Alena Turner provides a health midterm project that includes sections on her personal health history, family health history, 25 questions answered by her grandmother about health when she was a child, her family's health history, fitness and nutrition data from a recent week, her social and emotional health including hobbies, pets, favorite trip, schools attended and clubs/sports, a health triangle assessing her physical, emotional and social health, and a photo timeline of her life from childhood to present day. She concludes with her personal crest symbolizing aspects of her unique self.

1. Health Midterm
Project
Alena Turner

2. Personal Health History
• My full name is Alena Bennett Heald Dundas Turner
• I got my name from my father, who decided on my first
name and my first middle name. Heald and Dundas
were the maiden names of my two paternal great
grandmothers
• My name Alena is Greek, and it means bright one

3. Personal Health History
Cont.
• I was born the 23rd of November 1997, in San Diego,
California
• A fun fact is that my two brothers and I were all born in
San Diego, but on different moves

4. Family Health History (Family
Tree)
My family is quite large, and when I made a
family tree it was too large to fit, so I have the
link to the website where I made my family
tree:
http://www.geni.com/share?t=60000000274717
26879

5. 25 Questions with my
Grandmother Judy
1. What were some of the major diseases when you were a
child?
Measles, mumps, chicken pox, polio, scarlet fever, tetanus,
small pox, and the flu
2. Did you ever contract any of these diseases?
Yes, I contracted the measles, chicken pox, mumps, and
the flu
3. How were they treated?
With the measles and the chicken pox you were put in a
darkened room and given baths filled with oatmeal and
baking soda

6. 25 Questions Cont.
4. How were colds treated differently when you were a
child?
Coal tar was used, you would put red flannel around your
neck, and sometimes parents would give children rock
candy that was dissolved in rye whisky
5. How was dental hygiene different when you were a
child?
Fluoride was used a lot, and teeth were filled with silver or
gold. Often people did not have good dental hygiene, but
my parents made me go to the dentist every 4 months

7. 25 Questions Cont.
6. Has anyone in our family had a mental illness?
Yes, my mother had bipolar disease and my grandfather
had depression
7. Are their any genetic diseases that run in our family?
Pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, type 1 and 2 diabetes,
and varicose veins
8. What was the cause of death for your parents?
My mother died at 92 of old age, and a fun fact is that she
smoked huge cigars up until she was 91 and 1/2. My
father died when he was 75 of pancreatic cancer and he
lived with the cancer for two years before he started to
deteriorate.

8. 25 Questions Cont.
9. Do we have a history of cancer in our family?
Yes, pancreatic cancer and breast cancer both run in the
family
10. How was cleanliness of the body different from now?
You mostly just used soap and water to clean yourself, if
you needed something strong then you used Natha soap
11. Have you had any major diseases?
Not really, but I had an allergic reaction to poison ivy where
I almost lost my leg

9. 25 Questions Cont.
12. How was the poison ivy treated?
I was given a large amount of steroids and watched
carefully
13. What did people think of smoking back when you were
a child?
Smoking was cool when I was a child, some doctors even
prescribed it to calm people’s nerves
14. Do you have any interesting stories about your
parents?
My father loved oranges, and one time he ate so many that
he turned orange!

10. 25 Questions Cont.
15. What was your diet like as a child?
Pretty much the same as now, our family ate a lot of oily
fish and vegetables
16. How was skin care different from now?
If you were fair skinned then you stayed out of the sun for
the most part, and sunscreen use varied from family to
family
17. How was physical fitness different when you were a
child?
No one really worked out, you walked a lot, most people
gardened, and a lot of men got fit doing their jobs

11. 25 Questions Cont.
18. What did you do for fun as a child?
A lot of people in our family played musical instruments and
everyone sang, you talked to your neighbors, walked around the
neighborhood, and went to parties or parks
19. What is the biggest change from when you were a child to
now?
I think technology. It has helped a lot, but also has changed a lot
of things for the worse.
20. What was one piece of technology you found interesting?
My family had one of the first washing machines, although it
couldn’t spin fast enough to wring all the water out, so that was
done by hand before you hung the clothes up to dry

12. 25 Questions Cont.
21. What did you love doing most when you were a young
adult?
I loved to go dancing, I would probably dance for 10 hours
each weekend at the dance
22. If you had one piece of advice about school, what
would it be?
Do it, go to college and get your degree no matter what it
takes, the more technical the better right now
23. If you had one piece of relationship advice, what would
it be?
Work as a team with your spouse. Another would be don’t
go to bed angry.

