Student Strives through adversity

Showing Heart

Summerside girl going to university after going through diversity

Ryan Quigley

Journal Pioneer

It was only a year ago Karen Curtis would get up in the morning and not know how much longer she had left to live.

Now, after having a heart transplant in October, Curtis is getting ready to graduate from Three Oaks Senior High school and move on to UPEI to start on her dream of studying Pediatric Cardiology so she can help someone like herself some day.

“The people from the cardiologist’s gave to me,” she said. “I feel like when I was in my spot, no one knew how I was. So it would be nice if I was a nurse and people were going for heart transplants I can say that I went through it and tell them everything and just give back to them what they gave to me.”

Curtis’ natural mother Sheila Perry, two brothers Robert and Matthew and her grandmother had all passed away due to the same genetic heart defect she had.

“When I went for my first surgery I was terrified because they told me after my brother died I was close behind him.”

On her quest to study medicine, she was recently aided by the Rotary Club of Summerside.

Curtis was one of the three recipients of the Strive scholarship from the Rotary Club of Summerside. The two other recipients were Jelisa Gallant of Wellington and Beonicia Shaw of Summerside.

The scholarship is awarded to those who have kept up academic standards through rough personal times in their life. The recipient receives a $1000 scholarship to go to post-secondary schools.

Vance Bridges, Chairperson of the Strive committee, said all three girls shared the same characteristics and that’s why they were chosen.

“The qualities that identified those that should be recognized in this way are primarily personal challenges they’ve had,” said Bridges. “They’ve all had some challenging adversities and things they’ve had to overcome and in spite of that they have striven under the Strive program to improve their academic standing.”

Bridges said the adversity that had to be overcome by Curtis was a big one.

“Karen Curtis for instance, she’s had a heart transplant in the last year. I mean if that’s not a challenge, I don’t know what is.”

Curtis said the award meant a lot to her and was happy to have won it.

“I got to share my story with them and I feel like I am an inspiration to a lot of people so I was kind of happy they felt that I deserved it.”

Curtis still has to do one year of study in Arts before she can go into her program of choice but she is just happy to be going to University.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I’d see the day I’d be going to university, I thought I was going to die,” she said. “I’m just excited to start my life I didn’t think I’d ever have.”