Petition Letter
During the winter break, I returned home to South Korea and received a medical check up due to irregular health patterns and, to my surprise, was diagnosed with a medical condition that required immediate surgery. On December 24th, I underwent operation under general anaesthesia and was hospitalized for about a week. Even after operation, my immune system was very vulnerable and it was very difficult for me to recover and return to my normal lifestyle. I arrived back to Kingston a week after the start of class, hoping I would recover fully by then. My parents advised me to take a semester off, but I resisted because it was my last semester and I underestimated the upcoming 4 months. For the past couple of weeks, I tried to prove myself wrong by trying to stay motivated and overcoming the physical pain that would reoccur every so often, frequently blaming it on the jet-lag and stress of being behind a week in work. However, I realized that it is not a matter of academic stress but that in addition to the pain I was feeling, I was suffering from post-operative depression. It was very difficult to attend class and prioritize work when I was struggling physically and mentally, away from home and not receiving the treatment I should have gotten. Currently, it is most important that I return home and receive medical treatment, as the side effects and post-operative problems are not progressively improving.