MIAD Bridge

FAT KIDSINSIDE:

THIS IS A BIG F$!KING DEAL

THE WORST INJUSTICE

AMERICA'SHEALTH

Phot

o (c

c) v

ia F

lickr

use

r Fre

nkie

b

FEATURES:

DEPARTMENTS:

SIDE BAR:

CONTENTS

A WORD

FAT KIDS… 3

WHAT'S TO EAT?: Disgusting Popcorn… 2

CLASSY FOOD: Let's Go Inside The McRib!…8

THIS IS A BIG F$!KING DEAL… 9

THE WORST INJUSTICE… 14

By spreading awareness and getting involved at schools, organizations, and the community we can help children in making healthy choices and providing them with nutritious foods.

It is our job to pave the time ahead with the absolute best living conditions for those who will lead the future; and without health there can be no future.

The worst injustice of all is breast cancer, and it affects 1-8 women in the United States alone, but when justice is sought after, a cure can be found.

REVIEW ME: GRADING BREAST CANCER COMMERCIALS… 16

Health care is the most important issue in America, because it affects every single person in the U.S. Most people will say that business and jobs are the most important economic drivers; but the short and longterm impact of our health care decisions and practices on our economy has a bigger role in our longterm economic health. When I was born I had open heart surgery because the two great arteries of my heart were crossed, the same condition you will hear about in "This Is A Big F$!king Deal!. I also have dyslexia and was diagnosed by a neuropsychologist many years ago. My heart care and my dyslexia testing have both, to large extent, been covered by health insurance. Without health care access for my heart care and my learning disability I sometime wonder, where would I be today.

Ryan Ward, Designer & Editer

MIAD Bridge Fall 2011 2

Sources: EurekAlert, GOOD MagazineIllustration: Ryan Kennedy

WHAT'S TO EAT?

"Nobody likes cold, spongy, week-old popcorn," says Wendy Wood, a professor of psychology and business at the University of Southern California (USC). According to Wood's research though, that fact is really not a fact. The "grossness " of the popcorn is unimportant to us. "Under the right circumstances, we'll eat it anyway," says Amanda Hess, lifestyle editor at GOOD magazine.

Researchers at USC put test subjets into a movie theater and handedout some popcorn. Some partakers received freshly popped popcorn while the others got week-old stale junk.

Test subjects that do not usually chow on popcorn while in a threater had a logical response to the quality differents. "They ate much more of the fresh popcorn than they did the stale kind. But participants accustomed to downing popcorn while watching movies had a much more distressing reaction: They ate just as much of the gross stuff as they did the good stuff," said Amanda Hess.

With the right environmental cues, like a darken movie theater, "once we've formed an eat-ing habit, we no longer care whether the food tastes good," Wood says. "We'll eat exactly the same amount, whether it's fresh or stale." When participants were asked to grab the pop-corn with their non-dominant hand, the "eaters" saw their habits disturbed enough to truly "pay attention to what they were eating."

words STEPHANIE RASMUSSENedited RYAN WARD


“More than 23,000 schools have fast food

franchises in the cafeteria.”For the first time in American history, today’s children will actually have a shorter lifespan than their parents (Politics). Child-hood obesity, malnutrition, and hunger are becoming more frequent as poverty signifi-cantly increases. The wellbeing of children can benefit through changes in welfare pro-grams, changes in the food industry and improving nutrition education programs in school systems.

The wellbeing of future generations is at stake. Nutritionist Marion Nestle says, “an ideal diet provides sufficient energy and essential nutrients to meet physiological requirements, maximize growth and lon-gevity, and prevent nutrient deficiencies as well as conditions of nutritional excess and imbalance” (385-6). The primary factor associated with poor nutritional status is poverty, the inadequacy of family resources.

Inequality in food access increases the risk of malnutrition and disease. Changes need to be made in welfare programs and the public needs to be educated on how to maintain healthy nutritious diets.

