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Show DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 28, 2010 5 Battle through cancer gave student new perspective Rosemary Campbell STAFF WRITER Bethany Linscott didn't think it was anything close to cancer. In fall 2006, at the start of her sophomore year at the U, Linscott frequently became nauseated, which she thought was because of stress. Five days before Christmas, the doctors told her she had a tumor on the surface of her ovaries. The day after Christmas, they diagnosed her with epithelial ovarian cancer. "When they told me, 'You have a tumor,' I couldn't believe it," said Linscott, now a senior in political science and history. "No way can I, Bethany Linscott, have cancer." Linscott had the classic symptoms of the disease: nausea, irregular ovulation cycles, bloating and feeling full quickly. But it is hard for doctors to diagnose even these classic symptoms because they are similar to other problems, she said "I was really fortunate we caught my tumor so quickly," Linscott said. "Ovarian cancer is usually caught really late." Mark Dodson, a gynecological oncologist at the Huntsman Cancer Institute and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, said most of his patients with ovarian cancer don't know something is wrong until the classic symptoms appear, and that usually doesn't happen until the cancer has spread. Each year in the United States, roughly 21,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and about 15,000 of those die, Dodson said. The mortality rate is high because the cancer usually isn't caught until the third stage, when it has spread throughout the other pelvic organs and into the abdominal cavity, he said. Only about i,ioo of those 21,000 cases are in women younger than 4o years old—Linscott was just 19. "The chance of a woman getting it that young is probably one in i,000," Dodson said. "It's low, low, low. It's very unusual." The tumor attacking Linscott's body was in its first stage, confined to her ovaries. For treatment, Linscott underwent two surgeries and six rounds of chemotherapy. It took a toll on her, physically and emotionally. "Chemo was terrible," she said. "I've never considered myself a particularly vain person, but it was so hard to lose my hair, and eventually I lost my eyebrows and eyelashes." Although she was weak, Bethany Linscott was diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer at the age of 19, but with treatment and support from friends and family, the cancer went into remission in June 2007. Linscott said she tried to stay engaged with the world by surrounding herself with friends and family, and a pivotal moment came during a discussion Linscott had with her best friend. "One evening, we were just talking about cancer, and we were both crying," Linscott said. "She said, 'I really believe that God will do a good thing for this, both in your life and your perspective towards the world and empathy for people.' It reminded me that as scary as mortality is, life and the world isn't just about me." But some days it was hard to keep that perspective, especially when she was nauseous and bald and felt ugly, she said. In June 2007, Linscott went into remission. She returned to school that fall but said she wishes she hadn't jumped back into things so fast. "When treatment ends, you can finally breathe," she said, but she remembers how difficult it was facing life so soon. With little hair and some lingering effects, Linscott faced reminders of the cancer. "I have some pretty gnarly scars on my abdomen from my two surgeries," she said. "I'm kind of proud of them." Linscott said she wishes someone had prepared her for post-cancer life, but she now volunteers at the Huntsman Cancer Institute every week to give cancer survivors the help she didn't always have. "I love being there because I think it's really encouraging for people to see that young people get cancer and that I'm totally healthy now," she said. "I just ran a half-marathon. Series of quakes not unusual Katie Harrington STAFF WRITER Yet another large earthquake shook the ground April 6—this time in Indonesia—and is the fourth high-magnitude quake to gain press attention this year. But U seismologists say this type of earthquake activity is normal. A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the northwest island of Sumatra on April 6, which triggered a small tsunami and caused minor damage in most areas. The epicenter was located 19 miles undersea and about 125 miles off the coast of the town Sibolga in Sumatra. There was a 7.2 earthquake April 4 in Baja California, Mexico—also felt in southern California—causing minor damage. In February, the Chilean earthquake measured magnitude 8.8 and in January, Haiti suffered devastating losses when a magnitude 7 quake hit its capital city Port-au-Prince. But Mark Hale, earthquake information specialist at the U's seismograph stations department, said there are many large earthquakes like this a year—people just don't often