Survivor is not just the title of a reality TV game show. It's what Laura Lippitz, a student at Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, IL) has proven herself to be. Having survived two brain surgeries, this young woman's heart has not hardened. Instead, she has become even stronger.

Laura's first surgery was for Arnold Khiari, a malformation of the skull that does not allow room for the brain to grow (instead the brain pushes through the first vertebra and into the spinal column, causing memory loss, speech problems, and extreme pain). After the first surgery, Laura began to have seizures, and though the second surgery removed a pituitary tumor, her medical experiences were far from over. Laura also has dyslexia.

"I have had quite a few 'struggles' in my life," she explains, "but I don't think of them as struggles or even obstacles that I had to overcome. It's just my life."

A life Laura has decided to live fully! Still earning As and Bs, she spent last semester in London and Christmas in Vienna, even though her family expressed concern. But as her mom, Lisa, recalls, Laura simply responded by saying, 'This is the way I'm going to feel the rest of my life. Should I just lie down and feel lousy, or do I get to live my life?'

"When people ask me how I have dealt with everything I reply that I really didn't have much of a choice," Laura explains. "I felt sorry for myself for a few minutes and then decided I wasn't going to let anything stand in my way, not even my own body."

Even during the midst of her maladies, Laura graduated in the top five percent of her high school's class, and, says her mom, she did it by working double-time. After one of the surgeries, Lisa remembers Laura even had to re-learn how to read.

"This whole family has come a long way in the five years since we sat in that intensive care waiting room to see if our baby would talk, walk, or even live," Mom recalls proudly.

Laura also feels blessed. With a special family, good friends, and an unyielding spirit, she says, she was able to overcome the toughest of hardships. "I have a great social support network. My family and friends have always been there for me through everything and anything. I know they always will.

"My mom never left my side for three years in high school when I was going through all of my surgeries. One of my closest friends here at school has been to the emergency room with me three times and held my hand through more seizures than I am sure she cares to count," Laura says. "They didn't let me give up -- that is where having wonderful friends comes in handy. We support each other."

The key to overcoming obstacles, be them physical, emotional, or otherwise, is empowering yourself, says Laura. "Don't be afraid to ask for help, either," she adds. "It doesn't mean that you are weak or stupid. I would not have gotten nearly as far as I have without help."

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