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Show e^A1- Helping children smile across the glob bers informed oft what is going on. So far this year, Marshall said Operation Smile has hosted a movie night, set up booths in the TSC to raise awareness and increase membership, helped at the Service Fair and plan to help with j Two hundred and forty dollars can go a long ; way. A car payment, a few textbooks, a new iPod or Christmas Tree Lane. All the money raised from even a plane ticket. But what about changing a life? the activities go toward cleft lip and palate surgeries across the world. For only' $240, Operation Smile is able to provide Last year the club also sponsored a concert with , life-changing surgery for a child born with a facial local bands and raised about $600, winning the deformity, and students at USU are helping raise Operation Smile Campus Organization of the Year money for the cause. Award. ., Nicki Marshall, junior in speech and language Because of this event's success, Marshall said : j pathology with a pre-med emphasis, is the spring plans are underway for another benefit concert semester president-elect of USU's Operation Smile this spring, something she hopes becomes a tradichapter. tion. "We are an organization that helps raise money Besides being largely funded by students, Foster for kids in Third World countries who have cleft said Operation Smile also relies on student volunlip and palate," she said. "Every $240 that we raise teers to travel with them to Third World countries pays for an entire surgery." to help at screenings and in hospitals, but also to The USU Operation Smile chapter is one of educate patients and their families about hygiene more than 500 chapters and clubs across the and nutrition. In March 2008, Foster said she nation, all spearheaded by students. Since the had the opportunity to volunteer at a hospital in organization was founded in 1982, more than Bolivia for two weeks with Operation Smile. 120,000 children and young adults with cleft lips, Foster said having the opportunity to participalates and other facial deformities have been pate in an Operation Smile mission was not an treated and educated by thousands of student and easy process. She said before a student applies, medical volunteers. Brooke Foster, freshman in speech and language pathology and student aware- they must attend an annual international leadership conference that have been held anywhere ness officer of the USU chapter, said Operation from California to Ireland in years past. Smile is unique because the surgeries are funded "The year I wanted to go to the conference," she by students. said. "It was in Ogden, so I lucked out." "All the funding comes from students," she After attending the leadership conference, said. "Operation Smile wouldn't be able to function ;withoutsLudents.'L.—,.-_™-—«—., — . - ^ =.. - Foster said students must apply and attend mis-- .<,, ~~siorrrraiiimg irr Virginia; w h e r e t h t y l e a n r a b o u f i , ""itoeir responsibilities^V61uriteers: After complex' tctfttalige*T^ tion of these requirementSi Foster said-studentSTjr": • or palate makes it very difficult for an individual have the opportunity to apply to complete an ' " .Jgjeat and speak, and by receiving the surgery they Operation Smile mission almost anywhere in the are able live more normal lives. • world. After applying her third time, Foster said Marshall, who has been involved with she was finally accepted into the program and was Operation Smile for two years, said the USU chap•••<•',-. ter officially has about 450 members with about 30 assigned to volunteer in Bolivia. students who actively participate in planning and executing the activities. She said the group meets [I See SMILE, page 7 once a month to plan activities and to keep memBy KARLIE BRAND staff writer IS JUST O N E OF T H E hundreds of children with cleft lip and palate who came to a screening to receive treatment in Bolivia. More than 120.000 children and young adults with cleft lips, palates and other facial deformities have been treated and educated by student and medical volunteers of Operation Smile. The USU Operation Smile chapter is one of more than 500 chapters and clubs across the nation, photo courtesy of BROOKE FOSTER > * ; ' ^ Finding the curefor cancer through relay ByCANDlCESANDNESS staff writer ;.; •. There was a time in 18-year-old Holli Colligan's life when she could not walk upright or stand up straight without stumbling •over. :;;.; During gymnastics practice, she could not stay on the balance beam without swaying over and hitting the walls. Colligan - was forced to quit gymnastics because of experienced vertigo, a , chronic dizziness and sensation of spinning. . j;v jAfter her second visit with her doctor, an order of a CT scan ' was done and a golf ball-sized tumor was found an inch away from her brain stem. ! i'b- At age 14, Colligan said she was diagnosed with . Medulloblastoma and lost her reading comprehension ability .