A Good Head On Her Shoulders

Makenzie Cavalline a girl whose personality is as colorful as her hair has been through more surgeries than Kylie Jenner. Being diagnosed with Chiraide Compression or Chiari for short at the age of 15 has caused a ripple effect changing this young girl’s life forever. Before going on without knowledge of what Chiari is here is a link that can offer some clarity Mayfield Chiari Center.

It all started when Makenzie first started having nonstop headaches which concerned her mom Tracy and the school because she would always be leaving early. Soon insomnia and bad eyesight followed. Taking her to several doctors it soon became obvious. People with Chiari often develop symptoms during their teen or early adult years. Chiari symptoms are caused by disruption of CSF flow and compression of the brainstem and spinal cord.

Post Surgery

What was going on was parts of her cerebellum/brain stem/brain tonsils were sitting too low and pushing down into her spinal canal resulting in a blockage of spinal fluid. It was giving Makenzie excruciating headaches and after MRI's and all sorts of tests throughout the span of a year, she was diagnosed and had the surgery 2-3 months later. Of course she tried meds, diet, exercise, first but none of that did anything. So, surgery was the only option. What they did to try and fix her - keep in mind, they failed - was a sub occipital craniotomy which means removal of a small piece of the skull at the back of the head, they also used electro cauterization (electricity to heat, then shrink or remove tissue) to remove brain tonsils. The final step was to sew a mesh bag around the bottom of her brain to hold everything up and to try and make sure nothing slips back into my spinal column again but the purpose of all three of those steps was to free up space at the base of the skull/ neck for spinal fluid to flow freely. 


Dying her hair gives her a sense of control

It taught Makenzie how to manage pain better. She claims her pain tolerance is crazy high now. But since Sept. 2012, headaches controlled this poor girl’s life. She told me she couldn't go anywhere without her emergency migraine medications, can't stay up too late because that just makes her head hurt. She can't laugh too hard, can't run and had to quit all the sports she used to play. Not being in control of her own life was the hardest part. She is starting to know what triggers the headaches, but they have a mind of their own so she could literally go from perfect to tears in seconds. 

Because her grades and high school attendance couldn't get her into a college she plans to go to London. Planning to leave sometime in early January she'll only be staying for 3 months at first. Planning on working at a skateboard company her dad does business with called Lovenskate they are in east London, at a place called Tottenham. That's really all she has planned as for now, but her main goal is she just wants to immerse herself in the city, and the country of England. Wanting to see everything there is to see and meet as many people as she can possible. Makenzie wants to make the most of this opportunity after these last few years being as unpleasant as they were. Her expectations are high for this upcoming adventure.

My Coming Of Age Story 

By: Makenzie Cavalline

“There comes a time in every person’s life when their views of their world shift and they see people or places in a different light. This could be a parents divorce, getting their drivers license, or maybe something more tragic like a loved one passing away. For me, this shift took place when I had brain surgery. Until this day I was naïve and shallow. I viewed the world as black and white, there was no gray. But, after enduring such a scarring event, my perspective was forever altered.

The realization didn’t quite hit me until the night before I was scheduled for the operation. I was up all night tossing and turning, never once finding sleep. I was left alone in my room with my thoughts and it finally had sunk in, I was having brain surgery in a few hours. I knew it was coming for months, but I didn’t like to think about for too long, so the night before is when I took it all in and prepared myself for what was to come.

The morning in pre-op was a total blur, much like most of my hospital stay. I was being poked and prodded with needles for hours in preparation and was bombarded with unfamiliar faces. In the moment, it seemed that I was waiting forever, but looking back, it happened in a flash. Before I knew it, I was being wheeled down an eerily white and sterile hallway and saying goodbye to my weepy and immensely apprehensive family. I entered the operating room and was introduced to all of the nurses and doctors who would be working with me, and just like that, I was asleep.

Just as fast as I was asleep, I woke up. I had no concept of time and no idea that almost twelve hours had passed. I was in my room in the ICU with all of my family. I don’t remember much, and what I do remember is gathered from my family’s recollections, but I know that the eight days following were a nightmare. I was tired, but couldn’t sleep, I had too many medications to count, but I was still in pain, I was bored and uncomfortable, but couldn’t move. It was intense, but after what felt like a lifetime, I was finally free of the confines of my room. I was ecstatic to go home, the feeling was indescribable. The worst of it was over, it was only up from there.

Recovering from such an event took months. It was long and hard and I hated having limits, but looking back on it all, I know it changed me for the better and made me who I am today. Before this experience, I took little things for granted, and as cliché as it sounds, it taught me to truly appreciate everything in my life and shake that habit of being nonchalant.

Looking around at people, you never know what they are going through or what they have experienced in their lifetime. Whether it is great struggle or great triumph, everyone has a story. I try as hard as I can not to judge others because of this. Before my great struggle, never did I look at someone and think about their story.  Now, I can’t stop. I like to think that I have become a more compassionate person since. I try to empathize with people, and that is something I never did before. I feel that my medical misfortunes have led me to look at people on a whole new deeper and more meaningful  level than ever before.

