Magna Cum Laude and Off to College, Daughter With Marfan Syndrome Overcomes Challenges

Jincy received the Magna Cum Laude award last night during her Mantanzas High School awards ceremony.  It brought a tear to my eye.

Daughter with Marfan Syndrome Graduating Magna Cum Laude

Although she is just seventeen, turning eighteen this summer, she gives me and so many others inspiration each and every day.

After dual enrolling in college while a junior and senior in high school, she faced academic challenges, but despite being several years younger than other students Jincy went on to achieve almost a 4.5 GPA where 'A' = 4.0.

This was notwithstanding the fact the fact that she was right in the middle of her dad's long, hard post dissection recovery period with multiple heart surgeries.  She subsequently learned that her and her brother's aortas were not only beginning to dilate but that she was also faced with other quite difficult Marfan Syndrome health challenges.

Jin volunteered with the Humane Society, working with homeless dogs and cats throughout her late teens, worked with orphans in Honduras and volunteered with Marfan Foundation benefits like the Tommy Tant Surfing Classic held every year in Flagler Beach.  She wrote poetry, taught herself guitar and ukelele and cleaned her elderly grandparents house.  As of late she has been a 'mother'-big sister to her teen nephew and niece whose mother recently suffered a brain aneurysm and has always tried to advocate for disadvantaged groups of people, no matter what their issues were.

Sure, she showed her spirit in ways I did not approve of, like the time when she climbed out her window, leaving a bunch of pillows under her bedspread and a pumpkin pie under the sheet for a strange looking head and face.  She climbed up to the top of our two story house when two years old, seriously frightening her mother and would take off as a toddler, crawling straight out into the ocean waves.

I envy her youthful and unquenchable zest for her adventures and life ahead, around the corner.

She wants to major in Communications while attending University of South Florida (USF).  Her studies will continue to be a challenge for her and she will need to work hard to support herself economically as well as academically.  I am thankful USF is providing as much help as they are.

But she can do it and the desire to overcome her challenges is what fuels her drive and successes.

I am so proud of her.  For now she has showed those Marfan challenges just who is boss.