Teen Rep Serena's Story. Stage 2 Thyroid Cancer.

Hi, I am Serena, and I am a teen activist for USA Equal Platforms blog.

I was recently diagnosed with stage 2 Thyroid cancer on October 17, 2012.
 

It seems as though you will remember that date as if it was your birthday. My passion has been to model and tell my story.

 

Since I was little girl I would always dress up and practice the runway supermodel walk I would see on Americas Next Top Model.  I was.., just never expecting to hear the words, “you have cancer.”

Even though I heard those words I knew I had to keep my head high because I knew there was more to my life.

My doctor has told me that after the surgery there is no trace of cancer!  I’m still in active treatment and the cancer can come back within the next 25 years.

 

Yes that sounds like a long time and if I lay down the fight and just let cancer win I won’t get to see 50 years old.

But that’s not how I’m going to let my life be because I got the opportunity to be a teen activist for USA Equal Platforms Blog and get the chance to let all the other teens in the world know that with any challenges you face you can survive!

 

So just remember sometimes things have to fall apart to start a new beginning.

 

 

 

 

Support our community mission here and purchase a very special gift!  Neckties for a CAUSE!

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NASA Kids Club

NASA Info for Mom and Dad

The Internet provides your children with access to thousands of resources -- some educational, some entertaining, and some with content inappropriate for children.

NASA encourages you to take time to monitor your children's use of the Internet by visiting sites with them, playing games with them, and setting firm guidelines about which types of sites they are allowed to visit.

We know you can't be with your children constantly while they are online. However, if you take the time to instruct them before they're allowed to use the computer, you may keep them from being exposed to pornography, inappropriate adult-focused content, and even child predators who often lurk in chat rooms. Usage monitoring software is available commercially to help you with this task.

NASA will provide a wealth of resources that are safe, fun, and educational for your children. You can expect them to find reliable information on space-related topics, as well as games, Web quests, and even chats with NASA experts.



NASA Kids Club Info:
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/text/clubhouse/index.html

"Apple Picking" 15-year-old Marcos Arenas killed...

Our sincere prayers go out to the family of 15-year-old Marcos Arenas killed in Las Vegas over an iPad...

Metro Police say they have arrested two suspects in Thursday's theft of an iPad that led to the death of a 15-year-old Bonanza High School student. Jacob Dismont, 18, and Michael Samuel Solid, 21, both of Las Vegas, face charges of open murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery.

Dismont was a standout baseball player at Sierra Vista High School. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound first baseman was a 2013 season letter winner. A YouTube video shows him hitting a grand slam in a 2010 high school game. Dismont also played baseball as a freshman and sophomore at Durango High School.

Metro spokesman Bill Cassell said police were able, with the public's help, to find the two suspects within 48 hours of the crime.

Marcos Vincente Arenas, a freshman at Bonanza, was walking on the south side of Charleston Boulevard carrying the iPad when a white vehicle, believed to be a Ford Explorer or Expedition, stopped and a man got out of the passenger side.

The man tried to steal the iPad and started to drag Arenas, who was trying to hold onto it, police said. The man got back into the SUV with the teen still holding on, or being held by the suspect, police said.

As the SUV drove west on Charleston Boulevard, Arenas fell and was struck by the vehicle, police said. He died at University Medical Center.

Cassell said the crime of stealing iPads and iPhones is so common across the country that police refer to it as "Apple picking." He said that anecdotal reports indicate the crime is increasing in Las Vegas.

He advised people to be alert when they're in public places. And when it's a decision between your safety and the Apple device, let it go and buy a new one!!!

Read more...
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/19/18359211-two-men-arrested-in-killing-over-ipad-in-las-vegas?lite

Super Toddlers, Children Can Save $$$$$$$$$

Encourage  your toddler, yes I said toddler, child to save money and watch for a better future as they grow. Start super early, trust me kids understand more than you care to think.

Choose a piggy bank together.

Plan goals.

Match savings.

Reward charts.

Make it a family event.....

Choose a cute little piggy bank together

The first step to teaching your child to save money is buying a piggy bank or savings tin. There are plenty of tins and banks in shops aimed at young children with their favorite cartoon characters on them. Let your little one choose their own tin and explain it’s for saving all of their coins for a special reason.

Plan goals

Having something to save up for can help encourage little ones to bank their pocket money. Whether you plan a special trip out with your child or a toy they are desperate for, cut out a picture of the goal you’ve agreed and stick it above the saving tin.

Match savings

A good incentive to convince your children to save is match saving. Agree that for every pound or five pound they reach, you’ll match it. This concept might be a little confusing for small children but getting double their coins when they reach a milestone won’t be too hard to understand!

Reward charts

Creating a reward chart is a great visual aid to help children reach a goal. For every pound or five pound the reach, let your little ones add to the reward chart.

Make it a family event

Buy a piggy bank or saving tin for the whole family. By making a fuss of each family member as they add another coin to their tin, little ones will be excited to participate and keep up with older brothers and sisters!

Good luck friends.....

HOPE! 165,000 Jobs in April

This is a must read article.  The pace of hiring snapped back in April after a surprising dip in March, suggesting that job creation in the good ole  U.S.A  is holding steady AND  there is HOPE!

"The United States economy created 165,000 jobs in April, slightly more than forecasters had estimated, pushing the unemployment rate down modestly to 7.5 percent, the government reported Friday."


Read more:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/04/business/economy/us-adds-165000-jobs-in-april.html?_r=0

Twelve Unique Life Quotes For All Ages

1. “The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.” 
― Kalu Ndukwe Kalu

2. “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” 
― Dr. Seuss

3. “The words ‘I Love You’ kill, and resurrect millions, in less than a second.” 
― Aberjhani

4. “There's two kinds of women--those you write poems about and those you don't.” 
― Jeffrey McDaniel

5. “I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.” 
― Marilyn Monroe

6. "Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am.” 
― Parker J. Palmer

7. “Religion is, in reality, living. Our religion is not what we profess, or what we say, or what we proclaim; our religion is what we do, what we desire, what we seek, what we dream about, what we fantasize, what we think - all these things - twenty-four hours a day.

 One's religion, then, is ones life, not merely the ideal life but the life as it is actually lived. 

Religion is not prayer, it is not a church, it is not theistic, it is not atheistic, it has little to do with what white people call "religion." It is our every act.

 If we tromp on a bug, that is our religion; if we experiment on living animals, that is our religion; if we cheat at cards, that is our religion; if we dream of being famous, that is our religion; if we gossip maliciously, that is our religion; if we are rude and aggressive, that is our religion.

All that we do, and are, is our religion.” 

― Jack D. Forbes

8. “When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” 
― Paulo Coelho

9. “If you want to be proud of yourself, then do things in which you can take pride” 
― Karen Horney

10. “We are taught you must blame your father, your sisters, your brothers, the school, the teachers - but never blame yourself. It's never your fault. But it's always your fault, because if you wanted to change you're the one who has got to change.” 
― Katharine Hepburn

11. “I can choose either to be a victim of the world or an adventurer in search of treasure. It's all a question of how I view my life.” 
― Paulo Coelho

12. “This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.” 
― Susan Polis Schutz