Stottress’s Weblog

For many years, Brandy Matous, a dietician at Denton Regional Medial Hospital, has seen many breast cancer patients struggle with their weight. In 2007, she decided that enough was enough. Her program, Pink Essentials, was created to help breast cancer survivors of all ages. Mary Martinez, a member of the group, since its creation, says without the program, life would be much harder.

“This program is absolutely wonderful” says Martinez. “Between my steroid injections and medication it’s been hard. You can gain five or ten pounds in a day if you eat three meals a day. If you eat that piece of candy then you better skip a meal,”

According to the American Cancer Society, a woman has a 1 in 8 chance of developing an invasive breast cancer. Breast cancer has become the most common cancer in women and the most common cancer death of women between the ages of 45 to 55. Among many risk factors, such as age, family history, and genetics, obesity has a higher significant correlation. Breast cancer patients are often treated with a drug called tamoxifen. Tamoxifen is a drug that is taken orally as a tablet. It has been used for more than thirty years to treat breast cancer and “high risk” potential developers of the disease. Although, its benefit can mean the difference between life and death, patients who take this drug are prone to rapid weight gain. Among other side affects such as nausea and vomiting, the drug often leaves patients exhausted and with an insatiable appetite.

Jennifer Dudley, a nutrition specialist and volunteer of the program, says without the program, many patients would have to fight the battle alone.

“[With] breast cancer, often times, weight gain can lead to it coming back”, says Dudley. “People who are over weight or obese have a higher rate of breast cancer. We are teaching them the life style things to do…so that they don’t have a reoccurrence.”

Every week, members of the group get weighed on a tanita scale. In one step, it accurately measures their weight, body fat percent, body water percent, muscle mass, bone mass, daily caloric intake, and visceral fat. It also gives members their physique rating which allows them to monitor their progress. Based on results, members are given recommendations based on their personal nutrition needs. They are then given weekly tasks to help accomplish their goal.

In the meetings, group members participate in various activities. Sometimes, they go on outings. Sue Duffy recalls one of her favorite group sessions.

“We all went to the grocery store and started reading the labels, picking out foods that were bad for you”, says Duffy. “We then spoke to the manager to try and convince him why [his store] shouldn’t carry those food items. We had a blast!”

For many of its members, Pink Essential is more than just a program. It offers those who feel all alone, a place to go so that they can share new experiences with those who are going through the same treatments as they are. Duffy says she is grateful for the special bond they share.

“Its just people like yourself who are trying to win the battle” says Duffy.

Researchers and Scientists are currently looking for other drugs that may more efficiently treat breast cancer victims. One of the largest prevention breast cancer studies is currently under way. The program STAR (Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene) was created to test whether or not a new drug called Raloxifene could better help treat patients. So far, initial results show that raloxifen is as effective as Tamoxifen

The group meets every other Tuesday at the Denton Regional Medical Hospital in Denton, Texas. Each meeting lasts approximately 3o minutes and they are free to the public.

  When you think of luxury cars, one name that may come to mind is BMW. Known for its power and perfection, it has rightfully so become to be known as the “Ultimate Driving Machine”. In 1971, a young man by the name of Lee Maas decided to introduce this phenomenon to the Dallas area. And on May 12th that dream was made into reality when Classic BMW opened its doors on a small lot in Dallas, Texas; becoming its first BMW dealer. Lee Maas remembers that day as though it were yesterday.

“ I was so excited!” says Lee Maas.“I have always liked cars. I was born in Detroit. Detroit is the automobile capital of the world. And I think everyone there felt like you had to be involved with cars. My wife and I decided that for weather and the economy, we were going to do a better job in the Sunbelt. Therefore, we chose Dallas; and it has turned out to be pretty good.” 

Pretty good may be a modest statement when you factor in that this once one car showroom and single technician operation has become one of the world’s largest BMW dealers.  

“We started off small,” says Maas. “And I think that once we proved to our customers that BMW was unique, we had convinced them.” 

“I remember my first BMW was a 1971 S series.” Say Hansford Worline a BMW owner. “It was sharp. I remember one day I let my mother drive it and she came back and said ‘Sweetheart, I didn’t let anyone pass me’. It was absolutely incredible”. 

Classic BMW which is now located on the corner of Spring Creek and the Dallas North Tollway in Plano, Texas, spans four city blocks. Since its move in March of 2007, it has increased its sales by 30% and services over 15, 000 BMW customers per year. 

