Hi all my name is Bernice Allan, I am currently 24 years old, I have completed in Numerous Australian Transplant Games and One World Transplant Games which was held in 2009 based in Gold Coast Australia. At Nine months old in 1996 my life was changed forever. My parents were told that I have 24 hours to live due to a serious liver conditon which was callied Bilary Atresia which is an imcomplete development of the bile duct. Just as my loved ones were about to say good bye I was rushed into theatre for 10 hours to recieve the 'Gift of Life' which was Liver Transplant on Valentines Day (14th Feburary 1996). I just celebrated 24 years since having this transplant. Most have to wait, days, week, months or even years to recieve an organ transplant but my parents and health professionals knew I wouldn't be able to survive if i didn't recieve a new liver within the 24 hours. Due to my liver condition that I was diagnosed with at 24 hours to live I now from Hearing loss which I have a mental plate in my head to wear a baha and waiting for my left side of my head to be done. I also suffer from severe sleep apnoea, have to wear glasses or contact lenses due to an eye condition called astigmatism. When I started schooling my parents was told that I am going to suffer from Developmental Delay which is classed as an Intellectual Disability which I was placed in a Special Needs class or mainstream throughout my whole schooling. I was involved in 'Bandage Bear Day' which was selling bandage bears to raise money for an operating theatre, Little Livers' which was doing fundraising for people in need while going through this experience. I get involved in Fundraising events because I love working in the community. Fundraising helps improve the lives of people that are living or knows someone that is living with an illness or disease. I have been helped, so I want to help others. I think that I will always help other people because I'm a caring person and I want people to be happy and healthy. Due to having a Liver Transplant I have to take Cyclosprin twice a day orally, this medication stops my liver from being rejected. Even thought I suffer from Borderline Personaility Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, other mental and physical health problems. I am about graduate from my Certificate III in Individual Support (Disability), I left my family and friends in South Australia to move to Victoria with my partner. My main goal is to become a Nurse or Transplant Nurse. Having this Liver Transplant has changed mine and my loved ones life around, as its has given me a second chance of life. It has made me who I am today. I think that I am a caring person and have a good personality. If I didnt recieve the transplant, I wouldn't be involved in fundraising and completing in the Australian and World Transplant Games. This would also meant that I wouldn't have met all the amazing and caring friends that I have today.

It all started by opening the car’s door and stepping outside as I gaze at the big written ‘x’ at the wall and it was red; red was everywhere.

One early morning I was browsing through Instagram when I came across a post that tagged Diana Watley. I decided to go to her page and see what she was about. Little did I know that one click, that one selection would cause a ripple effect in my life. The strength and sincerity that came through the speakers of my phone caused me to pause and actively and intentionally listen to the words flowing forth. I felt inspired, challenged and hungry for more of what I was hearing.

America is one of the most successful civilizations in history. That is not an understatement. Whether we're talking about material well being, life expectancy and the general ability of any kind of government or society to provide for its people, America is at the top.

It is easy to write old Charles (Hank Chinanski) Bukowski off as a mean drunk and amateur poet that got really lucky. He was a bar brawler, a pretty horrible guy to most of the women in his life, and the type of drunk that would drink until he passed out most of the time. He started drinking at 16 and didn’t stop until he died at 73. For most of his adult life he held a string of low paying jobs with a couple of longer stints as a mail man in Los Angeles. Considering how brutal his childhood was, his dad beat him with a razor strap once a week until he was ten years old, it is amazing that he didn’t commit suicide or end up a serial killer.

Most people fail at some point in their lives, it is a very fundamental thing you need to get through. According to the Cambridge Dictionary failure means: the fact of someone or something not succeeding. Everyone wants to succeed and as a teenager it is what we are told to do, when you grow up you need or are going to be someone great, but, what does it stop us to do something great?, How does failure affect teenagers? More importantly, does failure predetermine a teenager’s future?

It’s 2pm on a Friday in March, and I’m sitting at my kitchen counter in blue polka dot panties, a sports bra, Uggs, and my mother’s grey cashmere sweater. I’m not putting on makeup, warming up my voice, or practicing new songs for the show tonight. That’s because there is no show tonight. Or tomorrow. Or the next day. For me, and for the rest of the world, the stage is dark.

On December 13, 1995; Georgette Smith was born. It was an average Friday, that I chose to make my mother go into labor. No biggie... I was ready to take on the world! As a child, everything was ‘glitz and glamour’. Ignorant to the worlds problems, any problems I may of had, or my parents problems; I was a happy child. I loved singing with my sister on hot days. A crowd of strangers would gather on the block, eat food, play games, and wait for my sister and I to take the mic. We called this a Block Party, but to me it felt like family.

11 Strategies to Develop an Unshakeable Belief in Yourself