Megan Sylvester....

She has been named one of the Telegraph’s ‘Ten to Watch for 2012’, but 16 year old, diving protégé, Megan Sylvester still has to juggle her childhood with her dreams of Olympic success.

                         Formerly a gymnast, Great British Diving coach, Adam Sotheran discovered her talent in 2002 at the age of eight and encouraged her to take part in diving. Eight years later and Megan is ranked 2^nd in Europe and 4^th in the World for her age group.

                        “When representing my country it is a great honour, as I have been to the Australian Youth Olympics and the Singapore Youth Olympics. I have had the opportunity to meet some very prestigious people, and it is quite an honour to meet those people who understand what you’re doing and are fully supportive of that.”

                        Despite a daily routine of 8:30am – 6:00pm Monday to Friday, and juggling with a full time college course, Megan suggested that training and competitions, so far have not significantly affected her education. “Over the next two years I’ve got a lot more assignments and a few more exams to do. But the college has been lenient and helpful with all the work and everything I’ve done.”

                        Megan is currently in preparation for the National Championships in January and the World Championships in June which will enable her and her synchronisation partner, Monique Gladding, to qualify for the 2012 Olympics.  Megan suggested that: “Having a synchronising partner that is 26 years old, is really helpful as she has a lot of experience and she passes this on to me.”

                        Great British Diving and Megan’s personal coach, Steve Gladding believes that Megan has what it takes as she is extremely talented.

                        However, he suggested that “certain things come with being a 16 year old girl, and this is a very challenging time in her life. Getting her through these next couple of years is going to be key and we’ll see if she reaches her potential.” 

                        Megan now believes that her future dreams and aspirations are of an Olympic Gold Medal in her own country in 2012.

The British Are Coming....

Stella McCartney unveiled the Olympic Team Kit last week, and contrary to many opinions, I believe that these kits are a subtle and stylish representation of Great Britain. For those few individuals who insisted there should have been more red incorporated into these stylish designs I say, 'Why should this matter, when the most important colour we should be thinking about is GOLD'.

The Olympic and Paralympic games hold a special place in my heart as my own dad, David Plowright, was a Bronze Medal winner in the 1992, Barcelona Paralympics, and I have been lucky enough to have adopted his competitive streak, as I, myself, am a Bronze and Silver medalist at a number of International Master Diving events.

Last year I was fortunate enough to make a documentary about 16-year-old, Megan Sylvester. A competitive Diver who is currently in training for the London 2012 Games.

I wish her and the whole GB team the very best for the upcoming games. I'll be flying my flag with pride.

Laura's Story (2011)

I spoke to Laura in 2011, and subsequently wrote this feature article. It is written with the intention of being published in More! Magazine. 

 

Every day, in the UK, six young people will be told that they have cancer. Some of which may be our best friends, our sisters and brothers.

                Far from concerns about exams, fashions faux pas and the recent crush, many young people will be plagued with thoughts of treatment, hospital appointments, and rigorous tests and screenings.

                Laura MacPherson, 16, from Sheffield was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in March 2011. Speaking of her diagnosis she said: “when I was officially diagnosed, it didn’t scare me. The doctors had told my mum one Friday; when I was in hospital all day, having scans and blood tests, that they suspected I had Lymphoma. They told her to take me home and have a good, normal weekend before my life changed”.

According to the Office of National statistics (2005), it has been found that different cancers predominate at different ages, leukaemia, lymphomas and brain tumours in 13 – 18 year-olds and lymphomas, carcinomas and germ cell tumours in 19 – 24 year-olds.

In a recent BBC interview, Susie Rice, who works at the Teenage Cancer Trust; “Young People are experts at their own bodies. If there is something wrong with them, if they think there’s a lump or a swelling, they must speak to their GP. And the job of the GP is to listen to these people and take them seriously”.

                “I made a promise to my mum, not to search my diagnosis on the internet, and I was getting pretty worried, although never in a million years would I have guessed it was cancer” says Laura. “Even though the diagnosis wasn’t official, I knew it has to be right, so when it was confirmed, it wasn’t a shock for me”.

                According to the Teenage Cancer Trust, approximately 2,100 young people, a year, are diagnosed with cancer. “I think cancer awareness should be a lot higher especially for younger people. I know I was one of them people who didn’t realise how vastly cancer affects the world. Until you get cancer, it seems like no one has it, and it’s just something that happens to other people not you” recalls Laura.

                “I guess when you think of people that have cancer you automatically think that they must value every second of their life so much. Of course I appreciate still being here and I realise that there are so many people who are not as fortunate as I am, and for that reason I do keep my head up. But that doesn’t mean to say, I don’t have days where I wish I could just hide from the world and curl up in a ball to feel sorry for myself”.

                The Teenage Cancer Trust is a charity ‘devoted to improving the lives of young people with cancer. The trust aims to ensure that every young person with cancer and their family receive the best possible care and professional support throughout their cancer journey’. The trust has 17 cancer units within NHS hospitals across the UK, with a further 16 units in development. “The Teenage Cancer Trust units they build in some hospitals are amazing. You can really feel at home there and the stuff they offer is just incredible”.

                The Teenage Cancer Trust also runs ‘a pioneering education programme giving free cancer awareness talks to secondary schools, colleges and universities. These sessions help to take the stigma out of cancer and demystify the disease by including discussions on the types of cancer there are, the main warning signs of cancer, the types of treatments available and how to keep healthy’.

                According to recent statistics, nearly three-quarters of UK teenagers and young adults who develop cancer now survive.

                Laura finished her six-month chemotherapy treatment in September, and on 16^th November, 2011 it was confirmed that she is in remission. However, Laura is far from free of her cancer ordeal. “There has been a lot of waiting for scans and waiting for results. They said that I still have a small dot on my chest that they could be positive, but if they give me radiotherapy there’s also a very high chance I’ll get breast cancer in the future, so they’re weighing up the risks at the moment”.

