It is an average July day in 2003. I am fourteen years old. My family is getting packed for a two day trip to King's Island amusement park in Ohio. Everything is going normal until I suddenly get a stomachache. "Do you want to stay home"" asks my mom. "No," I say, "I want to go."

We drive the five hour car ride from our home in West Lafayette, Indiana to a small town just north of Cincinnati, Ohio. When we arrive, it is late in the afternoon, so we stay overnight in a hotel. The park will be closed in only a few hours. My stomachache persists, but I do not make a big deal about it. I tend to have stomachaches often, anyway. My family gets up bright and early in the morning, excited for our day of fun. Even though my stomach is still bothering me...