Please summarize the reasons that you are applying for the SIMR Program, how your participation in the program fits into your future educational and career objectives, and why you feel you are a good candidate for the program. You may also discuss your institute/area of research preferences and personal goals.
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I remember one day when I was just starting preschool, I started screaming so loudly that I had to be pulled into the atrium as not to disturb the other students. My stomach hurt worse than it ever had before, but I insisted to my teachers that my teeth hurt. Even at three years old, I had been admitted to the hospital several times, and I did everything in my power to avoid returning there. My teachers, of course, realized …show more content…
These are the numbers that are reported on program websites or in national statistics. But only about .00052% of babies born in the Western world have a type 1 choledochal cyst. And it is these patients that you never hear about; these patients have surgeries and experience complications. They often suffer from pancreatitis and chronic abdominal pain. But the reason you never hear about these patients is because of what is in the medical world called failure to thrive. These patients are forced to quit activities that they enjoy because of the pain, and often spend so much of their time in hospitals that they cannot keep up with schoolwork. The fact that I am able to keep up with my work and thrive at school and at home is in itself rare. But that I still have a drive to make a difference in the world is almost unheard of. When I talk to my doctors, they are amazed that I am able to play on the Varsity soccer team at my school, or pursue my passions in beekeeping and medicine. I am proud of what I have been able to do, but it is my desire for more that sets me apart from the …show more content…
But it is biological imperatives that cause adversity; evolutionarily, a person had to follow a group and conform to their ideals, as their food supply and shelter depended on the group. Therefore, it is not uncommon for a majority to wrongfully treat a minority. Thus, those from a minority are often confronted with challenges. To combat this, and work towards a more inclusive world, society must create opportunities for minorities, so that the traits that unite us are our shared interests, not skin color or heritage. I did not have to work on a farm from the time I could stand up straight, nor did I have to fight with my family to invest in my education. My struggle is an everyday battle with chronic pain, aa I endeavour not to let the pain define me. As I spend more time in the hospital, it is difficult to maintain my identity as a person rather than as a drugged-up patient, like many of the other children and adolescents in the hospital with me. When I plan my evenings, I need to allow two hours for when I am in such terrible pain that I cannot focus on anything else. I schedule biweekly saline infusions due to my inability to drink water. But even when I cannot sustain myself with water, I satiate my curiosity with the research I do on my