0:00:19.177,0:00:22.251
My story is different from most

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because I had to undergo[br]a bone marrow transplant

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when I was just six months old.

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And now, I have pulmonary fibrosis,

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which is a serious lung disease,

0:00:36.462,0:00:40.462
and my lung capacity is only 20%.

0:00:41.105,0:00:45.215
My name is Aisha Chaudhary,[br]and I'm 17 years old.

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And today, I'd like to talk about[br]what really matters most to me in life.

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Now, life can be tough

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when every single breath[br]you take is a struggle

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and the slightest infection

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can cause a serious,[br]life-threatening exacerbation.

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And the last one for me[br]was in November last year,

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when I went from being able[br]to walk around freely and go to school

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to suddenly being bedridden,

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unable to turn over in bed[br]without getting out of breath.

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And I must confess that I did wonder[br]if I was going to die.

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And I would have sleepless nights,

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just thinking, tossing, and turning

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with this idea that soon I may be gone.

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And if that's going to happen,[br]then what's the point of anything?

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But then, it suddenly struck me[br]that I'm not really alone in all of this.

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Is it not true that not just me[br]but all of us are going to die one day?

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Yes, all of us are going to die.

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I'd like you all to just[br]think about that for a moment.

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In the next hundred years,

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all of us sitting in this room today

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will be gone,

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just at different times -

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some sooner than the others.

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So then, if death is the ultimate truth,

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what should really matter most in life?

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I feel the only thing[br]that truly matters to me is being happy,

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and happiness is a choice one makes.

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It's simply an attitude.

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I can either choose to be happy

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and try to smile through[br]all of my difficult times,

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or I can choose to be miserable[br]and get overwhelmed by it all.

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Now it's not that by being miserable[br]I'm going to get any better.

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So I may as well choose[br]to try and be happy.

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And if I have to have pulmonary fibrosis,

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I choose to have[br]a happy pulmonary fibrosis.

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(Applause)

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Now, I'd like to share with you[br]a few difficult moments in the recent past

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where I've chosen to be happy.

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This year, I was quite unwell,

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and I had to undergo[br]several medical tests,

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and one such test was a sleep study

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done to check if my oxygen levels[br]were okay when I sleep.

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And this picture was taken[br]just before the study.

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And you can see that I'm almost trapped[br]in a bunch of wires,

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some stuck to my face and some to my body,

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to monitor my heart,[br]my brain and my breathing.

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Despite all of this, I'm still smiling

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because I refuse to let this illness[br]get the better of me.

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I just won't let it.

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And I chose to find humor in observing[br]the man who was doing my sleep study.

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I couldn't help but laugh

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at the way he would just put up[br]his own feet on my bed

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and go off to sleep himself, snoring away.

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And this, obviously,[br]made it difficult for me to sleep

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and maybe that's why[br]my results were so bad.

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(Laughter)

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"How ridiculous," I thought to myself.

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Later that month, my family and I[br]had to go to England

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for a full medical check-up,

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and the days were filled with long,[br]boring medical appointments,

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talking about lung transplant

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and what seemed[br]like endless amounts of tests.

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This is a picture of my brother and I

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just after I'd spent[br]one long day at the hospital.

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But guess where we[br]were headed in this photo.

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To see a Broadway show in London.

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And it was fabulous.

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I was able to put the trauma[br]of the day at the hospital behind me,

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and I still managed[br]to find the will and the excitement

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in going out for a play

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and spending quality time with my brother.

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I believe that it's important[br]to create many happy memories

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so that we can try[br]to wipe out the sad ones.

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After having quite an unpleasant summer[br]with all of these medical issues,

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we decided to take[br]a family holiday to the Maldives,

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and there was so much [br]to do in the Maldives,

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but of course my health didn't permit me

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to do a lot of the things[br]that I wanted to.

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And one of the main activities[br]was snorkeling.

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And I desperately wanted to try it,

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but how could a person who has[br]difficulty breathing go snorkeling?

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Well, in this picture,[br]you can see me in my snorkeling gear

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right after I had popped[br]my head out of the water

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after seeing the most beautiful, [br]vibrant colored fish.

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Now, I'm not going to lie.

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I did only dip my head in for a second,[br]but I did what I wanted to do.

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And that moment for me [br]was worth everything,

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and I felt extreme happiness

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and was even surprised at myself

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for doing something that everyone[br]wasn't sure was really possible.

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So happiness is clearly[br]a choice one can make.

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No matter what, no matter where,[br]you can find it if you look for it.

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In fact, Tom Wilson once said,

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"A smile is happiness you can find[br]right under your nose."

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I feel that happiness[br]is also doing what you truly love,

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and for me, my love is for art

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simply because it allows me[br]to express myself

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in such a beautiful and unique way.

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As I dip my brush [br]in the vibrant colors of paint

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and can almost feel the paint being[br]smeared on to the fabric of the canvas,

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I tend to forget all of my worries

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and the difficult situation[br]that I'm really in.

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And art makes me happy

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because it almost becomes[br]a whole other world

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where I can escape,[br]at least for a little while.

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And these days, my most favorite[br]subject to paint is dogs.

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And now I'd like to introduce you [br]to my own two dogs.

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Coby the labrador[br]and Rolo the black pug.

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You can see who the dominant one is[br]in the relationship.

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I find it so interesting[br]that even though they can't speak a word,

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dogs can become[br]the closest thing to your heart,

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your very best friend,[br]and your companion.

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I love to observe them[br]and try to figure them out.

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And I can't help but get inspired.

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Dogs are so similar to humans,

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yet they carry qualities that we humans[br]struggle to achieve at times.

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Dogs can find happiness[br]in the smallest of things.

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Dogs are delighted with a walk,

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ecstatic with a small treat

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and in heaven when you tickle their belly.

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Dogs truly mean the world to me.

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And now I'd like to share with you[br]a few paintings that I've done recently,

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which were inspired by these two guys.

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The first one is of Coby,

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and it's capturing a snapshot[br]of my everyday life.

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Just lying on my bed, watching movies,[br]just as I love to do.

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The next one

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is inspired by my gorgeous pug, Rolo,

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and the legendary rock band Guns N' Roses.

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Now, all of this doesn't mean that life[br]is always one big song and dance.

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It really isn't.

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Of course, there are days[br]when I feel extremely down,

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where I feel like simply curling up[br]into a ball and just giving up.

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But the realization that things[br]could always be much, much worse

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always pushes me to get back up on my feet[br]and put a smile on my face.

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I could have easily been born

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into a family that wasn't as loving[br]and caring as my own,

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so I thank God for the family that I have.

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And I know for a fact[br]that there are children out there

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who are much less fortunate than I am.

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And although I have this disease,

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I'm still glad that I can walk around

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and do what I love to do.

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So happiness is an attitude.

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Happiness is doing what you truly love,

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and I feel that happiness[br]can only come from acceptance.

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I accept who I am,[br]and I accept where I'm at,

0:11:07.715,0:11:11.783
and I accept the challenges[br]that I'm battling with today.

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And I'm even more determined

0:11:14.623,0:11:18.846
to make the most[br]of this wonderful gift of life

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that God has given me.

0:11:21.390,0:11:23.225
Hans Anderson once said,

0:11:23.604,0:11:25.165
"Enjoy life.

0:11:25.165,0:11:28.281
There's plenty of time to be dead."

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So I hope that all of you[br]enjoy your lives

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with as much happiness[br]as you can possibly find.

0:11:37.134,0:11:38.834
Thank you for listening.

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(Applause)