Continue reading Erin's story below;
I can still vividly recall a question from a job interview I attended when I was about 19 years old; “Do you consider yourself to be a lucky person?” I remember pausing briefly before replying “No, I don’t.” The interviewer then asked me “What makes you say that?” to which my response was “Well, I’ve never won any contests or the lottery…I’m really not lucky at all!” The interviewer then spoke again, “We don’t believe you need to win the lottery to be considered lucky. We believe if you’ve had a good upbringing, a loving family, a roof over your head, food on the table, access to education, and freedom to pursue the things you want in life, you are lucky.” It was a moment of awakening for my ego-centered 19 year old brain, and I’ve reflected on those words almost every day of my life since.
The truth is, I was very lucky, and have continued to be extremely fortunate throughout my life. I have a loving and supportive immediate and extended family. I was able to attend University after high school, and have had the opportunity to work in a variety of different careers until I settled on one that I found fulfilling. I have been given numerous opportunities with my company to develop and grow in my career, one of which relocated me from Saskatoon to Calgary three and a half years ago. I have been fortunate enough to travel to different countries and experience different cultures (though my list of places yet to go is still long!). Most importantly, I have been extremely fortunate to have developed incredibly strong friendships over my lifetime, some going back to grade school, and some as recent as this past year, since my diagnosis.
