Hi, my name is Zoey Echohawk-Hayahsi, and I'm an enrolled member of the Pawnee Nation and belong to the Athabascan people of Mentasta Lake. I'm a rising sophomore at Seattle Academy. Over the summer, I attended the Summer Pathways Explorers program at Fred Hutch. During this program, we had multiple lectures from doctors with different expertise. For example, one lecture was on impostor syndrome, which is when you feel like you don’t belong or aren’t good enough, even though you actually are. This is something I feel often, so it was helpful to learn how to tell the truth versus what’s just a feeling.
We also learned about a new way to diagnose cancer called a liquid biopsy, where doctors can find out if someone has cancer with just a blood test. We did several labs too, like DNA extraction and CRISPR, but my favorite was the last lab, where we did a CML spot test on blood samples.
First, we had a pre-lab where our TAs taught us about CML, which stands for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. We learned about the three phases of this disease: the chronic phase, where you might have stomach issues like weight loss and bloating, fevers, extreme tiredness, and fatigue, though some people might not have any symptoms; the accelerated phase, where your cells start rapidly making defective cells, causing bleeding, weight loss, and shortness of breath; and the blast phase, where you might experience extreme bone pain due to bone marrow issues, as well as more fevers.
We also learned about a drug called Gleevec, known as a miracle drug for treating cancer. However, it’s hard and expensive to diagnose CML, especially in low- to middle-income countries. The solution is the CML spot test, which is less expensive and easier to use. After learning this, we headed to the lab.
In the lab, we added our blood samples to water to rehydrate them, then collected data and added the samples to gels with dye. We also included a positive control and a DNA ladder in our gels. After running the gels for about twenty-five minutes, we saw that one of our samples tested positive for CML in well two, sample eight. The DNA ladder and positive control also showed up correctly, confirming our results.
I liked this lab the most because it felt like we were doing real science, learning something important that can help save lives in countries that are struggling.
Overall, my experience at the Fred Hutch Summer Pathways program was incredible. Not only did I learn a lot about cancer and different types of cancer, but I also realized that it is possible for some like me to one day have my own lab and maybe even be a lawyer with the help of other doctors who want me to succeed. During these two weeks, I was also surrounded by students of color, which was amazing because at my school, that’s not usually the case. I was able to connect with my peers on a deeper level and felt more understood and comfortable with them.
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