Independent Reading Journal 1_2018 week 6031006188 sec 5

Reading Journal By Lalida Yajai 6031006188This journal is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirementsfor English reading and writing 1 course of Liberal Arts in English Program, Mae Fah Luang University First semester 2018

Blind woman saved her life by learning to swim -- at 50By Amy Chillag, CNNUpdated 1140 GMT (1940 HKT) September 28, 2018 (CNN)Vivian Stancil never thought she'd become a swimmer, much less a competitive onewith a wall full of medals.\"When I was younger, for a woman of color, swim was a taboo,\" the 71-year-old says poolside in Riverside, California.Stancil's hazel eyes light up when she talks aboutwhat swimming means to her. \"The water is my best friend.\" Her mother died when she was just 7 years old. Her father, an alcoholic who had tuberculosis,also died. Stancil, the oldest of five children, had to grow up fast. \"So here I was, taking care of a setof twin sisters and two brothers until the school found out I was supposed to be in school.\" The siblings were separated -- sent to different foster homes. Stancil ended up living in threefoster homes. \"One foster parent didn't care for me because I was too dark. I had a difficult time.\" At age 19, her sight began to fail because of a rare condition called retinitis pigmentosa, aninherited disorder that breaks down cells in the retina. The National Institutes of Health estimatesthat the disorder affects 1 in 4,000 people worldwide.Each year, as she got older, Stancil's eyesightgot worse.\"I don't see anything today.\"Weight ballooned to 319 pounds Despite those challenges, Stancil went to college, got a bachelor's degree and ended upteaching kindergarten in California's Riverside and Long Beach school districts for more than 20years. When she retired, her weight started to go up. At just 5 feet tall, Stancil ballooned to 319pounds. She didn't exercise, was depressed and had no motivation: \"I was always angry at Page 2 of 9

somebody.\"She and her husband, Turner, would eat out often with friends. They called themselves\"The Eating Club.\" \"We knew every restaurant in this city,\" Stancil recalled. \"We ate everything from friedchicken, ribs -- anything that we could think of, we ate.\"By age 50, Stancil's health was critical. Her blood pressure was sky-high -- 200 over 100 -- and shehad diabetes. Her doctor's words stunned her into action. \"He told me at 60 I was going to die, and I didn't want to die.\" She told her friends how bad things were. They suggested that she swim, because \"fat floats.\"None of her friends knew how to swim, but they knew that Stancil's options were limited: Her 319pounds made even walking hard. \"They didn't want me to have a heart attack from running in the L.A. Marathon.\"Taking the plungeStancil had never swum a day in her life. She found a coach and, at 50, took the plunge. \"When I first started swim lessons, I was just crying like a kid,\" Stancil recalled. \"The coachwas yelling, 'jump in, Vivian! I'm not going to let you drown.' I said, 'the water is too deep.' He said,'you can't see no way.' \" That insult did it. \"I got mad at him and jumped in, and I've been loving it since.\" She learned to count how many strokes it takes to get to the wall. She also listens to how thewater sounds when it hits the plastic lane lines. It sounds different near the wall, she says.It's 5 in the morning, the time Stancil and her coach like to train before the crowds hit the pool inRiverside.Stancil's husband of nearly 40 years, a retired VA hospital administrator, walks her a fewblocks to that pool three times a week. Page 3 of 9

Turner Stancil is pulling a wood cart full of his wife's supplies while she holds on to his arm.Inside the cart are a couple of large water bottles, a towel, a swim cap, goggles and flippers tostrengthen her back kick.From a size 24 to a size 12 Stancil knew that she had to change her eating, too. Her love for leafy green vegetables grew,and she started to cook more. On the day CNN arrived, Stancil insisted that we eat brunch with her after the swim. Shewhipped up a batch of scrambled eggs mixed with broccoli, black beans, avocado and a few otherveggies, with wheat toast. \"Have you ever had 'Slap Yo Mama' seasoning?\" she asked the crew as she sauteed.Stancil has lost over 100 pounds: \"I'm down from a size 24 to a 12.\" Her blood pressure is now 114over 76, even lower than the standard recommendation of 120 over 80.Competing in Senior Games As she slimmed down, she quickly became competitive, taking part in the National SeniorGames qualifiers in Long Beach. In 20 years, she has won 271 medals on the local and state level,despite having had two hip replacements. \"I'm hoping to win at the national level since my hips are taken care of,\" the swimmer saidconfidently. Stancil has made a lot of friends along the way. \"Everybody is rooting for me,\" she said, beaming. \"My fastest swim is freestyle. I love tochallenge people.\" Stancil's coach, Garret Shimko of the Riverside Aquatics Association, says that \"for anyonewho starts at that age where Vivian is right now is incredible.\" Page 4 of 9

