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The Cancer Crisis in Appalachia - The Students’ Perspectives · Talking FACS

• 0:01
  Welcome to talking facts and thank you for tuning in to cancer conversations on talking facts.
• 0:06
  A podcast collaboration between the University of Kentucky,
• 0:09
  Markey Cancer Center and the U.
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  K.
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  College of Agriculture,
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  food and environments cooperative extension service.
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  We will share with you the latest developments in cancer prevention,
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  diagnosis,
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  treatment and research from the experts at Markey Cancer Center Kentucky's only national cancer Institute designated cancer center.
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  Talking facts is hosted by the U.
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  K.
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  Family and Consumer Sciences extension program.
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  Our educators share research knowledge with individuals,
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  families and communities to improve quality of life.
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  Hello and welcome to cancer conversations on talking facts.
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  This is your host,
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  Dr jennifer Hunter,
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  assistant Extension director Supporting Family consumer sciences at the University of Kentucky.
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  Today,
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  I'm pleased to be joined by Dr Nathan Vanderford,
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  director of the Appalachian Career training and oncology program in the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center as well as have to students joining us.
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  Carly compton,
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  a sophomore at Montgomery County High School,
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  and Michael Bond Cristiani,
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  a junior at the University of Kentucky majoring in neuroscience and biomedical technology.
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  I'm going to say welcome to the group but then we're going to kick off a little bit about our topic today and I'm excited to welcome our crew today for those of you that may have been listeners with us for a while.
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  You may remember that we have previously interviewed Dr Vanderford as well as several students about a first edition of a book called the cancer crisis in Appalachia Kentucky.
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  Students take action today.
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  We're excited to welcome back our group To talk with us about the 2nd edition,
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  this book contains essays written by a group of 19 high school and 14 undergraduate students who are Appalachian Kentucky residents and participants in the University of Kentucky,
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  Markey cancer centers,
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  Appalachian Career training in oncology,
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  also known as Action Program.
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  I'd like to kick off today with Dr Vanderford and ask you to share a little bit more with us or explain to us what is the action program?
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  Yeah,
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  absolutely.
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  We're we're delighted to be here as always.
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  So thank you very much for the opportunity to to come on and talk about the book.
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  And action is a mouthful.
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  So we'll just go with with action.
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  So,
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  this program as a experiential training program targeting high school students and undergraduates from Appalachian Kentucky.
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  And it prepares and motivate students to pursue cancer careers in a nutshell,
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  that's what we do.
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  And more specifically,
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  we get students engaged in cancer research activities,
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  cancer clinical shadowing activities which are easier said than done these days during the covid pandemic,
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  but also engaged with cancer education activities and outreach activities,
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  particularly trying to get students involved in outreach into their communities,
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  which is partly one of the goals of the book,
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  actually,
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  Excellent,
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  Thank you Nathan.
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  I want to start with Carly now Carly,
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  can you tell me a little bit about your interest in the action program.
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  Yeah.
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  When I first heard about the action program,
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  I knew it was for me because of my personal experiences with cancer and my interest in stem as a career because I'm really interested in the medical field,
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  especially cancer because of my personal experiences with my family and I knew it was really prominent in this region of Kentucky and so I knew the action program was for me.
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  Excellent.
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  And Michael,
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  same question to you what piqued your interest in the action program.
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  Originally,
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  Chris Pritchard came to,
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  came to my school to give a presentation about the actual program and I don't think that dr Benford and him know this,
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  but I was actually late to class that day,
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  so I was lucky that I made it into the presentation as the first time I've ever said that.
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  So luckily I got in there,
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  I didn't know anything about it before,
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  but the presentation was great.
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  I knew I wanted to go to University of Kentucky,
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  I wanted to pursue medicine and I had I had a really deep interest in oncology and it definitely furthered it.
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  So I was after hearing the presentation knowing what the program was about,
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  knowing that it was with marquee.
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  My grandfather was a patient of marquee for a long time.
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  So it was,
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  there was no doubt that I wanted to join the program and I was glad I was late and didn't miss class that day.
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  So that was yeah,
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  that was really great.
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  I really was interested in market or interested in the actual program as soon as I listened to the whole presentation and I,
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  I think it would,
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  I think it's a great program in every high school and it's interested in cancer should do it and undergraduate.
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  So Michael,
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  it sounds like I owe you a tardy slip I think,
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  yeah,
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  I don't,
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  I knew you all didn't know that this is a perfect time to bring it up because you can't get mad now.
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  So that's,
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  that's funny.
