Harley Braun - Senior Project

Dec.14th - Dec.18th

LAST BLOG ENTRY:

This week was very successful. Although I had hoped to complete my first draft by now, I am very confident that I will have my research paper complete by January 4th (the Monday we get back from break). I am still getting information from the book, "Cancer and the Family Life Cycle" and it is helping me out so much. This week I focused on getting my other sources and now I have about 5 sources documented, from the internet and from research books. I need 3 more sources which I will be looking for over break. There were some more internet sites that seemed interesting but I wanted to make sure that my sources were all very helpful to my specific topic. Right now I am working on finishing my rough draft. I will be emailing my mentor my progress throughout the break so that I can have some feedback. I will also have my older brother edit my draft so I can have a final copy by the time break ends (January 4th). I hope to be completely done with the essay by then so that I can focus on siting my sources properly when I get back to school. This paper has been extremely hard for me to write because the topic I chose (how a cancer diagnoses impacts the entire family) is so emotional and heartbreaking to read/write about.

    Volunteering at Camp Sunshine really changed my life, and I am so glad to have had this opportunity to support them and raise awareness/money to this amazing place. I plan on volunteering there again in February and will continue to find ways to give back and help Camp Sunshine provide their services. It is so important to realize how much of a difference places, like Camp Sunshine make on families who are struggling. Families who are watching a loved one fight for his/her life need hope, and places like Camp Sunshine do not only give families an unforgettable experience, but also the opportunity to rebuild relationships, find support in such a welcoming community. Spending time at Camp Sunshine, researching my project topic, and planning/organizing a carnival fundraising event has taught me so much and I am really happy to have chosen this as my senior project.

After break is over, I will have my final paper complete and ready. Though this topic has been really sad for me to read about, I know that this information will give me a much better understanding as I continue to work with families in places like Camp Sunshine in the future. This senior project has been a great experience for me and I am really happy with what I have accomplished :).

Dec.7th - Dec.11th

Planning my research paper and finding sources:

    This week I continued to plan out my research paper. I ordered the book, Cancer and the Family Life Cycle, by Theresa A. Veach, Donald R. Nichols, and Marcie A. Barton. Though I just received it today, from what I have read so far it seems really interesting, but also sad. I know it will help me with the paper though so I have been highlighting information and making many notes. The paper is taking much longer than I thought because I want to collect as much information on the subject as I possibly can. Unfortunately, I have not found information I am looking for on websites. There is one website (cancer.net) which has helped me, but I need to keep researching and find more sources to develop my outline. The book, however, is very insightful and has SO much information on the different stages of cancer and the emotional/physical affects families go through. I am very excited to begin my paper and hopefully by Monday I will have enough notes and sources to begin this paper. I am planning on having a rough copy next week and my final copy done by the time we get back from break! This weekend I will be reading more in this book finding other sources, and complete detailed documents of notes and outlines to begin this paper!

Nov.30th - Dec.4th

Thank-you letters and 10-Page Research Paper: 

Over vacation I wrote up thank you letters, one to give to those who donated $ to this organization, and another to those who donated items for my event to help raise money for this organization. Someone from Camp Sunshine will be sending their own thank you letters to those who donated $ for their tax records, and I have created and attached an in-kind donation form for those who donated the items. I just finished sending the last few out and now I am ready to continue working on my research paper! My paper will focus on the impact a cancer diagnoses, particularly childhood cancer, has on the entire family. Throughout different stages of cancer, the family dynamics change significantly. All individuals react differently depending on the situation and other factors as well, however, when a child is fighting for their lives every day, the entire family is fighting right along with him/her. The families I have been fortunate enough to meet and spend time with at camp sunshine have taught me so much that I will never forget. I think it is so important to understand how any terminal illness diagnoses changes each individual in a family. After having so many conversations with different patients, their siblings and parents, I think that it is so important to give each member of the family love and support. I am really happy with the focus of this paper because it is something I have always been interested in, especially after my experiences at camp sunshine. I have been making notes all week and I am finishing up my final outline this weekend. I hope to have a rough draft of the paper a week from today. I also need to get more sources from books and other websites. I think I will learn a lot more by doing this paper so I am really looking forward to it!