“I was diagnosed with leukemia during my early teens. It was a...

“I was diagnosed with leukemia during my early teens. It was a full year being out of school. And when I came back it felt like everyone had moved on without me. I had to repeat ninth grade. My social circles had changed and I was desperate to make new friends. I started trying way too hard to impress people. I’d make stuff up about myself. I remember pretending that I could read palms. Anything to get close to people who were cooler than me. But the worst part is that I started to avoid people who weren’t ‘cool.’ There was one girl I absolutely loved, but she had a weight problem and kids were mean to her. So I started ducking into classrooms if I saw her coming down the hall. Or I’d sit at the other end of the cafeteria. It was the opposite of who I’d always been. I’d always been the one making sure everyone was included. I was always the first one to introduce myself to new kids. I wanted everyone to feel important. But for awhile I became the opposite of that. I became a social climber.“