The welfare system fails to provide an adequate safety net. Millions in the US are reported experiencing hunger and lack means to obtain food, despite the presence of a food system of great overabundance. Such inequalities to access food are factors that increase the risk of malnutrition and disease. “USDA reported that 12,000,000 US households lacked food security; of these, 3,300,000 households reported hunger, and 800,000 households reported severe hun-ger” (Nestle, 388). The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey concluded

that 9 to 12 million families lacked resources sufficient to ensure adequate food intake (Nestle 389). “Households with children under age 18 were most at risk of food inse-curity and hunger, especially if the mem-bers were Black or Hispanic or headed by females. Hunger studies and analysis data collected from surveys show the correla-tion between food insecurities and hunger with income. “Although children com-prise 25% of the total population, 40% of them live in families with poverty-level incomes” (Nestle, 389). Household income both above and below federal poverty level are experiencing food insecurity and hunger. The federal poverty income level is unrealis-tic when only “only half of the households reporting hunger were receiving federal

food assistance” (Nestle, 388-9). “Below poverty incomes are unequally distributed among Americans; they are characteris-tic of 11% whites, 26.5% Blacks, and 27.1% Hispanics” (Nestle, 389). Inequality in pov-erty means inequality in the wellbeing of the population. Too many families and chil-dren are not receiving food assistance and go hungry. Welfare programs bring food to the hungry, but what kinds of food are being consumed? Is food insecurity measured by food quality or food quantity?

Millions of children rely on school meals during the school year. However, schools are no longer safe environments for our children to make healthy choices. The food industry recognizes the vulnerability in children, and thus they are the prime mar-keting targets. More than 23 thousand schools have fast food franchises in the caf-eteria (Politics). In 2003 New York City cre-ated a contract with Snapple giving them exclusive rights to sell drinks through vend-ing machines at all city schools. Snapple was assumed to be a healthier choice than soda by city officials however the juice drinks contains more calories and sugar than Coca-Cola. Such sugary drinks have been associated with obesity in children (Politics). A learning environment should be the last place to receive misleading infor-mation. It is the public responsibility to set

the example to make choices that better our wellbeing. Alcohol, drugs, and tobacco are banned from school campuses

Malnutrition can have negative influence on the cognitive development of children. Cognitive impairments from malnutri-tion can stay with a child into adulthood. Productivity and success rate in school are directly influenced by inadequate nutrition. In order to provide a better education for children we need to first address issues of food insecurity, which is “highly correlated with deficient intake of calories and essen-tial nutrients” (Nestle 389). Even moderate levels of malnutrition, common in the US, “induce physiological and cognitive conse-quences that are especially pronounced in young children: fatigue, impaired immune function, attention deficits, and impaired learning” (Nestle 389). Children in food insecure households or have hunger have “lower general health status, more physi-cal symptoms, more mental health and behavioral problems, and more academic difficulties” (Casey 1407). Healthy nutri-tious foods need to be provided within the school system and easily available to all children, especially those with house-hold food insecurities. Household and child food insecurities are also inf luencing the “risk for overweight and overweight sta-tus among many demographic categories of children” (Casey 1407). Academic stan-

dards can’t be met on an empty stomach. A child suffering from malnutrition is at risk for dropping out of school. Stronger nutri-tional education programs are needed in the schools and available to the public.

Children rely on meals through the school during the school year are going hungry during the summer months. The USDA asks for “communities and locales” to operate summer food programs using money from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program. According to a recent news release, the USDA is work-ing on “alternative approaches to provide food benefits to children during the sum-mer” but specifics are not outlined. If the government fails to provide food for our children, the community needs to become more involved. The welfare program often relies on the support of the community, but shortages of resources in a declining econ-omy leave many without food.

Previous information based nutrition education programs in schools are failing to make an impact. Behavior change programs with the involvement of families and com-munity are a suggested replacement.

The United States Department of Agri-culture’s Food and Nutrition Service admin-isters 15 nutrition assistance programs. It is difficult to measure the success of nutrition assistance programs when informa-tion is from a biased source. While the USDA

USDA recommended intake from each food group at 2000 calorie level:

2 cups fruit, 2.5 cups veggies, 6 oz. grains, 5.5 oz. protein, 3 cups dairy

SIDE


"The United States Department of Agriculture’s

Food and Nutrition Service administers 15 nutrition

assistance programs."offers an abundance of information of cur-rent food and nutrition programs, state-ments regarding success in providing “a safety net” in a government news release lacked sufficient support when nutritionists and pediatricians provide data stating oth-erwise (USDA).

