Samantha Diadema

On November 18th, 2020, my life was forever altered. Since 2018 I have struggled with various back problems, leaving me no other choice but to receive surgery. Two trusted doctors, Dr. Gangavalli and Dr. Sahai, took a chance that other doctors were too fearful to take. They had full trust that I would be able to recover, which gave me the push of motivation to agree with them. After 2 ½ hours in the operating room, I had a complete L5S1 artificial disc replacement. Every moment since I woke up from surgery has been a new challenge. My world was completely altered, and the way I approached every situation physically and mentally had to change too. From the way I got out of bed, to the way I did my hair in the morning, even to how I would get in a car, were all changed. In no way was this an easy adaptation, and that is my purpose in the portfolio. As a 17 year old, you would never imagine that you would be unable to walk, and your thoughts in an airport aren't what chips you want to buy, but how you are going to fit your wheelchair through the bathroom door frame. My work is a physical representation of just some of the ways my life was altered after surgery.