Five Country Close Up October 2 1979

I've got your close up to 279 I Suppose my reaction is probably the same as everybody else's. I don't know when I tell them they got cancer away You're da bird down. You don't know what? You just think well this is it oftentimes the courts are not geared to this the courts are geared to what is right and what is wrong and mediation is geared to Possibly a mistake has happened but what can we do to resolve the conflict that is arisen and And what can we do to set up guidelines, so it won't happen again won't occur again. I feel you know a little bit superior being able to drive tons of machinery down the road and and not having Anybody tell me how to do it or where to go with it It's just that I'm I'm there and I'm taking it where it's supposed to be I'm Bob. Pyle I'm Charlene Boronia. I'm Twila young and this is five country close-up tonight We'll look at a new way for neighbors to solve their legal controversies, and we'll find out what it's like to drive an 18-wheeler But first we'll take a look at the emotional impact of cancer on the people who have it and the people around them Twyla Charlene cancer is a word that we don't use very much. We don't like to talk about the disease. It's a disease That's so frightening to us that our fears of it and our image of it often lag behind medical realities I think cancer is an illness that has been around a long time but it has not been spoken of or dealt with openly until just the last few years and In years past cancer meant death there was no treatment and so consequently when they here they have cancer It's very very frightening It brings out our ultimate helplessness nobody likes to feel helpless either as an individual, or as a society I Suppose my reaction is probably the same as everybody else's I don't know when I tell them they got cancer away your dobbert down you don't know what? You just think well this is it. This is the oncology or cancer clinic of Iowa Lutheran in Des Moines? It's a place where many of the cancer patients from around Iowa come in order to receive chemotherapy The massive doses of drugs aimed at killing the cancer cells Chemotherapy is a frightening idea to many people mainly because of the widespread belief that it automatically means severe painful debilitating Side effects he told me that there was people that wouldn't take this chemotherapy because of the effects of it well it might not affect all people is the same but it sure doesn't affect me that way I We have people down in a chemotherapy room the waiting room when I'm down there for treatments that have lost her hair, and they've had Several side effects that I Sure, I sure can say this that Has sure been worth it to me I? Would I would even think that I would even suffer a little if I had to to? to take them because There's no alternative. I mean it's either that or That's it Leo, gingery is a retired tool and die maker a few years back. He had open-heart surgery It was frightening But it wasn't anything like finding out last spring that he has cancer Says gingery when they tell you that it knocks his soup out of you But when they told me I had cancer it was a different Heart they could fix that I guess I understood they told me they can fix it up that surgeon told me that He says we're gonna make a new man out of here He did he actually did and this deal when They come in and told me I had cancer it was a difference It's different. There's no cure for cancer and and You just know it Cancer is one word that means a multitude of different diseases each with its own treatment Each with its own pattern each with its own chances of survival, but according to cancer specialist dr. Mayan Qatari half the battle with any cancer is the emotional battle the adjustment to a new kind of life even though the patient has a potentially curable cancer the media thought that comes to the mind is When am I going to die? after battle in the entire natural history Maybe just fear and emotions It's a wall between emotions and fear that takes a lot of energy from the patients the cancer patient often has concerns about No longer being productive, and I think what this ignites is a fear of lack of worth one thing that makes us all Function well is when we feel that we're worth while we're productive We're doing things that through which we can command the respect of others. That's the bad part of this I I Want to do something I'm not sick but I'll be sitting on a chair And I want to do something when I can't and that's what makes that's what hurts for about two weeks there I'd sit and said Davenport over there or chair and and look at the walls and think and then I'd get in the car and go downtown for a while and come back home and and I had I really had a I Had a bad view. I really did I don't know what just he's one of them things and one night He came in there at 10:30, and I asked him And he said yes. He says you've got pretty bad. He says He says but it's treatable and Of course I was down. He knew I was down, and he said no. This is treatable. He says so That's the last word. He said when he went out of the room. He said nah what you remember. This is treatable Sherry Turner is 16 years old. She's a junior in high school She's a moped buff, and she has leukemia I was really scared cuz I didn't know anything about it and anger That it had to be me you know I couldn't and I was kind of Mystified I