Cindy Garcia
Civic Engagement Project : "Breast Cancer"
What is Civic Engagement?
When contemplating the term civic engagement one can instantly infer that the term is associated
with public interaction. Yet, to be more precise in what the term entails I have acquired two
online sources the first being youth.GOV and the second being AMERICAN
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION. Although both websites are geared towards two separate
agendas, they have effectively created simplistic definitions of what the underlying intention of
civic engagement represents. For example, youth.GOV states, “... to make a difference in the
civic life of one’s community and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and
motivation to make that difference. ...both paid and unpaid forms of political activism,
environmentalism, and community...” ("Using Citations") Meaning that an individual who participates in such organizations does not only utilize their skills however, they further develop
their personal skills as a result to be productive. Depending on the type of organization that they
enroll in they are granted a wage. Whereas for AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL
ASSOCIATION states, “... can take many forms, from individual volunteerism to organizational
involvement to electoral participation. ... include efforts to directly address an issue, work with
others in a community to solve a problem or interact with the institutions of representative
democracy.” ("Using Citations”) That being said, an individual can acquire a role that piques
their interest the most. Furthermore, that an individual can tackle issues in a variety of manners
with a collective group members support.
When I consider what the term civic engagement entails, I automatically create a mental picture
of a group of individuals protesting for a cause. Now this is not saying that civic engagement
requires a substantial number of individuals to support a cause. Rather, the number of individuals
that participate can vary from significantly high to low. Ultimately, any individual within the
community has a right to participate in a cause they believe needs assistance. Some causes may
announce types of incentives such as the ability to pay their participants yet, this all depends on
what type of organization has the funding to do so. The underlying intention of civic
engagement is to provide individuals with the ability to create/develop change within their
communities/city/ state for the betterment of their daily lives.
Resources
Civic Engagement (n.d.). Retrieved from https://youth.gov/youth-topics/civic-engagement-and-volunteering
Civic Engagement (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/education/undergrad/civic-engagement
Research
When I contemplate upon the term “civic engagement” my initial thought
of the definition is that it is when a group of individuals take it upon
themselves to enlighten a community upon a subject of interest/ importance.
This is not to say that the term is confined to the action of simply informing
audiences however, it is also comprised of an emotional response. Meaning for
the term “civic engagement” to be effectively executed it must appeal to the
emotions of the listener (audience) and communicator(advocate). For the
purpose of this “civic engagement” assignment I have chosen to debrief my
readers upon the subject of “breast cancer awareness” I have chosen this
subject because it is a predominant relevant issue in contemporary society. As
a result, I have found two informative resources the first being an online website and the second is a
hard copy book. The online source is titled “National Breast Cancer
Foundation, INC.” and the book is titled
“Choices in Breast Cancer Treatment: Medical Specialist and Cancer Survivors
Tell You What You Need to Know” edited by Kenneth D. Miller, M.D. both
resources provide detailed facts, statistics and various additional resources
for the inquisitive reader.
In the online website
titled “National Breast Cancer Foundation, INC.” the website is uniquely designed
to have easily identifiable main tabs that assist viewers to locate designated
areas of interest. One main tab located upon the homepage is labeled as “About
Breast Cancer” and contains within it nine bullet point main topics. Such
as, Overview, Early Detection, Diagnosis, Stages, Types, Treatment, Myths,
FAQs, and lastly Resources. Each heading has a subgroup category of information
related to the topic. Some subgroups will provide detailed information along
with visual references and other subgroups will also include YouTube videos
that display animated scenarios to explain a concept.
Out of the nine bullet
point main topics three will be discussed to provide an in depth look of what
the website has to offer. The first tab “Overview” has a subgroup heading
labeled as “Risk Factors” this section states, “1 in 8 women will be
diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.” (National Breast Cancer
Foundation, INC [APA], n.d).This statement acknowledges the likelihood of
occurrence and the probability rate of breast cancer development to occur
within a particular population. The second tab “Myth” has a subgroup
heading labeled as “Myth: Men do not get breast cancer; it affects women only”
this section states “Quite the contrary,
each year it is estimated that approximately 2,190 men will be diagnosed with
breast cancer and 410 will die.” (National Breast Cancer Foundation, INC [APA], n.d).This statement debunks the common myth and replaces it with factual evidence.
Lastly, the third tab “Types” has a subgroup heading labeled “Breast
Cancer During Pregnancy” which states “It is possible to be diagnosed with breast
cancer during pregnancy, although it is rare, and the breast cancer is not
caused by the pregnancy.” (National
Breast Cancer Foundation, INC [APA], n.d). This section acknowledges one of the
types of breast cancers that can occur but remind readers that the development
of the cancer is not caused by the occurrence of pregnancy.
