I was fifteen and a high school freshman when I started rapidly losing weight. I was about 130 pounds, and I was ________ ten pounds every couple of weeks. I couldn’t understand why I was always hungry, thirsty, and never ________.Every night I ________ five or six times, feeling like I had to go to the bathroom, but I never really had to. Finally, I decided to go to the hospital to ________ nothing bad was going on.

I remembered being ________ in the hospital, confused, hungry, and with an extremely ________ blood sugar level. The doctors and nurses thought I might pass out, so they injected me and told me the worst news I could have imagined— tests showed that I had Type 1 juvenile diabetes. I was so ________ that the only question I could think to ask was, “Am I going to die?” A nurse told me to go out, enjoy a meal with my family, and ________, because tomorrow my new, difficult life would begin.

I don’t remember what time I had to be at the hospital, ________ I know it was early. Three nurses, one dietician, and a doctor all trained me, over the course of two days, to ________ me. Every needle hurt, but in some way I began to feel ________ every time I was able to think about the needles without crying.

Now, nearly three years later, I still remember the ________ when the doctors told me I was a Type 1 diabetic. I’m ________ when I look back that I was able to be strong, and that my family and friends supported me. I’m now two months shy of eighteen. To this day, I have had 3,38 needle injections, but each of them helps me to remember I must be strong. ________, I am grateful for my disease—it has made me the person I am today, and I would never ________who I am.

One weekend, 11-year-old Ann had an accident. She was ______ for several days. On June 5, Ann was finally awake and aware enough to be told her leg was ______. And according to Metge, her daughter had a wonderful ______ from the beginning.

“She had an amazing view,” Metge said. After a hard, scary night, Ann got up, her usual huge smile ______, and said “I only have to find one ______ out of the basket now!” Over the past months, Ann has been ______ with an artificial leg and learned how to ______ to her new life. “Mostly, she’s done well,” Metge said. “When she’s up and busy, nothing can ______ her. But evening is hard because it’s when all emotions and suffering ______ over her and she’s worn out. But ______, morning always comes and she wakes up ______.”

Ann said, her optimism (乐观) came from all the ______ she has received. “So many people help and inspire me,” Ann said. “I can’t even imagine ______ something this hard without them.” A big part is from Ann’s cheer squad (啦啦队) teammates who hold her up. Ann dreams of being a one-legged flyer. “I’m much ______ without the weight of one entire leg, even more suitable for the ______. I really expect the experience of flying.”

It was a rainy, damp December day. I was headed to the store to pick up another week’s worth of _________. I kept the CD player on while I drove to avoid the radio news. It only spoke of the world’s huge problems and how _________ we all still were in Covid-l9. And it usually just left me feeling _________.

Still, I gave my son a _________ to put in the charity kettle at the door to the store. We went in and soon filled our cart with food. I _________ using the self-checkout machines. I much preferred to chat with the friendly _________ , but the line at them was five deep and I just didn’t have the _________. Just then I heard the man at the machine next to mine _________. He only had a few items but every time he put his _________ twenty dollar bill into the machine it spit it back out. I quickly __________ a newer twenty out of my wallet and gave it to him. He thanked me with a __________ smile. I told him to keep his money but he __________ that I take his old twenty.

After __________ I remembered something, Mother Teresa had once said about how we all can __________ the world. “Help one person at a time,” she said. “And always start with the person nearest you.” I smiled and went outside. Then I dropped that old twenty into the __________ and walked to my car.