Essay theme: chronic illness

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think T1D is different from MS or Lupus (which my daughter has). Usually (!) the issues w well known and understood treatment protocols are okay. Every reader will say, oh, like my brother or my bestie from high school. Shows personal health management and reason for career interest.

But I worry OPs daughter is like mine. It’s all a giant question mark. Monthly labs that can be routine or can send her straight to the ER w liver biopsies, total med change, hospital stay followed by more questions. She needed a single room because she really needs to sleep by 9. No drinking at all ever. Etc. She could be read, correctly, as a lot more than can be handled by their med center and possible issues with teacher allowances, housing issues, etc

My daughter didn’t mentioned and got into the 2 HYPSM schools she applied to.

I want to advise the OR to investigate health insurance if the college is out of state . The plans colleges offer may not be up to it. And get a team in place there that is willing to loop parents in at least sometimes. Things like MyChart won’t be available once the kid is 18. And some MyCharts aren’t read between hospitals, which is crazy is something happens in one state and you bring her back to your state for care.

I’m glad my daughter got to attend her dream school and it’s was 95% fine. But the 5% was worrisome med stuff and even tho the college didn’t have to deal w much of it, I’m glad we didn’t mention it and scare them off.

You come off as incredibly ignorant about TD1. Believe it or not TD1s end up in the hospital as well and spiral when very sick. Its not a cakewalk and is everyday management.

I am sorry to hear about the struggles with Lupus, but please stop with the arrogance about the impacts of TD1 on a person's life.

tbf, I think the imagined reader saying, oh, I know someone with TD1 is very true. in my three kid's high school classes there are at least 2 kids with TD1 in each class. it might *seem* a far less serious thing that it is, only because it's quite common these days.

Yes, they could know people with unmanaged or complications. It’s actually a serious disease that shortens lives. To the pps point, do people conjour up hospitalizations with lupus or the lupus rash and being low energy?? All these diseases are difficult and can be stories of perseverance, the complications of TD1 are real accommodations that schools need to make and deal with as any other chronic illness, and can be quite extensive with complications. In the lens that chronic illness will make a less desirable student, all of these diseases do that, there is no need to act like TD1 gets a pass or that there is any chronic illness that does.

Not sure what you’re getting at, but I def “conjour up” hospitalizations (and organ transplants, renal failure, mobility issues, etc) with pediatric lupus and pediatric MS. Of course!

[Anonymous]

I know you and you know me
It's the sobb story, the sobb story

AO's have heard them all at this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know you and you know me
It's the sobb story, the sobb story

AO's have heard them all at this point.

OP, it occurs to me you might get better feedback if you were to post this in the kids with special needs forum — too many people weighing in here don’t seem to have experience and accordingly can’t imagine an essay about the topic as being anything but a sob story pity party.

[Anonymous]

I have seen threads where the focus was on mental illness, and the consensus was not to disclose. My DC has dyslexia and we were told not to disclose, even though DCs efforts to overcome this disability were impressive. I actually don’t know if the same holds for chronic medical disorders. I would go with the advice that PP posted from her relative who is an AO. It sounds like a good and strategic balance. The more you can imply that it was “in the past” the better, I would think. You will have time to ask the hard questions about access and support when you have some acceptances in hand. And try to find schools that are know to be supportive and are near treatment centers. Read the academic policies about medical leave and support.

[Anonymous]

I think kids often want to choose what they see as most important about themselves, or the most significant thing that’s happened to them. But often an essay about something minor but interesting, that reveals their voice, quirks, backstory, and who they are, will make a better essay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know you and you know me
It's the sobb story, the sobb story

AO's have heard them all at this point.

OP, it occurs to me you might get better feedback if you were to post this in the kids with special needs forum — too many people weighing in here don’t seem to have experience and accordingly can’t imagine an essay about the topic as being anything but a sob story pity party.

Even if it’s very positively framed, a reader is likely to wonder if this is likely to be an issue in the future. Probably it will. So I think it’s more likely than not to be a net negative for the applicant unless it very much drives academic interests in a specific way.