guess because I didn't really understand. Why it had to be me and why I had it and things like that and then I didn't want to go into the hospital not at all I don't I don't know I've never really been in hospitals that much and I just don't care for needles and he Doctors and all that stuff not at the time. It was pretty much anger because I had to go through all that stuff oh It was just about it, and then I went you know it didn't bother me anymore. It just kind of went away Sherry has had cancer for nearly two years now, and she's living a fairly normal life again Except for missing sports in which she can no longer participate she says she rarely even thinks about a disease I don't even feel like I have it anymore. I thought Every just once a month and I have to go in for treatment. That's the only time I really realize I have it I used to be involved in sports quite a bit, and I can't do that anymore I just get too tired does it make you feel Well sometimes when all my other friends are doing stuff that you know I can't do it makes me kind of mad But otherwise it doesn't really bother me. I think in terms of the families of cancer patients. This is where the focus of education should also be That the patient should continue as I indicated before and continue to be treated as a worthwhile individual and not someone that Is in essence committing a crime by becoming dependent and becoming ill you have to have the understanding and The support of your family while you're going through the treatments And I think more so when you're 14 and totally confused about The world as it is anyway so without having to deal with something. That's serious You have to know that they understand you, and they're they're gonna stick by you no matter. How you feel if you're crabby Tired ill from the chemotherapy that they're not going to just say well. We're not going to deal with you anymore But the fight for survival can have some rewards As having leukemia had any kind of positive effect in your life yes, I think it's made me so I can handle problems a little bit more maturely, and I used to be able to I think that I could take a Rough decision a lot better than I used to good somebody said to you how do you feel about your life right now? What would you say to me? I'm satisfied with it. I could be better if I didn't have to go to school things like that but That's about as good as it could be I guess Charlene the patients and families that we talked to emphasized how important education And information about their disease is and helping them deal with their fears and their emotions certainly because that lessens the fear of the unknown well That's right in fact a lot of people are becoming more informed about many facets of modern society and that includes the legal system very True these days when somebody says I'm taking you to court He really means it everybody wants his legal rights and that's created quite a backlog in the courts a Backlog that polk county is trying to relieve through a system of neighborhood justice John said and This Dude I didn't know came up he was hugging her and she was reciprocating and hugging him back and she knows I'm jealous and I Hear What you're watching is a dramatized version of a neighborhood mediation session those the people involved are only acting the problem They're discussing its comment, but the method they're using to solve the problem is new at least in Polk County again You know about the work. We've been doing with battered women and things like that and you know how I feel about physical abuse so I got hot for a moment and you know I'm emotional and It happened I don't believe but nothing was happening that night I don't understand why you hit me the man in the case has been accused of hitting his girlfriend She complained to the polk county attorney and her complaint was referred to the neighborhood patience enter I'm Dan Johnston in the past when people living together are living close together had differences or problems they had three alternatives They could ignore the problem handle it themselves or call the police file charges and end up in court Our neighborhood mediation center is another alternative and the people who come to the neighborhood mediation center basically their neighbors individuals, who Reside in the same apartment buildings or in the same geographic area Generally, they're younger people There are people who? Have some reason to Want to stop whatever the problem is because of the ongoing contact they're gonna have with each other What sort of problems do you generally see John in? We see everything from barking dog disputes to visitation rights with children to living situations Assault cases different things like this the people who sit as mediators come directly from the community There are people who care who want to help? They're sent through rigorous training to learn to listen to observe and most important to learn to remain neutral Because the real success of mediation depends on their ability to see both sides the party was Shall we say it was Christmas under the influence of alcohol would that have any bearing on why he hit you? Who are you? I don't you know that's something. I can't answer. I just had a drink But do you feel that this is your a normal behavior or that alcohol might have influence oh We usually don't drink when we go out together So I don't think that's that plays the