Grit, resilience and optimism.
These are a few words that come to mind when describing Jackie Arias.
Just before her sophomore year at Sanford H. Calhoun High School in Merrick, N.Y., Arias was diagnosed with Takayasu arteritis, an autoimmune disease causing inflammation of the blood vessels that can result in heart damage. Soon after, she experienced kidney failure and, requiring dialysis several times a week, began home instruction.