The USDA awarded Child Care Wellness Grants to fourteen states, including Wiscon-sin. The program provides nutritious meals and snacks to infants, children and adults daily. Funds awarded to “local child care sponsoring organizations and institutions through states agencies” to “inspire inno-vative improvements to enhance nutrition and promote physical activity of the chil-dren” (USDA Grants). During an interview for my service placement at A.W.E. (Art-ists Working in Education), I was informed of the possible integration of wellness and nutrition activities into the art program. A few weeks after I started volunteering, I was approached with the opportunity to suggest some ideas. Through research and brain-storming I created several ideas for visual art based projects that ref lected nutrition and healthy food choices. The ideas now make up a new nutrition and wellness cur-riculum that A.W.E. will offer to the urban community.

Michelle Obama’s Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act passed on Thursday Decem-ber 2nd, 2010 to reduce childhood hun-ger, promote health, reduce childhood obesity, improve program management and improve program integrity. The bill includes improvement of school meals and the involvement of the community. The bill addresses changes needed in the programs themselves, schools, community, and those running the programs. The bill allows more schools to provide meals to children and adults afterschool through the Child and Adult Food Program. Eligibility to free meals during school is expanded to cover a greater percentage of children. The bill allows for mandatory funding for pilot pro-grams that provide food for children out-side of school. It requires schools to become involved in the promotion and distribution of materials that inform families of meals available during the summer. Standards for quality of meals served at schools will help children receive the amount of nutrition needed. Funding will connect the school with local and fresh produce. Improvements in wellness policies and funds for food will be addressed at schools. The bill summary addresses many issues regarding quality of food and accessibility of food in schools and

states that it will enforce wellness and nutri-tion education programs schools and child care settings.

Children enrolled in the federally funded School Breakfast Program and the Special Supplemental Food Program for Woman, Infants, and Children have shown to achieve higher scores on standardized testing (Braun). There is hope that the new adjustments in welfare programs and school system will make an impressionable impact on the well-being of children, but family and commu-nity involvement are important factors that aren’t addressed through the Obama’s new bill. In addition, funding for the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act is from cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Pro-gram, once known as the food stamp pro-gram. Another issue that still needs to be addressed is of the food industry taking responsibility by ending the marketing of junk foods on children. There are several factors that contribute to the wellbeing of children and one giant leap won’t solve all the current issues.

Sources: Braun, Bonnie. “Nutrition Education: A Strategy in Welfare Reform.” University of Minnesota. Feb 1997. Web. 25 Nov 2010.

Casey, Patrick H., et al. “The Association of Child and Household Insecurity with Childhood Overweight Status”. Pediatrics: Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics 118.5 (2006): e1406 - e1413. Web. 25 Nov 2010.

Gundersen, Craig, et al. “Food Insecurity, Maternal Stressors, and Overweight Among Low-Income US Children: Results From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.” Pediatrics: Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics 122.3 (2008): e529- e540. Web. 25 Nov 2010.

Nestle, Marion. “Hunger in the United States: Policy Implications.” Food in the USA. Carole M. Counihan,ed. New York: Routledge, 2002. 385-398. Politics of Obesity: Confronting Our National Eating Disorder. Michael Pollan. UC Berkley. 3 Nov 2003. 25 Nov 2010.

United States Department of Agriculture. “USDA Announces Wellness Grants in Child and Adult CareFood Program.” Washington: 0612.10, 19 Nov 2010. Web. 25 Nov 2010. “USDA Report Outlines Food Access in America.” Washington:0605.10, 15 Nov 2010. Web. 25 Nov 2010.

United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry. Healthy Hunger- Free Kids Act of 2010. Hearings 111th Cong., 2nd sess. Washington: GPO, 2010. Web. 3 Dec 2010.

By spreading awareness and getting involved at schools,

organizations, and the community we can help children in making

healthy choices and providing them with nutritious foods.

Sources: Chicago Magazine, McDonald's, TIME, USA Today, The Week


LET'S GO INSIDE THE McRib!

CLASSY FOOD

McDonalds' McRib! Thank goodness though the "disconcerting" sandwich is returning for a limited time, says Meredith Melnick at TIME. That is because if you knew all the dif-ferent ingredients packed into the McRib, you might not wolfing down the sauce-drenched pork invention.

How many ingredients are associated with the McRib?