13. 25 Questions Cont.
24. One piece of advice for how to be happy in life?
Money doesn’t buy you happiness, you have to be happy
with the people around you
25. If you could require every student to read one book,
which would it be?
Atlas Shrugged, I just think it is something everyone should
know

14. How My Family Came to
America
My father came to America from England with his parents,
who both accepted jobs from Bell Labs.
My mother’s great grandparents came to America from Italy
because they wanted the better life they could have in
America.

15. My Family’s Health History
On my father’s side there is a history of heart disease skin cancer, and
diabetes. I don’t have any problems with my heart so far, and I have a
much better diet than my father’s relatives so I don’t think I will have a
heart disease. I also have much darker skin than my father’s side, but I
do have to go to a dermatologist to check out my moles to see if they
are cancerous because the risk of skin cancer in his family is very high.
As for the diabetes, I don’t know yet if I will get it because it normally
shows up later in life.
On my mother’s side there is a history of sinus problems, teeth
problems, and pancreatic cancer. I already know that I have sinus
problems, and I am already figuring out how to deal with the sinus
problems. The teeth problems come later in life, but I have already had
braces and have a retainer to keep my teeth from twisting. I hope I
don’t get pancreatic cancer, but that is something that I cant prevent
other than having a healthy diet and having regular doctor’s visits.

16. Fitness Data and Nutrition
Studying per
night:
Tuesday July
15th: 2 hours
Wednesday
July 16th: 1
hour
Thursday
July 17th: 1.5
hours
Friday July
18th: .5 hours
Saturday July
19th: 1 hour
Total: 6 hours
Sleep per
night:
Tuesday July
15th: 8 hours
Wednesday
July 16th: 8
hours
Thursday
July 17th: 9
hours
Friday July
18th: 8 hours
Saturday July
19th: 7
hours
Total: 40
hours
TV watching
per night:
Tuesday July
15th: 0 hours
Wednesday
July 16th:.5
hours
Thursday
July 17th: 0
hours
Friday July
18th: .5 hours
Saturday
July 19th: 0
hours
Total: 1 hour
Computer
use per night:
Tuesday July
15th: 2 hours
Wednesday
July 16th: 1
hour
Thursday
July 17th: 1
hour
Friday July
18th: 0 hours
Saturday July
19th: .5 hours
Total: 4.5
hours
Phone use
per night:
Tuesday July
15th: 1 hour
Wednesday
July 16th: 1
hour
Thursday
July 17th: .5
hours
Friday July
18th: 0 hours
Saturday July
19th: 1 hour
Total: 3.5
hours

17. Social and Emotional Health
Hobbies I Enjoy
A hobby that I really enjoy is knitting, because it is easy to fit in
around my busy schedule. I’ve been knitting for 10 years, and
I’ve made all kinds of sweaters and scarves and hats. For a
while I knit squares that were sewn together into blankets that
are given to children in need. I just learned to crochet so I can
make blankets that are sold and the profit is used to provide
scholarships to college for girls in need.
Another hobby I enjoy is volunteering. I’ve volunteered for many
different societies in different places, but my favorite would have
to be at the Raptor Rehabilitation Center in South Carolina. My
mother and I started a live feeding program to help the injured
birds learn how to hunt after being hurt. One of my favorite
experiences there was watching 3 baby owls learn to hunt after
being in our care for so long.

18. Pets
• My family owns three dogs; Dixie, Griff and Jack.
• Dixie is a 12 year old Black Lab who was given to us as
a gift after she and the rest of her litter were abandoned
in the church parking lot.
• Griff is a 9 year old Australian Shepherd who is most
happy when my family and I (his sheep) are all standing
together, successfully herded into an invisible box.
• Jack is a 4 year old Corgi who loves belly rubs and food

19. Pets Cont.
Our Lab, Dixie, and I
when we were both young
This is Jack, on the
first day I met him.
At this time we were
not looking to buy a
dog yet, but we fell in
love with Jack and he
fell in love with us.
This is Griff,
wondering why his
sheep never stay in
the box.

20. Favorite Trip
Last summer I went to Italy with my mom, my mothers
parents and a bunch of singing Germans. My family and I
spent a week in Naples, Italy (where I used to live) going to
class to brush up on our Italian and then spent a week with
a German Choir that my mother and grandmother sing in.
We traveling around Italy, singing in different churches,
eventually ending up in Rome where the choir sang mass
in the Vatican as part of a celebration of the anniversary of
the Vatican choir. I loved spending time with my
grandparents, which I don’t get to do very often because
they live in New Jersey. I also had a great time looking at
all the art I had learned about when I took AP Art History
that year in school.

