Personal Narrative: My Family's Struggle With Adversity

Growing up, my family had just enough money to get by. Throughout my early childhood, I was faced with adversity which resulted in many critical learning experiences shaping me into the person I am today. My family resided in a townhome with three bedrooms along with 12 other family members. The townhome was connected to a convenience store that we owned and operated. My brother and I did not always get everything we asked for, but our parents never gave up on providing us a more enriching childhood than what they had been given. Although my parents, Indian immigrants, put in their best efforts to provide a more prominent life for us it could have been their lack of experience and the language barrier that held them back from receiving many …show more content…
I vaguely remember him coming home on afternoons trembling with fear of losing his job. He knew that he was the primary income for our family. He began to stress the importance of a good education because he knew if he had a degree, he would not have to worry as much as he was. After many long months, he finally was given more job security but the damage had already been done. One night about two years ago, my parents were attending a family wedding. As it began to get late, I could not sleep knowing they were not home safe. Many phone calls forwarded to voicemail. Thoughts about the worst possible outcomes would not stay out of my head but I tried to stay positive. Soon my Uncle brought my mother home and she was in tears. I knew the second me and my brother were sat down that something was wrong, they explained to us how my father had suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the emergency room. My father was the backbone for our family, how could this have happened to him. The night consisted of tears and thoughts about all the memories I had shared with him. When the morning came, we rushed to visit him in the Intensive Care Unit after his