At the surface, the sandwich contains just pork, onions, and pickle slices drenched in BBQ sauce and put on a bun. The truth though, there are approximately 70 ingredients. Just the bun contains 34, says Melnick. Aside from chemicals like ammonium sulfate and polysor-bate 80, the most egregious probably is azodicarbonamide, "a flour-bleaching agent most commonly used in the manufactur[ing] of foamed plastics like gym mats and the soles of shoes." Plus McDonald's own ingredient list says the bun additionally includes calcium sul-fate and ethoxylated mono and diglycerides.

Let's get to "meat" of the McRib?

Pig innards and plenty of salt. Typically, "restructured meat product" includes pig bits like tripe, heart, and scalded stomach on a normal basis, says Whet Moser at Chicago Magazine, citing a 1995 article by Robert Mandigo, a professor at the University of Nebraska. The parts are cooked and blended with salt to extract proteins which act as a "glue" that helps bind the meat to hold the McRib shape.

words ADAM FORBESillustration RYAN KENNEDYedited RYAN WARD


“Everyone has the right

to life, liberty and

security of person.”

Everyone has the right to their own per-sonal health and security, healthcare should be easy, universal, and not come with com-plications. Healthcare is providing the ade-quate preventative as well as curative care to a patient who seeks it. Patient meaning anyone who seeks care, no matter what his or her social or financial situation may be. Proper healthcare should also involve lean-ing about health, informing individuals on what are healthy and unhealthy habits to involve themselves in, in order to inform the masses and help them to prevent the need to seek care for easily preventable illnesses or conditions. Mental and physical well-being is of ultimate importance and should be viewed to equally affect ones situation, therefore all mental related illnesses should be held equally consequential to those of physical nature. Everyone’s health is their own responsibility and it is always up to the individual whether or not to seek care. But access to get quality treatment from profes-sionals should be available to everyone no matter what the circumstances.

Good healthcare is extremely impor-tant, proper care is an absolute necessity to every individual. Without health and well-being, one simply cannot lead the life they find themselves in to its obliged potential, nor be able to improve conditions for them-selves or their families. It should be stressed that both mental and physical conditions are considered equally when it comes time for

one to seek care. The ramifications of both mental and physical illnesses are extremely critical to ones own personal welfare; there-fore need to be treated equivalently in their urgency as determined by patient and the physician.

My views on healthcare seem very ideal-istic in comparison to the feelings and opin-ions I get from others on what needs to be done regarding healthcare. I cannot help but feel that the rights of human beings are being overlooked in favor of political rivalry and the egocentricity of the few in charge. I find it hard to have faith, or even partici-pate in a government that works in this way. Little gets done, and when something does E.G. the new healthcare bill, it is soon being challenged for one, or many of its flaws. The duality in government creates nothing but feud, and serves only to halt progress in exchange for political turmoil. I cannot say that I know what the alternative is, but the contempt coming from both sides in oppo-sition of the other will not help progress.

Its not to say that I have not spoken with individuals who have created thought-ful solutions to this predicament, but they all seem to be playing by the f lawed rules of a flawed game. How can people come to expect perfection when they have a party

opposite them that has a completely differ-ent and opposing view of correctness? Due to this opposition, the healthcare bill has become too overly interwoven with complex complications to ever expect a complete and effective outcome from the start. Although, both sides would agree the healthcare bill is not near a perfect solution, repealing the healthcare bill is futile and would be a giant backward leap. For any progress to be made there needs to be steps made in the right direction. An infant learning to walk does not withdraw his first steps that were shaky and unstable. Those steps were the building blocks that blocks that could make him or her into a long distance runner. As a people we need to start with those same building blocks in order to commence in progress. We simply cannot afford to keep progress in a sifter, letting only small advancements go forth, and holding back the big ones.

The service I have put forth at this time is limited. I once volunteered to set up a pit stop for runners in a 5K-race benefitting breast cancer through a neighborhood rec-reation center. I handled station for water, and handed it out to runners as they passed by. Other than that instance, and the recent activities for class I haven’t done much of anything as far as volunteer work goes. This work does have a loose connection toward health. The race was for a benefit a health related cause. The work I did had to do with keeping the runners hydrated.