21. My Closest Friends
Abbi Webb, Minh-Khoa Tran, Ava Scally, Molly Kennedy
and Jack (my dog) are my closest friends. I would count
these people and my dog to be my closest friends because
they are all very different people from me, and make me a
better person. My dog is also one of my closest friends
because he is extremely in tune to what I am feeling, and
always makes me feel better after a long day.

22. Schools Attended
I was lucky to be on the tail end of most of the moves
before my father retired from the Navy, so I have only been
to a few schools compared to my brothers.
I attended St. Andrews in Naples, Italy, James B. Edwards
in Charleston, South Carolina, and then Shoal Creek,
Meadowbrook, Mount Carmel, and Palomar in San Diego.

23. Clubs and Sports
Mostly I volunteer wherever I am needed, which ends up
being everything from cleaning an elderly woman's house
to wrapping regurgitated owl pellets and sanitizing them so
they can be sent to schools to be dissected.
Although I joke that my sport is physical therapy, I am not
really able to participate in sports because of my back
problems, so I mostly just focus on my school work. If I
was able to participate in a sport, I would love to do long
distance running.

24. My Health Triangle
•
Emotional/Mental
HealthPhysical Health
Social Health
85 85
90
I gave myself an 85 in physical health because I eat very well, but because of
my back problems I am not able to engage in a lot of physical activities. My
emotional/mental health is an 85 because I stress more than I should, but I
am also very good at sharing my feelings. I have a great group of good
friends, but I have a hard time making new friends, which is why I gave
myself a 90 in social health. Not having a good score on one side of the
triangle can hurt your score in other areas of the triangle, for instance not
eating well could make you have less energy or make you grumpy.

25. Photo Timeline
This is one of the youngest pictures of me I have available, it was taken about 2001-
2002, when I lived in Naples, Italy. The woman in the picture with me is my mother

26. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2002, in our house in Naples when my mother and I were cleaning
out some of her yarn storage.

27. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2002 on a trip back to America to see my family. In this picture
are (from left to right) my mother, my great grandmother, me, and my grandmother (the
one I asked the questions to).

28. Photo Timeline
This was around Christmas of 2002, and in this picture with me are my two brothers
and my mother

29. Photo Timeline
This picture was taken in 2002 when my family and I went to go visit my “Uncle” Jon
for a Navy football game. In this picture are my Uncle Jon’s now ex-wife, my mother,
my father (with me on his shoulders), and my Uncle Jon.

30. Photo Timeline
This picture was from 2004, when we had moved to Charleston, South Carolina.

31. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2004 when I went to Santa Barbara with my family to visit my
Aunt Laurie, and this picture is while we were taking a break on a hike.

32. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2005 in San Diego, soon after we moved here. Shown are the two
dogs wishing that what I was making would fall on the floor.

33. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2006. The story behind this picture is that this was the year my
father was in Iraq, and my mother was volunteering for the Girl Scout Father Daughter
Day. I was supposed to come along with my father, but because he was not available
so my brother dressed up and went with me.

34. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2006 when my family and I went to go visit my Oma and Oompah.
(My grandparents)

35. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2006, of our dog Dixie watching the video of my father with the
rest of the family.

36. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2007 when my father returned from Iraq

37. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2007 when my family and I went and hiked Zion National Park

38. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2008 with my family at the gardens in Balboa Park

39. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2008 when I returned from Girl Scout Camp and was forced to
have pictures taken even though I just wanted to go home and take a long shower.

40. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2009 in the middle of the night when my mother, my friend
Sophia, and I went grunion running. Grunion running is when these little fish come up
on land to find a mate.

41. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2009 at the school talent show where my friends and I preformed
Abba’s “Dancing Queen”

42. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2010 when I was visiting my soon to be dog, Jack.

43. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2010 when I was visiting Jack the week before we took him home

44. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2012 when I was in Italy, and I was very excited that their was a
vending machine with only Pringles

45. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2012 when I was in Italy on a boat with my mother and the rest of
the German Choir.

46. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2013 when I was in London with my friend Tessa for the 50th
Anniversary of Doctor Who, and sci-fi show. While at a demonstration, I was covered
in fake snow, and was completely wet the rest of the day.

47. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2014 after I had just finished a 6 mile hike with my boyfriend and
our families.