hear about them. "There have been some key earthquakes in recent history that have drawn more media, like the Sichuan province in China—that earthquake killed a lot of people—and obviously Haiti," Hale said. "I think people have become more aware and it's become an increasingly larger news story ever since the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia." Press coverage of earthquakes reflects the size of human impact, not necessarily of the quake itself, said James Pechmann, professor of seismology. When the Haiti earthquake hit a populated region, it affected thousands of people, which brought more attention. But earthquakes of the same or greater size happen all the time—they just happen to be in unpopulated places. Each year, there is an average of one reported earthquake of magnitude 8 and higher, 17 between 7 and 7.9, 134 between 6 and 6.9, and it is estimated that there are more than 1.4 million ranging between magnitudes 2 and 5.9, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. "Generally, these large-magnitude earthquakes don't happen all at once, but the behavior is not abnormal by any means," Hale said. Some argue that large earthquakes, such as the four that have occurred in recent months, can set earthquakes off in other areas, but Pechmann doesn't believe this is the case. "It is true that large earthquakes can trigger distant earthquakes," Pechmann said. "That's been known since 1994, but that usually happens right afterwards, within a few minutes to a day or two." Pechmann said although these large earthquakes have happened relatively close in time Chile Haiti Date: Jan. 12 Magnitude: 7 Deaths: 230,000 people +-wy Date: Feb. 27 Magnitude: 8.8 Deaths: Estimated 486 people, including deaths from the ensuing tsunami Indonesia Baja California Date: April 6 Magnitude: 7.7 Deaths: No initial reports of injury or damage Date: April 4 Magnitude: 7.2 Deaths: One initially reported in Mexico - - AIIPP—P-111-4(1, 411.01, MAJOR 2010 EARTHQUAKES to one another, there is not sufficient evidence that the Haiti, Chile and Baja California earthquakes are in any way related. But the Indonesian earthquake is a slightly different story. "The area around Sumatra and Indonesia has been very active for the past several years," Pechmann said. "Certainly things have been very active there recently, so that activity is probably all related." Pechmann said he understands why people think these large earthquakes are unusual, but stresses that they are not. "These areas have been hit with large earthquakes in the past, so if you look at it in a historical context, it's really not unusual behavior," Pechmann said. Pechmann said if Utah has an earthquake around these magnitudes, which it could in the near future, it would devastate the area. Bob Carey with the Utah Division of Emergency Services and Homeland Security estimated that if a magnitude 7 earthquake hit the Salt Lake City segment of the Wasatch fault, 2,000 to 3,000 people would die. Another 30,000 to 40,00o people would require medical attention. There would also be $27 billion in damage to buildings in the afflicted area. Pechmann said if the earthquake were to hit the West Desert, those estimates would be far less severe. k.harrington@chronicle.utah.edu - I milierAirq Source: The Associated Press Bush praises Marriott Library's resources, staff Chris Mumford STAFF WRITER At the rededication ceremony for the Marriott Library on Oct. 26, former first lady Laura Bush chronicled the building's 41year history and pointed to the future by highlighting its new technologies and additions. Bush was joined on the third floor of the newly renovated library by Gov. Gary Herbert, U President Michael Young, JW. Marriott Jr. and U librarian and director Joyce Ogburn. "History records a bright contrast between the year the library was built and today," said Bush, who served as a librarian in Austin, Texas, and established the Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries as first lady. Bush described the tumultuous circumstances surrounding the library's original dedication in 1968, a time when the Civil Rights Movement and Cold War were both at their height. "Today, the Cold War is over, we've elected an African-American president of the United States, and there are more democracies in the world than ever before," she said. The determination of the library staff to forge ahead with the library's construction amid turmoil led Pulitzer Prize-winning author Wallace Stegner to characterize the act as one of "stubborn, sassy faith" at the original dedication. Marriott Jr. spoke about his father's $1 million contribution to the library and the importance of the institution to his MIKE MANGUM/The Daily Utah Chronicle family: The library was the place where Marriott Sr. met Former first lady Laura Bush delivered the keynote address at the rededication his wife when it was located in ceremony of the Marriott Library on October 26, 2009. Presidents Circle. Bush came as a guest of the uses a robot to deliver more they will now be on display in Marriott family, said Fred Es- than a million resources. the George S. and Dolores Dore plin, vice president for institu"I'm wondering where those Reading room. tional advancement. were when I was a librarian," But above the library's many Bush and Young said the li- she joked. additions, new and old, Bush brary receives 1.5 million visits The ceremony also featured reserved special praise for the per year and boasts a collection the unveiling of the Malby library's one constant. of more than 3 million books Globes, two water-colored "Even with all the gadgets and and 8 million photos. globes handcrafted between gizmos, the staff and librarians The library's new technolo- 1851 and 1854 that have been at the Marriott Library are still gies were also highlighted in with the U for almost 150 years, its greatest resource," she said. Bush's speech, including a new Young said. Refurbishing work c.mumford@ automatic retrieval center that on the globes began in 2007, and chronicle.utah.edu Cancer doesn't have to be a death sentence." Linscott said she could write a book from all that she learned from battling cancer. "Now I just have this gutlevel empathy that I didn't have before," she said. "And I think hand in hand with empathy is the realization that I can't ever completely understand people's hurts. I can never say, 'I understand how you feel,' because our pain is so unique and individual." r.campbell@ chronicle.utah.edu Crime and punishment Tim DeChristopher March i6: Third District Judge Dee Benson denied DeChristopher's request for the names and contact information of other bidders accused of monkey-wrenching and set a June 21 date for the three-day trial of DeChristopher, a senior in economics. He bid at a U.S. Bureau of Land Management oil and gas lease auction in December 2008 with no intent of purchasing any of the land in Southern Utah and was later charged with two felony counts—one for lying to a federal official and another for violating an oil and leasing act, according to the indictment. DeChristopher said he did this as an act of civil disobedience against anti-environmental policies implemented by the Bush administration. Jara Jane Wimmer Oct. i6: Wimmer, a former accountant, is charged with stealing more than $123,000 in cash and goods from the U's theater department during the past three years. She is charged with money laundering, theft and communications fraud, second-degree felonies, and forgery, a third-degree felony. The investigation into the theft began April is the same day police found Wimmer in a West Wendover hotel bleeding from self-inflicted wounds. Underwear thief and copycat Jan. 12: The Salt Lake City Police Department filed a burglary charge against Charles Howell Jr. for breaking into the home of a U student last July and rubbing her feet and legs while she slept. Howell's alleged conduct matches the behavior of a criminal still at large who broke into the homes of female U students and someone staying at the U and either tried to steal the women's underwear or touched their feet and legs. Police suspect the same man is behind all four incidents. Michael McFall and Trent Lowe LGBT continued from Page 3 together this is a conversation that has to be had." At the U, the LGBT Resource Center is making sure that those discussions are being held. "The students are having conversations about what's going on," said Cathy Martinez, director of the center. "Here, I'm witnessing that conversations are continuing to transpire...about what direction to go, where to go from here and what's going to be the most beneficial to the LGBT community." Through events such as the LGBTQFi1m Series, "Fabulous Fridays" and the staff and faculty networking social, Martinez hopes to bring together members of the LGBT community and their U allies. The meetings are open to everyone, with the goal of reaching out especially to those who don't fall into the lesbian, gay, transgender or bisexual categories. As for the halt in the Legis- lature, Martinez is hopeful. "Some people believe that it's going to be beneficial, and some people are disappointed by it," she said. "I'm trying to be as optimistic as possible. We'll see where the year brings us and what transpires." The compromise, which was the idea of openly lesbian Rep. Christine Johnson, D-Salt Lake City, and Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, called for Democrat lawmakers to drop all gay-rights bills and for Republicans to drop all bills seeking to reverse pro-gay legislation passed during the 2009 session. Johnson called it a "thoughtful and respectful compromise," and Stephenson told the Deseret News that the agreement to stand down on any bills related to gay issues "is not a backing down on principle or our beliefs," but an opportunity that will hopefully lead to a more civil debate in the 2011 Legislature. Anyone interested in attending upcoming LGBT events should visit the resource center's website, www.sa.utah. edu/lgbt. j.lowe@chronicle.utah.edu |