I Am Johnny

Let me tell you about Johnny. Johnny stood strong and quite healthy with an athletic background, doing track and field from the age of 9 right through to college. Johnny was a prolific athlete who prided himself on keeping a balance between his academics and athletics. There was no doubt that academics took priority betwixt the two, having achieved academic accolades one right after the other, ultimately being named valedictorian for his undergraduate graduating class. Although his priority had always been academics, there was no doubt that he loved track and field. As a matter of fact, success in the classroom and on the track was of a simultaneous nature. Fast forward, and you’ll find Johnny now taking on his master’s but having a tough time in doing so barely making it through each course with less than impressive grades. But how could Johnny, the valedictorian, be having such a tough time? Was it the sheer difference in the workload from undergrad to graduate studies?

Well, Johnny came to graduate school with the expectation of completing his final year of collegiate track and field with the hope of transitioning to the professional level. However, Johnny was hit with news that he had a heart condition that would prohibit him from living out those dreams. Midway through the semester, with the devastation of the shocking news coupled with the side effects of the medications for his newly discovered condition, Johnny started to have symptoms of depression and anxiety. In addition, he could no longer focus in class as well as he used to and also found that exams took him longer than usual, problems he had not had prior to the new discovery. All things considered, he decided it was best that he do a medical withdrawal. I can relate with Johnny on all fronts of that experience because, as you may have realized by now, I am Johnny.