I didn’t want to have brain surgery, and I  didn’t  want to have surgery on my hips a year later, but I did. I wasn’t ready for it either time, nothing can prepare you for such an occurrence. But, I wouldn’t change my experiences. I am better and stronger because of them, another cheesy, but true cliché. I have become more aware of myself and those around me. I have started living my days to the fullest and taking advantage of every chance I have. I am still plagued with the headaches every surgeon and neurologist promised they could fix, but I am armed with a positive attitude and the feeling that I can handle anything life throws my way.

It wasn’t an easy or fun way of becoming an adult, like getting your drivers license. It was thrust upon me unwarranted and unwanted, but I suppose normalcy just wasn’t in the cards for me. As I sit and reflect on my past, it’s hard to believe I endured such extreme circumstances. A 16 year old having an operation on her brain? Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine such a thing happening to me, but the positives greatly outweigh the negatives. The scars may fade, but the life lessons I have learned are ones I will carry with me forever.”

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/731286852631265281

Timeline

Web Biography Proposal

Makenzie Cavalline an 18 year old girl who has suffered from  chiaride compression since the age of 15. Being my sisters close friend I know a lot about the situation. Multiple brain surgeries have caused her life to make drastic changes affecting her and those around her. Not being able to go to college because her high school attendance was bad and grades went downhill due to surgeries and many pains in her head. Though she is not in school she plans to move to London England to work for her dads company.

Aaron "Wheelz" Fotheringham

https://www.thinglink.com/video/726190815059116032

PCDI DISABILITY SYMPOSIUM

PCDI: The inaugural President’s Commission for Disability Issues has developed a disability symposium for SRU students on November 24th from 8:00am-2:00pm in the Smiths Student Center to facilitate professional development as well as awareness of the study of disability. Conferences, training, presentations and lectures will be held throughout the day. A schedule of the day’s events include:

• 8:00-9:25 AM Free Communication presentations
• 9:40-11:15 AM Round Table presentations
• 11:15-12:10 PM Poster Presentations
• 11:30-12:00 PM Hands-On Demonstration presentation
• 11:30-12:10 PM Extended Free Communication presentation
• 12:15-2:15 PM Keynote Speech  - Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham

Aaron "Wheelz" is a 22 year old wheelchair motocross athlete from Las Vegas who was born with Spina Bifida which is a defect of the spinal cord resulting in him not being able to use his legs. He never let that stop him though he started skating around at skate parks at the age of 8 and now he is traveling the country speaking and performing. For more information on Aaron check out his bio http://www.aaronfotheringham.com/bio/ 

 

 

 

Sports Night

Each November Internations club celebrates Internations week where different activities are scheduled for students to share their cultures with the university community. On November 8th from 9-11pm in the Morrow Field house the Internations Club held a Sports night filled with different cultures and sports like cricket, badminton, pickle ball, basketball, soccer, table tennis and others. Internations club is for both international students and domestic students to get together to share about their cultures and have social events such as this.

 

The night provided food and drinks for their guests as well as music for enjoyment. The sports were open for anyone to engage in and even learn. It was very hands on and all the international students were very accepting as well as helpful when teaching others their cultural games.

When first entering the field house the sound of music and laughter filled the gym. Four different nets were set up in the middle for the students to play volleyball, badminton, and a shorter net for pickle ball. Pickle ball is a racquet sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. Two, three, or four players use solid paddles made of wood to hit a ball similar to a wiffle ball, over a net.

On the indoor track inside the field house ping pong tournaments were being played, as well as an Irish game called hurling. Hurling is a national sport in Ireland and is known as one of the oldest games in the world. The stick or "hurley" is curved outwards at the end, to provide the striking surface. The ball is similar in size to a baseball but has raised ridges.

Some of SRUs basketball players even attended playing other students in basketball. The games were not supposed to be serious; everyone was laughing and having a good time with no worries. On the other side of the basketball court was a soccer match. Soccer is known all over the world and it was interesting to see students from different countries come together to show their skills.

This night showed that people from all over the world can come together and have similar interests and fun. It made me think about studying abroad to get this experience that these students are having here at Slippery Rock University. I think everyone should expose themselves to different cultures and ways of life to open their eyes to the world around us.

Pancake Dinner

How College Fashion Has Changed

Slippery Rock Homecoming Parade

Food Tent Down

Taylor Beswick and Ellen Lalonde enjoy the food made by the AOII moms until the tent was blown down by the wind destroying most of it

Interview

Emily Gardiner a member of AOII tells us about the event

Volleyball Tournament

Many people came to the University Village beach volleyball courts to support the cause

Spike Out Arthritis

Alpha Omicron Pi holds a volleyball tournament to raise money for arthritis research

Greeks Around Campus

Brooke Arabia, Brittany Chiodo, Mackenzie Morgan, and Aliecia Anderson
help the university make care packages for our troops.

Emily Damico, Emily Sikora, Aliecia Anderson, Isti Istrefi, Rachel Putch, and Rachel Kilgore are preparing for a long weekend of recruitment by enjoying a night by the fire.

