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Gering COURIEReven

By Sydney Havengar

“I have breast cancer.” These four words can change a child’s life in an instant. They can send a person’s world crashing down. They can make people’s throats close up. Worst of all, they can make a daughter think things she never thought would cross her mind like, “If something happens to my mother, I’m going to miss out on everything a mother does with her daughter as she goes through life.” This thought is just one of the many that had crossed senior Cara Wimberley’s mind when she found out that her mother, Gale Wimberley, had stage three breast cancer. “My father had been recovering from surgery and had been out of work, and my older brother had just broken his leg so my second oldest brother and I had to run the house and take care of our baby brother who was 3,” Cara said. “I had to learn very fast how to cook and clean during those first few weeks when my mom started chemo.” Although Cara had new responsibilities, the Wimberley’s had friends and her mother’s co-workers that helped out with their needs and brought them meals.

“The Festival of Hope contacted my mom and asked if there was any way they could help, and they ended up making six of our house payments that year,” Cara said. Something which Cara says the family was and still is very grateful for. They won’t forget all of the help they received and all the people who came together to help the family in their time of need. Families can become extremely depressed when dealing with a loved one with cancer. The Wimberley’s however, tried to keep everyone’s spirits up instead of letting the cancer bring them down. Gale made the best of sad situations. “She didn’t cry when

Wimberly battles to overcome cancer

she had to shave off her pretty red hair or undergo a mastectomy [a procedure where they remove both breasts],” Cara said. “She laughed when the dog sat on her bald head, and she even joked about getting water spots on her shiny scalp.” Cancer is usually caused by an inherited faulty gene. This means that it can be passed down to future generations. Cara’s family has a history of cancer. “Breast cancer does run in my family among other types of cancers. I’m at risk for breast, ovarian, and kidney cancer,” Cara said. “I am taking every precaution I can at this point.” There isn’t much anyone can do to

prepare anyone for having to go through a family member having cancer. All anyone can do is lift everyone’s moods up by being as positive as they can be. Cara had some advice for anyone who is going through or might go through what she went through. “Help your parents and siblings as much as possible and try to keep the conversations light. The stress of doctor’s visits is bad enough, don’t make it tougher by having dark thoughts. Take advantage of every moment you have with your loved ones, and tell them you love them often,” Cara said. “And most importantly, remember to have faith and laugh.”

GHS prepared in case of epidemic outbreakBy Brianna Eckerberg

Imagine everyone sitting in school, silently doing their homework, and the alarm sounds. Not the fire alarm, not the tornado siren, but the one alarm that should never have to go off but signals that the disease circling the country has officially been named an epidemic. Disease is all around us, but people don’t simply get to pick and choose what sickness they have and what they don’t. National emergencies are declared in countries that face more sickness and disease then one might think possible. The recent Ebola outbreak has some people wondering.

Is the United States next for an epidemic? Should the population have to worry about sending their kids to school, where often times other students will bring in whatever sickness they have been exposed to? Schools are now faced with a new problem. Most schools have a fire escape route, a tornado safety area and intruder drills in place, but do they have something in place for epidemics? According to the Gering High School Principal Eldon Hubbard, the school does have a policy in place. “In section 508.03 in our BOE policies under the Board of Education, we have a policy in place

All things considered...

Hope for a futureBy McKenna Copsey

Drawing blood and injecting myself with a quarter-inch long needle have become everyday life. After you do it for so long, you don’t even blink an eye because that’s just how life is. Pleasant? No, not particularly. Optional? Not in the slightest. At least, that’s how its always been. Many doctors and scientists have pursued the search for a cure for Diabetes, but none have been successful until a group of researchers from Harvard University made a breakthrough in transforming stem cells into insulin-producing cells, giving diabetics around the country and around the world a glimpse of a possible cure. Doug Melton led the researchers relentlessly for 23 years to find a cure, finding motivation in his son who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when he was only a small toddler, and even more when his daughter was also diagnosed with the disease later on in her life. Insulin is the thing every diabetic lacks that regulates blood sugar in our bodies. To compensate, we have to either take shots or have an insulin pump to produce insulin for us. We also have to check our blood sugar every so often to try to keep our glucose amounts from straying too far away from normal levels, easier said than done. Now I know to some this information might seem trivial, a minute detail that doesn’t affect them whatsoever. But, coming from the perspective of a sixteen year old girl who has been touched by the disease ever since she can remember and who had given up many years ago of any belief in a cure being found had long passed away, I now have something to hope for. I now have hope that I won’t have to worry about not playing to the best of my ability because my blood sugar levels are too high or too low. I now have hope that I can eat all of the junk food I want when I’m hanging out with my friends and have that Dr. Pepper with extra vanilla from Sonic that I have been craving since I’ve been diagnosed. I now have hope that I can be a normal teenage girl whose only worries include what I’m going to be wearing to the football game and how I’m praying that I’m not going to fail the history test that’s coming up.As for the rest of the diabetic community of sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles, friends and roommates who also trudge through each day in hope of a normal life, we finally have hope for a future without Diabetes.

