Honest Criticism Needed!
Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 12:43 am
Please share any and all thoughts and initial reactions. Thanks!
I crack open the family photo album, labeled “1999-2000.” As I flip through the first few pages, I savor memories of our family reunion at Lake Erie and of my first business enterprise, a neighborhood lawn mowing operation with my brother. Midway through the album, a photo of our family at the base of the Capital steps shows each of us smiling from ear to ear. This was my first visit to Washington, D.C., but unlike previous vacations, this time I was in a wheel chair, my resilient grin momentarily masking my exhaustion. Unable to repress it, a sinking sensation of vulnerability and sadness sweeps over me at the reminder of my illness. It began with typical flu-like symptoms, but quickly morphed into an obscure and often stigmatized disease.
After several months of fevers, muscle pain, and profound fatigue, I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), an incapacitating disorder with a set of loosely defined symptoms. While the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) acknowledges CFS as a valid medical condition, because it has no diagnostic laboratory test or biomarker, many doctors overlooked the seriousness of my condition. This, added to my new realization of the public’s general apprehension towards disabled people, made me feel completely invisible and powerless.
I channeled my frustration into learning about the research being done to alleviate CFS. This led me to a greater understanding of the role that government institutions play in funding medical research and disease awareness. For government-sponsored research on CFS, I found the numbers appalling and the implications enormous. While the CDC recognizes that over one million people in the U.S. suffer from CFS, and despite comments made by CDC expert, Dr. William Reeves, in 2007 describing people with CFS as being, “as sick and as functionally impaired as someone with AIDS or with breast cancer,” the CDC had done relatively little research on the disease, even diverting millions of dollars that Congress had designated for CFS research to other programs. Seeing how the CDC had trivialized CFS and prevented it from being seen as a serious health problem helped me understand the impact that government has on the everyday lives of citizens, both through action and inaction. Furthermore, it illustrated to me the limitations that government agencies face in serving citizens’ diverse needs.
While my health gradually improved, and I made a complete comeback by my 14th birthday, what I learned during my illness left an indelible impression on me, my conscience compelling me to find ways to make government more effective. I interned with a state senator in Harrisburg, PA, and was preparing for the U.S. Naval Academy when I sustained major injuries, including seven broken bones, in a car accident in 2006. Despite my injuries and mounting medical bills, I was able to continue pursing my education while attending community college.
At UC Berkeley, my studies have focused largely on the relationship between private enterprise and government. In one research undertaking, I analyzed the impact that pharmaceutical marketing practices have on both prescribers and patients alike. I concluded that although drug sales are highly essential to maintaining new drug discovery and development efforts, the tactics used by the industry to lure doctors into prescribing certain medications present a clear conflict of interest, with patient health-care all too often being compromised. For me, the shortcomings in our healthcare system provide just one example where the status quo has reigned in the business-government relationship, with greater society suffering as a result. As a regular attendee at the health care and economic forums at the Berkeley Center for Law, Business, and the Economy at Boalt Hall, I have gained further interest in the impact of law on business and the economy. My desire to further develop my knowledge and potential in these areas has led me to apply for law school, and I believe that a legal education from XXX Law School will give me the opportunity to achieve this goal.
I crack open the family photo album, labeled “1999-2000.” As I flip through the first few pages, I savor memories of our family reunion at Lake Erie and of my first business enterprise, a neighborhood lawn mowing operation with my brother. Midway through the album, a photo of our family at the base of the Capital steps shows each of us smiling from ear to ear. This was my first visit to Washington, D.C., but unlike previous vacations, this time I was in a wheel chair, my resilient grin momentarily masking my exhaustion. Unable to repress it, a sinking sensation of vulnerability and sadness sweeps over me at the reminder of my illness. It began with typical flu-like symptoms, but quickly morphed into an obscure and often stigmatized disease.
After several months of fevers, muscle pain, and profound fatigue, I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), an incapacitating disorder with a set of loosely defined symptoms. While the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) acknowledges CFS as a valid medical condition, because it has no diagnostic laboratory test or biomarker, many doctors overlooked the seriousness of my condition. This, added to my new realization of the public’s general apprehension towards disabled people, made me feel completely invisible and powerless.
I channeled my frustration into learning about the research being done to alleviate CFS. This led me to a greater understanding of the role that government institutions play in funding medical research and disease awareness. For government-sponsored research on CFS, I found the numbers appalling and the implications enormous. While the CDC recognizes that over one million people in the U.S. suffer from CFS, and despite comments made by CDC expert, Dr. William Reeves, in 2007 describing people with CFS as being, “as sick and as functionally impaired as someone with AIDS or with breast cancer,” the CDC had done relatively little research on the disease, even diverting millions of dollars that Congress had designated for CFS research to other programs. Seeing how the CDC had trivialized CFS and prevented it from being seen as a serious health problem helped me understand the impact that government has on the everyday lives of citizens, both through action and inaction. Furthermore, it illustrated to me the limitations that government agencies face in serving citizens’ diverse needs.
While my health gradually improved, and I made a complete comeback by my 14th birthday, what I learned during my illness left an indelible impression on me, my conscience compelling me to find ways to make government more effective. I interned with a state senator in Harrisburg, PA, and was preparing for the U.S. Naval Academy when I sustained major injuries, including seven broken bones, in a car accident in 2006. Despite my injuries and mounting medical bills, I was able to continue pursing my education while attending community college.
At UC Berkeley, my studies have focused largely on the relationship between private enterprise and government. In one research undertaking, I analyzed the impact that pharmaceutical marketing practices have on both prescribers and patients alike. I concluded that although drug sales are highly essential to maintaining new drug discovery and development efforts, the tactics used by the industry to lure doctors into prescribing certain medications present a clear conflict of interest, with patient health-care all too often being compromised. For me, the shortcomings in our healthcare system provide just one example where the status quo has reigned in the business-government relationship, with greater society suffering as a result. As a regular attendee at the health care and economic forums at the Berkeley Center for Law, Business, and the Economy at Boalt Hall, I have gained further interest in the impact of law on business and the economy. My desire to further develop my knowledge and potential in these areas has led me to apply for law school, and I believe that a legal education from XXX Law School will give me the opportunity to achieve this goal.