\"She's always like, 'what do I need to improve?' It keeps me honest too, you know, so I'm notslacking on her, either.\"Giving back Today, Stancil serves as a commissioner on two of Riverside's city boards: human relationsand disabilities. She's also an ordained minister who even has a pulpit set up in her house. Next to itis a long dining table for fellowship. She has two main goals in life: \"To try and get older people to get off the couch. I don't careif you don't swim. You can walk; you can play tennis; you can play pickup ball; you can bowl -- dosomething in your life. And take somebody else with you.\" Her second goal: to prevent adults and kids from drowning. She holds two swim clinics ayear as part of her Vivian Stancil Olympian Foundation, which also helps seniors and youthparticipate in athletics.\"We're here for a purpose. We're not just here for ourselves. We're here to encourage one another.\" Stancil points out seven people drowned in Riverside in August -- a particularly deadly month.This deeply disturbs her. Stancil's clinics focus on teaching people how to float by doing the\"starfish.\" If you can at least float, you can survive. An alarming new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that4,000 people drown in the United States each year. Among children ages 1 to 14, drowning is thesecond-leading cause of unintentional injury death after motor vehicle crashes. Stancil demonstrates the starfish on a recent Saturday. Then, the kids try it.The teacher,athlete and advocate looks like a kid herself as she takes to the water -- like a happy fish floating.https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/28/health/turning-points-blind-swimmer/index.html Page 5 of 9

Week 1 Title: Blind woman saved her life by learning to swim -- at 50 Author: Amy Chillag Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/28/health/turning-points-blind-swimmer/index.html Summary Vivian Stancil has suffered from retinitis pigmentosa that made her eyes blind since she was 19 yearsold. After she retired, her weight started to go up to 319 pounds because she, her husband, and her friendsalways ate out. Then, her health got worse so she went to see the doctor. Doctor told her that at 60 she wasgoing to die, and she haven’t wanted to die. She was very upset so she found the way to lose her weight.Her friend suggested her to swim but they didn’t know how to swim. She had never swum before. Shefound coach and tried to swim. She changed her eating. She ate more vegetable and cooked more too. Shehad lose over 100 pounds. She attended the National Senior Games qualifiers in Long Beach. In 20 years,she has won 271 medals on the local and state level. Today, Stancil serves as a commissioner on two ofRiverside's city boards: human relations and disabilities. My reaction/reflection: The story content is easy to understand. The Opening of this story isinteresting. This story is the good inspiration for somebody who wantto lose their weight.New words learned: (At least five new words that you have learned)New Words Definitions Page 6 of 9

1. Tuberculosis(n.) a serious infectious disease in which swellings appear on the lungs2. Diabetes(n.) and other parts of the body3. Strengthen(v.) .Her father, an alcoholic who had tuberculosis, also died. Stancil, the4. Inherit(v.) oldest of five children, had to grow up fast.5. Retina(n.) a medical condition which makes the patient produce a lot of urine and feel very thirsty. There are several types of diabetes. By age 50, Stancil's health was critical. Her blood pressure was sky- high -- 200 over 100 -- and she had diabetes. Her doctor's words stunned her into action. to become stronger; to make somebody/something stronger Turner Stancil is pulling a wood cart full of his wife's supplies while she holds on to his arm. Inside the cart are a couple of large water bottles, a towel, a swim cap, goggles and flippers to strengthen her back kick. inherit (something) (from somebody) to receive money, property, etc. from somebody when they die At age 19, her sight began to fail because of a rare condition called retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited disorder that breaks down cells in the retina. a layer of tissue at the back of the eye that is sensitive to light and sends signals to the brain about what is seen At age 19, her sight began to fail because of a rare condition called retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited disorder that breaks down cells in the retina. Page 7 of 9

Articles Rubric for Independent Reading Journal (10%) 5 12341. Summary (4 %)2. Reflection (3%)3. Vocabulary Learned (3%) Scores Total scores _______ ÷ 5 = _____ marksCriteria for the above categories1. Rubric for Article SummaryCategory 5-4 3 2 1-0Summarizing Provides a very Provides a clear Provides a clear but Provides a somewhatthe content thorough and clear and concise shallow summary of muddled, unclear and and concise summary of the the article; may be rambling summary of summary of the article context excessively brief or the article. article context and and content. may include some content. extraneous information.Identifying Student recalls Student recalls Student is not able to Student cannot locateDetails several details for details for most locate most of the details with accuracy. each main point. main point. details of the main point. Is characterized byParaphrasing Is characterized by Is characterized Is characterized by the substantial paraphrasing of the by paraphrasing the substantial copying of main idea and of the main idea copying of key indiscriminately significant details and significant phrases and minimal selected phrases or details paraphrasing sentences.Spelling & There are few or There are some There are serious Serious errors inGrammar no errors in usage, errors in usage, errors in usage, mechanics, usage, grammar, grammar, grammar, grammar, or spelling punctuation, punctuation, punctuation, that make the sentence sentence sentence fragments, summary difficult to fragments, or fragments, or or spelling. understand. spelling. spelling.Total ________/20 ÷ 5 = 4 %2. Reflection on the Articles (3%)Students who have completely and clearly responded to the guided questions stated in the reading journalform will get 3 marks.3. Vocabulary Learned (3%) Page 8 of 9

All correct = 3 marks ≥ 70% correct = 2 marks 1 ≤ 70% = 1 mark Page 9 of 9