They say to be kind to everyone you meet because they are fighting a harder battle. Well, for one student, this was a reality. You never, truly know what is going on in a person's life, unless they let you in. Carly Thorne is from Grove City, PA, graduated from Grove City high school and had aspirations to attend Kent State University to begin her college career. Her summer of 2012 went by like any other; she had fun with friends and family and enjoyed every ounce of her last summer before college. Carly always had a "this could never happen to me" mentality, because she was a college student now...what could happen?
Carly and her family loved to go to the beach.
After the death of her cousin, Carly's life continued as anyone else's would, except for the fact that her mother was diagnosed with stage 4, metastatic breast cancer. This is where Carly first felt how cruel the world could be. Metastatic cancer means that the person's cancer has spread from the place it first started to another part of the body. When cancer reaches stage 4, this usually means that the cancer can be difficult to get rid of, however in Carly's case, her mother responded very well to the chemotherapy. At her mother's 6 month scan, the cancer had decreased in her bones, was gone in the breast, and was still slightly on her liver. For a cancer patient with stage 4 cancer, this was fantastic news. During this time, Carly decided to continue to study at Kent State University, but would travel home on the weekends to visit her mother. "I would come home to her on the weekends cleaning the house like she was healthier than ever. It really lifted my spirits she was feeling positive and had a good outlook on this battle."
Carly with her mom's friend Tina Moser
After a year at Kent State, Carly decided to transfer to Slippery Rock University. Her mother had a tremendous impact on her decision, but it was also a chance to save money and switch majors from speech pathology to public relations. This is how she got to be involved in the Slippery Rock University communication department. Before starting her first semester at Slippery Rock, her mom's friend, Tina Moser, the Assistant to the President, needed a student worker in her office. Carly accepted that position and worked in the office for three years, and developed a family in Old Main.
During her first year at Slippery Rock however, her mother's cancer returned.
Carly and her mom at a breast cancer awareness event.
During this time, her mother's condition began to worsen. Her mother's cancer was worse on her liver, worse in her bones, but it was not in her breast. After this diagnosis, her mother began more chemotherapy treatments, as well as radiation. For those who may not know, whenever a cancer patient gets treated with radiation and chemotherapy, it is not a skip in the park. With chemotherapy, doctors use strong drugs to treat cancer, either in a pill, flu-like shot, intravenous (IV), or a couple different ways. (American Cancer Society, 2015). Radiation therapy, or just radiation, uses high-energy waves to damage or ultimately destroy cancer cells. Chemo treats the entire body, whereas radiation is used only on the part of the body with the cancer cells. Many patients go to treatment every week for months. For Carly's mother however, the second round of chemo and radiation did not have as good as an effect as the first round. Her mother became weak and tired very quickly, and in a matter of three months, the cancer had spread everywhere. Unfortunately, the cancer also made it's way to her brain.She passed away August 15, 2014.
After her mother passed away, Carly continued on through school and will be graduating from SRU this coming Saturday, December 12. She has been a part of the Communication Honor's Society, Lambda Pi Eta, as well as the student-run PR firm on campus, Rock PRoductions. Throughout the time of her mother's cancer, Carly has shown over and over again how a person can still be standing even in a time of great sorrow. She has shown great courage and commitment to her studies, as well as her family.
Carly's mother will always remain her best friend.
Carly and her mom acting goofy.
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Carly continues to be an inspiration to those around her. She has had three, successful years at Slippery Rock University and will continue to inspire even after graduation. Thank you, Carly, for sharing your story with us.
Carly Thorne is currently a senior at Slippery Rock University studying Public Relations, and she will be graduating in December 2015. Throughout her time in college, two colleges I might add, she has overcome multiple situations that have shaped her into who she is today. Before beginning college at Kent State, her cousin was in a fatal accident. This was her first situation with such a tragedy. A week after the death of her cousin, she found out that her mother had been diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. She continued to study at Kent State for one year, and then transferred to Slippery Rock University and got a job at Old Main as the student worker for the Assistant to the President. During this time, her mother became even more ill, with the cancer making its way through her body, and ultimately into her brain; she passed away on August 15, 2014. Carly has had to overcome some things that one person couldn't even image about. For this project, I will get to know Carly and allow her to tell her story about her life, and how she overcame all of these obstacles. She will be an inspiration to others in similar situations, and continue to remind people that no one fights alone.
