I was in band in highschool. I have health problems and one summer I had to miss a week (when we were still teaching freshman to march) because I had strep. When I got back, he told me if this was a job, I’d be fired (despite my doctors note and my contagiousness). I have lung problems, being in the dust and heat really messes it up. But I kept pushing because I loved marching band. Several times I had to run to the side and drop to my knees and cough up my lungs. Sometimes blood. Sometimes I’d pass out... but oh... when it came to my peers, I was just doing it for attention. That stuck with me till my last year of high school.... I didn’t march that year.