It is now approaching four months since more than 200 school girls were kidnapped from their dormitory in Nigeria. You’ll hear about how a Pakastani teenager’s recent efforts hope to bring back the girls. Also on this week’s 51%, we then we turn to a woman who shares what it was like to have her husband leave her shortly after she was diagnosed with cancer. It’s raw, which is also the title of her memoir.
In April, more than 200 school girls were kidnapped from their dormitory in Nigeria by an Islamist militant group. As Mark Caldwell tells us, a teenage activist who was once a victim of religious extremism, recently visited Nigeria in support of the social media campaign #BringBackOurGirls.
In the summer of 2010, and five months into her battle with stage III colon cancer, Fiona Finn’s husband left her on Father’s Day, and after 10 years of marriage. Since remission, Finn has become an advocate for women coping with spousal abandonment after a diagnosis of a serious illness. She cites a 2009 study in The Cancer Journal that found the divorce rate for cancer-stricken wives is approximately 21% as compared to 3% when husbands become seriously ill. RAW: One Woman's Journey Through Love, Loss, and Cancer is her tell-all memoir that also offers encouragement, and even humor. I spoke with Finn about her book, and why she chose to reveal such a personal experience.
Some people turn to ginger or chamomile tea to calm their stomachs and ease other ailments. Well, one Virginia researcher is lab-testing curcumin, a popular Indian remedy extracted from the root, turmeric. Allison Quantz reports on what the lab has found.
And that’s our show for this week. Thanks to Katie Britton for production assistance. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock. Our theme music is Glow in the Dark by Kevin Bartlett.