Every 3rd Thursday in November, the American Cancer Society launches an event to encourage people to quit smoking, which is known as the Great American Smokeout. Slippery Rock University hosted The Great American Smokeout on November 19, during common hour, in the commuters lounge on the second floor of the Smith Student Center. Students had a chance to walk around and see all of the information about cigarettes, chew, e-cigs, and much more. They also had the opportunity to speak with students from the HOPE Peer Educators, and ask any questions they might have. Refreshments were also provided.
The
Great American Smokeout, being held on November 19 from 12:00-2:00 p.m., will
be the event covered for the video Thinglink project. This even is newsworthy
due to the fact it is all about various forms of tobacco and how there are risks and dangers
associated with the usage of tobacco. It is also being held on the Slippery Rock campus and
is for anyone to attend who wants to learn more about risks and dangers
of tobacco use. At
this event, I would plan to take pictures of the people in attendance, any flyers
or trifolds they may have, videos of different people attending, videos of
different people speaking about tobacco and usage. I also plan to interview
students that attend and what their viewpoint is on the subject matter. I also
plan to interview anyone who is hosting the event, such as the HOPE Peer
Educators, and ask why they are hosting the event and more information about
it. I can also incorporate a map, or different links to websites of tobacco companies and their locations. I can also create a map of places of the most tobacco use in the United States.
I attended the Empty Bowls event at 5:05 p.m., that was held at the Smith Student Center all day long. The event was to help raise money for local hunger-fighting organizations, such as Feed My Sheep.
A student signs in to receive dinner and buy their own bowl.
Participants could get dinner there, with a meal consisting of soup, bread and a drink. They could also purchase a bowl of their choosing. The event was held on the 3rd floor of the student center and had multiple tables and chairs set up for people to enjoy their meal.
People sit and talk about their day while eating the soup and bread.
There was plenty of room for people to sit and see what it feels like to only eat soup and bread. Students get to enjoy this opportunity every year. The goal of the event is to help spread hunger awareness and raise money for local food hunger organizations. Students also volunteered to help pass out the food to those who attended the event. The bowls were provided by the university's own Potters Guild, which is an organization that creates ceramics on campus. They hand-make each individual piece, and the work with events such as Empty Bowls. They also like to be involved in the community and host open studio sessions where students on campus can see what the Potters Guild does.
Students are looking and choosing which bowl will be theirs.
Participants were greeted with multiple tables of bowls for purchase.
Once students entered the area, they were greeted with multiple tables of bowls that they could choose from, and then take home. Every bowl had its own unique shape and design. What makes them even cooler, is that they were designed by students right here on campus. This makes them even more special, because the event got to showcase student work.
Student David Hampshire talks about his brand new bowl.
After students perused the bowls, they were able to walk over to a buffet style of food, which were served to them by volunteers. Then after receiving their food, they were able to sit at the tables and get an experience like any other. This event was not promoting what it feels like to be full, it was letting people take an experience of being hungry.
Student volunteers are ready to serve food to participants.
After students have finished their meal, they were welcome to just sit and chat at the tables. Both money and canned goods were acceptable in order to get dinner served to you.
Morgan Sabatini talks about her new bowl from the event.
Overall, the event was extremely interesting and humbling. I participated in the event when I was a freshman here, and it was really gratifying to see how much the event has grown. While taking these pictures and videos, there was a constant stream of people coming and going into the ballroom. These types of events speak volumes about what is really happening outside of Slippery Rock, PA. For some, bread and soup is all they get. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we should all remember and be thankful for all that we have.
Each year, Slippery Rock University hosts the Healthfest in the ARC. On October 20, from 9:00-2:30, there were over 70 booths that students, faculty, and staff could visit to learn about healthier choices and health information. Each booth had something different to offer;some even handed out pamphlets, had games, or snacks. Students could visit each booth throughout the day and gain more knowledge about health information from different organizations from campus and the area.
All of us have grown up with the world of Nintendo: Super Mario Brothers, Super Smash Brothers, Pokemon, etc. Here is a look at the Nintendo systems and games since 1986; beginning with the Nintendo Entertainment System, to the newest addition in 2015.
Throughout taking these pictures, my boyfriend and I played some of the games, such as Wii bowling. Here is proof that I won:
