Anatomy & Physiology (my experience)

The news of our baby's diagnosis took a devastating effect on my entire family in many, many ways.

One way was my employment and schooling. At the time we found out how this horrible disease had effected our baby, I was working full-time and going to school almost full-time. I was taking 3 classes directing my studies toward psychiatry.

Two things went through my mind when I got the news. 1. Oh my, I just can't bare to entrust someone else for her care. I must quit work, and I did. 2. Well, what is the point in going to school to become a psychiatrist, if I can't work outside of my home. So, I changed my studies to Medical Assist, to become a medical transcriptionist in my home.

On the course curriculum was Anatomy and Physiology 1 and 2, and Medical Terminology 1 and 2. And the end result was that as I was learning Crystal's disability from doctors, therapists, other families, and any other resources, I was learning how to understand what I was being told in these classes.

It put a definite advantage for me in being able to care for Crystal, because any issues that weren't presented to me by her care team, were presented to me in these classes. Which of course I could then question her team about them and apply it to her care. Also, whatever her care team presented to me, I was also being taught and expected to know and understand well enough to pass a test over the material.

I have had the honor to be on the Dean's list for over a year now, with my current GPA being 3.60. Of course, I had another motivation for me to do good in these classes, because it has helped me be more efficient in helping my daughter.

It is my intention on this page to Crystal's website to provide you with all the information that I learned in these classes that I feel is pertinent to SMA and the children who are affected.

I will be using information from my textbooks and copying it mostly word for word. Occasionally, when the text is too complicated to understand, I may reword for better understanding. But I will only do that if I have a full understanding of the material myself.

If you find any of this information helpful to you, then please pass the word on to someone else that may have a child that would benefit from this as well.

GOD BLESS!