Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear The Associate Dean (Studies):

I am appealing to extend my IN grade for HLTH405 which expired to ¿¿F¿ on September 15 2014, so that I may complete my course requirements and apply to graduate in the spring.

The cancer recurrence of a close family member (my aunt, Dr. Pamela Catton) took a significant toll on my psychological health, as this event triggered episodes of anxiety, panic attacks and insomnia. The onset of my condition was directly related to my aunt's cancer recurrence, which began in April 2014, and was ongoing until Pam¿¿s decease in December 2014. My symptoms were ongoing throughout the summer, and were exacerbated by a number of ongoing factors (which I will outline below), ultimately making it very difficult for me complete my academic responsibilities before the course deadline.

Last summer I moved to Toronto to work at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in the Cancer Survivorship Clinic (my auntie Pam hired me; see supporting documents for employment letter). Because Pam became sick and had nobody to care for her, I moved into the bottom unit of the duplex that she lived in (see rent receipts in supporting documents) so I could support her during her treatment, and be of assistance to Pam in any way she needed. Although my involvement in Pam¿¿s recuperation did not help my condition, I knew I would resent myself for not being there for her ¿¿ and that type of regret would have fuelled my anxiety and panic attacks even more down the road.

Living with Pam while her health was deteriorating, and working at a cancer survivorship clinic worsened my anxiety, making it difficult to complete my HLTH405 assignment throughout the summer. Furthermore, my professor and I had previously agreed on changing my assignment topic to a reflection paper on what I had learned about the health care system through my aunt¿¿s cancer experience, given that I was very much involved in Pam¿¿s recuperation (see supporting docs for email history with Dr. Power). While this seemed like a good idea at the time (which was prior to the onset of my anxiety and panic attacks), writing about this topic significantly hindered my ability to complete my assignment, as the very nature of the topic exacerbated my anxiety. Ultimately, reflecting on and writing about cancer care through Pam¿¿s experience would trigger panic attacks, and would deter me from working on my assignment.

When Pam's health took a nosedive in September, my anxiety and insomnia became severe, and I had more frequent panic attacks. These ongoing symptoms significantly impacted my ability to complete my HLTH405 assignment before the course deadline. Therefore, due to this ongoing extenuating circumstance, I did not have the emotional or physical capacity to complete my course requirements before the course deadline.

I did not seek professional help because I was embarrassed to admit anything was wrong with me. My strategies to improve my condition were meditation and exercise, which distracted me and helped subside my anxiety. Since witnessing my aunt's decease on December 23rd, the severity/frequency of my symptoms have decreased considerably (see supporting documents for obituary). I have felt a sense of closure, knowing Pam is in a better place, where her suffering has ended; and to some extent, mine has too.

I would greatly appreciate your consideration in extending my IN grade for HLTH405 so that I may finish this course. My extenuating circumstance was clearly ongoing, and hindered my ability from completing the course requirements before the September 15 deadline.

Sincerely,
Victoria