You can have no hair and still be hery
Special for the Journal
You probably think we misspelled the word hery, don't you? Au contraire! In Malagasy -- the language of Madagascar -- hery means strong. How do we know this? Leanna Sweet, this month's featured AmeriCorps volunteer learned the language while she was a Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar.
Leanna's path to Ukiah began in Rome, New York where she was born and raised. Social justice has been a passion of hers since she was young. "I was raised by a single mother," she comments, "who often experienced injustices in her struggles to raise me with both dignity and hopes for a better educational future." Witnessing her mother's strength in response to the stigma of living as a single working mother encouraged Leanna to rise above the narrow confines of Rome, New York and experience a broader world. "My mom wanted to be the best mom she could be, and to her part of that meant encouraging me to go to college."
Thanks to her mother's positive support along with the assistance of scholarship funding, Leanna was able to complete a B.A. in Peace and Justice Studies at Fordham University in the Bronx. Her exposure to living in an inner-city further fed her desire to impact social change. "My focus was to empower people, so that they could affect change themselves." Leanna's work at this time centered around education and social advocacy in the Bronx, leading her to work in such environments as a half-way house for battered women and children, a local soup
kitchen, social service agencies, and with patients of Parkinson's Disease. Feeling limited by the opportunities available with a Liberal Arts degree alone, Leanna desired to venture further to continue attaining hands-on experience with other communities. Next stop: Peace Corps. Madagascar here I come.
As a Community Health Educator, with few available resources, Leanna promoted nutrition and health education to benefit maternal and child survival in a rural Malagasy village. She reflects on the people of Madagascar, "What they lacked in material wealth, they made up for in community strength and spirit. No single individual could have survived alone in the villages, but by working together, they survived together." Unfortunately, her two-year assignment was abruptly cut short after five months, when she became seriously ill from a parasitic infection. After treatment in South Africa was unsuccessful, she was inevitably required to return home to Rome, N.Y. The symptoms that persisted from the illness made it clear that a return to Madagascar was not to be.
She decided that working with AmeriCorps could provide an opportunity to continue with her community health interest, while also allowing her the time necessary to heal. Her goal to one day see a redwood tree and come to Northern California prompted Leanna to accept a dual AmeriCorps position at Ukiah's Cancer Resource Center and the Alliance for Rural Community Health (ARCH). Site unseen, Leanna took off for her next adventure.
When asking Leanna what her duties as an AmeriCorps volunteer are, she responds: "everything from accompanying patients to medical appointments to cutting hair; playing games like "Hop for Health" with kids; and just being a general "hand to hold" for all who need it. I also play the role of "the intimidator" (a.k.a. health insurance advocate) when people experience health insurance obstacles. Other days, I perform wig/hat/scarf fashion shows with patients whose hair has fallen out, due to chemotherapy." Regarding her experiences with cancer patients so far, she adds, "People with cancer often seem to live for the moment -- live life -- learn what feels good. I'm inspired by their strength. Cancer isn't contagious, but I hope that outlook on life is."
Leanna finds particular fortune in having the opportunity to be mentored daily by two such spirited cancer survivors who she works with closely in the Ukiah office of CRC, Nancy Johnson and Mimi Johnson. "It's rare in life to actually meet people who you can truly call your heroes the type of people you strive to become one day," Leanna shares. "Nancy and Mimi are those heroes for me." Together, the three of them are tackling their latest project: this month's Human Race fundraiser on May 12th which brings us back to the word heryŠ
Leanna tells the story, "One day, resulting from our frequent interactions with people who lose their hair due to chemo, Nancy used my favorite Malagasy word hery (strong) to create a slogan to live by: You can have no hair and still be hery.'" This sparked Leanna's idea to create a "bald centipede" to walk in this year's Human Race event. (Note, a "centipede" in the Human Race consists of three or more people walking together). There is a common theme in many of Leanna's life experiences, involving her view of people with challenges who find strength and hope when they come together and support each other. This is the basis for her creation of the "bald centipede." She explains, "the centipede will have many legs, all representing someone who is going through chemo and the people who support them. Together, they will walk as part of the Human Race; together, they will support each other and manifest strength; and together, they will be hery." Leanna welcomes all who are interested in joining the "bald centipede" to call the Cancer Resource Center at 467-3828.
Claudia is a breast cancer survivor and volunteer for the Cancer Resource Center. She has recently published the novel Rocks in My Pockets: Travels with Dad, an entertaining romp through Italy that includes reflections of her cancer diagnosis and a regenerating adventure in the Argentine Andes.
