I first attended Arizona State University in the fall of 2005. Prior to ASU I had attended the University of Iowa. I originally left the University of Iowa due to a rather serious illness. This illness was never diagnosed and gradually faded away. In searching for a fresh start I enrolled at ASU. I fell in love with it from the first time I set foot on campus. When classes started up I enrolled in a Psychology course as a part of my general education requirements. As part of the course we were required to complete a certain number of hours of participation in experiments in the psychology department. One of the experiments I volunteered for involved placing a heart monitor on me and watching various video clips with eight-minute breaks in between the segments. At the conclusion of the experiment the woman who was running it informed me that my heart was acting strangely during the resting periods and that I may want to have it checked out the next time I was at the doctor. Being an "invincible" college student, I shrugged off her comments and was already thinking about the coming weekend's pool party.
Almost 2 years later, I was getting a physical. After the physical the doctor informed me that everything looked good and asked me if there was anything else he could do. I still to this day don't understand why, but at that moment the woman from the experiment popped into my head. I informed my doctor of the woman's comments regarding my heart's strange behavior, at which point he ordered an EKG. Following the EKG I was referred to a specialist who would later diagnose me with Congestive Heart Failure. As a 22 year old at the time I was shocked. I had been a healthy kid, athletic, and very active. As it turns out the illness from the University of Iowa was a virus that had gotten in and infected my heart, weakening the muscle. Had I not found out about this, and continued on with "typical college behavior", I may not be here today. I wish I could find the woman that issued this test and thank her with all my heart; she could have very well saved my life. I can't thank this mystery girl enough, and I feel in part I owe Arizona State University, for their ingenuity and resources contributed to this woman's discovery. So a thank you to ASU, and the mystery woman, I owe you my life.
Joshua David Lather
Alumni
ASU should work with local restaurants
It maybe disconcerting that students are in a quandary about our meal plan; however this may give ASU the perfect opportunity to show support, reach out and negotiate with local restaurants near by to help accommodate our needs by honoring and accepting our Sun Dollar card. In turn all restaurants in question maybe generously rewarded with commitment to community, advertisement, additional clientele, and exposure A variety of restaurants could be targeted to include a good selection for all. Especially, those who miss the home cooked meals. This I am certain could be negotiated with a win-win for students, restaurants, and helping ASU maneuver through this difficult time of urgency.
Carol S. Taylor-Tassone
Faculty/Staff
