Community News Fourth Grader Places Second in Cambridge Poetry Contest Congratulations to Kaia Patterson ’23 for placing second in the Cambridge Public Library/Cambridge Tree Project Seventeenth Annual Poetry Awards. Kaia’s touching poem, Goodbye Grandpa, was chosen as a winner from more than 1,100 entries. Goodbye Grandpa I sit on the porch in NYC sipping my cool lemonade watching the sun go down in the pink sky. Tali Sorets ’16 with the poster she presented at the Academy of Neurology annual meeting.
BB&N Junior Presents at American Academy of Neurology Gathering The annual meeting of the Academy of Neurology—held every year in Washington, D.C.—marks a convening of great minds and intellectual curiosity of the highest order. So, it was indeed an honor and achievement for BB&N junior Tali Sorets when she appeared last month before the gathered doctors to present a poster about her experiences working with epileptic children in Bhutan last summer. “I was probably the youngest person there and the next oldest were medical students, which was pretty intimidating,” notes Sorets. “I think that since I was young (and look young), it sparked interest in my poster…so a lot of people were coming over to talk to me. But once the nerves went away, it was exciting to talk to other people about what excites me so much.” Sorets has always been interested in medicine, “especially global health,” so when the chance arose to intern with Dr. Farrah Mateen, a global health neurologist, Sorets jumped at the opportunity. She had no idea that her internship would take her to the small country of Bhutan in South Asia. “Bhutan is a remote, land-locked, low-income country with a very high rate of people with epilepsy despite the anti-epileptic drugs available there free of charge,” says Sorets. “During the study, we performed EEG’s (electroencephalography), conducted interviews, and administered quality of life surveys to children.” In her poster presentation, Sores discussed her work, the results, and how unintentional injuries as a predictor of epilepsy can be very helpful in determining on whom to focus the use of limited equipment in assessing and diagnosing epilepsy.
And then. I see him. My Grandpa. Sitting in his wheelchair enjoying the fresh air. I run down to him and hug him, since I haven’t seen him in such a long time. I love the way he smells, like fresh nectar and sweet croissants. His blue shirt shows up against his pale skin as I let go. The evening is my favorite time of day. Not too sunny not too dark. Perfect. My grandma comes out to see us with my mom, dad, and auntie. We all laugh as we talk and sing to the jolly evening. My biggest fear is standing right in front of me which is, I think of my Grandpa dying. The pain in my chest is going deeper or maybe it’s from being scared. I go inside as it starts getting dark. Goodbye light, Goodbye Grandpa.
7