^alpng with it. . .; / "It was really hard to get back into the groove of learning. I fought hard to get into AP and honors classes," she said. "I've tfeen blessed, so blessed. I had to work really hard to get here and it was hard to get back into a social life." ...»To rid the tumor, Colligan had to go through six weeks of 31 radiation treatments and one year of chemotherapy and now has been out of treatment for two years. , •;j According to relayforlife.org, one in three people will be diagcnosed with cancer during their lifetime. ::; Because of one doctor, who wanted nothing more than to show support for his patients who have battled cancer, according to the Web site, Relay For Life was formed in 1986 by Dr. Gordy ;Klatt. •• ^'Relay For Life is a fundraiser by the American Cancer Society ;\whb raise funds to fight cancer and raise awareness of cancer prevention and treatment. The Web site states it offers every. one jn a community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. The actual event is to celebrate the lives of cancer survivors, remember those who were lost and to continue to ':, fight^Colligan became USU relay team development chair this year for the 2009 Relay For Life board and continues to pursue her involvement in Relay For Life throughout her time at USU. "Radiation and chemotherapy was brutal which is why Relay for Life is so important. No one should have to go through what I did," Colligan said. Even after treatments have been done and chemotherapy was finished, the side effects of cancer have not left. Colligan said weak legs, allergies to certain foods, nausea and fatigue are just some of the side effects she faces. Colligan said without the money from relay fundraising, researchers would not be able to make discoveries with cancer. "We are the first generation that will see a cure for cancer. With these relays, there is hope for a cure," she said. Through extreme hard work and determination, Colligan was able to regain her reading comprehension through diligent studying throughout high school and in June 2008, Colligan graduated high school with a 3.99 GPA. "It s not easy to go through. It's important to fight back and find a cure for cancer," she said. USU Relay Co-Chair Sara Fifield became involved with Relay for Life after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. "She's the reason I relay," she said. "To see my mom beat breast cancer was an inspiration to me." Fifield's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer during Fifield's junior year of high school. Fifield said because the cancer was detected early, doctors were able to treat it before worse symptoms arose. "I was kind of in shock when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and at the time I didn't comprehend it at first. I feel so blessed it was treatable," she said. Fifield's mother found Relay For life through the support groups she was in after recovering from cancer. "Our generation is the one who will see a cure. It's not a distant prospect anymore and it can actually happen," Fifield said. For more information, contact Fifield at sara.fifield@gmail. com or Colligan at holli.colligan@aggiemail.usu.edu. -candice. sandness@aggiemail. usu. edu Stress and success: How to have a stress-free Finals Week By COURTNEY SCHOEN staff writer Finals Week can be a scary and stressful week for students on campus. It is a common sight to see nervous students frantically flipping through pages in the library or reviewing flash cards while they bustle to class. However, there are many things students can do to reduce that stress. Alyssa Quinn, junior in mechanical engineering, said nothing helps her reduce stress like taking fake engagement pictures with boys. "When I need to clear my mind, I take pictures or give funky new hairstyles to my roommates," Quinn said. Luckily, there are many fun ways to reduce stress during the crazy time of finals week. Jim Davis, medical director at the Student Health and Wellness Center, said stress management is critical but avoiding stress can stop a student's progression. "There is a healthy balance between stress and growth," Davis said. "We could not grow, thrive or develop on any level without stress." Davis said if success is expected, there must be some stress in every realm - athletics, emotions, physical characteristics and test taking and anxiety. Davis strongly encourages students to figure out what stress relieving techniques helps them best manage, not avoid, stress. Davis said he suggests socializing, but not substance abuse at a party, because it has proven to be a positive way to reduce stress. Kelsi Callister, freshman in elementary education, said she loves joining in on her roommate five-minute dance parties that happen every hour in her apartment during intense times of stress. Callister also said she loves to throw random, fake surprise birthday parties and go for strolls through the cemetery when she needs to clear her mind. "Dead people can't stress me out," she said. "They [M See FINALS, page 7 |