for such a situation,” Hubbard said. This policy states that students who have a communicable disease can come to school if given permission by a doctor and take all necessary precautions. The superintendent and the school nurse are to review procedures for communicable diseases every year. The recent diagnoses of Ebola in Dallas, Tex. have been a cause of panic. Because of this case of Ebola, schools are looking for and reinforcing policies on epidemics and communicable diseases. The school policy does cover a number of diseases and ways to handle the burst

of an uncontrollable disease. In order to keep panic from spreading, Hubbard plans to spread news as calmly as he can. “Our intent would be to release all available information effectively as possible to calm any fears that the student population and community may have,” Hubbard said. Epidemics and c o m m u n i c a b l e diseases are becoming more of a reality for high schools all over the United States. Gering High School, along with other schools, have the proper policies and procedures in place in case a disease, such as Ebola, were to ever become an epidemic.

The Wimberley family came together to help their mom Gale through her battle with breast cancer. Junior Cara Wimberley says it is important to keep a positive attitude for loved ones that battle this disease.

Kurstin Barrett, Morgan Wallace, McKenna Copsey, Sydney Havengar, Allison BairdIn-Depth Reporting

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Gering COURIERevenBy Allie Baird

Four year old Lilly Martin was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia last May and quickly began c h e m o t h e r a p y treatments three days later. Martin was fighting an uphill battle, but with help from her family, community, and local schools, she is now on the road to recovery. According to her mother Jessica Martin, Lilly is doing well and has met all of her marks during treatment along with a good prognosis but is still involved in ongoing treatment. “She is back to herself again and if she makes her blood counts, she will be doing a Delayed Intensification Leukemia treatment that will put her back on steroids,” Jessica said. “We are nervous about that and her hair has started to grow back, but it will fall out again during the treatments.” Lilly is continuing her treatments at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at Presbyterian St. Lukes in Denver, Colo., and the family is still

Local girl wages battle against Luekemiamaking trips back and forth from Scottsbluff. When Lilly went through her initial c h e m o t h e r a p y treatments, she responded well to them, but it changed Lilly from a rambunctious girl to a needy child, which was tough for her parents to watch her go through. These new cancer treatments will have a similar effect on Lilly. Jessica said Lilly will feel like she has full-blown cancer again, where she’ll be sleeping a lot, her legs will hurt and other cancer-like symptoms similar to what they experienced before, but she hopes Lilly’s spirit will continue to be high. “Some kids fly through it and we aren’t sure what to expect, but the doctors tell us that to help prepare us,” Jessica said. The Delayed I n t e n s i f i c a t i o n treatments will last 56 days before she moves on to other cancer maintenance treatments over the next two months. After the treatments, Lilly will be receiving smaller treatments for the next two and a half years. Jessica said those will consist

of oral chemotherapy and going to the doctor once a month. The support of the community through Lilly’s battle against cancer has been overwhelming and appreciated by the Martin family. Jessica said when she was getting her classroom ready for the new school year at Longfellow Elementary, she was amazed how many people in the community had brought her family meals and the friends who have even taken care of her other daughters in her absence. “People are very intuitive. When I say I don’t need help they step up and bring things to me at my doorstep. That’s huge to me,” Jessica said. “It’s hard for me to ask for help when I need it, but when I need something people bring it.” The community has also helped through many efforts, including the sales of “Lilly’s Battle Squad” t-shirts that have so far raised nearly $20,000 and Cross Fit Scottsbluff that also put on a fundraiser and raised $6,000 for the family.

Courtesy Photo Scottsbluff resident, four year old, Lilly Martin poses in her “Super Lilly” shirt. Lilly was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia last May and has fought a battle against the disease in Denver. She is now at how recovering.

“It is amazing and unbelievable. There are no words to describe their generosity and support,”Jessica said. “Our community is great.” The “Lilly’s Biggest Battle Yet!” Facebook page is available for those who can “like”

the page to stay up-to-date on Lilly’s condition. Jessica said the family will continue to check for cancer in Lilly’s blood since it could come up again, but otherwise, Lilly is doing well and anticipates she will stay strong and get

through her treatments once again. “I expect Lilly to fully recover and live a full life,” Jessica said. “I’m optimistic that she will do well and this won’t affect her for the rest of her life. It won’t define who she is. It will only make her stronger.”

