Here’s the second part of the special project we introduced yesterday in which some of the members of the JK blog community interviewed two of the new environmental heroes presented in This Moment on Earth and created videos to share those interviews.

In this second interview, Terri Buchman talks with Cheryl Osimo, one of the women who wondered why so much breast cancer was occurring in her community and ultimately co-founded The Silent Spring Institute. Kerstin Levenson introduces the video below. And globalvillage aka GV on the johnkerry.com blog, did the post-production work.

The first interview with Dr. Brody was very informative. In this second interview, Ms. Osimo provides an inspiring explanation of her involvement in her community health issues and the founding of the Silent Spring Institute.

Thanks again to all who put these interviews together.

– - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - –   JK Bloggers Interview Cheryl Osimo

 

Interview Notes by Kerstin Levenson

Meeting Cheryl Osimo is like encountering a force of nature. She is a woman filled with life, energy, and kindness, as was immediately evident when she greeted us warmly upon our arrival at her house on the Cape. Entering her home, we were immediately struck at how much it reflected its owner. There was life in every room, and choosing one in which to do the interview was only made easy because we had to consider the lighting.The time needed to prepare the equipment was all it took to break the ice and reach an incredible comfort level.

Cheryl’s story is one of pain, yet ultimate perseverance and triumph. Interviewing her was like having an intimate conversation in which she talks about her experience with breast cancer, her path to discovering that there was a possible environmental cause, and her anger turned into action.

Her activism sent her onto a long road that eventually led to her position as Cape Coordinator of Silent Spring Institute, where she organizes the education and outreach efforts, including conducting information sessions for Cape residents and organizations, convening public advisory committee meetings and other public forums, serving as liaison to media and local officials, and organizing programs and activities that support the Institute’s research agenda.

She is also an active member of various community based organizations, such as the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition, the Breast Cancer Advisory Committee, and the Concerned Parents for Safe Food group, to name but a few. Her incredible efforts have been honored by many groups, including the National Women’s Health Network, the Arthur H. Wilde Award for Distinguished Service to Community, the Massachusetts Federation of Business and Professional Women, Boston University, and quite a few others.

When we left Cheryl’s house, it was in the same lively style as we had entered it, with Cheryl having to hurry to a veterinary appointment for her sick cat, but still managing to help us pack up, talking about the upcoming Cancer Walk event in Hopkinton ( http://mbcc.org/swim/ ), and how we could participate or even volunteer. Our interview with Cheryl left us feeling enlightened, enriched, and energized.

Many thanks to Cheryl for sharing her experiences and her knowledge in such a gracious and warm manner. <!-more-> – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - –

The first interview with Dr. Julia Brody, executive director of The Silent Spring Institute, and interview notes by Terri Buchman can be found in yesterday’s blog post.

Thanks to JK and THK for bringing the people of Silent Spring Institute to our attention through This Moment on Earth and to our JK community bloggers, Terri Buchman, Kerstin Levenson and globalvillage for their work in creating these videos.