's importance, what my goals were, and responsibility, as now the roles of the household would change.

            Throughout my life I had been interested in biology, but this specific moment in time, being confronted with my mother's vulnerable and helpless condition, would make a medical related career my passion and ultimate goal.  Never in my wildest dreams would I anticipate such a heavy blow on our family.  The news was a shock to everyone, and suddenly I was confronted with a rather enlightening situation.  My mother became the center of what seemed to be like an endless support group.  Distant friends were delivering food and gifts for us because during my mother's chemotherapy, she was too weak to cook, and my father was busy at work to support our family, especially in our vulnerable position.  Medical treatments, surgeries, insurance, and private cancer aide organizations provided an appreciated cushion for my mother's ailing condition.  Not long after chemotherapy, I observed my mother's complete hair loss, weight loss, and weakening of physical strength.  However, despite these limitations, I knew my mom was still there deep inside.  The fire insider her eyes remained and I knew she would not give up.

            What my mother lost in family power, influence, and fire, I made sure not to let to go to waste.  I assumed the power of oversee'er in my family and ensured everyone's safety and the wellbeing of the household.  All the while, I was captured by the realization that millions around the world were experiencing what I was, some with more aide, and most with less.  The fact that others in developed countries were faced with the same circumstance, with less that "American-grade" healthcare was unimaginable.  From this moment, my past aspirations to become an architect or a chef had shifted to an occupation whose job description entitled, "I help people who need help and who are unable to change their circumstances to help themselves otherwise".  My spectrum of wanted occupations varied from firefighter, to a doctor working in a clinic in some foreign country.  I had the overbearing sense to give, not to receive, to be the caretaker of those in need.
    Through this experience, I was faced with the realization that despite my somewhat sheltered life, growing up in a friendly suburb, cancer and other various diseases can affect anyone, no matter what their circumstance.  I committed myself to science and found a passion that would not only be rewarding to me, but to my mother.  Studying medicine and helping those with illnesses that couldn't receive care as easily as we did would honor my mother, who muscled through her cancer, and speak lengths to human charity and resilience.  I learned a lot about responsibility in hard times, and began to appreciate life for what it was, an irreplaceable privilege to be appreciated and protected by all.