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  Well,
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  maybe the time that you're spending on our podcast today will make up for the few minutes that you were late to class that day.
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  And I kinda,
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  I kinda smiled too.
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  And you said that that I actually,
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  when I was in school,
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  I had a random professor come to class one day and put out a very random offer of a program that I just sat there and thought I'm going to do that and take advantage of it and completely changed my entire career trajectory.
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  So kudos to you all for recognizing that that is something that,
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  that you wanted to do and taking advantage of the program.
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  So Nathan,
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  I want to talk about and really highlight the second edition of the book,
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  the cancer crisis in Appalachia Kentucky.
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  Students take action.
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  Can you tell us a little bit about the assignment that led to the creation of the book.
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  Absolutely.
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  So that this book,
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  the premise really is to get students to tell their own cancer stories and why they think cancer is is so prevalent in eastern Kentucky and what they think can be done about it.
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  That was the idea behind the book.
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  And that's the simple assignment that I give students to write about Really those three things Uh and to do so in about 2000 words or so.
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  And students,
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  they do a phenomenal job with these essays and the stories that come out of them are just they're great.
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  I mean,
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  there their own lived experiences of how they have experienced cancer,
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  uniquely in eastern Kentucky and their thoughts about,
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  you know,
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  how cancer impacts the region and and their family and loved ones and then what they think can be done about.
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  So,
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  Michael,
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  can you tell me a little bit about how it is to be in class and part of this program and for dr Vanderford to lay this assignment out with the essay that ultimately,
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  you know,
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  will end up as a published book.
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  Can you talk a little bit about that experience in your approach to the assignment?
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  Originally,
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  I was it was really nerve wracking and I was,
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  it's one of those situations where you're like,
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  I don't know if I really want to do it,
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  and I've gotten a little bit better just saying I'll be able to do,
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  and I'll be able to take advantage of it and and get it,
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  get through it.
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  So,
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  I was originally very worried about starting the process.
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  But I went I went ahead and did the best I could and the got it reviewed probably more red marks than green,
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  but so like originally I was I was very nervous about it and anxious about what was going on and kinda but at the end of the day I'm very glad that I took the opportunity to do it and it was it was a very good experience,
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  very good writing experience and hindsight.
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  I'm really glad that I did it because I think that like,
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  dr Manfred said,
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  this is a very good outreach opportunity and it engages people from everybody's community that was in the book because I think it's very interesting to see somebody from your hometown that's published or you're gonna be more after reading.
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  And the books are about stories,
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  cancer in Appalachia and really bring awareness to that.
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  So I'm I'm very glad but I pushed through it and just forgot about the anxiety that came with it and just just got through it.
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  I'm very glad I took the opportunity.
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  Excellent.
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  Carly.
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  Can you tell us a little bit as a I guess you were between your freshman and sophomore years of high school when you,
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  when you started this project.
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  So from your perspective,
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  how did you feel with the assignment?
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  I was really excited about it when I first heard about it because I thought it sounded like a really good opportunity to for outreach and cancer awareness.
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  And it was also good for all of us to get to share our personal experiences and stories with it.
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  And after just publishing it,
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  I've had lots of people tell me that they didn't realize that every so many people shared the same experiences how many like common experiences we've had with like cancer in Appalachia.
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  So I was really excited about it.
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  And I was I'm really grateful that I had the opportunity to have a part in this book as a tease for our listeners.
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  Carly and Michael are both going to record their essays that are part of of the book for you.
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  But now I just want to ask them to speak a little bit about their topic and how they selected their topic and Carly,
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  Let's get started with you.
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  Well,
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  at the beginning of my essay,
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  I talked about my very first encounter with cancer and like when I first thought about what cancer really meant and like what it was,
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  and that was when I was in second grade,
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  my mom's best friend was diagnosed with it and that's when I that was the first time I had really heard about cancer at all in my life.
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  Because until then,
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  I I hadn't really thought about what it meant or how much of an impact it had until I saw what my mom's best friend went through.
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  And then several years later,
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  my grandmother also had an encounter with cancer and passed away.
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  And then the next year my other grandmother also had the same situation have been and passed away.
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  And I thought that writing this book was an amazing opportunity to get to share that story.
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  And also it's good to spread awareness about the things that can cause it,
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  the risk factors and how we can prevent it and help relieve the Appalachian cancer crisis.
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  And Michael,
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  can you tell us a little bit about your essay and how you settled on a topic?
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  Yeah,
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  I wrestled with that for a while.