The hardcover book titled “Choices in Breast Cancer
Treatment: Medical Specialist and Cancer Survivors Tell You What You Need to
Know” edited by Kenneth D. Miller, M.D., the scholar examines the various
stages of breast cancer, and provides visual examples of how tumors
impact the body. Miller enlightens
readers that breast cancer stages can range from zero to four. As the stages
gradually increase to a higher number the more life threatening the cancer
becomes. Miller points out two distinct terms called “Non-invasive Breast
Cancer” and “Invasive Breast Cancer” both of which are applied to classify the
stages of the cancer. For Non-Invasive Breast Cancer Miller, states “When
cancer cells are confined within the duct or lobule, the breast cancer is
considered non-invasive.” (p.29) Meaning that the cancer is confined to one
region and has not impacted and damaged other regions of the body. Miller notes
that stage zero would be considered Non-invasive Breast Cancer. However,
Invasive Breast Cancer Miller states, “...the cancer cells invade through the
walls of ducts or lobules and infiltrate surrounding tissues.”(p.29) Meaning that the cancer cells have begun to
damage other regions of the body as it continues its progression of spreading
out. Consequently, Miller provides visual graphs of how the cancer (tumor) is
measured and labeled. (A picture of the graph will be attached below) He
states, “The tumor is measured in centimeters at its widest point and is then
classified as T1 through T4.”(p.34)Each classification will reveal how much of
the area the tumor has impacted the body. Miller, notes T1 is the smallest
version and as the labels transition to T4 the bigger the tumor will result.
Personal
1.. Explain how this
social issue directly affects you.
I chose this issue
because my grandmother is a breast cancer survivor. I tend to refer to her as a
super survivor because she has not only undergone treatment once but has
undergone treatment 3 times. My grandmother was fortunate enough to be
diagnosed with stage 1 in all three occurrences. This is a desirable stage to
be at because the cancer is more likely to be curable with the proper immediate
treatment. In all three stages different methods of treatment were utilized to
combat the progression of the cancer. At this point in time she is currently being
treated for her 3rd time with breast cancer and everything seems to be going
smoothly. The topic is of interest to me because of its impact upon myself and
the woman of my family.
2. Why did you choose
this issue?
Being that my
grandmother has undergone repetitive treatment I currently wait for my mother
to be issued a BRACA gene test. The purpose of the test is to detect whether my
mother is a carrier of the mutation. By taking such a test it will allow my
mother to decide on types of treatment to combat the occurrence of the cancer
or simply be aware of the risk that the cancer may develop during her
lifespan. This being said, the thought that my DNA may be a carrier of such a harmful mutation only encourages
me to live a better life and healthier life on a daily basis. Therefore, I have
a desire to inform as many individuals as possible upon the matter to create
awareness and fight back the occurrence of breast cancer in contemporary
society.
Thus, I believe in
bringing to attention the importance of supporting breast cancer awareness
campaigns. Because these campaigns can provide information to numerous public
districts in an efficient/ resourceful way.
3 Interviewees
Joseph Ortega:
"My grandmother- in -law was diagnosed
with breast cancer and when my wife and I heard the news it left us in a type
of disbelief. It is a terrifying feeling having a loved one explain the types
of procedures they will undergo, and you try to make sense of it but there is a
lot that one lacks at times like those.
I will say that my wife and I began researching a lot after we heard the
news. All the information we accumulated did help us understand how to support
and take better care of her."
Vanessa Garcia:
"When I first heard that my grandmother
had breast cancer I cried. I felt at a complete loss for words and so helpless.
I found that the best way to cope with my disparity was to do some research and
gain as much information as I could on my grandmothers’ diagnosis. After doing
so I felt a bit at ease because now I was well informed, but I did notice that
there was a shift in my family’s attitude toward her. A lot of them did not
want to talk about the issue and if they did it was either a type of grieving
or denial stage. I wish I would have had suggested a type of group therapy in
order to help ease our concerns and pain."
Consuelo Garcia:
"What I remember the most about my own
mother being diagnosed with breast cancer was the time period when she needed
to be given chemotherapy. During that
time she could hardly eat, became so thin, and had to use a type of wig to
cover her loss of hair. She was depressed and spoke rarely about her feelings/
thoughts. I found that the best way to
lift her spirits was to pledge a type of loyalty to cut my hair off until she
regrew hers back. I found that after doing this simple act she became more
inclined to speak her mind and let me know what she was thinking. They say that
one of the steps to recovery is to find a support system and I can truly admit
that my mother benefited from such a support system."
Reference:
(2019)National Breast Cancer Foundation, INC [website] Retrieved from https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/
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