                “Yeah, I worry about what I’m going to wear when I go shopping, and I worry about what I look like, boys, and other normal teenage problems, but also, I have to cope with worrying about cancer, and worrying about it returning or getting another cancer or whether I’m going to be in remission. But all I can hope for in the future is to be happy. To have a job that I enjoy, a family that love me and mostly, to be in remission, and stay in remission. I’ve learnt not to get my hopes up in life, and I know of course my life will definitely not pan out perfectly, but as long as I can be happy, that’s all I want”.

                If you, a relative or a friend, has any concern about cancer in young people, go to www.teenagecancertrust.org or call the Teenage Cancer Trust on 020 7612 0370.

 

 Cancer Research UK has identified a number of things to look out for and here are just five of those things to be aware of:

1.       Ensure you examine your breast regularly - Look out for:

a)      Any unusual lumps

b)      Changes in size

c)       Changes in shape or feel

2.       Bleeding from the vagina between periods. – Although bleeding or ‘spotting’ between periods can be a common side effect of the contraceptive pill, it should otherwise be checked out by your GP.

3.       If you experience persistent bloating – This could be a sign of ovarian cancer, so ensure you make an appointment to see your doctor.

4.       Should you find blood in your urine or your bowel movements - Always get this checked out, should it turn out not to be cancer, it can be dealt with quite quickly.

5.       Keep an eye on your skin - Look out for any new moles that appear, ones that changes in shape, size or colour, and ones that bleed or feel unusual. Also ensure that you wear a high factor sunscreen when exposed to the sun.

PITSTOP.org.uk

I was handed a leaflet today as I passed through the university building. It highlighted one of the 'most common cancer in the under 30s' , Lymphoma. The Pitstop campaign aims to raise awareness of the symptoms and signs of Lymphoma.

With six young people in the UK, being told that they have cancer, I am reminded of the fight and struggle that so many people have to go through every single day. Last year I spoke to Laura. She's 16 and is being treated for Hodgkin's Lymphoma. A incredible brave young woman who not only has the concerns and anxieties of teenagers globally, but has to fight for her future every single day.

I wish her the very best for her future, and express my true admiration for her courage and determination.

'The Killing Fields' (1984)

In light of the recent tragic death of Journalist, Marie Colvin, I am left contemplating the heroics of journalists in the line of action.  Bruce Robinson’s, ‘The Killing Fields’ (1984) is particularly reminiscent of this almost 20 years later, bringing to life the poignant true-story of New York Times journalist, Sydney Schanberg and Cambodian journalist and interpreter, Dith Pran in the depths of the Cambodian civil war in the 1970’s.

                Making his directorial debut, Roland Joffe, has produced an extraordinarily emotional film exhibiting the horrors under the Communist regime in Cambodia.  Alongside first-time screenplay writer, Bruce Robinson, ‘The Killing Fields’ encapsulates a story of friendship, loyalty and professional demand in the throngs of war and turmoil.

                Set amongst the exceptionally breathtaking landscape of Thailand, Sam Waterston and actual survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime, Haing Somnang Ngor, play journalists Sydney Schanberg and Dith Pran, covering the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam in 1975.  Although his family are evacuated from Saigon, Pran remains by Schanberg’s side to carry out his occupational duty, to only be imprisoned by the very communist regime that rules over his country, whilst Schanberg is evacuated. Joffe effectively constructs fear and tension, as we are left fearing for Pran, whilst his life hangs in the balance.

                However, unfortunately, this film is plagued by its debut status. With directional, screenplay writer and acting debuts all appearing in such a momentous film, I am forced to behold the limitations that hinder the storytelling of a truly horrific event. Avoiding the gruesome accounts of the bloodshed and the millions of people killed would have otherwise been considered respectful and a safe option for the inexperienced pair. But in this instance, I question whether this self-censorship is disrespectful to the millions that lost their lives and inadequate for the millions that should be told of the atrocities.

                  I would only hope that the viewing public is as forgiving as Dith Pran, who when asked for forgiveness from Schanberg, purely says; “Nothing to forgive, Sydney, nothing.”

All the President's Men (1976)

As outdated as the flairs, haircuts and typewriters may be, the plot of ‘All the President’s Men’ is still resonant almost 40 years later. With the likes of ‘Hackgate’ and the government expense claims still occupying our own tabloids, William Goldman’s Oscar winning adaptation of the events leading to the ‘Watergate’ scandal is still as momentous as it was in 1976.

Conspiracy novelist and screenplay writer, William Goldberg aptly assumes the role of investigative journalist, while reproducing a frankly accurate representation of the revelations brought about by two dubious Washington Post journalists.

Once again, Dustin Hoffman teams up with Goldman, alongside the dashing Robert Redford to play Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, who are otherwise masquerading as the Starsky and Hutch of the news room. As stated during its release, ‘All the President’s Men’ is ‘The most devastating detective story of this century’. But for those of you who are expecting high octane car chases and explosive gun fights will be bitterly disappointed by this somewhat slow and considered political thriller.

                As the camera hangs precariously above Woodward and Bernstein, in the Library of Congress, credit must be given to the innovative work of the Director, Alan J. Pakula and the cinematography of Gordon Willis, who have encapsulated the web of lies and conspiracy that the daring duo have entangled themselves in.

                With 8 Academy Award Nominations and 3 wins, ‘All the President’s Men’ has committed itself to ‘following the money’ and going for gold in a conspiracy thriller that has ‘nothing riding on it, expect the first amendment of the Constitution, freedom of the press and maybe the future of this country’.