Gertrude Belle Elion’s career as a chemist was inspired by the death of her beloved grandfather, who died of cancer. She vowed to find its cure and in her quest to do so developed 45 treatments that help the immune system overcome cancer, organ transplant, and Herpes virus, among others. Elion’s greatest contribution may have been Purinethol – the first major drug used to fight leukemia (type of cancer). She won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1988.
The phrase, “throw like a girl” was commonly used as an insult. Mo’ne Davis, a talented athlete, redefines “throw like a girl” in a positive light.
The story of Mo’ne Davis started on a baseball outfield at the age of 7. Davis was discovered by coach Steve Bandura when she threw a perfect spiral with a football to a group of boys. Steve Bandura saw Davis’ potential and invited her to a basketball practice. At the basketball practice, Mo’ne observed the all boys team practice the drill and she was able to do the drill on her first try.
After seeing what Mo’ne could do, Bandura had her join the baseball team. Mo’ne could play many positions, but she was the star pitcher, throwing at 70 mile an hour. Davis pitched a shutout (a game in which one team does not score) that led her team to the Little League World Series. In Williamsport, she threw another shutout and became the first girl to win a game at the Little League World Series.
Mo’ne is a honor student juggling three sports. Davis’ dream is to play basketball for UConn and afterwards, in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is working hard to achieve her dreams. Mo’ne is a role model for girls everywhere.
To watch a short documentary of Mo’ne Davis, click here.
Sources:
“Becoming yourself is really hard and confusing. I was completely the eager beaver in school. I was the girl in the front of the class who was the first person to put her hand up and it’s often not cool to be the person that puts themselves out there, and I’ve often gotten teased mercilessly, but I found that ultimately if you truly pour your heart into what you believe in – even if it makes you vulnerable – amazing things can and will happen.” – Emma Watson
For today’s Wellness Wednesday, we’re bringing you tips from the American Red Cross on how you can stay safe while enjoying the water.
Check out this great infographic:
You can learn more about water safety here.
What are your plans for the summer? Tell us in the comments!
Have a great day! Stay healthy and safe!
There are always news of how environmentalist and government agencies are handling the energy issues and concerns at hand. I think they should look to urea for the answer. Yes you read correctly, urea… as in urine. For this week’s segment on “A Girl Like You” we are gonna look into four young women from Nigeria, who have invented a generator that runs on urine.
The invention was first displayed in Lagos, November, 2012, at the 4th annual Maker Faire, a pan-African innovation fair. This is how the generator works:
The girls say that one liter of urine gives six hours of electricity, but they do not specify exactly how much electricity is produced; enough to run a 60 watt light bulb, or a fridge and computer for six hours? It looks like they’re still in the early stages of this invention, but it’s recognized that this invention works and just needs further developments. We hope the process of this invention goes well because these girls have tapped into a highly powerful source.Nevertheless, we hope to hear good things about these young ladies and their invention in the near future.
“Figure out who you are separate from your family, and the man or woman you’re in a relationship with. Find who you are in this world and what you need to feel good alone. I think that’s the most important thing in life. Find a sense of self because with that, you can do anything else.” – Angelina Jolie
June 19th is World Sickle Cell Day! Sickle cell is a global public health problem. You can help by learning more, knowing if you have the trait, donating blood, and becoming a bone marrow donor or sharing about donating newborns cord blood to a public bank!
Did you know?
Have a great weekend!
June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, so let’s learn something new!
Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common form of dementia which causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. Over 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. There are about 200,000 people who have younger-onset Alzheimer’s (under age 65). One out of 9 people who are 65 and older have Alzheimer’s. It is the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S.
What Are 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s?
*For more details about the warning signs, please click here.
Why Is Alzheimer’s Disease Important?
Alzheimer’s interferes with one’s quality of life. It is important to know about Alzheimer’s because some risk factors are advancing age, family history, and genetics. You might know someone close to you who might be developing this disease, so be aware of the warning signs! Unfortunately, Alzheimer’s is the only disease that cannot be prevented, cured, or even slowed among the top 10 causes of death in the United States. Research continues to be done.
Sources:
Aziza Rahimzada is a 14-year-old who has become a powerful voice for children in Afghanistan’s refugee camps. For four years, she’s stood up against the appalling conditions these children face every day, fighting to make Afghanistan’s famously corrupt government address the needs of refugee children.
In September, she was named one of the three global finalists for the prestigious International Children’s Peace Prize. Aziza says that the important thing about the nomination isn’t the attention to her, but the attention towards her cause: “My work is only for kids,” she says. “I will continue to work for them because in Afghanistan children’s rights are violated in all levels.”
Decades of war and severe poverty have left children in Afghanistan particularly vulnerable. They have little access to basic rights: fewer than 60% attend primary school and fewer than 35% make it to secondary school. Many have little access to clean running water, nutritious food, and shelter. Aziza has firsthand experience with this life: her family fled Parwan province after her brother was killed and now their family, like 900,000 others, qualifies among Afghanistan’s internally displaced people. In fact, until Aziza successfully lobbied for it, her community had no access to tap water.
In her biggest victory to date, Aziza led a group of children in lobbying local officials and then parliament to win the right for 25,000 refugee children without identity documents to attend school.
Ultimately, for Aziza, who hopes to found her country’s first Ombudsman’s office to bring greater accountability to the government, such victories are only the beginning: “What I have achieved so far is nothing. The foreign NGOs will one day stop their aid. That’s why we need to strengthen our own institutions and improve social justice for our people.”
To read more about this Aziza’s tremendous work on NBC News, visit http://nbcnews.to/1Oxrp7N.
Generation W.E.E.E. 