AP

I am honored to receive a grant from The Orion Fund to support the financial side of my medical conditions as I attend the University of California, Irvine as a Biological Sciences Major intending to double major in Spanish and attend graduate school to become a clinical scientist or osteopathic doctor.

For over seven years, I have suffered many medical symptoms that cause a good deal of unpredictable pain and discomfort. Every lab test, endoscopy, physical exam, and so forth would come back inconclusive and negative. This only caused the many physicians and specialists I saw to essentially lose any motivation for finding the cause of my symptoms. I am currently going through the long process of receiving a diagnosis for a genetic metabolic disorder, which prolongs the time I mu st wait to receive effective treatment. In the meantime, and possibly for life if there is no cure, I must rely on hypoallergenic medical food supplements that are identical to the formulas administered to patients in hospitals to maintain a body weight and gain weight. These products are expensive: $200 – $300 for less than a three -week supply. As a student, money and finances are always a concern, but when I must sometimes decide between purchasing school textbooks and medical nutrition, it becomes a burden and worry that takes away from my experience as a young adult attending a university. The grant I have received will greatly alleviate some of that burden and assure me that there is support for college students who are struggling to balance — and have — an academic and personal life.