By Claudia Crosetti
Article Last Updated: 05/04/2007 08:30:47 AM PDT
You probably think we misspelled the word hery, don't you? Au contraire! In Malagasy -- the language of Madagascar -- hery means strong. How do we know this? Leanna Sweet, this month's featured AmeriCorps volunteer learned the language while she was a Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar.
Leanna's path to Ukiah began in Rome, New York where she was born and raised. Social justice has been a passion of hers since she was young. "I was raised by a single mother," she comments, "who often experienced injustices in her struggles to raise me with both dignity and hopes for a better educational future." Witnessing her mother's strength in response to the stigma of living as a single working mother encouraged Leanna to rise above the narrow confines of Rome, New York and experience a broader world. "My mom wanted to be the best mom she could be, and to her part of that meant encouraging me to go to college."
Thanks to her mother's positive support along with the assistance of scholarship funding, Leanna was able to complete a B.A. in Peace and Justice Studies at Fordham University in the Bronx. Her exposure to living in an inner-city further fed her desire to impact social change. "My focus was to empower people, so that they could affect change themselves." Leanna's work at this time centered around education and social advocacy in the Bronx, leading her to work in such environments as a half-way house for battered women and children, a local soup
kitchen, social service agencies, and with patients of Parkinson's Disease. Feeling limited by the opportunities available with a Liberal Arts degree alone, Leanna desired to venture further to continue attaining hands-on experience with other communities. Next stop: Peace Corps. Madagascar here I come.
As a Community Health Educator, with few available resources, Leanna promoted nutrition and health education to benefit maternal and child survival in a rural Malagasy village. She reflects on the people of Madagascar, "What they lacked in material wealth, they made up for in community strength and spirit. No single individual could have survived alone in the villages, but by working together, they survived together." Unfortunately, her two-year assignment was abruptly cut short after five months, when she became seriously ill from a parasitic infection. After treatment in South Africa was unsuccessful, she was inevitably required to return home to Rome, N.Y. The symptoms that persisted from the illness made it clear that a return to Madagascar was not to be.
She decided that working with AmeriCorps could provide an opportunity to continue with her community health interest, while also allowing her the time necessary to heal. Her goal to one day see a redwood tree and come to Northern California prompted Leanna to accept a dual AmeriCorps position at Ukiah's Cancer Resource Center and the Alliance for Rural Community Health (ARCH). Site unseen, Leanna took off for her next adventure.
When asking Leanna what her duties as an AmeriCorps volunteer are, she responds: "everything from accompanying patients to medical appointments to cutting hair; playing games like "Hop for Health" with kids; and just being a general "hand to hold" for all who need it. I also play the role of "the intimidator" (a.k.a. health insurance advocate) when people experience health insurance obstacles. Other days, I perform wig/hat/scarf fashion shows with patients whose hair has fallen out, due to chemotherapy." Regarding her experiences with cancer patients so far, she adds, "People with cancer often seem to live for the moment -- live life -- learn what feels good. I'm inspired by their strength. Cancer isn't contagious, but I hope that outlook on life is."
Leanna finds particular fortune in having the opportunity to be mentored daily by two such spirited cancer survivors who she works with closely in the Ukiah office of CRC, Nancy Johnson and Mimi Johnson. "It's rare in life to actually meet people who you can truly call your heroes the type of people you strive to become one day," Leanna shares. "Nancy and Mimi are those heroes for me." Together, the three of them are tackling their latest project: this month's Human Race fundraiser on May 12th which brings us back to the word heryŠ
Leanna tells the story, "One day, resulting from our frequent interactions with people who lose their hair due to chemo, Nancy used my favorite Malagasy word hery (strong) to create a slogan to live by: You can have no hair and still be hery.'" This sparked Leanna's idea to create a "bald centipede" to walk in this year's Human Race event. (Note, a "centipede" in the Human Race consists of three or more people walking together). There is a common theme in many of Leanna's life experiences, involving her view of people with challenges who find strength and hope when they come together and support each other. This is the basis for her creation of the "bald centipede." She explains, "the centipede will have many legs, all representing someone who is going through chemo and the people who support them. Together, they will walk as part of the Human Race; together, they will support each other and manifest strength; and together, they will be hery." Leanna welcomes all who are interested in joining the "bald centipede" to call the Cancer Resource Center at 467-3828.
Claudia is a breast cancer survivor and volunteer for the Cancer Resource Center. She has recently published the novel Rocks in My Pockets: Travels with Dad, an entertaining romp through Italy that includes reflections of her cancer diagnosis and a regenerating adventure in the Argentine Andes.
By Claudia Crosetti
Article Last Updated: 05/04/2007 08:30:47 AM PDT
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