By Morgan Wallace

While cancer cells come in different shapes, sizes, malignancy, and volume, one thing that they do not possess is color. However, this doesn’t mean that those who have been touched by the disease do not have a color to represent their support. A few examples of colors representing cancer include teal, blue and pink for thyroid cancer, light blue for prostate cancer, black for melanoma, white for lung cancer, emerald green for liver cancer, orange for leukemia, gold is a national symbol for childhood cancer, pink for breast cancer, grey for brain cancer and yellow for sarcoma and bone cancer. There are more colors for different types of cancer and awareness but multicolored recognizes all kinds of

cancers. According to c h o o s e h o p e . c o m , there is a different color or group of colors assigned to each known type of cancer. The website has accessories including rubber bracelets, necklaces, ribbons, apparel, and more that are color coordinated per request of the buyer. Rubber, or silicone, bracelets have been very popular with the younger age groups because of the convenience of showing support in that way. Starting in 2000, the Keep-A-Breast Foundation started making rubber bracelets to support breast cancer that read “I Love Boobies.” This created an epidemic through wearing rubber bracelets, while many wore them because of the saying, even more wore them for the true meaning, but regardless both parties were supporting the same cause.

After schools banned these because of the inappropriate phrase, students started looking for other ways to support the cause in order to justify the past meaning of the bracelet. What started as a way to show support within social circles and through fashion, colors became a great selling point for those looking to fundraise through support at special events. A little girl name Ashtyn Schwartz was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2008 while she was only three years old. Many fundraisers were held during the time of Ashtyn’s state of sickness and are still held today through the Team Ashtyn Foundation which her mother, Jennifer Schwartz, is the president of. Leukemia is represented by the color orange and everyone supporting the young girl and

others who have gone through the same fight against the sickness use orange to show their desire to help. “Orange has become our family’s favorite color. I have never been an orange lover and now it seems that whenever I have the choice to pick a color of something, I will choose it,” Schwartz said.”It reminds me of the tough time we went through with Ashtyn and puts me back in that hospital room. It reminds me of our

blessing and makes me think of all the other kids who are stuck in the hospital rooms with IVs and monitors. We are blessed and not everyone gets the same happy ending that we do. We are so blessed to still have our little girl.” At Gering High School, cheerleaders wave pink pom poms, volleyball players wear pink jerseys and football players use pink towels. When pink is waving or moving during a game,

players are supporting the awareness of something much greater than they can imagine or some may have experienced the disease’s destruction first hand. "My grandma had breast cancer and I had to grow up watching her struggle with chemo and that had a really big impact on me. I want to not only help spread awareness, but also wear pink through my armband and towel in recognition of my grandma." junior Austin Hoffman said.

MCTcampus

Bands and color honor those fighting battles against cancer

Kurstin Barrett, Morgan Wallace, McKenna Copsey, Sydney Havengar, Allison BairdIn-Depth Reporting

Kurstin Barrett, Morgan Wallace, McKenna Copsey, Sydney Havengar, Allison BairdIn-Depth Reporting

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Gering COURIERevenOmaha unit takes in Ebola patients

Duncan first Ebola patient to die in United StatesBy Morgan Wallace

Thomas Duncan, the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola, a potentially fatal virus, died in the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, Tex. on Wednesday, Oct. 8. Duncan was turned away from the emergency room on Sept. 26 and sent home with antibiotics before being transported back to the hospital in an ambulance on Sept. 28 after procuring nausea and a severe fever. Duncan came in direct contact with the disease in Liberia, his hometown, with others who were infected, and didn’t realize he had been infected until he started to show symptoms. Duncan had close contact with four people whom he lived with at his residence in Texas. The family members have been quarantined and are due to leave quarantine on Oct. 19, providing they do not show symptoms of the disease. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to monitor the family very closely. The CDC is making sure no member

of the family exhibits any symptoms of the Ebola virus. Doctors and nurses are required to use designated equipment for treating ebola patients. They must be discarded immediately after use to prevent further contamination. If these precautions are not taken, many doctors and nurses can get the disease. Once someone recovers from Ebola, they can no longer spread the disease. However, even though they can no longer spread disease, there are still precautions to be carried out. There should be no physical contact with any partner for up to three months. “It is such a shame that we have to worry about a disease like Ebola.” Emergency Physician Troy Dean said. “It is kind of worrisome, but I know that we can handle it, so bring it on.” Ebola has been around since 1976, but has had an increase in cases over the past year. The main three countries affected are Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. Although three Americans were brought to the United States for treatment, Duncan was the first to be diagnosed in the country. Major

