May 29--Not even cystic fibrosis could keep Dana Sharpe from obtaining an education.
And it certainly won't prevent her from picking up her high school diploma.
"I want to be with everybody, and that's a once in a lifetime thing," said Sharpe, who will graduate June 10 from North Iredell High School.
With a diminutive stature and soft-spoken demeanor, Dana seemingly always has a smile on her face, even as she speaks of her ailments.
At age 2, she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a hereditary disease that affects the lungs, liver, pancreas and intestines. Thick mucus production often leads to lung infections, which explains why Dana has endured two double lung transplants.
She will undergo additional surgery Friday for vocal cord and sinus problems.
The medicine prescribed for her disease has caused her to become diabetic.
She suffered kidney failure and was put on dialysis for a week.
The 18-year-old has been forced to be homeschooled for extended periods of time due to her illnesses. Since January, Dana has been learning from home like she had to do in fifth, sixth, 10th and 11th grades.
A teacher visits Dana at least three times a week so she can keep up with her lessons.
Her studies are often interrupted by having to take medicine and insulin shots each day.
Dana lives with her grandmother, Opal Rupard, who said Dana has a passion for learning and is strong-willed.
"She's always wanted an education, and she's not lazy when it comes to that," Rupard said. "What she sets her mind to do, she'll do."
Even while in the hospital and during her extended stays in the Ronald McDonald House, she requested her teachers.
"I wanted to pass," she said. "I didn't want to get behind just because I was in the hospital."
She said it was important for her to stay on track because she wanted to graduate on time with her class.
"It's the only way you'll get somewhere in life and get a good job," she said.
Although times in her past may have been gloomy, graduation gives her hope for the future.
After she walks across the stage to receive her diploma, she plans to take steps to eventually work in the medical field.
"I want to be a nurse," she said. "I have just been around (medicine) my whole life."
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