Week 4: A Quiet Week
Tais M -
Welcome back! This week has been pretty sedate and involved less researching and more reading and musing.
After a very hectic weekend at Science Olympiad States (which we won!!!!), I was off to a slow start this week. Luckily, my meetings with Dr. H are on Monday, so I had to force myself out of the house. Anyways this week was less online research and more catch-up, if you will.
On Monday, after my meeting, I had an infuriating time at the library printing numerous MMRC (Maternal Mortality Review Committee) Reports and other statistics/data reports. Owing to the 20 page a day limit, I spent much of my time at the library desperately calling my mother and sister for their library card numbers and getting very confused and annoyed with the library computers. Not to worry, it all worked out in the end! Also, I got to use this really cute stapler there, it was shaped like a cube.
Then, for the rest of the week, or till today I guess, I read those reports and took notes. I also read more of The Story of Jane.
One of the women mentioned so far is referred to as Jenny, her story is both horrifying and inspirational. She had Hodgkin’s disease, lymphatic cancer, which materialized during her pregnancy. When she gave birth, she nearly died and continued to have treatments for the following years. Knowing pregnancy could kill her, she attempted to get sterilized, but her doctor refused. She fell pregnant again, and knew she might die in delivery and the baby would likely be unable to live due to the effects of her numerous cancer treatments. She was only allowed the necessary abortion after she convinced doctors she would commit suicide otherwise. She went on to be a founding member of the Jane Collective.
Though this happened in the 1960s, it mirrors some stories we are beginning to hear about again. She lived, though it was a struggle, and decided to aid other women and empower them. Her story shows the importance of proper patient care, advice, and autonomy. This is something many mothers do not have, and a key point in improving maternal care.
I also have been watching other documentaries on maternal health, which have been very eye-opening. Some even include women’s experiences in other counties, an important comparison to have in this project.
Lastly, as I said in the beginning, I have been doing a lot of musing. I’ve found some video editing programs like Openshot, Capcut, etc., and have been downloading them so I can begin to learn how to use them. In the meantime, though, I’ve been doing some brainstorming for what I want my videos to look like. I want a simple/minimalist but impactful design, that is appropriately sensitive while inspiring. I have some sketches, but hopefully I’ll have more by next Wednesday. See you then!
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