United States airports are considering CDC enhanced screening to prevent more Ebola cases from appearing in the U.S. Health officials in Africa say that Ebola is less of a medical problem and more of a social problem because the majority of people are not aware of the symptoms and still keep in direct contact with Ebola victims. The virus is spread by direct contact with blood or bodily fluids of the infected. It is not airborne or spread through food/water. Ebola may be transmitted through

wild animals used as food, but there are no insects that can transmit it either. According to Dr. Brittany Schultz, it is important to be aware of the threat, but the likelihood of an Ebola outbreak is minimal. “Ebola is treated like any other STD,” Schultz said. “It is only transferred from direct contact but is very quick-moving and spreads.” There are only four major biocontainment units in the country that are equipped to handle viruses like Ebola, including the Nebraska Medical Center in

Omaha. With a ten-bed biocontainment unit, it is the largest unit in the nation. This unit is designed for patients with deadly, or very infectious conditions. The team at the biocontainment unit has regular drills with special, personal, protective gear in a secure, air-locked facility. “We hope that our unit can save many catastrophic diseases from reaching the public,” Taylor Wilson, a spokesperson at UNMC said. “It has been very beneficial and productive so far.

Hopefully it can do so much more later on.” American video journalist Ashoka Mukpo, 33, is being treated for Ebola in Omaha after being infected while working as a freelance cameraman for Vice News, NBC News and other media outlets to highlight the toll of the Ebola outbreak. Hospital officials describe the patient as steadily improving and responding very well to treatment of the experimental drug brincidofovir and IV fluids.

By Kurstin Barrett

GO BIG RED! Go Big Red! Famous for our football and our sea of Red, Nebraska has been in America’s spotlight not only for our boy Ameer and his place as a contender for the Heisman, but also as one of four biocontainment centers in the nation. Omaha has thrown her fist in the air and is leading the pack in the treatment of Ebola. The Nebraska Biocontainment Patient Care Unit has received two patients in the past 6 weeks, both traveling back from working in Liberia, Africa. The unit has 10 beds, and equipment to handle more than a dozen highly infectious diseases. The unit opened in 2005 and was funded by Congress to take precautions for any upcoming disasters. One million dollars reinvented the former pediatric transplant ward on the hospital’s seventh floor. “At the time we were worried about smallpox,” said Dr. Harold M. Maurer, the former chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. “Then nothing happened.” Everything changed on Sept. 2, when the State Department called Dr. Phillip Smith, the unit’s medical director, and asked if the unit could treat Dr. Rick Sacra. Three days later, Dr. Sacra arrived in Omaha, where he was brought to the hospital in an ambulance escorted by

14 police motorcycles and seven police cruisers. He received an experimental drug called TKM-Ebola and two blood transfusions from Dr. Brantly, as well as intravenous fluids and supplements to prevent electrolyte imbalance. Sacra spent three weeks with the Omaha medical staff, but has since been released disease free. The doctors spoke of the cumbersome interactions with the two patients, due to the fact they are all covered in a suit, only revealing their eyes. “He (Sacra) was actually able to memorize people by their eyes,” one of the nurses said. “We all felt very connected with him.” Ten days after Dr. Sacra left, Omaha

opened her arms to a second patient when 33-year- old Ashoka Mukpo, a freelance photojournalist, arrived at UNMC. They are treating Mukpo with an experimental drug called brincidofovir in the form of a pill taken twice a week. The Omaha unit, one of only four in the country, is equipped to treat more than a dozen highly infectious diseases, including SARS, plague, monkeypox and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. It has a steam sterilizer, known as an autoclave, for linens, scrubs and equipment, and a special air-handling system to keep germs from spreading beyond the patient rooms.

Though Omaha’s facilities are strictly built to handle these situations, Smith said any hospital that can isolate a patient can handle this disease. “You don’t need all the fancy equipment we have,” Dr. Smith said. Though isolation will handle the problem at large, proper training of the nurses would take time, according to the UNMC unit’s medical director. Nurses are working in 12 hour shifts, and taking turns spending 4 hours shifts with Mr. Mukpo, and they are in full protective gear which consists of: full-face shields and three pairs of surgical gloves duct-taped to water-resistant surgical gowns. Due to the disease’s ability to spread, the nurses are in charge of changing the sheets and bathroom, because the cleaning crew isn’t allowed in, and the nurses also have to do all the medical work. Although some see treating Ebola patients

in Omaha as a good thing, many Nebraska residents are unsure if this is bringing a deadly disease too close to home. ” I am concerned about it being so close and am a little scared,” Northeast Lincoln resident, Rhonda Lehn said. “From what I hear however, Omaha has been the one that everyone is calling and asking and that is cool.” Dr. Smith and his colleagues at UNMC have been on frequent conference calls with experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization and other clinicians who have treated Ebola patients outside Africa. “Everybody’s feeling a different part of the elephant and we’re all sharing information,” Dr. Smith said. “We’re still learning the ropes.” While doctors in Omaha are trying to learn everything they can about treating patients with Ebola, Gering teacher, Randy

