Munira Adan is a sophomore at Triangle Math and Science Academy in Cary, North Carolina.
As a Type 1 diabetic for 12 years, I thought I knew everything when it came to diabetes.
However, what I discovered in PLTW's Principles of Biomedical Science was that I only knew about my personal experiences and the surface of Type 1 diabetes. I knew how it affected my life every day, but I didn't know the exact science behind it – how it affected others or how it worked.
Learning about these things frightened me at first because of all the risk factors, and because it’s one of the leading causes of death in the United States. But as I went deeper into the course, I learned things that affect how I will look at diabetes forever.
I learned that it isn’t just a lifestyle change; it’s a whole new lifestyle for diabetics. I learned how insulin gets to our cells, why our pancreas stopped working, and how that affects our other organs. This gave me a deeper look into what diabetes actually is.
PLTW Biomedical Science was my first step into learning how I can make a change and better the lives of the 415 million diabetics all over the world.
One of my favorite projects in class was creating a "cure" or device for diabetics to use to help improve their lives. Imagining that something like this could become a reality was the best feeling – and I believe one day it will.
PLTW’s blog intends to serve as a forum for ideas and perspectives from across our network. The opinions expressed are those of each guest author.