1. Describe your feelings about or response to the interview.
I have known Cody for about two years, and when I heard about the news of his cancer, I was devastated. It seemed almost impossible to me that something like that could happen. After he returned to school I was glad he was there and talked to him like normal. I felt uncomfortable bringing up what he went through to him feeling he had had enough of it, and I think he knew. I fessed up to him before the interview that I was uncomfortable about asking him about his cancer. He was very understanding, so understanding I felt rather foolish for not talking to my friend without the excuse of the interview earlier. After the interview I had an appreciation for what he went through and it made me stop and think about what he and his family must have gone through.
2. What changes occurred for you as a result of your interview?
The interview made me realize that no one is immune to life. Often times I just go on autopilot and the days mesh together. I hated that I was doing that.
3. Did anything about the interview disturb you?
I was only disturbed by the fact that I had not had a previous sit down with Cody
4. Describe the connections you found between the interview and your research & classwork.
I like the grid and think it’s a great idea. Talking to Cody reaffirmed how imperative it is to help in these types of research. Before it was an assignment I could feel good about. After the interview it added a level of emotion I was lacking.
Phu's Response
1.
I was not present when the interview took place.
Jack and Haddy knew Cody personally and they thought it would be awkward for
someone Cody didn’t know to be there for such a personal topic, and I agreed.
However, while I was listening to the recorded interview, I felt almost
awestruck at how calm Cody seemed to be even after everything he went through.
I could also feel that he genuinely wanted to help others in his situation when
Jack and Haddy asked what advice he would give to others.
2.
Although I already knew that cancer isn’t an
instant death sentence anymore, when Cody said it in the interview, it was like
it had a lot more weight to it. To me, it reaffirmed how far cancer treatments
have come and how far they will advance in the future.
3.
The disturbing part of the interview for me was
when Cody was describing his hospital visits. It made me realize that while the
treatments are more advance, the procedures themselves are still rough on the
patients.
4.
I believe that our grid that aims to conquer
cancer through x-ray crystallography is a step in the right direction for
cancer treatment. Since cancer is different for everybody, x-ray
crystallography will hopefully lead to better cancer treatment regiments that
are tailor-made for people, kind of like how a nutritionist made a custom diet
plan for Cody.
Jack's Response
1.
Describe your feelings about or response to the
interview.
Since I know Cody on a personal level this interview really
hit me pretty hard. He had sent all of us in pike updates about how everything
was going during the fall semester but it really didn’t sink in until I heard
it from him. Just hearing him talk about it made it seem so much more real to
me then just reading an email about it. You could hear it in his voice how much
it has affected him and his family and how much pain he had actually been going
through. It was a very good interview and I wish I could have talked to him
about it this in depth with out it being mandatory for a class. I felt ashamed
but I was glad I got a chance at all to make it happen. It seemed like such a
life-changing event such as cancer can hit anybody after hearing him. We all
live in such a closed world of our own that stuff like this can only happen to
people we don’t know. The interview was
a real eye opener to say the least.
2.
What changes occurred for you as a result of
your interview?
One thing that really struck me was how much he had to
change his diet. He said in the interview that it was hard for him to
understand why people wouldn’t change something like this if they really had a
will to live. It really makes you think when you eat something that isn’t great
for you what kind of effect it will have on your body. Hearing this really
opened my eyes on using nutrition for medical care. It really fascinates me how
much we rely on drugs when changes in diet can increase health quite a bit.
3.
Did anything about the interview disturb you?
The one main thing that disturbed me about the interview was
how much he was struggling getting back into the swing of things. I’m sure he
knew it was going to be difficult getting back into it but to the extent of
what he is going through it is pretty amazing. He has some real dedication and
hopefully he makes it through the rest of the semester with out any more
problems.
4.
Describe the connections you found between the
interview and your research & classwork.
Since our grid is on helping to find the cure for cancer it
was quite evident that people that are not affected by this terrible disease
can help out by just downloading a computer program. Since Cody is only a
patient and not an expert in the field it was hard to tell how much of a
difference it could actually make but doing something for people like this is
always a good feeling.