“There is no such thing as a slow season for us says Byron Gabriel, service advisor of BMW. “For most traditional car lots, January, April, and December are typically your high seasons. However, with the majority of our customers if they want a car, it doesn’t matter what month it is, if they can afford it, they are going to get it.”    

Because of its vast customer base, like most other businesses known for its customer service, Classic ranks among the very top. Not only are customers privileged to an open juice and coffee bar along with many other refreshments and snacks while their cars are being serviced, they can also enjoy the computer facility and a 62 inch flat-screen television in the waiting area.  

 “I believe in discipline and when it comes to employees, we interviewee every potential employee very carefully,” says Maas. “We look at their past experiences to see if their work ethics coincides with everything our company stands for. And if it does, we bring that person on board with us. Of course he would have to be very technical and knowledgeable of our cars. Because of that, we do not have a lot of turnover. Good service doesn’t come cheap”.  

“The Maas’ are very good people to work for” says Gabriel. “They take care of us. Mr. Maas is very laid back and approachable. He’s like that with us and the customers. He’s a good man”.

Although many customers are unaware what BMW actually stands for, one thing they are aware of is BMW’s quality and performance.  

 “The old timers over in Germany from time to time will remind you that BMW stands for Bavarian Motor Works”, says Maas. [They] started off making engines for aircrafts. Their claim to fame is their engines. And they make the best automobile engines in the world. [On our logo] The blue represents the sky and the white represents the propeller.” 

 Classic BMW continues to be one of the world’s best automobile companies. Superior in customer service, it’s attention to detail and unwillingness to subdue to anything less than perfection, they continue to provide its customers with a sophisticated and exciting experience.

“Our Hidden Poor”  is a superb narrative piece that focuses on the poverty crisis in much of Illinois.  In this report,  published by the Chicago Tribune, it describes in great detail the discouraging facts outlined in this devasing truth about the poor and its struggles to survive in our society.  According to the piece, the poverty  rate of approximately 90% of all of the  communities in Illinois, have reached an all time high.  This piece focuses on seven families who currently live below the federal poverty line.  Each session allows its viewers to hear from the families in their own voice. 

The visual aspect of this narrative piece is very impacting.  All of the images are in black and white which gives a sense of  distress and distortion.  Most of the photos taken are of close-ups of the elderly and childeren which futhers gives impact to the message of hopelessness and despair.  I really liked the way each piece told a different story of how being poor has effected their quality of life.  One picture shows the Castenda family, a family of six, forced to sleep in a one-bedroom home with the youngest children on the floor wrapped in blankets.  The picture was shot from a high angle which gives the effect of looking down upon them.  Also, the blankets add impact by allowing the viewer to imagine the cold air coming in through the cracks of their home.  Another powerful photo was that of a single-black mom who receives $600.00 a month from the government for food, rent and clothing.   In the photo, the mom is sitting on the couch while her children are in the foreground playing. 

I believe this piece did a very food job.  The sounds of the families drew you in to their world.  The images were very moving and helped to tell the story behind the story. 

Orphaned by Aids is an interactive narrative written by Carolyn Cole of the Los Angeles Times.   In this powerful piece, Carolyn Cole unveils the grim reality of an epidemic that is sweeping across the poorest region of Africa-AIDS.  According to Cole, Swaziland has the world’s highest known rate for HIV.  With this statistic, it proves to have a devastating impact on the hundreds of thousands of children who are left orphaned due to this horrific illness.

 

Cole does a magnificent job in setting the mood in this interactive piece.  The ambiance of African spirituals playing in the background along with the use of dark and deep colors of red and black helps to display the tone of pain and despair that lies in the hearts of the orphaned children.  The carefully selected sound bites of the voices of surviving family members as well as the close-ups in the isolated pictures, gives the audience a sense of guilt knowing what these families have to confront on a daily basis.  Her tone throughout the piece is very sobering.  She does a great job of narrating the impact of the children’s lives that have been forever changed due to the death of thier loved ones.

 

Although this piece was very well written, I would have liked to have seen more photos and images of the children in their communities.  Also, it would have been more insighful for her to have followed the life of one or two children who have been affected by this tragic disease.  And, even though the pictures she choose to illustrate her work helped to tell a very compelling story, the inability for the audience to select a photo in which subtitled its meaning, made them less powerful.

 

In conclusion, I think this piece does capture the message that Carolyn Cole wanted to present. Her use of various techniques along with her ability to capture the voice of the orphaned children allowed this work to have a very profound effect.