When life gives you lemons | Kendra Gottsleben | TEDxSiouxFalls

Kendra Gottsleben's life is defined by her positive outlook and success in overcoming obstacles, not MPS - the rare genetic condition she was born with. A graduate of Augustana College, Kendra works in the Department of Pediatrics within the Center for Disabilities at the Sanford School of Medicine. She is working on her first book.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

There are two ways I can describe myself.

The first is that I'm Kendra Gottsleben,

a 2010 Augustana graduate

who double-majored
in Sociology and in Psychology.

The second is I'm Kendra Gottsleben,

a 40-inch disabled individual,
in a wheelchair,

who has mucopolysaccharidosis type VI,

a rare enzyme disorder.

I much prefer being
described the first way,

emphasizing on what can do
and what I have achieved.

I know if I plan on reaching
all my goals in life,

I need to first recognize my strengths
and then use my God-given strengths.

Life can be tough no matter who anyone is,

what anyone looks like,

or what anyone wants
to pursue in their future.

My future is bright
and full of possibilities.

No matter how others
describe or perceive me,

I like to live my life with an upbeat,
can-do-type attitude.

I'm a true believer
in that life is what you make it.

I love to laugh, smile, joke, help others,

and I enjoy spending time
with family and friends.

But the truth is that I am a disabled
individual who lives in a wheelchair,

and I am quite sure it's part of who I am

and there's nothing
I can do but accept it.

That's why I don't let
being in a wheelchair stop me

from continuing to strive
to reach all my goals in life.

Some of my goals that I have achieved
are graduating from college,

getting a job

and being able to help others
through my life experiences.

One life experience I am most proud of

is that I was a participant
in a clinical research enzyme trial

in Oakland, California, in 2002.

This clinial research trial was a study
on the enzyme my body does not produce.

The goal was to receive an FDA approval

for the children like me
and adults with MPS type VI,

so they could also receive
the drug treatment.

As a participant,

I went through numerous tests
and weekly infusions for this trial,

and in 2005, the FDA granted the approval.

One of the conditions
with this drug treatment, as a patient,

is that we will need weekly infusions
for the rest of our lives.

Our body will never produce
the missing enzyme,

but the drug treatment
helps us live a healthier life.

Goals I'm in the process of working on

are writing a book
and making my imprint on the world.

There have been many obstacles
because of my MPS type VI,

but I have learned

to take those obstacles as they appear.

I was diagnosed at the age of four

with the rare medical
condition MPS type VI.

One in 215,000 individuals
are diagnosed with this condition.

My body is missing the enzyme
that is needed to cleanse my cells,

which causes a buildup
of gluey-like substance in my cells,

which affects my connective tissue
and my other vital organs.

Despite my condition,

I was mainstream
throughout my school years

like any other student.

As a senior in high school,
I graduated with honors.

I've always been a hard worker,

which has benefited me while pursuing
all that I've wanted to achieve.

Nothing has ever been handed to me

or made easy because
of my daily obstacles in life.

Those obstacles have made me
a better person

and have taught me that if I want
to create my own success,

I have to do it myself.

Some of those obstacles
have been attending college

while receiving a weekly infusion,

the inability of being spontaneous

and a lack of complete independence.

We are the only ones who determine
the attitude and approach we take in life.

I prefer being positive

because negativity
and feeling sorry for oneself

does not help us along the path of life.

As a grade-school student,

I would look at my friends and ask myself,

"How do they run so much
and not get out of breath?

They're sure all getting tall."

I really never thought much of it.

I didn't realize the reason
I couldn't run that fast

and [the reason] I was so sure
was because of my condition.

I didn't even know
I had a medical condition.

I had no idea I was different
from any other student,

until I was in about 5th grade.

I was never teased or made fun of.

I was accepted for who I was.

My parents never focused on my differences
and what was difficult for me,

until they thought I was at the age
that I should begin to learn my condition.

In middle school, I did not have
a wheelchair like I do today.

