As I prepare to walk in the University of Dayton's May 7, 2006 commencement ceremony, I feel compelled to express my thoughts to the people with whom I have spent the past few years of my life'those I know and those I don't. During my time here at UD, I experienced something life-changing in both good and bad ways.

Long story short, I had a massive brain-stem stroke about a year ago (March 17, 2005) while in an art class in UD's Rike Center (the art building). Initially, I was not expected to live through the weekend, and if I survived, I was expected to be a quadriplegic confined to a wheelchair. I went through a long grueling process of physical rehab, relearning to feed myself, write, walk, and eventually to drive my car. I had to start from virtual physical infancy to re-master what we all take for granted. I also learned how quickly and easily we all could lose our precious lives or alter the way in which we must live them.

After some of my strength had returned, but before lethargy overtook me, I returned to the University of Dayton this past fall semester and had to resume my unfinished classes while simultaneously taking new full course loads. I found it necessary to take an extra semester than I had originally planned, and am working to complete as much of the leftover work as quickly as possible. I am graduating in May 2006 with a little catch-up work to finish over the summer.

I am so very fortunate to have survived and to find my old life again, with some major changes. Although I am left with partial numbness in half of my body, have difficulty with my muscles and walking, suffer from post-traumatic depression, and get exhausted easily, I am persevering and keeping sight of my goals.

One of my main purposes in writing this letter is to react to my experience of reintegrating back into UD. In some ways, there was a lot of good will and compassion toward me, and other ways, I have felt alienated. When one faces their own death (or so it seemed at the time), and survives such a horrific, devastating catastrophe, they will come through it as a very different person and their life will never be the same as before.

As the Fall 2005 semester began this past August, I re-encountered people whom I hadn't seen since before I had my stroke. Although I knew that our small Fine Arts department was fairly well informed about what had happened to me, many of my fellow students seemed indifferent. Some students who had been in classes with me up to the previous semester and must have been aware of my circumstances never said a simple, 'Welcome back! I'm glad to see you're doing better!' It is amazing how a few kind words of acknowledgement can encourage someone who has suffered greatly. I was also dismayed that no one, including my own student design club, Fusion, ever offered to try to raise funds for the massive medical debt that I have accrued and which will add to the already substantial financial burden I'll be facing with my student loans. I know that it may be hard to understand what it is like to have gone through a stroke, but since UD is philosophically devoted to 'service,' I expected a more compassionate response from those I consider my community.

On the other hand, I wish to use this opportunity to thank the faculty and staff, especially in UD's Fine Arts department and some of the students for their kindness to me in my time of need. There were professors who went out of their way to visit me in the hospital when I couldn't even move my own muscles to sit up in bed. Those sincere acts of thoughtful kindness and prayers will never be forgotten. I truly value those caring people who made my tribulations a little easier because I knew that they cared.

During the 2005-2006 school year, I have participated in a few UD art shows, including the Horvath juried exhibition and the Closing Arguments Roesch Library exhibition. In October 2006, I am marrying Elizabeth Huesman. She is a UD graduate student and teaches 8th grade English/Literature at a Fairborn, Ohio middle school. Then it's on to finding a job and eventually buying a house.

Life throws some difficulties at us, but we can learn and grow through them. It has been quite an experience.

Tom Watson III

Senior

Fine Arts