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At 10:38 am, I was born in Grand Rapids, MI! I weighed 5 lbs and 13 ounces and was 18.3 inches long. It was a scheduled C-section, so I was born on my Grandpa's birthday! -
At 10 months, I started walking early and it greatly changed my family and their actions concerning me! -
When I was 1 year old, my family took their very first trip with me to Colorado. On their daily hikes, I sat in the baby backpack and switched between being carried by family and being carried by friends. -
At 2 years old, my big brothers taught me how to ride my new Barbie bike, with training wheels of course. It was hard at first, but my brothers made sure that I didn't give up! -
At 3 years old, I got so lucky and took my very first trip to Disney world with my family! I had so much fun with the princesses and got a special makeover, but I didn't understand why my brothers weren't interested in the princesses! -
My family and I ventured out to Colorado, taking a trip to visit my grandparents and uncle, and also go skiing for the first time. Unfortunately, I broke my leg skiing with my dad and got my very own neon green cast. -
When I was 5 years old, my parents decided to build a house just a couple of miles away from our old one. I got to see Bob the Builder do his job and also started Kindergarten! -
At 6 years old, I was a soccer star and loved playing AYSO. I was so lucky to be able to have my mom as a coach who played music while we were practicing and was my biggest fan! -
After what was the longest manhunt in American history, US armed forces located Osama Bin Laden and assassinated him. This brought much relief to US Citizens. -
In 2012, I took a big leap in my faith and had my First Communion at St. Sebastian Catholic Church. This was very important to me and helped me grow closer to God. -
On July 8, 2013, my cousin, Alex Mandarino, took his trip to join the angels at age 5, way too soon. He battled and battled neuroblastoma cancer for years, but unfortunately lost his fight. This inspired me to go into the medical field to help others, and I feel him watching over me every day. -
At age 9, I wanted to get more serious with my soccer skills ad decided to join a travel soccer team and fell in love with the sport. Even though it was a big commitment for my family and me, we sure loved it! -
With the younger cousins around ages 10-12, my grandparents decided to take us on a road trip to Florida! We had so much fun at Busch Gardens, visited my uncle, and made specialty dinners each night! Such great memories! -
With my brother at age 15, and me at age 11, my parents gifted us with two pet guinea pigs! Mine was albino and was named Valentine, and my brother was named Butterscotch. We had so much fun with them, but did not love cleaning the cage! -
In late 2017, at the Allegan County Animal Shelter, I finally persuaded my family to adopt the cutest pitbull-mix dog. Bruno has been such a joy in our lives ever since, and his favorite thing to do is fish in the shallows of the lake every summer! -
In early February, in Parkland, FL, a person committed a horrible act and decided to shoot innocent people in a school. 17 were killed, along with 17 that were injured, and schools all over the country implemented more gun-safety regulations and precautions. -
After being the first Phelan child to graduate from Byron Center High School, Drew moved into MSU in the early fall. This was very sensational because he was the first kid to move out, and we missed him so much. -
In 8th grade, I was confirmed at a Catholic church in Grand Rapids. My brother was my sponsor and it was a huge leap in my faith! -
In early March 2020, COVID-19 spread worldwide and impacted everyone in the world. Schools were shut down, people couldn't see their friends and loved one's passed due to the illness. -
Due to the outbreak of the pandemic, my family traveled to Florida for what was supposed to be our spring break. Once school was canceled, we ended up staying in Florida for a month with our extended family, which was so much fun! -
With John Conlon as the new varsity coach and the prior year canceled due to COVID-19, BC Women's Soccer was able to make a huge run in the playoffs. We made it to State-Semi's and made lifelong memories together! -
In the summer of 2022, my dad was diagnosed with melanoma on part of his head, thankfully not too deep down though. If it had gone one level deeper, he would've had to do chemo. However, it was still very difficult and my dad had to go through many surgeries getting part of his scalp removed. Thankfully, the doctors were able to remove it all, but it is likely that it will come back. This changed our lives and perspectives immensely.