"The ways that I have benefitted from

healthcare are obvious; I would not be here

today if it was not for the aid I received."Overall this was an enjoyable experi-

ence, although I cannot say it brought joy to me the way simply listening to others does. I really enjoy helping people work through their problems, offering advice, and help-ing them to gain the confidence they need. I feel that many people do not get the emo-tional support they are in need of, and being there to listen does give me a sense of worth. One of the most valuable things you can give someone is your time, and undivided attention. Through giving this gift you can feel the positive affect it has on the one you gave that thoughtfulness to. Many positive things go overlooked in people because they would not suffice to be put on ones résumé, but that does not mean they cannot have a incredible affect on someone’s life. I do not have preparation in guidance only my own experiences, which are limited, but I believe if you are trying to help someone with only love in your heart you cannot hurt them.

Soon after my birth it was realized that I had been born with a serious birth defect. Transposition of the great vessels, a congen-ital heart defect where the two major blood vessels, that carries blood away from the heart the aorta and pulmonary artery are transposed or crossed (pubmedhealth). This

was an instance where immediate medical response was needed, I was immediately given Prostaglandin, a Drug used to dilate a closing blood vessels. Eleven hours after my birth I was flown by helicopter to Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago for correc-tive surgery to be performed. Three days after this, at optimum time due to the con-dition of the heart surgery was performed by Dr. Farouk S. Idriss. Dr. Idriss was Pro-fessor of Cardiovascular surgery at North-western Medical School and led a research project entitled Surgical Anatomy of Con-genital Heart Disease. Dr. Idriss invented a revolutionary new surgery to anatomically correct transposition of the great vessels; therefore it is quite an honor to have had the surgery that saved my life performed by the man who invented it. Especially lucky on my part, since he retired less than one year after my surgery was preformed. (Pediatric Cardiology 196-197)

The ways that I have benefitted from healthcare are obvious; I would not be here today if it was not for the aid I received. From the amazing care from doctors, those who transported me, to the generous fam-ily friends who donated blood soon before the operation, I must be forever thankful to

all those individuals who helped me in my helpless state and insured my life go on. At the time of my birth my father had recently started his own company. He was on a tem-porary insurance plan that extended from his previous job, until the time he was able to buy an entirely new plan. The insurance covered almost all of the costs of my care, which was of great benefit to my parents who were financially stable, but also going through a risky period of time. I could not say what the outcome would have been if they had they been uninsured, but because of the absolute requirement of the surgery I assume it would have been carried out regardless.

Investigating this event serves to solid-ify and deepen my views on healthcare even further. With the tragedies and complica-tions that plague humanity in times of need, it is absolutely necessary for one to have the best care possible no matter whom they are, or what there given financial situation. This event for example, a couple having a child, stressful enough as it is financially and emotionally even when in a comfort-able position. Then to be immediately faced with the possible death of your child, tell me, is this moment of need any time to deny someone available help? Even in a situation less threatening where the child needs care but will certainly survive, should they still not be given any treatment that will ensure


them the best possible circumstances to lead a life as if born without any complications? Life does not need to get any more difficult or distressing especially in times of vulner-ability, in this age of scientific advancement and knowledge it is ones right to proper care. The world “qualify” should not enter the world of healthcare. The concept of eli-gibility for proper health and well being is an avaricious and inhumane atrocity.

The necessity for healthcare is obvious, health and well being is an issue everyone living has to face in one way or another. No

matter what way you look at it people need care, and steps need to be taken to ensure that everybody gets the best possible care. It is simply unfair and unjust to deny some-one care whether he or she are sick or not. Article three in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of per-son.” To deny someone the care they need would, especially when it is readily avail-able would be a directz violation of this right, and sadly enough this shameful act is still going on today in this country. With

the right laws in effect, and help from the community healthcare can be available to everyone in need.

I think that there is a strong connection between service and wellness for both those benefitting from the service being pro-vided as well as those providing the service. Health is of enormous importance to every-one today, and in a country as advanced as the United States health should be at the top of our priorities.

Through the end of August 2011, over 1.2 million Americans with

Original Medicare have taken advantage of Medicare’s new free

Annual Wellness Visit.

Sources: "Obituary Dr. Farouk S. Idriss." Pediatric Cardiology. 14. (1993): 196-197. Print.

Jackson, Jill. "Health Care Reform Bill Summary: A Look At What's in the Bill." Political Hotsheet(2010): n. pag. Web. 9 Feb 2011.

Zipes DP, Libby P, Bonow RO, Braunwald E, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine, 8th ed. St. Louis, Mo; WB Saunders; 2007.

Schumacher, Kurt R. "Transposition of the Great Vessels." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/. A.D.A.M., Inc., 12/21/2009. Web. 9 Feb 2011.

It is our job to pave the time ahead with the absolute

best living conditions for those who will lead the future;

without health there can be no future.


words ERIN WEAVERedited RYAN WARD

The Worst InjusticeDetecting Justice

Health and Justice are two concepts which society has placed great weight and respon-sibility to be upheld. Health is defined as the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans it is the general condition of a person in mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from ill-ness, injury or pain. The World Health orga-nization defined health in its broader sense in the 1946 as "a state of complete physi-cal, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Justice however is defined as the concept of moral rightness based on ethics, nationality, law, natural law, religion, fairness or equal-ity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics. Health is a physical state and justice is a concept, together they form

standards of society and form the basis for health care. Where there is health there exists the possibility of illness and where there is justice somewhere lurking in the darkness is injustice. Injustice is like cancer, it builds within society and is often times hard to detect. The worst injustice of all is breast cancer.

About 1 in 8 women in the United States (12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime, and some of those women will never be able to get a mammogram or receive the treat-ment they need. Nearly 39,840 women in the U.S. were expected to die in 2010 from breast cancer, though death rates have been decreasing since 1990. These decreases are thought to be the result of treatment


Sources: Amanda Hess - Lifestyle Editor, GOOD Magazine

"FIVE"

GRADE: YOUTUBE:"Five" A Lifetime Original Movie Sneak Peek

"YOUR MAN REMINDER"

GRADE:THE PREMISE: Women are more likely to remember to perform regular self breast examinations if a hot guy massaging their pectoral muscles reminds them.

YOUTUBE:Rethink Breast Cancer presents: Your Man Reminder

"ACT TODAY"

GRADE: YOUTUBE:Breast Cancer Awareness Creative Ad

REVIEW ME: GRADING BREAST CANCER COMMERCIALS

"Compared to African American women, white

women are slightly more likely to develop

breast cancer, but less likely to die of it."

advances, earlier detection through screen-ing, and increased awareness, however that is for those who can afford it. Recently organizations such as Planned parenthood who's services include cancer screenings for underprivileged women has gone under attack. A statement by Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federa-tion of America, on Upcoming Senate Vote to Take Away Cancer Screenings and Birth Control from American Women had this to say “Having failed last week to eliminate breast exams, cancer screenings, and birth control that millions of American women count on, these extremists insist on push-ing another attack on these critical health services with a new vote against Planned Parenthood this week.” Injustice towards health generally stems from politicians, in this case congress and the house leader-ship, Cecile Richards continued to say that, “Planned Parenthood does not want one woman to be diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer, when our health centers could have caught that cancer through early screening. Every year we provide nearly one million screen-ings for cervical cancer and 830,000 breast exams. We also provide affordable birth control to nearly 2.5 million patients and nearly four million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections, including

HIV testing.” The issues raised were that of conservatives, who felt that planed parent-hood’s funds were being used predomi-nantly for abortions services, which is a false statement. Richards continued to point out that, “This is just one more indication of how far out of the mainstream the House leadership is, and how they would sacrifice the health and well-being of women to pur-sue their extreme political agenda.” Orga-nizations such as planned parenthood are vital for the health and justice to underpriv-ileged women and, “The fact is that 97 per-cent of the health care Planned Parenthood provides is preventive, and every federal dollar Planned Parenthood receives goes toward providing preventive health care to women.” The National Breast Cancer Foun-dation is another organization who’s mis-sion is to save lives by increasing awareness of breast cancer through education and by providing mammograms for those in need.

Social status, income and race also play an important role in the development and treatment of breast cancer. Compared to African American women, white women are slightly more likely to develop breast

cancer, but less likely to die of it. One pos-sible reason is that African American women tend to have more aggressive tumors, although why this is the case is not known. It is also thought that African American women may not be of the same income lev-els as the white women, and therefore could not seek treatment or early detec-tion. Women of other ethnic backgrounds — Asian, Hispanic, and Native American — have a lower risk of developing and dying from breast cancer than white women and African American women. Family history also makes an impact on the development of cancer. A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast can-cer. About 20-30% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of breast cancer. However, a shocking study found that about 70-80% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer. These occur due to genetic abnormalities that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general, rather than inherited mutations.

Aluminum-based compounds are used as the active ingredient in antiperspirants. These compounds form a temporary plug within the sweat duct that stops the flow of sweat to the skin's surface. Some research suggests that aluminum-based compounds, which are applied frequently and left on the skin near the breast, may be absorbed by the skin and cause estrogen-like (hormonal) effects. Because estrogen has the ability to promote the growth of breast cancer cells, some scientists have suggested that the alu-minum-based compounds in antiperspi-rants may contribute to the development of breast cancer. This information and other risk factors are likely to never reach impov-erished ears for lack of media attention and Internet or news sources.

So, what is breast cancer? About 5-10% of breast cancers can be linked to gene mutations (abnormal changes) inherited from one’s mother or father. Mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the most common. Women with these mutations have up to an 80% risk of developing breast cancer during their lifetime, and they are more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age (before menopause). An increased ovar-ian cancer risk is also associated with these genetic mutations. In men, about 1 in 10 breast cancers are believed to be due to BRCA2 mutations and even fewer cases to BRCA1 mutations.

My mother was recently diagnosed with Breast Cancer. In 2009 my Mom sat me and my sisters down and told us the news, she had been keeping it secret from us until she had the test results back. “I don't want to scare you,” she said, immediately making my heart sink, “but I had some tests done on a lump that I found, and it came back positive, I have breast cancer.” I don't want to think of the possibility that my Mother could have died had she not received the life saving tests and early detection. Over the course of three years my mother endured countless surgeries, and radiation and chemo treatments. She underwent a double mas-tectomy with the hopes of eliminating any chances of it spreading and it was a physi-cally and emotionally draining time for us all. Mental health also played a huge role in my mothers health, at times she broke down and her health declined, and other times when her spirits were brighter she recovered faster. She needed several services daily by various people, doctors, nurses, radia-tion, chemo therapy, and one which seemed overlooked but was indeed very impor-tant, food. When my mother was recover-ing from her surgeries and various ordeals she had no time or energy to buy food and cook it, and I was going to school 7 hours away in Milwaukee, but there was a volun-teer service who stepped in and changed her life. “Time for Dinner,” is a volunteer ser-

vice in which individuals create meals from scratch ahead of time, package it, and send it to patients in need, all for free. All that my Mom had to do was put It in the oven and enjoy a home cooked meal. I remember calling her on the phone and asking what was for dinner, and getting her enthusias-tic response as she listed off the wonder-ful meals that were created just for her. Just knowing that someone was looking out for my Mom, and cared enough to help her out in this way was so touching to me and left a lasting impact. I felt as though there was some sort of justice in the world, and that these services all helped my mother to recover from a life threatening cancer. My mother is better now, and to this day she has visited “Time for Dinner,” and seen the faces of those who helped her, and now she volunteers there when she can. I had the privilege of meeting a few of the women on the team and could not express my gratitude enough. My mother and younger sister also participated in the Komen Race for the Cure in St. Louis on June 16, 2010, which had over 71,800 registered participants and raised $3.4 million for cancer research. It is events like this that help to bring attention to can-cer and to raise money to cure those suffer-ing from breast cancer.

Komen for the Cure has partnered or funded programs in more

than 50 countries as part of our nearly $1.5 billion investment

in breast cancer research, education and community programs

since 1982.

Side Fact:


Sources: Menghe, Angelo M. "Service Learning." E-mail interview. 9 Feb. 2011

Brown, Logan R. "Service Learning." E-mail interview. 9 Feb. 2011

breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/what_is_bc.jsp

nationalbreastcancer.org/edp/default.aspx

cancercenter.com

Kim, Weaver. “Detecting justice.” Personal interview. 17 April. 2011.

komen.org

The worst injustice of all is breast cancer, and it affects

1-8 women in the United States alone, but when justice is

sought after, a cure can be found.

What To Take Away:

IMAGINE IF YOU HAD NO

HEALTH CARE

MIAD Bridge

Documents

Transcript of MIAD Bridge