Indian Mills student fights back against Asthma
Last May, as part of a Burlington County “Health Starts Here” initiative, the county health department sponsored an “Asthma Awareness Month” poster contest. Entries were limited to students in Burlington County schools from third through eighth grade. Students were encouraged to highlight ways to control asthma, avoidance measures and understanding how to cope and still be a kid.
Jennifer Simpson, school nurse for Indian Mills School in Shamong, saw this as a way to get her asthmatic students to raise their voices concerning this affliction and show others that it is not going to slow them down. More than 200 posters were received by the health department and Meredith Waropay, a fourth grader in Mrs. Babbitt’s class, won the award in the third through fifth grade category.
On June 11, at the Burlington County meeting of the Board of Freeholders, Meredith was given her award by the Health Department. Asked for her reaction to Meredith’s award, Simpson stated, “It is awe-inspiring to see kids, not only have an understanding about any medical condition they may have, but get involved with their own healthcare and find ways to overcome it. Meredith’s initiative is truly a victory for her fellow asthmatics. She is a role model for her peers. Quite frankly, it humbles me just to be around her and the students in this school.”