Emily Damico, Miranda Flamm, Ange Borriello, Auriel Welty, Alexa Milston, Isti Istrefi, and Taylor Beswick
take some girls bowling to meet the sisters

AOII's newest members

Emily Gardiner, Jenna Conway, Isti Istrefi, Aimee Espe, Deanna Shields, and Shay Conors
 attend a fundraiser flag football event against other fraternities and soroities

Girls of Alpha Omicron Pi celebrate there last few days of summer by having a photo shoot to put into their recruitment video

In the first picture these sisters of Alpha Omicron Pi went out of their way to support our troops by making care packages for them which included necessities they may need in their everyday lives while fighting for our country.

Greek life is a huge part of Slippery Rocks campus always having something going on. With the new freshman coming also leads to the Greeks trying to seek out new members. Recruitment weekend lasted 5 days with many long hours.

Caught at Coffaros bowling alley these AOII's introduce themselves to some potentially interested girls. Spending time with sisters is a big part of Greek life and after talking to the new girls they said they loved it.

Bid day came and went with great results. Every sorority on campus got a handful of new girls who all seemed very pleased about where they were placed. Alpha Omicron Pi got 11 new members who will learn about the sorority and its values over this semester.

Greek life raises money for their philanthropies by getting teams together to play against each other in games. Alpha Xi Delta hosted this event by gathering up a team from each sorority and fraternity and having them pay to play to support a cause. Even though the girls from Alpha Omicron Pi did not take first they still had a blast playing.

I choose this theme of pictures because I am proud to be Greek and most events around campus involve Greek life or the people in some way. Friendship is what makes life exciting and I wanted to let people know that the stereotype about Greek people isn't true. They play a good part in the community and university.

Same Sex Parenting & Their Children:

Many people have much to say about whether same sex marriages should be able to parent children. With 23 countries finally legalizing same sex marriages it seems like people’s views are changing but there is still some uncertainty about the matter. To learn more about each states laws regarding same sex marriage the NCSL provides some more in depth information.  

Many gay couples tend to have a stronger bond and are more stable than heterosexual marriages giving their children a more secure home. A popular TV show on ABC family called The Fosters shows viewers just that. The moms on the show have 5 adopted children who they love and care about. Some believe the show to be inappropriate for a family network, but as the creator of the show says it’s just showing our younger generations about how we need to learn how to accept people for who they are. The New York Times did an article about The Fosters which you can find here.

So as same sex marriages has become a growing possibility so has same sex parenting which is often accused for bad child development but research has supported there is no difference. Office of Child Development  studies that have been published to date report no significant differences in gender development, personal development, and social relationships among children of same-sex couples and children raised in heterosexual households.

Children are claimed to just need love no matter what the circumstances. But with that basic assumption some have looked deeper into the more psychological factors that happens to children when they aren’t raised by the traditional mom and dad household. For examples it is said that fathers reduce behavioral problems in boys and psychological problems in girls. As for a mothers natural caring instinct a child cannot live without. The most reliable statistics show that about 210,000 children under age 18 are being raised nationally by more than 122,000 same-sex-couples. With these numbers in mind USA Today also states how the median annual household income of same-sex couples raising minor children is more than 10% lower than for comparable married heterosexual couples. In brief gay or lesbian couples are twice as likely to be living in poverty. Children are also reported to struggle in areas such as education, employment, and arrest records.
 

Whichever side you decide to take it doesn’t seem like there is much anyone can do to stop same sex couples from raising children. With more and more states allowing marriage between gay and lesbian couples.
 

 

 http://thefamilyannex.org/
http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritual-life/same-sex-marriage-debate
 

Introducing Me

Hi my name is Rachel Spence and I'm a junior IMC major at Slippery Rock University.  It wasn't always that way though, my freshman year I attended Edinboro University and since then have changed my major 5 times starting as a Biology major then to a Psychology major and multiple in between, finally finding my place junior year. Coming from a small town my dreams and aspirations have always been bigger than those around me. It all began when I was in the 7th grade and got the chance to visit some family in Italy. From there I saw that the world is much bigger than Oil City Pennsylvania.
Taking News Media and Journalism is just a step in the process of what I want to become someday. I will work and sacrifice things to one day become an Editor and Chief of a fashion magazine. Not having much experience in journalism I'm hoping this course gives me knowledge that will help me pursue my dream career. Already looking at internships in LA and New York for next summer I'm hoping that journalism will give me skills that my future employers will be looking for.
In my free time I like to spend time with my friends, shopping and of course constantly checking my social sites such as facebook, twitter, and pinterest. Social media gives me the chance to express myself from my fingertips. When I want to know whats going on in the news I will most likely use the New York Times because it offers me with the latest news in many different categories. Being interested in fashion writing I keep up to date with what is going on in the fashion world. A more new media outlet that I like to read is MTV News because it feeds my celebrity fetish. I love knowing what the latest gossip is, the hottest trends, and new music.
I love being at school and cannot wait to see where this year takes me.