SnowBoarding in the Rockies

Ok,

So I am back from a week long vacation where I spent some time in the snowy Rockies doing what I love most: snowboarding. I cannot even begin to explain how awesome it is to sit ontop of the white mountain. The sound of my snowboard cutting into the snow still lingers in my ear...I want to go back soo badly! I must say, however, we visited a new ski resort whose name I will keep confidential. The hardest thing about this resort is the cliff that they call a "ski lift". I can't make hand motions online, but let's just say coming off those lifts was by far the most excrutiatingly painful experience. I think my butt had blue bruises like the The smell of the icy air, the warmth of the linen candle in our cabin, and the solemnity of the winter are all things that I miss dearly.

TAKE ME BACK TO THE MOUNTAINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(tears flow down my cheeks)

The Price of Life

Drug companies are not nonprofit organizations. They are encouraged by their shareholders to seek a lucrative drug so that they are not only able to stay in business but also to expand their horizons on other drugs as well.
In comes orphan drugs: drugs that are administered to patients with a rare disease such as Gaucher. The government is providing incentives for said drug companies to do research, make, and sell these drugs. 'What kind of incentives?' you may be asking...well a company, say Genzyme, produces a drug, say Cerezyme that treats Gaucher. Well Genzyme not only gets dollar incentives through funding but also protection by the FDA which will not approve a drug with the same active ingredient unless seen as better treatment. Also, there is a 50% tax credit, assistance to help products get approved, and grant money to defray the cost of testing. That's all fine and dandy...good for you, drug company, you are helping those people like Carol Lees who has lived with this disease since she was 19 and had to live a painful life that I would not wish on anyone, not even those who may deserve it. But what really bothers me is how these drug companies take advantage of being the 'hero'. Guess how much it costs for a day to live in Carol Lees' shoes? $1400 a day, which adds up to $7 million dollars so far. Genzyme makes more than 90% profit on the drug, according to the Wall Street Journal. It is just another disappointing factor in our medical system and makes me wonder when we forgot that we are here as one and by inflicting hardship on others, we are indirectly hurting ourselves.

Wadddddddddddup!

It's been a long week. A really long week. I applied for a scholarship last minute and never expected to here from anyone about it. Well, I received a call from a number that looked like a friend of mine. Without thinking, I answer, "Waddddddddddddddddup?!" If anyone knows me, I only answer informally when I know the person on the other line is a close friend. This time, it was not a friend. Oh no, it was a Doctor so and so wanting to talk to me about my application. I was so flustered and upset that I could not answer one question without stuttering. Needless to say, he was shocked at the conversation...and I highly doubt I will hear from him again. I am pretty upset about the whole ordeal. My ego has never been so bruised before. It is hard, you know? One minute you are at the top of your class and then you seek a challenge because who wants to be unchallenged in life? So I chose to swim deeper and it is certainly getting harder to swim. You find bigger sharks in these waters and you no longer see the guppies. Today, I think I may need floaties!

The Bright Side of Sickness

I have never welcomed illness as I do now. Yes, I have the stuffy, achy head, sore throat, sneezing symptoms that has hit us all at inopportune times (for me, it is before midterms). But I am able to experience something that I never was able to do: keep my mouth shut. I was never able to listen more than I talk, but I tell you that it is quite a life lesson to learn. Note to self: talk less, listen more. When will I ever learn??

Friday Night

Where shall I begin? Completely coincidental, I find myself beginning a public journal, a drastic change from writing in my van Gogh diary hidden in my desk. It's Friday night and I am taking a break from reading the piles of books that have to be read by next Tuesday. Although I would rather be with my close friends who are travelling to the beach at this moment, I chose to sacrifice my leisure time in order to work on one of my goals in life: entering into medical school. Anyhow, I think this online Blog will not only help me articulate myself better, but I hope it will provide some life lessons that I have learned and also a peek into a fairly interesting life of a Lebanese cowgirl.