48. Photo Timeline
This picture is from 2014 (just a few days ago) when I met Elijah Wood after spending
the night sleeping out in line at Comic Con.

49. Personal Crest

50. Unique Self
The Wombats
Let’s Dance to Joy Division
I'm back in Liverpool,
And everything seems the same,
But I worked something out last night,
That changed this little boys brain,
A small piece of advice,
That took twenty-two years in the make,
And I will break it for you now,
Please learn from my mistakes,
Please learn from my mistakes.
Let's dance to joy division,
And celebrate the irony,
Everything is going wrong,
But we're so happy,
Let's dance to joy division,
And raise our glass to the ceiling,
'Cause this could all go so wrong,
But we're so happy,
Yeah we're so happy.
So if you're ever feeling down,
Grab your purse and take a taxi,
To the darker side of town,
That's where we'll be,
And we will wait for you and lead you
through the dance floor,
Up to the DJ booth,
You know what to ask for,
You know what to ask for.
Go ask for Joy Division,
And celebrate the irony,
Everything is going wrong,
But we're so happy,
Let's dance to Joy Division,
And raise your glass to the ceiling,
'Cause this could all go so wrong,
But we're so happy,
So happy.
So let the love tear us apart,
I've found the cure for a broken heart,
Let it tear us apart,
Let the love tear us apart,
I've found the cure for a broken heart,
Let it tear us apart,
(Let it tear us apart)
So let the love tear us apart,
I've found the cure for a broken heart,
Let it tear us apart,
(Let it tear us apart)
So let the love tear us apart,
I've found the cure for a broken heart,
Let it tear us apart,
Let it tear us apart,
Let it tear us apart.
Let's dance to joy division,
And celebrate the irony,
Everything is going wrong,
But were so happy,
Let's dance to joy division,
And raise our glass to the ceiling,
'Cause this could all go so wrong,
But we're so happy,
Yeah we're so happy,
So happy,
Yeah we're so happy,
So happy,
Yeah we're so happy.
I think this song represents me because my life is always changing, and I am good at
adapting to what I need to do next even if it is something goes wrong.

51. Self Portrait
I am really not much of an artist, but I tried!

52. Someone Who Made A
Difference
One person who has made a huge difference in my life is Molly Kennedy along with
her mother, Mrs. Kennedy. Molly was a mentally challenged girl who joined the
same girl scout troop as me in elementary school and we also went to middle
school together. Over the many years I have known her, I have been privileged to
see her grow into a beautiful young woman. Molly helped me see the world in a
much different way than I was used to seeing, and she showed me that just
because someone else doesn’t understand you doesn’t make you wrong or bad.
She taught me to be patient and she showed me that the world could be a kind and
loving place. I want to thank Molly and her mother, for always being there when I
lose faith in the world, for always being there to show me how wonderful people can
be.
Dear Molly,
Thank you for being the best friend I could ever ask for. You and your mother are
the type of people who I can not see for a year, and when we talk again, feel like it
has been days since I last saw you. Thank you for being the most loving and kind
person I know. When I see you Molly, I see a smart woman who is going to go
above and beyond everyone’s expectations. You inspire me to be a better person,
and to keep trying no matter what is thrown in my way.
Love,
Alena

53. My Future Aspirations
In 3 years I see myself studying neuroscience or biomedical in
college. I am looking at a few different places to go to college,
but I will most likely be somewhere on the east coast. I hope
that my brothers and I will continue to talk to each other, and my
parents will probably come out to see me.
In 5 years I see myself in medical school. I will probably be
somewhere close to where I went to college if I like it there. I
would like to be starting to seriously date or dating someone.
In 10 years I would like to be transitioning from being a medical
intern to a residency program. I would like to be somewhere on
the east or west coast, or possibly in England. I hope that I am
either married or engaged in 10 years.

54. If I Could Do One Thing
If I had to pick something realistic to accomplish in my life,
it would be to make myself and all the people I love happy.
However, if I could choose something that will probably
never happen, it would be to make everyone happy. So
many people go around their days unhappy and frustrated.
If I could, I would want to brighten their days.

55. Media Awareness
The media doesn’t particularly influence how I dress, I think
I will always choose to dress how I think looks nice.
However, the media does limit what types of clothes I can
find in stores. The media very much influences what
activities I do because it is really hard to find activities to do
other than what the media thinks is cool. The media
doesn’t really influence my taste in music because my
parents always thought it was important that we listened to
different types of music then decided what we actually
liked.

56. Positive Body Image Slogan