Editor’s Note: Each month, InterCOM will highlight a “Student of the Month” from the College of Medicine. Students will be featured for their participation in activities outside of medical school and for making a difference in the community. The goal is to recognize students for what they are doing and to encourage other students to get involved in the community. After all, medical school should be much more than studying.
Personal:
Born: Grand Island, Neb. Raised in Aurora, Neb. (population 4,000).
Education: Aurora High School; Wayne State College (member of the Rural Health Opportunities Program, majored in chemistry health sciences).
Fun, weird and med school-relevant facts about me:
- I have PKU (phenylketonuria) and was diagnosed shortly after birth via newborn screening. With my frequent clinic visits, it's what inspired me to go into medicine. PKU is a lot more complicated and challenging to deal with than we learn about. I grew up having to weigh and measure everything I ate or drank in order to prevent brain damage due to elevated phenylalanine levels. My limit was 6 grams of protein per day. Just to put things into perspective, an order of french fries has 3 grams. I also had to order special low-protein foods (corn and rice starch pasta, artificial cheese, "burger patties" made from mushrooms and other mystery vegetables, etc.) and supplemented my diet with an amino acid formula my friends used to tell me tasted like "cat food."
- Fortunately, UNMC is participating in a clinical trial for a new treatment for PKU and I'm one of the study participants. I'm currently giving myself a daily injection of a laboratory-created enzyme that mimics the one my body is lacking. Since I've started the trial, my Phe levels have been the lowest they've EVER been, and I've been able to eat things I never dreamed possible like fish, cheese, regular pastas and bread, and even some meats!
Hobbies:
- Cooking
- Dance (jazz and hip hop)
- Reading (thriller and sci-fi novels…and maybe a textbook here and there)
- Traveling
Staying Balanced:
- Most of my time outside of school lately has been spent planning our wedding (12/21/13).
- I sometimes get calls from my dietician at the med center when a new baby is diagnosed with PKU. It's a shocking and life-changing diagnosis for a family, so I often meet them and speak with them about my experiences, good and bad.
- I enjoy acting as a mentor for younger patients and as a resource for their families.