Her Legacy of Kindness and the IMPACT SHE HAD on US ALL
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The Isis Crisis The Fight Against GMOs Concert Etiquette Canada’s Involvement, page 3 Us vs. Monsanto, page 4 The Complete Guide, page 9 THE MUSTANG ISSUE ONE THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF ALEXANDER MACKENZIE HIGH SCHOOL WINTER 2014 Nishaat Sheraly Her legacy of kindness AND THE IMPACT SHE HAD ON US ALL Nishaat, shown above with friends and coworkers at her annual #Nishstrong campaign to spread awareness BY MARISA COULTON with OneMatch, the Canadian Blood change the numbers, bringing to light who had taught a special education class EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Services’ stem cell and marrow network. the many misconceptions about becom- with Ms. Sheraly. “The students felt safe “AMAC Fights Back,” in conjunction ing a donor. In an interview with New with her.” Ms. Sheraly was driven, eager n October 20th 2014, Alexan- with the “NishStrong” awareness cam- Canadian Media, she and her husband, to help make a change in the lives of her der Mackenzie lost a mother, paign, shed much-needed light on the Munsif, spoke about how both the pro- students and wider community. Ms. Oa wife, a sister, a daughter, a high demand for bone marrow donors. cedure and recovery for bone marrow Carageorgopoulos recalls being “hum- fighter, and a friend. Ms. Sheraly is sur- Throughout her own personal fight donors is not at all painful. “I think peo- bled by her unwavering sense of pur- vived by her two sons, Maalik and Zain, against leukemia, Ms. Sheraly worked ple are just so afraid of the process,” said pose.” and her husband, Munsif. She was 37 tirelessly to help add names to the Ms. Sheraly in the article “Desperately Ms. Toshakovski recounts that Nishaat years old. Nishaat Sheraly was first di- short list of bone marrow donors, while Seeking Normalcy” from New Canadian “was someone [she] could turn to in the agnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in searching determinedly for her “one true Media. “They really feel like you’re tak- best of times, or the worst. [Nishaat] December of 2011. After several rounds match.” AMAC Fights Back will continue ing something from them that cannot be could bring a calm to any storm.” In the of rigorous chemotherapy, she was in as an annual school event. This year’s replaced. When you look at minorities, midst of her fight, Ms. Sheraly was al- remission. “I have a 50/50 chance of event will be held on March 10, 2015. even religiously speaking, the whole no- ways selfless, putting others’ needs be- survival without a match,” said Ms. fore her own. At a memorial service held Sheraly in a letter to friends, family, and at Alexander Mackenzie High School on colleagues in January 2013. “But I am ‘“She could bring a calm (CONTINUED ON PAGE 3) not a number, and as it stands, I am in to any storm,” recalls Ms. remission. You have a choice, wallow in Toshakovski’ pity or move forward.” This is the spirit of strength that Ms. Sheraly brought back to Alexander Mackenzie when she Finding a match was, in itself, a chal- tion of organ donation is a major issue. returned to the English department in lenge. Ms. Sheraly had been on the in- So when it comes to bone marrow or February 2013. Then, in mid-July of this ternational bone marrow registry for stem cells, I think some of that falls into year, a low-platelet count revealed that years, and there had not been a single the same category. In terms of the men- Ms. Sheraly, fondly known to many as match for her, worldwide. The shortage tality.” “Nish,” had relapsed. of available donors can be attributed For Ms. Sheraly, the “normalcy” that Throughout her battle with leukemia, to a lack of awareness and anxiety she sought included playing many dif- Ms. Sheraly displayed a prevailing sense surrounding the process of donation, ferent roles—to some, she was a shoul- of bravery and ambition that inspired especially amongst specific ethnic com- der to cry on, an ever-present confidant many. She took on the illness with full munities that are underrepresented in times of need. To her English and force, becoming an advocate for bone even on the international registry. Special Education students, she was an marrow donations and inspiring Alexan- Through her “NishStrong” campaign inspiration. “She could make her stu- Nishaat with her two sons, der Mackenzie’s annual “AMAC Fights and donor drives held in her name, dents believe in themselves, that they Maalik and Zain Back” donor drive, held in cooperation Ms. Sheraly encouraged Canadians to could do anything,” recalls Ms. Wyllie, >>ne w s EBOLA: FACT VS. FICTION The real story of the outbreak