Blog 14: Independent Component 1

Literal:

I, Cheryl Walker, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work. Honestly, my dog Belle, was my best source. Her diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer is what really got me to narrow down my senior project to Veterinarian Oncology with a focus on Insulinoma. I went with my mom to a lot of the doctors appointments which gave me an insight to how the cancer is diagnosed and then how the best treatment option is determined. My Independent Component was hodge podge of different things. I took a dog training class, volunteered at an animal hospital  volunteered with some rescues, went to my dogs appointments, and attended a animal shelter orientation. I didn't have one solid place where I did all my hours because I was having a really hard time finding mentorship or a place to volunteer, but I swear Independent Component 2 with be ten times better!

Interpretive:

So, I would say that the most significant parts of my component was going to my dogs appointments and being apart of her diagnosis process and treatment, and volunteering at the animal hospital. Volunteering at the animal hospital gave me a hands on experience that I will never forget. Being able to make the first cut on the Bulldog, that I mentioned in a previous blog, was just so amazing that it's hard for me to describe. I guess you could say that being given that opportunity was kind of like getting a glance at what I could be later on in life. It was just....awesome. As for going to the appointments for Belle, that of course wasn't amazing because there were points where my mom and I thought Belle would never come out of her seizure and just collapse and die. It has been a very difficult process, but I have gained an incredible amount of knowledge from this. Being able to go to all the appointments and talk to the doctors about her condition has given me a better perspective on how to treat and care for a dog with Insulinoma. 

This is from when I volunteered at the animal hospital.

These are the two medications that is currently being given to my dog. This combination of medications was reccomended to us when we went to VCA All-Care Animal Hospital by Dr. Gorgi.

This is one of the case reports/summaries from Belle's appointments with neurologists and oncologists. 

Applied:

This component basically created my foundation. Before this, my topic was just veterinarian medicine. It had no specific direction, but through this component, I was able to focus my topic on Insulinoma and gain so much experience and knowledge on this cancer. Being able to actually see the effects of different medications and treatments on my own dog has helped me come up with the best answers for my EQ.