Tuesday, October 26, 2010

What I Already Know About My Topic

I know that there are many types of Autoimmune Diseases. I also know that they are extremely difficult to diagnose. This is because many of the diseases share the same symptoms. If you have an autoimmune disease, it means that your immune system is attacking the healthy cells in your body by mistake. This disease tends to run in families and is found mainly in women. They are most commonly found in African-American, Hispanic, and Native-American women. There are more than 80 types of Autoimmune Diseases. In many people, the first symptoms of an Autoimmune Disease are being tired, muscle aches, and low fever. These diseases may also have flare-ups, when they get worse, and remissions, when they all but disappear. The diseases do not usually go away, but symptoms can be treated. Diagnosing an Autoimmune Disease can be very stressful and extremely time consuming.

The Story Behind My Topic Choice

I chose the topic of Autoimmune Diseases. I chose this topic because my mother has an Autoimmune Disease. Because of the many types of Autoimmune Diseases, we do not know which one she has and whether or not it could be fatal. I decided that by making Autoimmune Diseases my research topic, I could help my mother by finding out more about the many diseases. I believe that my researching the topic will show my mother that I care about her condition, and that I will help her in any way that I can. I am helping my mother by researching ways to cope with her condition and reading stories posted by people who have Autoimmune Diseases and people who have not let their conditions stop them from enjoying their lives. Researching this topic is helping both my mother and I to have a better understanding of the condition, and it is helping her relax and enjoy life a little bit more. I am doing this project completely in honor of my mother. She has inspired me.