NEWS
2
Breast Cancer: A Personal
Look at the Disease
ANNA CLAIRE
MURNICK
Contributing Writer
Breast cancer has definitely
rocked my world. Besides
not having a female fam
ily member remaining with
two breasts, I have grown
up with the death cloud lurk
ing over my home. At four
years old, I have recollec
tions of visiting my mother
in the hospital and seeing
her hooked to monitors and
tubes. She looked like a
decorated Christmas tree as
she moved across the room
to hold me, to tell me not
to worry—that there would
be a cure before long and I
would never have to endure
the pain that she felt.
My grandmother,
who also battled breast can
cer in her thirties, had told
my mother the same thing.
All my life I had been reas
sured that there is no need
to worry because this cancer
would not affect me. By the
time I would have to deal
with it, science would be
advanced enough that all I
would have to do is take a
pill and pray.
It has been forty-three
years since my grandmother
gave her breast to the disease
and fourteen years since my
mother did also. The good
news is that these women did
not lose their lives to cancer,
but at twenty years old, I am
forced to face the reality that
there is still no cure. The
only major advancement re
cently made in breast cancer
research is the early detection
of the cancer, but still that
does not eliminate it. In the
past, I felt maybe even a vac
cination could prevent it in
the future, but as I see more
and more women diagnosed,
it seems the magic bullet is
just not going to happen for
me either. Now I am facing
the daunting facts of a life
time of mammograms, sono
grams, and testing at the very
least just to catch the cancer
situation soon enough not to
lose my life over it.
I see the fundraising efforts
being made every time I spot
a pink ribbon,.or in the vari
ous walks that I have par
ticipated in, with the hope of
that every stiide I make on
the course is a stride towards
a cure.
I believed in the
cure. I have gone years
trusting science and now I
must face the possibility of
a breast cancer diagnosis in
my future. After living with
two generations of women
too scared to make fiiture
travel plans or order maga
zine subscriptions without
much hesitation, it bothers
me to be forced to embark
on the same journey as these
women. I do not want to live
my life scared to plan ahead
or too self-conscious to get
into a bathing suit, after see
ing my mother’s fake breast
swim away from her in the
pool one too many times.
I want to be successful,
strong, grow old, and have
children who will not have
to deal with this cancer. I
face the challenge enlight
ened about the disease, but I
will never relinquish a hope
for the cure.
A Night of Poetry
EMELIA DUNSTON
Staff Writer
Meredith College wel
comed the Poet Laureate
of North Carolina, Kath
ryn Stripling Byer, and the
Poet Laureate of the United
States, Ted Kooser, for a
night of poetry Tuesday^
March 21.
The reading, held in Jones
Chapel, attracted a variety
of people including Mer
edith students, faculty, and
staff; Meredith alumnae;
local high school students;
and poetry fans of all ages.
Kathryn Stripling Byer,
named the poet laureate of
North Carolina in 1995,
was the first to read. In her
introduction of Byer, Gene
vieve Parker, ’07, stated that
there is “musical power” to
Byer’s poetry. Byer read a
number of her own poems
along with the poems of
other authors and explained
what inspired her to write
each of her poems.
Ted Kooser, the poet lau
reate of the United States,
concluded the program. He
read a number of poems
from his ten books of poetry
including “In Late Spring,”
“A Rainy • Morning,” and
Exploring Careers
in Television —
News Operations
“At the Cancer Center.”
During the reading, both
poets discussed a variety of
topics including love, fam
ily, cancer, death, college,
and even Valentine’s Day.
After the reading, a recep
tion and book signing was
held in the Johnson Hall
Rotunda.
The event was sponsored
by the Mary Lynch Johnson
Chair of English. Johnson
was an alumna of Meredith,
a professor in the English
Department, and the author
of The History of Meredith
College.
JACKIE BULLOCK
Staff Writtr
The daily operation of a
newsroom is challenging,
thrilling, and exciting, ac
cording to Leesa Moore Crai-
gie. Craigie is the Director
of News Operations and Spe
cial Projects for WRAL-TV.
Craigie “directry manages the
news photographers, editors,
directors, and all aspects of
the newsroom.” Craigie also
coordinates special projects,
such as election coverage,
the NCAA Final Four and
the NC State Fair,
A native of Fayetteville,
NC Craigie has been with
WRAL for 24 years. Crai-
gie’s interest in broadcast
ing began in high school and
continued through college at
UNC-Chapel Hill, WRAL is
the first and only station at
which Craigie has worked;
she started as a part-time
camera operator and moved
on to work in other depart
ments including audio, vid
eo, and post-production.
Craigie said that she has been
very fortunate in her career
at WRAL in that she had
people who believed in her.
She said that she was not
“pigeon-holed” but received
encoxiragement from manag
er who allowed her to grow.
Craigie came to WRAL with
a goal that has far exceeded
her expectations.
Capitol Broadcasting Com
pany, the parent company of
WRAL-TV, is “a progressive
company whose newsroom
has a technological edge,”
said Craigie.
There are good as well as bad
days in the newsroom but
Craigie says she takes her
job very seriously and never
loses sight of the impact that
the nature of the business
has on people’s lives.
Craigie is particularly proud
of the impact of her first proj
ect, the 1999 Special Olym
pics, for which Craigie won
an Eriimy.
Craigie said that “it was so
worthy to touch so many
lives in so many ways.”
Craigie encoxu-ages those
who are interested in pur
suing the television field to
utilize career fairs but not to
forget the basics—^that is—
having a good command of
grammar; one needs to read
and write clearly and con
cisely.
Craigie also says that one
should be realistic about the
demands of the broadcasting
business. One should have a
love of news, , be organized,
detail-oriented, and be able
to think quickly and adhere
to deadlines. Creativity and
a personality that works well
in a newsroom environment
also are important.
Craigie says that she loves
the television business.
Stress, managing people,
working weekends, being on
call, and staying until the job
is done is all apart of the job,
but “the rewards outweigh
the demands,” Craigie said.
Non-Profit Career Fair:
If you missed your opportunity to attend the first
Non-Profit Career Fair in Greensboro, you will
have another chance at Peace College of Raleigh
on Friday, March 31 from llam-lpm. At this fair,
you will be able to gather information from repre
sentatives of non-profit agencies. A list of attend
ing agencies will be available from The Career
Center prior to the fair.