It was a mild 13C Toronto morning on that fall day in 2005. That was when Robert and Nancy Kersnik welcomed three fraternal triplets Nina, Amanda, and Paulina into the family.
According to 2022-2023 data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), acute care hospitals in Canada not including Quebec had 63 deliveries of triplets.
All born one minute apart, and prematurely at just 25 weeks old, this was not an easy task for the couple to take on. Due to complications, we were eventually transported to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Mount Sinai Hospital, a place we would call home for a few months.
From that moment on, it was clear we had a close bond.
We ate together, shared rooms and mostly wore the same outfits.
But despite the similarities, our personalities are quite different.
I was the one who always asked questions, Amanda went with the flow, and Paulina was the rambunctious one.
In school, we would frequently get asked what it’s like to be a triplet.
Imagine being with two others all day every day, having the same classes, and friends, and being known to your classmates as “the triplets”.
It was also quite difficult for us to make and keep friends, and because of this, I am so grateful that I have sisters who I call built-in best friends for life.
Once high school came around though, those four years changed everything. Just after the end of my first semester in March 2020, a pandemic was declared worldwide.
Before I knew it, online school and video chats were the new norms, and my anxiety began to reach an all-time high. My siblings, specifically Paulina, helped me navigate that stress, even though she may not realize it.
During the pandemic, we shared a room for a while, which strengthened the bond between the two of us. Graduation, however, revealed the fear of being alone in college.
Thankfully, Paulina and I studied in the same program at Humber, which made the transition smoother. But as time went on and credits were racked up, she knew another plan was in the cards for her.
Unfortunately, this was a moment that I knew would be unavoidable, yet one that I was dreading. Having her take her own path for good felt like my identity, and someone I turned to for comfort had been taken from me in an instant.
Suddenly, with the snap of a finger, my life was truly mine to live.
In the first few weeks of my third semester, feeling lonely was the biggest obstacle I faced, despite being surrounded by the people who were there to support me.
One of these moments included my biggest of the semester when my first ever sports story got chosen as the back page of Humber Et Cetera. Leading up to the publication deadline my mind was filled with anxious thoughts as I wondered whether my photos would meet expectations, especially after I saw the work of my peers.
This was a major emotional hurdle for me.
Fortunately for me, my professor absolutely loved it, but even with the recognition, I still felt empty inside. It hit me that the people who I really wanted to experience my biggest accomplishment yet were nowhere to be found.
Looking back, although it may have hurt tremendously, separation was essential for our growth as individuals and the development of our futures.
Now, thanks to the faculty and friends in my program, I can finally say that I truly feel like I fit in for the first time in a long time.
I always try to remember that letting go means I am learning to accept the journey that lies ahead of me, and even if it may be frightening, chasing the unknown can be the most exciting part of life.
