Projects

Description:  For my EDGE project, I attended a medical conference that was focused on my siblings' disease, Xeroderma Pigmentosum.  I was hoping to learn more about my siblings' disease, make connections with world class dermatologists, and connect with other children who have XP to look into their lives and how they have dealt with the disease.

Reflection: I learned that these children really need conferences like this to connect with other children with similar problems to their own.  I also made contact with a dermatologist that works at the University of Minnesota's Medical School and was offered a summer internship.  I used my social and professional communication skills to talk to this doctor and I know that I will gain many valuable experiences and skills while at this internship.

Documentation:

We took the children to the zoo after hours.  They otherwise would never have been able to experience a zoo during normal operating hours.

We were able to be instructed by the researchers in a lecture style demonstration.  I learned so much more about XP during these lectures and gained a much broader background on the ins and outs of how their disease works.

Deliverables:

- A picture of me at the zoo:

- A copy of a thank you letter I received from the board of the XP Family Support Group: