Monday's Internet Edition, May 12, 2008.
High school group urges kids to fight cancer with knowledge
|
Features Editor
- Don’t fear cancer. Fight it — with knowledge!
That was the message Thursday during a presentation made to Ledford Middle School eighth graders by Ledford High School students Sara Cline, Suzanne Cranford and Cara Trotter.
The trio is part of the LHS HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) organization, which they say is one of the school’s most popular clubs.
According to the organization website, www.hosa.org, HOSA is a national student organization endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education. Its mission is to promote career opportunities in health care and to enhance the delivery of quality health care to all people.
“There are a lot of jobs in the medical field,” Trotter said. “I’d like to become a doctor or a dentist, and this club has given me the opportunity to get an in-depth look at my career choice before I get to college.”
For Cranford, the story is a bit different.
“I tried HOSA just to see if I’d like to do something in the medical field,” she said. “But I’m not sure I like it, so I’m looking into some other interests I have. Had I not tried HOSA, I may have gotten far into a college major before I realized I didn’t love what I was doing.”
“At first, I wanted to be a nurse,” Cline said. “But then some personal things happened, and I think now I’d like to pursue a career as a missionary. Maybe I could combine my interests and become a medical missionary.”
The presentation Thursday afternoon was part of a Community Awareness competition. The group had to choose a health-related issue of importance and, through presentations and discussions, work to raise awareness about it.
“We chose various kinds of cancers,” Cline said. “We conducted a survey at the high school, and it was crazy how many students either were personally affected by cancer or who knew someone who was. Cancer is a very widespread problem, but lung and skin cancers are both things that can be fought with a little bit of prevention.”
Last year’s HOSA group, Cline said, chose to focus on obesity and healthy eating habits.
The girls must put together a book describing their community awareness efforts for the competition, and they must also make a Power Point presentation to describe their work.
In addition to visiting several area schools — Ledford Middle, Wallburg Elementary and Friendship-Ledford Elementary — the girls have visited several churches.
The top presentations statewide will be chosen to attend a national HOSA conference, where they will have the chance to compete for scholarship money.
On Thursday, the girls told eighth-graders about lung and skin cancer and a sexually transmitted disease.
They discussed the appearance of skin cancer and told students how to check moles for any signs of change or abnormal growth. The girls also detailed different kinds of skin cancers and their symptoms, the age and gender groups most commonly effected, detection, treatment and prevention.
They also talked about various types of lung cancer, symptoms, and prevention — particularly wearing sunblock that is SPF 15 or stronger.
“The most important thing you can do for yourself is just be smart about how you live,” Cline told the students. “Smoking is not cool. You’re going to be pressured to try a lot of things in high school and college, and you have to be ready. Take care of yourselves and pay attention to what your bodies are telling you. Overall, just be smart.”
(March 11)