A Special Dream (Ⅰ)

7 A Special Dream (I) Nancy is my mom's best friend. At the age of 43, she took a step that many people her age would never even consider taking. She registered for a hairdresser-training course. It wasn't easy when she first stepped into the classroom. Her classmates were young, energetic. Nancy, on the other hand, was as old as their mothers. Even more remarkable, she had just recovered from thyroid surgery. Ten years ago, Nancy developed high thyroid levels. Her health became a great obstacle to what she wanted to do. What is a thyroid? A thyroid is a small gland in the human body that plays a critical role in human health. It makes and stores hormones that help regulate heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and the rate at which food is converted into energy. Needless to say, life is difficult if you have high thyroid levels.

Over many years, Nancy took medicine and tried to control her condition. After a long struggle, she decided to have surgery to remove the thyroid. Although the surgery is not as complicated as an open- chest operation, it's quite tricky. The human body is very sophisticated. The thyroid is located in the neck, close to quite a few nerves. Damage to any of these nerves could cause patients to lose their voice or result in significant impairment of swallowing and respiratory functions. Before the operation, the doctor told her that anything could happen. She signed the consent form anyway. While she was on the operating table, Nancy thought about her life. One of her thoughts was to pursue her dreams if she regained her health. For many years, she had dreamed about becoming a hairdresser. She felt that it was magic when people went in with a head of hair like a haystack, and left with a gorgeous new look. Nancy's operation was successful. As she recovered in the hospital, she decided to make the changes she had promised herself. Soon, she began her journey to become a professional hairdresser.