Most students seem like they are living a normal life, until we dive further into their stories. From freshman to senior some people wouldn’t notice the pain, Jalen Mothershed, endured by the death of the closest person to him. The loss of his mom led to a personality change, of anger and isolation. A pain no child should ever feel, mostly under the stress of high school. Jalen took this tragedy and created his motivation to be in the Marines, which he is enlisted in now.
As Jalen recalls, the heart breaking event, “My mom was cooking in the kitchen while I was sleeping in the room. I woke up to the sound of one of my sisters screaming. When I got to the kitchen I saw my mom on the floor, we called an ambulance and rushed her to the hospital, but after a week she was gone.”
His mom had went through a sudden aneurysm, with low chance of survival no matter how hard the doctors tried and after a week of being in the hospital she passed. This tragedy occurred when he was about to end freshman year. After her passing, he said that he had begun to isolate himself from his family and friends. As he grew he realized that his mom was in a better place and was no longer in pain. With the help of his friends and their families, Jalen has begun to be in a better mind space. As Jalen prepares to graduate, from his senior year at Ridgeview High School, he says, “It hurts because I know I will be the only student with no parents at the graduation, but I know I have my friend’s parents to be there for me.” Jalen grew up not ever knowing his father, the only family he has now are his two older twin sisters. After the death of his mother, Jalen turned to one of his twin sisters, and moved in with her and her two kids. Jalen says, “She acts like a mom to me and treats me like one of her own.” Even though his mother has passed, Jalen can still find family love through his sisters and friends.