Although the phrase “never say never” has been used often enough to become a cliché, there is something to be said for a refusal to believe that the situation you’re in is impossible to overcome.
After all, even the most learned among us can make mistakes and even the most unlikely of events still aren’t impossible.
RELATED STORIES
And that has rung especially true for one New York woman who once faced some disheartening odds.
When 24-year-old Nekhidia Harris was born, her parents received a grim prognosis from doctors.
As ABC 7 reported , Nekhidia was only expected to live for three days due to a combination of mysterious conditions.
After it turned out that this would not come to pass, she would undergo numerous surgeries throughout her life.
According to Jamaica Observer , her condition would ensure that her maximum lifetime height would remain a little over two feet tall.
It has also made her bones particularly brittle and prone to fractures.
ABC 7 reported that she has had dozens of these fractures in her life, but what may have once seemed like an impossible situation now exists only as a setback to her.
On Thursday, she received a bachelor’s degree in social work from Medgar Evers College.
As she said , “I was like, oh my gosh, this is really, really happening. Oh my gosh, I thank God every day.”
Although college had challenged her with enough hard work to make some sleepless nights necessary, it seems as though none of these challenges were social.
As her father, Michael, said, “No one has shunned her. Nobody treats her differently, because they see her as tall as they are.”
Michael told Nekhidia to “use her brain as her height” and it’s a lesson she has taken to heart.
These are also words she has essentially had to live by, as Jamaica Observer reported that her condition is apparently complex enough that doctors still haven’t been able to diagnose her.
As for Nekhidia’s post-graduate plans, she intends to further equip herself with the tools to help people.
Part of this will involve pursuing a Master’s degree from York college, but she has already co-founded an international non-profit that she uses to motivate others with disabilities.
According to Jamaica Observer , this charity is known as the Harris Family Vision Foundation and it’s active in Jamaica, Haiti and St. Vincent.
As she’s said, she’s particularly passionate about helping children.
She said, “I also have a voice, and I love children. They gravitate to me, so I want to help them in every way I can.”
h/t: ABC 7
