Petition Letter
To: Dr. Johanne Bénard, Associate Dean of Studies October 13th, 2017
Re: Appeal to remove first year grades from my transcript
Dear Dr. Johanne Bénard,
With this letter I would like to respectfully make an appeal to remove my first year grades (terms Sept. 2015 to June, 2016) from my official Queens transcript. Because of these poor grades I was requested to withdraw from Queens for a year and I was scheduled to return in September of this year. Unfortunately, I was recently diagnosed with a very severe illness that prevented me from returning this year. It is very likely that this illness negatively influenced my ability to study during my first year at Queens and this is the basis for my appeal.
Very briefly, during July and August 2017, I suffered a rapid series of roughly 10 grand mal seizures that required 4 ER visits to Vancouver General Hospital. These were followed by increasingly intense bouts of psychosis and, ultimately, admission to the neurology intensive care unit at VGH (3 weeks) with rapidly declining autonomic and cognitive function. I was eventually diagnosed with a very rare autoimmune disease: anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis (please see details at this Foundation's website: http://www.antinmdafoundation.org). In my case, this was caused by an undiagnosed tumor (teratoma) in one of my ovaries. My immune system made antibodies to neural cells in this tumor, which then blocked neurotransmitter receptors in my brain and caused the aforementioned symptoms. Luckily, this was diagnosed before I sustained permanent neurological damage. Following the removal of my tumor and several rounds of aggressive immunosuppression, my cognitive function has steadily been improving. Baring an unlikely relapse, I am hoping to make a full recovery over the next few months.
Although it is very difficult to pinpoint when my disease first began, teratomas can go undiagnosed for many years and some of the early hallmarks for this particular type of disease are severe insomnia, severe anxiety and difficulty in focusing: all symptoms I experienced during my first year at Queens. I would also like to highlight that the very poor grades I received during my first year were extremely atypical for me as I have always been a strong scholar.
Having survived a potentially terminal illness has only hardened my resolve to graduate with honors from Queens. Although it is unlikely that I will be able to leave Vancouver until some time in 2018, in order to make up for lost time, I would like to begin by taking courses that could be credited towards my degree at Queens at UBC this winter with the long-term plan of fully resuming my studies at Queens by September of 2018. In the interest of being able to make a fresh start at Queens and fulfill my desire to graduate with honors, I would like to respectfully request that my previous grades be purged from my transcript.
I would be happy to provide you any additional documentation you may need to fully evaluate my appeal. Thank you very much for your attention.
Sincerely,
Ms Lucia Leon-Valdez
Re: Appeal to remove first year grades from my transcript
Dear Dr. Johanne Bénard,
With this letter I would like to respectfully make an appeal to remove my first year grades (terms Sept. 2015 to June, 2016) from my official Queens transcript. Because of these poor grades I was requested to withdraw from Queens for a year and I was scheduled to return in September of this year. Unfortunately, I was recently diagnosed with a very severe illness that prevented me from returning this year. It is very likely that this illness negatively influenced my ability to study during my first year at Queens and this is the basis for my appeal.
Very briefly, during July and August 2017, I suffered a rapid series of roughly 10 grand mal seizures that required 4 ER visits to Vancouver General Hospital. These were followed by increasingly intense bouts of psychosis and, ultimately, admission to the neurology intensive care unit at VGH (3 weeks) with rapidly declining autonomic and cognitive function. I was eventually diagnosed with a very rare autoimmune disease: anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis (please see details at this Foundation's website: http://www.antinmdafoundation.org). In my case, this was caused by an undiagnosed tumor (teratoma) in one of my ovaries. My immune system made antibodies to neural cells in this tumor, which then blocked neurotransmitter receptors in my brain and caused the aforementioned symptoms. Luckily, this was diagnosed before I sustained permanent neurological damage. Following the removal of my tumor and several rounds of aggressive immunosuppression, my cognitive function has steadily been improving. Baring an unlikely relapse, I am hoping to make a full recovery over the next few months.
Although it is very difficult to pinpoint when my disease first began, teratomas can go undiagnosed for many years and some of the early hallmarks for this particular type of disease are severe insomnia, severe anxiety and difficulty in focusing: all symptoms I experienced during my first year at Queens. I would also like to highlight that the very poor grades I received during my first year were extremely atypical for me as I have always been a strong scholar.
Having survived a potentially terminal illness has only hardened my resolve to graduate with honors from Queens. Although it is unlikely that I will be able to leave Vancouver until some time in 2018, in order to make up for lost time, I would like to begin by taking courses that could be credited towards my degree at Queens at UBC this winter with the long-term plan of fully resuming my studies at Queens by September of 2018. In the interest of being able to make a fresh start at Queens and fulfill my desire to graduate with honors, I would like to respectfully request that my previous grades be purged from my transcript.
I would be happy to provide you any additional documentation you may need to fully evaluate my appeal. Thank you very much for your attention.
Sincerely,
Ms Lucia Leon-Valdez