In September of 2015, I was diagnosed with Lyme disease. In the months prior, I hadn't known what was going wrong with me.

I was exhausted, sore and lacked focus or motivation for some time. As a dedicated cellist, athlete, dancer and scholar, these were all things I had never really experienced before. My body felt easily overwhelmed. In any situation of stress I would get rashes covering my face and neck and go into bed for days with exhaustion.

My parents took me to many allergy specialists, skin specialists, naturopaths and many other doctors while using every home remedy for my symptoms, yet nothing had an impact.

Finally, heading into my senior year at Camden Hills Regional High School, my parents decided to test me for Lyme. I tested positive.

At this point, I was almost overjoyed. We had found the solution to my rut that I was falling deeper into every day, and I would be all better after a month of antibiotics and back to my old, overachieving self. However now I see, eight months later, that Lyme disease is much more complicated than just that.

During my first treatment I ended up going through three months of intense antibiotics. I had continuous stomach pains, and the rest of my symptoms persisted as well. I felt completely overwhelmed, and had to stop dancing that first month of September. Having been a dancer my entire life in nearly every genre a person could think of, dancing was my outlet and my passion. I still almost wonder whether continuing to dance would have helped me recover faster because of how much it lifts my spirit, but the muscle aches were (and still) are far too severe.

There were many nights it was hard for me to fall asleep because of the pain, and many mornings that movement was even harder. I took up coffee drinking in the mornings to maintain my social persona, and crashed as soon as I got home from school every day at 2:30 p.m. There are also many times I have cried, not from the pain itself, but from how much of an impact it has had on myself and my life. I'm a gym rat, a runner and a social bumblebee, and with Lyme I find myself finishing my school work and plunging myself under the covers of my bed.

It can be incredibly discouraging, which is one of the most difficult psychological aspects of this disease.

One of the trickiest things I have battled with over the last eight months is balancing how I truly feel with everyone else's perception of my personality. Throughout my life I have developed a reputation of a do-er, a giver and a person who seems to have 200 hours in her week. With this, my work load throughout this year has been maintained to my normal standards.

I've struggled with sharing this illness with others, as I wanted to sustain my reputation while staying hopeful of my speedy recovery. However, this has not always been to my benefit. I have been run ragged more times this year than I can remember.

Yet, I am still hopeful. I am on the second month of my third treatment, and I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I went for a really good run today, and although I'm beat I can say every day I feel better than the day before.

I know this disease will not stay with me much longer because spiritually, I know I have gotten out of it what I was meant to get. I have learned what it is like to have an illness like Lyme disease — a continuously changing, mentally, physically and emotionally exhausting illness.

From this experience I know that I will take with me a deeper passion and a stronger connection with what I know to be my destined path: medicine. As I pursue my education at Harvard University in the fall, I will begin my journey toward becoming a surgeon. I know that this experience will make me more driven toward my goals and a more compassionate doctor. I am thankful to be able to understand and connect with those struggling with their health so that I can do my best to give them the proper support and care they need. This has always been a dream of mine.

Harper Gordon lives in Rockport. She is a senior at Camden Hills Regional High School and just learned she was selected to be the 2016 salutatorian at graduation.