For those who are yet to complete their letter due to Drivers Ed, instructions are listed here:
Instead of writing 350 - 400 words, you will write 300 words.
Submission Requirements
Please submit the letter either printed out, emailed or on a USB on Wednesday 16th September.
An excellent student example of a letter to the doctor:
Success criteria
- A description of the disease. ✓
- The symptoms you have been experiencing at any stage of diagnosis. ✓
- How it is caused. ✓
- The current research on gene therapy for your disease. ✓
- Risks and issues with the procedure. ✓
- Alternative treatments. ✓
- Final statement whether you would or wouldn't seek gene therapy. ✓
...
I’m a student studying science
and I have recently been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy which is a genetic
disorder that causes progressive weakness and degeneration of the muscles that
help the body move. Muscular dystrophy can occur at any age and those who are
affected gradually lose the ability to do things such as walking and sitting
upright, each disorder has different degrees of carer and mobility needs and
independence. There are 30 different types of muscular dystrophy and some are
further divided into sub-types. I’m currently awaiting blood test results with
the specific type of disorder that I have.
I have done some research and
found out that some symptoms of muscular dystrophy include a waddling walk,
well-developed or excessively large calf muscles with other muscles poorly
developed or a sway back (lordosis). I personally have a tendency to stand and
walk on the forefoot, with the heel off the ground and suffer from frequent
falls and difficulty rising up from the ground or going up hills or stairs.
Muscular dystrophy is caused
when people such as I, have incorrect or missing information in their genes,
this prevents us from making proteins that are needed for healthy muscles. The
disorder can be diagnosed through genetic testing, a blood test; which will
show very high levels of protein called creatine phosphokinaseand which is how
I found out about my disorder, a muscle biopsy; the removal of a small piece of
muscle tissue that is then examined under a microscope or electromyography;
insertion of a thin needle that checks the health of the muscles and the nerves
that control the muscles.
I have been told that there is
currently no cure for muscular dystrophy but several possible treatments are
beginning to emerge and are in clinical trial because of medical researches
building a greater understanding of MD. However, the discovery of a cure for
one type of muscular dystrophy may not necessarily help in curing another type.
Identifying the right form of
a gene to deliver is the most current research that gene therapy is focused on
in MD, as well as developing methods for safe and efficient delivery to muscle.
According to other doctors the task is not easy to perform due to many of the
genes being huge and they present complex expression patterns. For a successful
delivery it must overcome immunological and physical barriers, but I am willing to undergo
this method.
I have been told that although
there is currently no cure for muscular dystrophy, there are alternative
treatments to help relieve symptoms of the disorder such as exercise and
physical therapy to minimize abnormal or painful positioning of the joints as
well as respiratory care, coughing and deep breathing exercises. Surgery can
also sometimes relieve muscle shortening and canes, powered wheelchairs and
other rehabilitative devices can help those with MD maintain mobility and
independence.
I am writing to you because I would
like to have genetic therapy as I am feeling a lot of pain and physical therapy
isn’t doing the job for me. I want to undergo this kind of treatment because
there is a chance of a positive outcome.