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  What right about especially starting how to start it.
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  I didn't really know.
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  Um,
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  I had some ideas of what I wanted to do,
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  but I,
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  what kind of inspired me to,
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  to kick it off was my grandfather who was a patient at marquee.
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  He was a history nut.
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  He loved history.
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  He was a curator at the museum in my hometown for a long time.
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  And I used started off kind of like,
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  like a historical type setting,
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  just like a little bit about my county.
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  And I wanted to relate it to like a war like the war on cancer that kind of helped me decide the starting point.
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  And then I wanted to tell a little bit about my story,
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  but I needed to figure out a way to transition it over until like these are some things that are promoting cancer causing cancer.
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  These are the rates and and how programs like action are helping to really alleviate the disparity in Appalachia.
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  So it was hard to figure out like how to start off tell my story and and tie that all in.
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  But I was I was pretty happy with the way it turned out.
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  And that was that was hard,
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  that was hard to figure out what dr Vanderford and and everybody that was part of that really helped me figure out how to tactical and navigate the topics that I wanted to speak about.
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  Because I think it's important to tell your story,
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  like Carley said to to let people know that it's they're not the only ones going through it.
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  And I think that that helps a lot and to let everybody know that there's help out there,
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  like places like Markey Cancer Center that are good treatment facilities for people that have cancer in our area that a lot of people don't know about.
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  So Michael and Carly,
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  I really enjoyed that.
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  Both of you all mentioned the connections to your local community and you're hope desire that folks would be able to learn from your experiences and really kind of,
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  I think the experiences of all your classmates but be be motivated to read the book because of your participation in the program.
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  And I think that that is a wonderful way to spread the message Nathan for our listeners that might want to be able to access the book.
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  How would they find it?
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  Well,
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  that is a great question.
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  I have a bunch of copies and I just like the first edition,
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  I'm giving away hundreds of copies in the community.
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  So I I've given copies to students,
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  student authors to give away Michael,
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  I don't think has gotten his yet,
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  but Carly has.
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  So,
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  you know,
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  the message was given away to your public library,
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  to your school library too,
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  wherever you can give them away where people can put them to use.
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  So we're giving away a bunch,
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  but also it's available on amazon.
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  You can find it on amazon to purchase or the publisher's website,
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  Butler Books dot com.
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  You can find it there to purchase as well.
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  And if if people purchase the book,
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  all the proceeds that we get,
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  go to the action program for future projects like this,
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  um,
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  you know,
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  that will help us continue these kinds of projects that have important impacts on the students and the community.
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  Excellent.
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  And for our listeners,
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  we will link the websites mentioned in the show notes in case you'd like to go back and reference that.
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  And as we,
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  as we wrap up dr Vanderford for individuals that may be interested in learning more about the action program or potentially participating in the future as a student,
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  Is there a website or a place that they can go to to learn more information?
• 14:30
  Yes,
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  that's,
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  that's also a great question.
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  We're recruiting students right now,
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  actually,
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  we're recruiting the next cohort of our high school students and undergraduates.
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  So for listeners in eastern Kentucky that uh,
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  you know,
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  have a high school student in the house or you know someone that's a high school student.
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  We'd love to have them apply and be considered for the program.
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  Same for the undergraduates.
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  They can go on our website.
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  Uh,
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  which the best way probably to find it is.
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  If I think if you google Markey Cancer center action program,
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  you will find us and then then there's the application on the website and I'm,
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  I'm sure you'll put that in the show notes.
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  Also.
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  Yes,
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  we will put a direct link in the show notes as well.
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  Dr Vanderford Carly and Michael,
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  thank you all for joining us today and sharing with our listeners about the second edition of the cancer crisis in Appalachia Kentucky.
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  Students take action.
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  Thank you very much.
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  Thanks for having us appreciate it you.
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  Mhm.
• 15:36
  Thank you for listening to cancer conversations on talking facts.
• 15:40
  Our goal is to connect you with the latest advances in cancer research in the commonwealth.
• 15:45
  If you enjoyed today's podcast and have a suggestion for a future show topic,
• 15:49
  please message us on the UK.
• 15:51
  Markey Cancer center facebook page at facebook dot com forward slash UK marquis or visit our website at marquee dot u K Y dot E D U.
• 16:00
  For more information,
• 16:02
  you can find University of Kentucky family and consumer sciences extension programs at your local extension office,
• 16:08
  or online at FCS dot u k y dot e d u Building strong families building Kentucky.
• 16:17
  It starts with us.