Health

This topic focuses on the ways women negotiate their physical and emotional well-being both in their personal and family lives and in relation to the public institutions that make up our health care system. It seeks to learn about how women view, care for, and project their bodies and minds introspectively and in relation to the outside world.

Kate Saba

Fitness Trainer, Nursing Student

I just remember crying in the middle of the parking lot telling my mom I was going to get on the plane and come home. And she was like, 'Well you gotta figure yourself out.' And I mean I really thought it was the end of the world. And it’s not. Nothing is as bad as it seems, and everything gets better. So if I hadn’t had a mom to push me and say you are not coming home right away, I wouldn’t have done anything in my life.

Katherine Mary Saba was born in Shrewsbury, MA, in 1984. She is one of three girls in her family, falling at the end of the birth order spectrum. In this interview she discusses the personal devastating impact of an eating disorder and depression. She shares her thoughts about moving to Los Angeles following her graduation from Worcester State College. She describes her fears about living alone in a large, fast-paced city and credits her mother with support and encouragement. Kate's goal is to combine her love for physical fitness with a degree in nursing.

Interviewer:

Cassie Ogden

Dawn Perry

Interview Date:

Mon, 03/30/2009

Interview Focus:

Health

Name Sort:

Saba

Samantha Vayo

Student, Model, Special Olympics Athlete

I was born with CP [cerebral palsy]. I went to the doctors and physical therapy and they told me that I would probably never walk. So, I proved them all wrong because I can walk. I like to play [sports]. I can do everything.

Interviewer:

Kimberly Powell

Interview Date:

Wed, 04/09/2008

Interview Focus:

Health

Name Sort:

Vayo

Judy Freedman Fask

College Professor of Deaf Studies, College of the Holy Cross; Sign Language Interpreter, Mother of Five

Go for it. Just absolutely, whatever your dream is or what you think your dream is, go for it, give it a try. And look at life as opportunities, meet people, make connections. I think that's the other thing, making connections with people and really appreciating who they are and looking for the gifts in people, which I love doing. I love doing that here at Holy Cross, because when I meet a student, if they have a talent they don't necessarily like to share it – because they definitely know I'll use it in some other program. People have so much to offer and I think that sometimes you have to look a little bit for it and other times you don't have to look so hard. But there's so much good in people, and everyone has some gift to offer and tapping into that is always really exciting.

Professor Judy Freedman Fask was born in Newton, Massachusetts in 1958, but she always lived in Worcester, Massachusetts. She attended the University of Massachusetts in Amherst for her undergraduate degree and went to graduate school at Smith College and to Springfield College for a second master’s degree. She currently works as the director of Deaf Studies at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, but she has also worked as an interpreter. Professor Fask is married with five children, several of whom have health complications.

Interviewer:

Kate Biegner

Stephanie Bouley

Interview Date:

Thu, 12/04/2008

Interview Focus:

Education

Health

Name Sort:

Fask

Ona Stewart

Craft Store Worker

I work at Gateway Crafts I do a lot of different activities there, pottery being one of them. They taught me through an interpreter how to do it and now I’m able to teach other people how to mold the clay up into beautiful pots, it’s so much fun. I also do some weaving of looms, fabric design, and just different things working in the craft store and I’ve worked there for a long time; almost 13 years, I just love it there.

Interviewer:

Kelly Skeuse

Interview Date:

Tue, 02/19/2008

Interview Focus:

Health

Name Sort:

Stewart

Kristen Pagliuca

Bank Manager

"You get to a point were if you are an implant candidate, you really just don’t have any hearing. They are really concerned when they decide to use an implant candidate. Because any residual hearing, they wipe it out. I knew I would do pretty well, just because I knew I was going to work hard and make sure I would do well. I was a little bit excited. I knew I would have better [hearing] than what I had."

Kristen Pagliuca was born May 27, 1975, in Massachusetts. She attended Emerson College and Suffolk University where she earned a master’s degree in Health Administration. Currently she is employed as a bank manager. In this interview she discusses growing with loss of hearing in a hearing family, going to school in mainstream classrooms, and the process of cochlear implants.

Interviewer:

Lauren Spadaro

Interview Date:

Thu, 03/15/2007

Interview Focus:

Health

Name Sort:

Pagliuca