Teen Fighting Cancer, Wished For An African Orphanage
Kristin Elliott, is 18 and suffering from cancer for last 2 years. But what made her special, is the wish she had made to the make a wish foundation– an orphanage for children in Africa. Even the make a wish officials confessed to have such a request for the first time.
Elliott, a former all-state volleyball player was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer. After returning home from Zambia, doctors found that the cancer has spread to her lungs. Then she was introduced by her doctors to the, make-a-wish foundation, which grants wishes for children with life threatening disease. There she wished for an orphanage in Africa for children, suffering from AIDS. It was a surprise for the organisation because people normally wishes for a Disney trip, a vacation, meeting an actor and so on.
On listening that, her brother Brandon said, “How Kristin-like! It didn’t surprise me, that Kristin would make a request as selfless as that”.
Her father was also surprised, his reaction was, “You sure? You sure you really want to do this?’ This is big.”
Elliott was first diagnosed tumor in her leg. That was removed by a surgery. But the problem still persists. Till then Kristin endured multiple surgeries and radiation.
According to Terri Elliott, Elliott’s mother “With her type of cancer, it’s very rare, the statistics are not good. And like 2 percent of the population of the world have it, and they don’t survive past a year.”
“All through it, she didn’t miss any school, she didn’t miss her volleyball. She lived, she pulled us along,” Terri said.
She even travelled to Africa, on a church trip on her remission, and in Zambia, with her sister, where she worked for the children, orphaned by AIDS.
“In Africa I saw kids that needed a voice. They wanted to be loved, they wanted to be held, that’s all they wanted, and I knew that’s something I could give,” she said. “Kids are my passion, any type of kids, American kids, Zambian kids …”
So the Make-a-Wish Foundation gave her $2,600. And $8,000 is left to be raised which she is doing through her own website.
“The power of one person can do a lot, I guess, I mean it just takes one thought, one decision, to change a whole lot of things.” Kristin said.
And she has proved her words.
Source: ABC News
Filed under AIDS, Cancer, Health
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August 13th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Las cámaras en los teléfonos celulares se pueden usar para obtener datos médicos de los pacientes y transmitirlos a los expertos localizados a distancia para el análisis y diagnóstico. Esto permite que los pacientes reciban cuidado cuando los médicos están a muchos kilómetros de distancia. El sistema también puede transmitir datos médicos urgentes de los campos de batalla, zonas de desastres y otros sitios peligrosos, según los científicos en los Estados Unidos y Brasil que desarrollaron la técnica.
Actualmente existen casi tres mil millones de teléfonos celulares en el mundo; aproximadamente la mitad de la población mundial. Cuando vienen equipados con cámaras, los dispositivos ubicuos pueden ser usados en áreas remotas como los ojos y oídos de los médicos sin la necesidad de una consulta presencial.
En el último estudio, George M. Whitesides, Ph.D., un profesor de bioquímica en la Universidad de Harvard (Cambridge, MA, EUA) y colegas en Brasil diseñaron un sistema prototipo que combina los teléfonos celulares con cámaras, con pruebas diagnósticas en papel, fáciles de usar, que cambian de color, cuando se exponen a ciertos marcadores de enfermedad. Los científicos demostraron la factibilidad del sistema usando tiras reactivas de papel para recolectar y caracterizar muestras artificiales de orina, puesto que la orina puede ser obtenida fácilmente de los pacientes y contiene una gran variedad de marcadores de enfermedad.
Dos estudios recientes por otros investigadores mostraron que los teléfonos celulares pueden ser usados para tomar y transmitir imágenes de las heridas y erupciones a sitios a distancia para el diagnóstico.
El nuevo estudio está publicado en la edición del 15 de mayo de 2008 de la revista la Sociedad Química Americana, Analytical Chemistry que aparece bimensualmente
HWCG