Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2012 - (Page 13)

G R A d u At I O n 2 0 1 2 Mind Boggling I With a very good chance of blindness or paralysis and a 10 percent chance of dying, Eric’s prognosis was not good. But he had a diagnosis, which for Eric was a relief. Imagine being plagued with constant headaches, nausea, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, numbness and disorientation with no clear diagnosis. Would you think you were losing your mind? Eric Edwards thought so. For years he experienced these symptoms including bursts of numbness in his left arm. “At first they occurred when I was very stressed or exhausted, so I accepted the diagnosis of ‘unusual manifestations of anxiety/pain attacks.’” But by the end of his third year of pharmacy school (spring 2011) the symptoms were no longer fleeting. They were occurring multiple times a day. “I felt sick in different ways for the entire spring semester of my P-3 year. I had frequent headaches, which became almost constant.” Since physicians had been unable to diagnose a concrete condition and because pharmacy school is quite stressful, Eric began to think it was psychiatric in nature. “I started to think it was all in my head.” And in a way, he was correct. In July 2011 he rushed to the ER with a horrible headache, accompanied by complete loss of sensation of the left side of his body, and phantom tastes. In addition, he felt numbness spread up his face and neck and had difficulty following what people were saying. Certain he was having a seizure or transient ischemic attack, Eric pleaded with the ER physician who in turn ordered a CT scan. The scan showed a 2.5” diameter meningioma – a grade 2, atypical, slow growing tumor. Immediately placed on Keppra for seizures and Decadron for inflammation, Eric met with pharmacy faculty member, Jacci Bainbridge, PharmD, who specializes in neurological conditions including epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. She reviewed his MRI and promptly contacted Kevin Lillehei, MD, chair of neurosurgery at CU. On August 10, 2011, Eric underwent brain surgery to remove the tumor. Recovery was slow and frustrating, but given the extent of the surgery to be expected. Happy that he wasn’t paralyzed, Eric experienced poor memory and balance, tiredness and slow mental acuity. The brunt of the caretaking fell to Eric’s family – especially his mother. “I owe a great deal to my family and am truly grateful. I gained insight on what it is like for other people who aren’t fully functional and have to rely on someone else for everything.” Today, Eric is seizure and headachefree, and feels better than he has in years. Even though surgery interrupted his final year of rotations, he walked with his classmates during commencement and officially graduates with a doctor of pharmacy degree in August. “Without the help of good friends encouraging me and keeping me on track studying I would have had zero chance of passing.” Dr. Photo With aspirations of becoming a professional photographer, James is realistic enough to know that photography won’t pay the bills … yet. So he is relying upon his doctorate to help do so. “And if photography is something that I do on the side, then so be it. I really love it.” In the meantime, he has parlayed his talents into paying some of the bills during pharmacy school. Hired to shoot weddings, family portraits, high school graduation photos and school-related events, James’ photos grace websites, brochures, university lamppost signs and newsletters. One of his photos was recently selected as the top travel shot for the September 2012 issue of Digital Camera World Magazine! James has helped expand the photo library for the school and is somewhat of a photo ambassador for pharmacy. Adept at portraits and candids, James has a way of disarming his subjects through his quiet confidence and charm. Check out his photography at www.jdelkvisuals.com. Fall 2012 James Delk is often seen with a camera and a big smile. His passion is photography. His vocation – pharmacy. 13 http://www.jdelkvisuals.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2012

Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2012
Contents
Dean’s Message
Centennial Scholars
Commencement
Faculty
Tributes

Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2012