30 Days of MD: Technology and MD

by Danielle "Dani" Liptak | September 4, 2019

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Day 4 of #30DaysofMD here is Chris! My name is Chris Younkin; born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. My experience with programming started when I was just 13 years old and I wanted to create a plugin for the video game Minecraft. I taught myself to code the plugin with the Java programming language. There are plenty of YouTube videos about this stuff. I quickly moved on to publish my first app on the iOS app store called Block Remover. I was 15 years old. I was then able to get into an advanced software and game development class at the Advanced Technology Center. The ATC is a competitive program offered by the public school system in my area. There, I joined the Future Business Leaders of America where our mobile app development team won first place in state and top ranking in nationals. Currently, my top selling game on the iOS app store is iTech.drive, a 3D virtual driving simulator for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. I am currently in school to get my bachelors in computer science and Web Development Specialist Certificate. I have chosen to specialize in website design due to the fact that it is the most readily available job opportunity in my area. Plus, I have some experience after I created the truestrengthmd.com website. I also do a lot independently. I pick up my own medicine, make my own appointments, sign up for classes, meet with friends, hired a lawyer, been on hold with medical companies for so many hours, schedule nursing, and even built my own computer. I’m also trying to get my van modified so I can drive to further my independence. As a member of the PPMD Adult Advisory Committee and someone who is very active on social media, I care deeply about advocacy. There are a lot of great things going on in my life.

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