North Idaho Christian School: Ellie Bailey perseveres to find her path

When it comes to perseverance, Elianna “Ellie” Bailey could write a book. She writes it every day in how she’s living her life.

As the North Idaho Christian High School student says herself, she has been ill as long as she can remember, and the medicines she needs to take to deal with those illnesses make her feel sickly. And yet, as teacher Jennifer Scott observed, “you wouldn’t know it, even having her in the classroom.”

In addition to coping with such things as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, migraines and Graves disease (an autoimmune disorder), among others, throughout her 19 years, Bailey said when she was a baby, she had an adverse reaction to a vaccination and lost her ability to speak. She suffered from selective mutism until she was 4. She was also unable to read until she turned 11.

Growing up in a Christian family, while she was upset with God for a time and not OK with her situation, she came to realize that being mad at God was not the way forward. With the support of her parents (Sarah, communications director at Candlelight Christian Fellowship, and Kent, a bailiff and retired military) and that of her church, she came to understand she had gifts to share.

She decided to not let her illnesses get her stuck. “I didn’t want to be known as just the girl with chronic health issues.”

“My mother, who is the smartest person I know, told me that, sure, I can feel sick and do nothing, or go and be active,” Bailey said. “I’ll still feel sick, but at least I’ll be out there doing something.”

She now likes to hike and explore outdoors, paint and be involved in some school activities. As her teacher said: “There are no excuses with her. When she puts her mind to something, she gives it her all.”

Bailey said the biggest gift of sickness is having empathy for others. She has been able to help another girl with chronic health issues by way of conversation and listening, and she tries to educate others about the added dimension of being able to do the work that’s expected when you don’t feel well.

“A lot of young people especially don’t understand that, but are open to learning,” she added.

Bailey traveled with her church to Israel last year and is taking a class trip to Belize this spring. It has been a revelation to her to experience other cultures and witness people with differences find ways to live and work together, while acknowledging that it doesn’t always work smoothly.

Accepting and working together with others different than yourself has inspired her to attend North Idaho College this fall, then transfer to the University of Idaho’s international studies program and eventually become an immigration attorney.

As to why that specialty, she commented that she wants everyone to be safe, and that where she feels there is bias against people from elsewhere, she wants them to be treated legally and fairly. “No one should face discrimination because they are different or not what the majority around them are used to being around.”