Make A Difference

• Emily Olston, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2015

I woke up from my nightmare screaming. As much as this nightmare was horrible it wasn't as bad as the life I was living. I would wake up with my carers shouting at me. I would get ready, skipping breakfast, then running to the bus, arrive at school with students bullying me, run to the toilets in tears waiting for the bullies to leave and then arrive at class late and get yelled at by my teacher. It was just an average day for me.

It was very painful for me and I struggled to cope. Every day I struggled even more until one day I couldn't endure anymore. I was so close to giving up but then I met the person who changed my life. It was an old lady who saw me at my worse but she stopped me from making the biggest mistake ever. She told me a story about how she had been through exactly the same as me but she decided that she was on this earth to make a difference and she decided by giving up she would leave the earth without doing what she was meant to do.

From then on when I was in need I would go to her but my aim was to make a difference. So I decided to start by making a difference at my school, I set up a support group. This support group benefited many kids. Then I went on to set up more support groups around the world, now I work as a counselor and motivational speak.

I look back at those dark times and think about the miracles that led me to that lady which made me make a difference. I think about how worse off the world would have been without me. Many people wouldn't have missed me but someone would have and I wouldn't have made such a difference if I had given up.