Petition Letter
During my first year at Queen??s University in general sciences, I was faced with a number of significant health issues that negatively impacted my final grades in 3 courses; CHEM 112, MATH 121, and BIOL 102. My symptoms, which started September 21st, included acute pain, severe cramping and extreme nausea caused me to feel so systemically ill that I spent many days and nights shivering in bed with a high fever.
On October 1st, I experienced severe abdominal cramping, was extremely nauseous and began vomiting. For close to a week I was not able to attend school and was late handing in assignments due to acute pain. Without going into great detail on the specifics of this illness, let me emphasize that my pain was intolerable and I lost so much blood that I began suffering new symptoms of anemia which included dizziness, loss of appetite, migraine headaches and feeling faint.
On November 15th- November 22nd, I experienced horrible abdominal cramping, a fever and had lower GI bleeding. At this point, I went to Hotel Dieu Hospital in Kingston. I was unable to attend class and missed some course tests which I had to make up at a later date.
On January 14th I had severe abdominal pain and cramping, making it difficult for me to get out of bed.
On January 23rd my horrible cramping, pain and diarrhea continued. I was unable to eat and had to seek medical help in Kingston. At this point lab tests were done to investigate a gastro-intestinal infection. Once again, my pain and depleted energy made it impossible to function. I could not focus, had to miss class and was late on assignments on several occasions.
On Feb 5th my abdominal pain worsened and I started feeling extremely depressed which I was told was a symptom of this illness. I needed to increase my medication and start therapy at the Student Wellness Centre. I tried going to some classes but my pain made it very difficult to concentrate on my work.
Due to these ongoing symptoms, my immune system became quite depleted. So in addition to my constant pain and discomfort, I became susceptible to viruses and found myself sicker, weaker and completely depleted.
These ailments made it virtually impossible for me to focus on what I was studying and retain information. This was especially challenging in very time consuming courses requiring a lot of focus and significant memory work like Biology, Calculus and Chemistry. When studying at the library or going to classes I would attend and then have to leave within a short period of time due to severe pain. In many instances, I was too sick to attend at all.
On March 1st my hands and feet turned blue and became acutely painful. I could not gain proper circulation to my extremities for over a week. My body temperature dropped to below normal. I had to wear several layers and gloves to bed and to class, but any movement increased the pain so I could not really type or write anything. After several days without change I went to the ER at Kingston General Hospital.
From March 10th to the end of term my abdominal pain worsened significantly. I was losing a lot more blood and on many occasions could barely stand up. I made several trips to the hospital in Kingston and one trip to Toronto. The hospital said that I needed to see a Specialist to be properly treated. I had an excruciatingly difficult time preparing and studying for exams. Despite feeling horrible, I worked as hard as my body would physically allow. I wrote all but my Biology 103 final exam as I was so sick that I could not leave my room. It was not until I returned home at the end of the school year and received medical care that I was able to resume proper studying and complete a deferred exam in BIOL 103 which raised my mark significantly. Unfortunately, my first year grades were already damaged from my medical issues and as a result, my options to get into a major of my choice are now limited. Even though my arts credits offered much more flexibility, my grades in these courses also fell below my expectations as a result of my ailments.
I hope this letter helps provide some insight into the difficulties I faced this past school year as a result of my physical illness. I can assure you that despite everything I had to endure, I did not give up. I have never been faced with so many significant sequential ailments, nor have I ever received such low grades. Although I took all the necessary steps to seek medical assistance throughout the year, I was not able to get proper treatment until I returned home at the end of term. I am feeling so much better now and am eager to start fresh in September. So I would ask, with the utmost sincerity, that the Arts and Science Faculty give me the opportunity to do so by converting my marks in BIOL102, CHEM112 and MATH121 to credit standing.
On October 1st, I experienced severe abdominal cramping, was extremely nauseous and began vomiting. For close to a week I was not able to attend school and was late handing in assignments due to acute pain. Without going into great detail on the specifics of this illness, let me emphasize that my pain was intolerable and I lost so much blood that I began suffering new symptoms of anemia which included dizziness, loss of appetite, migraine headaches and feeling faint.
On November 15th- November 22nd, I experienced horrible abdominal cramping, a fever and had lower GI bleeding. At this point, I went to Hotel Dieu Hospital in Kingston. I was unable to attend class and missed some course tests which I had to make up at a later date.
On January 14th I had severe abdominal pain and cramping, making it difficult for me to get out of bed.
On January 23rd my horrible cramping, pain and diarrhea continued. I was unable to eat and had to seek medical help in Kingston. At this point lab tests were done to investigate a gastro-intestinal infection. Once again, my pain and depleted energy made it impossible to function. I could not focus, had to miss class and was late on assignments on several occasions.
On Feb 5th my abdominal pain worsened and I started feeling extremely depressed which I was told was a symptom of this illness. I needed to increase my medication and start therapy at the Student Wellness Centre. I tried going to some classes but my pain made it very difficult to concentrate on my work.
Due to these ongoing symptoms, my immune system became quite depleted. So in addition to my constant pain and discomfort, I became susceptible to viruses and found myself sicker, weaker and completely depleted.
These ailments made it virtually impossible for me to focus on what I was studying and retain information. This was especially challenging in very time consuming courses requiring a lot of focus and significant memory work like Biology, Calculus and Chemistry. When studying at the library or going to classes I would attend and then have to leave within a short period of time due to severe pain. In many instances, I was too sick to attend at all.
On March 1st my hands and feet turned blue and became acutely painful. I could not gain proper circulation to my extremities for over a week. My body temperature dropped to below normal. I had to wear several layers and gloves to bed and to class, but any movement increased the pain so I could not really type or write anything. After several days without change I went to the ER at Kingston General Hospital.
From March 10th to the end of term my abdominal pain worsened significantly. I was losing a lot more blood and on many occasions could barely stand up. I made several trips to the hospital in Kingston and one trip to Toronto. The hospital said that I needed to see a Specialist to be properly treated. I had an excruciatingly difficult time preparing and studying for exams. Despite feeling horrible, I worked as hard as my body would physically allow. I wrote all but my Biology 103 final exam as I was so sick that I could not leave my room. It was not until I returned home at the end of the school year and received medical care that I was able to resume proper studying and complete a deferred exam in BIOL 103 which raised my mark significantly. Unfortunately, my first year grades were already damaged from my medical issues and as a result, my options to get into a major of my choice are now limited. Even though my arts credits offered much more flexibility, my grades in these courses also fell below my expectations as a result of my ailments.
I hope this letter helps provide some insight into the difficulties I faced this past school year as a result of my physical illness. I can assure you that despite everything I had to endure, I did not give up. I have never been faced with so many significant sequential ailments, nor have I ever received such low grades. Although I took all the necessary steps to seek medical assistance throughout the year, I was not able to get proper treatment until I returned home at the end of term. I am feeling so much better now and am eager to start fresh in September. So I would ask, with the utmost sincerity, that the Arts and Science Faculty give me the opportunity to do so by converting my marks in BIOL102, CHEM112 and MATH121 to credit standing.