When I would get dropped off at school,

I would sit outside
my first-period classroom

in a chair on wheels, basically,

waiting for school to start.

Sometimes, my friends
would come and sit with me

when they weren't running around,
socializing with each other.

But many times, I sat alone,

wishing I could join in with them.

It was difficult for me,

but it was much more difficult
for my parents.

As they would leave to head to work,

they would look back and see me
sitting alone outside in the hallway.

I understood my friends' wanting
to socialize with each other,

so I never really got upset with them,

but it was lonely at times.

As a high school junior,

I set a goal for myself to take
American Heritage,

which was an AP class,

and Algebra II.

As I met with an adviser,

I was told that students
who planned on going to college

were only students
that would take those classes.

I was shocked and quickly realized

that she did not see me
as college material.

She then added,

"For you to take American Heritage,

you have to have
a signature from a teacher

stating that you are capable
of taking that class."

I think she had thought she had sealed
the deal with that last statement.

But I smiled kindly, pointed toward
the signature that I had already obtained

and said, "There it is!"

I also told her, "I do plan
on going to college in my future."

I'm proud to say that I graduated
in high school with a 3.6 GPA

and a member of the
National Honor Society.

In college,

there were a couple of professors
who made the following comments to me.

The first was I was taking
the easy way out.

The professor had no idea that, each day,
I rode para-transit to and from campus,

for an hour or more,
for one or two classes a day,

which, if I could have driven myself,
would have only taken 10 minutes.

Another comment was I might not
be cut out for graduate school.

I was also taken aside

by a professor who questioned if I had
actually participated in a group activity

as much as I said I had,

because my group members
had told him otherwise.

I was caught off guard because he had
assumed the other students' words as fact

before coming to me.

I asked myself why he would
take their word as facts

before talking to me.

I wondered, "Did my size
create doubt in my ability?"

The particulars of these situations

are by no means to disrespect
these professors,

but more seen as examples

of how their comments truly impacted
my integrity and self-esteem.

But the comments also had
a positive impact on my life.

They became fuel for me
to prove to others

that I could do anything
any other normal college kid could do.

The most recent journey of my life
has been trying to find a job

where I could apply my energy
and expertise in helping others.

My dream has always been
to be able to work with children

with life-threatening
illnesses or disabilities

and their families.

It was challenging because I did
encounter a number of individuals

without flexibility
within their opened positions.

There were even
a couple of times that I heard,

"Oh, you're in a wheelchair?"

I needed to find and employer
who saw that I had an itch

and could see how my talents
could contribute to their organization.

I'm extremely proud to say
that, as of today,

I've been working for over six months
at the Center for Disabilities

within the Sanford School of Medicine
at the University of South Dakota.

I'm excited to share with you

that I could not have asked
for a better place

to begin my career with helping others.

It has been a dream come true
for me working with them.

The organization's mission statement is:

"Dedicated to life without limits."

I have lived much of my life

with the attitude of not letting
others put limits on me,

or myself limiting me.

And now, I work for an organization
who believes the same.

All of these experiences
that I shared with you

are just part of life's journey.

Countless people have had
to overcome obstacles.

Life isn't easy, but that's
what makes life interesting.

I know that dwelling on the negativity
in my life doesn't get me anywhere.

I think that I am also allowed
a certain amount of time

to be upset with situations,

but then I need to turn
the negative into a positive.

Complaining about the difficulties
I have to deal with

and the things I cannot do

is neither healthy nor productive.

I actually view my physical
limitations as blessings.

As long as individuals remember
that we are the only ones

who make the decision to let others'
ideas become fact or fiction,

we can choose to surrender
to their beliefs in our abilities

or make the choice to keep
on pushing forward

with our dreams and goals in life.

I want to leave you
with a favorite quote of mine,

that I like to live my life by.

"When life hands you lemons,
make lemonade."

Or my special twist on the phrase,

"When life hands you lemons,

turn right around
and squeeze those lemons

to make the best lemonade possible."

Thank you.

(Applause)