Allergy Induced Cough Variant Asthma. That diagnosis is why I’m passionate about pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering. Let me explain. It all started in 2nd grade, when my family moved out of city limits to a quaint little homestead with 2 acres of land for us to explore and cultivate. It was surrounded by farm fields of wheat, sugar beets and hay. Our family was living the dream! Until 1 month later when I came down with a horrible cough that I couldn’t shake. No cough syrup, cough drop or any medication prescribed by the doctor touched the intensity of the cough. I was disrupting classes and frequently sent home-I wasn't sick-just an unbearable cough. After 2 long months it finally dissipated. Much to my dismay the same thing happened again in the spring. This pattern continued through 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grade. I went to the doctor each “episode” and always came back empty handed. “It must be something viral”, or “Hmmm, everything came back negative”. In the spring of 6th grade I was incorrectly diagnosed with Pertussis and required to stay home, missing an entire 6 weeks of school! Finally the 9th doctor I saw regarding this obnoxious cough diagnosed me correctly with Allergy Induced Cough Variant Asthma. My trigger was sugar beets. Which as mentioned earlier, was planted near our home and the sugar beet processing factory was 1.5 miles away. It was a major win to have a diagnosis but I didn’t know then what I know now, my medical battle journey wasn’t over. I began to take steroids, inhalers, and other asthma treatments. They helped tremendously, but the side effects of the medications began to affect me negatively. Being lightheaded, dizzy, shaky, and nauseous were common after my frequent treatments. Even my sleep was disrupted and I began to fall asleep in classes daily. This caused concern from my teachers and they reached out to my parents. Fortunately, I’ve developed a medicine routine that works for me and even though I still battle some of those side effects, they are more manageable. Over the course of the last 8 years, I’ve found myself wishing that there could be a change in how asthma was treated. Did you know that the treatment for asthma has pretty much been the same since the 1950’s? This fact along with my personal struggle has me fired up about developing new and better treatments for those who suffer from asthma. You’ve likely heard the quote, “Be the change you want to see in the world”. I plan to do just that. I am pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering to gather as much knowledge as I can. With that knowledge my goal is to improve asthma diagnosis and treatments. I often hear people who have experienced COVID or pneumonia say not having full use of their lungs was terrifying. I understand this-I face this battle frequently-it is terrifying! I know the journey through engineering schooling will be difficult but I am determined to work hard, learn as much as I can, and help people, especially young scared children (like I was) to get a better, less uncomfortable way to treat their asthma! Thank you for your time in reading my essay.

Allergy Induced Cough Variant Asthma. That diagnosis is why I’m passionate about pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering. Let me explain. It all started in 2nd grade, when my family moved out of city limits to a quaint little homestead with 2 acres of land for us to explore and cultivate. It was surrounded by farm fields of wheat, sugar beets and hay. Our family was living the dream! Until 1 month later when I came down with a horrible cough that I couldn’t shake. No cough syrup, cough drop or any medication prescribed by the doctor touched the intensity of the cough. I was disrupting classes and frequently sent home-I wasn't sick-just an unbearable cough. After 2 long months it finally dissipated. Much to my dismay the same thing happened again in the spring. This pattern continued through 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grade. I went to the doctor each “episode” and always came back empty handed. “It must be something viral”, or “Hmmm, everything came back negative”. In the spring of 6th grade I was incorrectly diagnosed with Pertussis and required to stay home, missing an entire 6 weeks of school! Finally the 9th doctor I saw regarding this obnoxious cough diagnosed me correctly with Allergy Induced Cough Variant Asthma. My trigger was sugar beets. Which as mentioned earlier, was planted near our home and the sugar beet processing factory was 1.5 miles away. It was a major win to have a diagnosis but I didn’t know then what I know now, my medical battle journey wasn’t over. I began to take steroids, inhalers, and other asthma treatments. They helped tremendously, but the side effects of the medications began to affect me negatively. Being lightheaded, dizzy, shaky, and nauseous were common after my frequent treatments. Even my sleep was disrupted and I began to fall asleep in classes daily. This caused concern from my teachers and they reached out to my parents. Fortunately, I’ve developed a medicine routine that works for me and even though I still battle some of those side effects, they are more manageable. Over the course of the last 8 years, I’ve found myself wishing that there could be a change in how asthma was treated. Did you know that the treatment for asthma has pretty much been the same since the 1950’s? This fact along with my personal struggle has me fired up about developing new and better treatments for those who suffer from asthma. You’ be likely heard the quote, “Be the change you want to see in the world”. I plan to do just that. I am pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering to gather as much knowledge as I can. With that knowledge my goal is to improve asthma diagnosis and treatments. I often hear people who have experienced COVID or pneumonia say not having full use of their lungs was terrifying. I understand this-I face this battle frequently-it is terrifying! I know the journey through engineering schooling will be difficult but I am determined to work hard, learn as much as I can, and help people, especially young scared children (like I was) to get a better, less uncomfortable way to treat their asthma! Thank you for your time in reading my essay.