Before I was diagnosed with ADHD, my parents couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I couldn't concentrate on my school work, doing simple tasks like cleaning my room was a struggle, but I could hyperfcous on things like scrub in the cracks in the bathroom floor with a toothbrush. Reading was very difficult. I felt like a wind up toy car but instead it was attention that was the part that needed to be wound up to achieve. After I was tested everything made sense. For a while we tried everything but medication to combat my lack of attention. We tried herbal supplements, we tried a hypnotist, we tried everything. Even once I tried certain medications some did not work, and some worked too well, but I found the right dosage. I was on that dosage for six and half years.
Not only medication helped me. In my 504, part of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we set up a couple of different things such as sitting in the front of the classroom, extra time on tests, and taking classes that challenged me.
I graduated ranked 25 in my class, obtained a scholarship to SVU, graduated seminary, and am in my second semester of college. Through many prayers, the blessings of medicine, changes in how I do school work, and support from my teachers and parents I am a new person.
A diagnosis is not the end of the world, but a new beginning. Having a mental disability is really hard, but it doesn't have to be as hard. Doors don't close, they open. And as those doors open, more will follow.
My parents have always taught me that I am bigger and stronger than my ADHD. My dad has ADHD and dyslexia, and my mom has depression. My dad has just finished 22 years in the army and is now in school to restore classic cars. My mom is a proud mother of four children and is currently working on her master's degree. I have two amazing role models that I couldn't possibly have become the person I am today without. I have ADD, I am not ADD. I am not my disability. I am a child of God. I am Lyssa Lumgair.
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