A Very Special Honor: Speaking at a College Graduation

Kilee Brookbank

On Thursday, May 24, 2018, I got to experience a college graduation. But it wasn’t my own—that’s still two years away. Instead, I was asked to be the commencement speaker at Luzerne County (Pa.) Community College, which had just celebrated its 50th anniversary. I was so honored to be invited! I know it’s rare for…

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How Justin Bieber Helped Me Kickstart My Recovery

Justin Bieber

Photo by Craig T. Mathew/Mathew Imaging In January 2015, I got the opportunity to go on The Doctors TV show in Los Angeles. It was an amazing opportunity to share my story and form a message that would inspire others watching, and while I was there, another great experience came out of it: I ended…

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Shriners Visits Make for a Special Summer

Shriners Signing

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to visit a few different Shriners Hospitals for Children locations across the country in order to meet people who have had life-changing experiences similar to my own. I wanted to inspire people at the different hospitals and share my story beyond the Cincinnati area. I also wanted to…

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A New Outlook on Relationships

Relationships are always a huge part of everybody’s life. They are constantly changing, for a lot of different reasons. For me, going through a completely life-altering experience has changed all of my relationships. I am closer with my family and with most of my friends. In particular, my brother and I have gotten super close. We…

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Out of High School, Ready for the Future

I finally have graduated high school! The day I have looked forward to for many years is finally over, and I am not sure how to feel about it now that it has come and gone. Ever since I was a freshman seeing all the seniors and how much they looked forward to leaving high school…

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The Best Prom Ever

Prom 2016

Prom was amazing this year. I wore the most beautiful dress I have ever seen. The moment I tried my dress on, I knew it was the one I wanted to wear to my senior prom. I wanted that night to be one I would remember forever, and that’s exactly what it was. Inside Edition was part…

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A Truly Super Sunday

On Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, Carter René Brookbank was born. She weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces and was 19 inches long. She definitely made her arrival an exciting one! It was Super Bowl Sunday and we had just gotten home from eating dinner for my dad’s birthday, being that his birthday is on the 10th and we wouldn’t…

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