and how it spread BY SAMANTHA KRIZEL patient showcased flu-like symptoms NEWS COLUMNIST such as vomiting and diarrhea, and later spread it to rest of their family. t’s no secret that Ebola has The healthcare and sanitary systems of caused mass panic both in the the affected developing countries were Inews and amongst the public; not equipped to handle the Ebola out- but are you really at risk of contracting break; in North America we can avoid Ebola? While it is technically possible this simply by practicing safe hygiene that anyone could contract the Ebola routines (i.e. washing our hands), and virus, unless you have come into direct if someone does become ill, they can be contact with the bodily fluids of an in- isolated and treated. fected person, you are not at risk. Ebola What if it does come here and is a virus which causes serious illness. I catch it?! How would I know? One of its first outbreaks occurred near Ebola symptoms can take up to 21 days the Ebola River from which it takes to appear and start off very similar to its name. Ebola has five forms, two Scientists testing samples of the Ebola virus the flu, including: aches and pains, of which do not cause harm, and the spread through the air and Ebola is which is why doctors and scientists vomiting, diarrhea and fever. Ebola other three which are capable of caus- not. Why is it ineffective? This leads us were able to identify both the virus and becomes deadly because it can lead ing illness. Unfortunately, the current to myth 2. its specific strain when the outbreak to dehydration, liver/kidney failure, outbreak has been identified as Zaire MYTH 2: Ebola can be spread occured. There are many viruses that and internal hemorrhaging (which can Ebola Virus, which is the deadliest of through the air. FACT: Ebola is only can cause an outbreak given the right be detected by black stool). All these the strains and has an average of a 90% spread through bodily fluids. Ebola conditions, but until that time they are symptoms are also common to ma- mortality rate according to the World was originally found mainly in bats usually only known about by the doc- laria, hepatitis, cholera, meningitis and Health Organization (WHO). (though other animals carry it as well) tors and scientists who monitor them. many others, so you’ll need a blood test MYTH 1: Ebola is a bioterrorist and is believed to have first been trans- But how did the outbreak to find out whether or not it’s Ebola. weapon. FACT: Ebola is in no way ferred to humans through the con- start? The first Ebola patient--re- If you want to learn more about Ebola a bioterrorist weapon, even if it were sumption of an infected animal. ferred to as Patient Zero, was identi- visit iflscience.com and read the article it would be completely ineffective in MYTH 3: This is the first time we’ve fied as a two-year-old from Guinea. It Ten Things You Should Really Know North America; even the common cold seen Ebola. FACT: Ebola was a known is believed that they contracted Ebola About Ebola by Lisa Winter. would be a better weapon than Ebola, threat before this recent outbreak, from consuming infected meat. The simply because the common cold is schools in the region and even began a blog for the BBC the year after, under a pseudonym. Even Malala Yousafzai: though her identity was revealed a few months after starting the blog, she continued to promote Youngest Nobel Peace the universal right to education. Prize Recipient in History Malala received Pakistan’s National Youth Peace Prize, followed by the International Child’s BY STEPHANIE SMITH Peace Prize--all before the age 15. NEWS COLUMNIST Immediately following her attack in 2012, she was flown to England and received extensive care arly this October, Malala Yousafzai, 17, at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, received the Nobel Peace Prize and be- UK. She has remained in England and has been came the youngest person to ever re- E attending Edgbaston High School since March, ceive the prestigous award. Malala’s name first 2013. It was there that Malala learned of her appeared in the news in October of 2012 when she shared win of the Nobel Peace Prize with the chil- was shot in the head after being targeted by the dren’s rights activist from India, Kailash Satyar- Taliban for pursuing her education. Since then, thi. she has become an international advocate for While Malala still advocates for the right to ed- women’s and children’s rights across the world. ucation for all, she has taken a break from travel- Malala was born and raised in Pakistan and at- ling to promote her platform so she can focus on tended Khusal Public School, which was founded her studies and pursue her passion for learning.