Children Witness Effects of Drugs: Program Puts Diseased Organs in Their Hands
By Jennifer Kapiolani Saxton, Belleville News-Democrat, Ill.
Feb. 24–EDWARDSVILLE — The lung of a smoker felt like a rough, rocky highway, one seventh-grader at Lincoln Middle School said Friday.
“That was really disgusting,” said Susan Graf, 13, just after she touched the human diseased organs brought by BJC Healthcare as part of the 18th annual Celebrate Sober program.
Each year, the school’s prevention office coordinates the program, which brings in presenters to discuss topics such as tobacco, underage drinking and the consequences of bad choices.
Lori Hartnell, a school communicator health coordinator with BJC Healthcare, also brought a diseased heart of an alcoholic; two types of arteries, one from a healthy person and one from a smoker; two livers, one healthy person and one from a person who suffered from liver cancer; and a deformed brain to show the effects of marijuana.
“If people choose to use drugs, this is what happens to your body,” Hartnell said.
After her presentation, the students were each given a latex glove so they could get a better look at the healthy and diseased organs. The organs were from the Washington University pathology department.
“Some were squishy and some were rough,” seventh-grader Megan McGee, 12, said.
Some students chose not to touch and feel the organs.
“This is probably the sickest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” seventh-grader Quincy Morgan, 13, said as he left the classroom.
A new session on Internet Safety was introduced into the program this year due to the increased popularity of social Internet sites such as MySpace and Xanga.
“In the planning of the program, we work with our (School Resource Officer) and others. That was a thing that our SRO felt was a hot topic right now, and it can be so dangerous for kids,” Curran said.
Contact reporter Jennifer Kapiolani Saxton at jsaxton@bnd.com or 692-1149.
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Copyright (c) 2007, Belleville News-Democrat, Ill.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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