Living Life to Its Fullest

By David Gaoa, Recent Pine View High School Graduate

As a happy four-year-old boy living in American Samoa, I became very sick with a high fever that left me with hydrocephalus, headaches, pain, and blindness. As I grew up in the American Samoan schools, I learned about the history of my people and other common subjects. I also learned math and how to read and write in braille, but unfortunately, music classes were never offered.

As time went on, my family could see that I would need the doctors in America. That time came during my senior year of high school. One of my biggest challenges was moving from the island, my school, and my friends to live in America. Everyone at Pine View High School has made this challenge easier for me.

It is so amazing to finish my senior year with music. I am singing in the concert choir class and playing hand bells in the hand bell class! I could never do these things back home on the island.

I have loved singing with the songs on the internet, but this is my first time singing in a choir. I have learned some concert songs in braille, and others I have memorized. I enjoy singing with my class and love how it sounds when we all sing together. Choir has allowed me to do what I love on a higher level. Singing alone is not as fun as singing with others. You become one voice when you sing with other people. This has helped me to be a part of something bigger than myself.

Playing the hand bells in the hand bell class is fun, but it is also very hard at times. It takes self-control and patience. I read the braille notes with one hand while the other hand is ringing the bell. When one bell is played, there is no song; it is only a bell being rung. But when many bells are ringing at the right time, a song is being played, and it sounds good!

I have also tried playing the cello, and I look forward to playing other musical instruments in the future. Music matters to me. It helps me to learn, to study better, and to have more self-control in my life. This has helped me rise above my challenges and has shown me that music can bring happiness and joy into my life. To be our true self, we must join in with others to help bring out their best selves.

Being blind doesn’t mean I have to step back and let the world pass me by. Being blind does not hold me back from doing things that seem hard or impossible. Whether you are blind or sighted, living life to its fullest is for everyone!