Plummer, isn’t sure he likes the idea of bringing Ebola patients into the United States at all. “I don’t like the idea of bringing Ebola to America very much at all. We don’t know enough about it and that is dangerous,” Plummer said. “Dallas thought they had it contained and here we are with another case.” Others are little more optimistic about the treatment Americans are getting in our own hospitals. “I really am all for them bringing Americans back to America to treat them at one of the top hospitals in the nation,” Gering high school English teacher Roxanne Thompson said. Though the Omaha unit is very capable and has tweaked its protocol since treating the first two patients, Dr. Smith says in the event of an outbreak the facility would not be able to expand past its ten beds because of the amount of infectious waste and because the disease is so dangerous.

Hospital safety guidelines

Sequence for putting on necessary protective equipment

The CDC provides guidelines for hospitals in the prevention and control of Ebola transmission. These are the personal protective gear recommendations for health care personnel working with a potentially infected patient.

Isolation gown must fully cover torso from neck to knees, arms to end of wrists and be wrapped around the back and fastened.

Mask or respirator should fit snugly to face and cover bridge of nose to below the chin. Ties or elastic band should be secure at middle of head and neck.

Goggles or face shield must fit securely and shield eyes.

Gloves are equipped last and should extend to cover the wrist of the gown.

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Safe work practices• Keep hands away from face.• Limit surfaces touched.• Change gloves when torn or heavily contaminated.• Wash hands immediately after removing all protective equipment.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and PreventionGraphic: Troy Oxford, Dallas Morning News

© 2014 MCT

Timeline of patients

September October24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Thomas Eric Duncan

Nina Pham

Friday: Nina Pham, who cared for Duncan at Presbyterian, discovers she has a fever.She arrives at the hospitaland is isolated.

Sept. 30: Tests confirm Duncan has Ebola.

Sept. 25:He arrives at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas with the fever and other symptoms.He is sent home early the next morning.

Sept. 24: Thomas Eric Duncan begins running a fever.

Sept. 28: Duncan returns to Presbyterian by ambulance and is isolated.

Oct. 8: Duncan dies.

Late Saturday:A blood test conducted by the state confirms that Pham has the Ebola virus.

Early Sunday:State officials announce Pham’s illness.It’s thought to be the first case of Ebola transmission in the U.S.

Oct. 19: The last day on which those who came in contact with Duncan before his isolation must be monitored.

Oct. 31: The last day on which those who came in contact with Pham before her isolation will be monitored.

Source: Wire reports; Dallas Morning News researchGraphic: Troy Oxford, Dallas Morning News

© 2014 MCT

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UNMC one of four biocantainment units in US

Passengers from infected countries will be escorted by Customs and Border Protection to an area of the airport set aside for screening.

Passengers will then: • Have their temperature taken.• Answer questions to determine potential risk.• Be observed for other symptoms of Ebola.

Source: CDCGraphic: Greg Good © 2014 MCT

Exit screening at airports in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone

Entry screening in the United States:

Airport screening to start at five U.S. airportsThe White House has announced extra screening for arriving passengers from West Africa. The screening will start at New York's John F. Kennedy airport this weekend, and later be used at Newark Liberty, Washington Dulles, Chicago O'Hare and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta. Here is a look at the screening process.

GUINEASIERRA LEONE

LIBERIAOutbreak

zone

All travelers will have their temperature taken with a non-contact digital thermometer.

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They will be asked questions about their health and exposure history, and assessed for signs of potential illness.

Travelers with symptoms or possible exposures to Ebola are separated and assessed further.This assessment determines whether they are allowed to travel or will be referred to public health authorities for further evaluation.

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Chicago O'Hare

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta

Washington Dulles

Newark Liberty

John F. Kennedy

If a traveler has a fever or other symptoms or has been exposed to Ebola, the CBP will quarantine them at the airport and refer to CDC to further evaluation.

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Kurstin Barrett, Morgan Wallace, McKenna Copsey, Sydney Havengar, Allison Baird