role the session is run Informally and the people are quickly put at ease often in spite of the friction separating the two But there are also a few legal Touches that formalize the proceedings and keep both parties from taking the whole thing lightly the notice, which they get before mediation looks a little official and it kind of brings them to terms with the fact that this is something that they should pay attention to But I have one here What does say that the Polk County Attorney's Office? Has received a request to file a criminal charge against you as a result of an incident so on and so forth Do you think it was right? Do you really think I deserve getting hit? No, I'm sorry. I did And I'm sorry it happened And I'm sorry we're here so can we go now no I just want to make sure it doesn't happen again Okay, it won't happen again, okay? I'd like to have an agreement that a binding agreement that Specifies that this is the way you feel and the way John Anfield. What's this binding agreement generally? There's nothing in the agreement that attributes guilt to either party. It's merely a statement of conditions that both persons agree to live within Conditions that both agree will help them resolve their differences. It's usually not just one problem Why people have to come to this in the first place? It's usually a multitude of problems and that's what we do best we listen to them and find out about their circumstances and Then begin to help them find ways to address it which a court you know a court hearing Just doesn't take those kinds of things into account the court still in black and white And as you know as Paula was saying you're saying you know we get into the gray areas and in trying to resolve the basic root of the problem before it escalates into a major kind of Crime the current backlog of cases in all courts has forced long delays after charges are filed It could take more than a month for that case to be heard with neighborhood mediation the waiting time is shortened considerably Generally from thirty to as low as 7 days Chris and John Ann we have written up this mediation agreement I'd like to read it to you and you agree whether or not it's self But yours stated you would like to happen John and Chris have agreed that they will undergo counseling for a six months period with the appropriate agency which can help them And that Chris has agreed that there will be no further incidences of hitting and no more aggravation and he will discontinue the late-night phone calls which have upset John and They will both try to communicate more openly about each other's needs and emotion if they continue to have this ongoing relationship Now before you sign this I want you to know that here we have stated in the bottom of the agreement should the terms and conditions of this Agreement be violated by either or both of The above name parties it is understood that the Polk County Attorney's Office may prosecute this action in the criminal courts of the state of Iowa while a handshake doesn't Necessarily mean that the situation that brought two people here is resolved mediators generally agree It's a good start And that's what the neighborhood mediation center is all about in spite of the fact that many sessions end just like this Mediators say there are still a few frustrations connected with the job the one big disappointment as far as being a mediator is we refer them to Counseling and yet we never know we never see them again. Which is nice for the The respondent and the complaintant because this is this neutral person that they're just seeing one time but as a mediator you Sometimes wonder what's happening with that case? And that's the only thing it's you're sort of like a traffic cop directing them to appropriate agencies to solve the other problems Mediators seem to agree that the real satisfaction Comes in watching the system of mediation itself a system that personalizes Justice that forces people to sit down and settle their differences Where we have people we're gonna always have people problems and and oftentimes the courts are not the appropriate And so this is just one alternative to try and help people deal with some of the problems in foreign countries They use it I believe in the in China that before you can make an appeal to go to court first you must go through mediation it's working well in Arabic and Scandinavian countries and We're seeing it Developed here in the United States and Kansas City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Des Moines Sharleen how successful has a program been in Polk County well Bob according to the project coordinator More than 90 percent of the cases heard are resolved at least on a temporary basis And that's not a bad track record for a program. That's only a year and a half old Up next a look at the life of a long-distance truck driver and an experiment in driving one of those mammoth rigs Ever wonder what it's like to make your living on the open road well recently I spent some time with some folks in know firsthand and found out that truck driving isn't all that it's cracked up to be Posh you ain't gon believe it. This is the way many people picture today's truckers They see him is rough And cup And Define to the law Movies television and radio have been doing it for years pushing an image of the American trucker that for the most part doesn't exist Everybody thinks they are big and bad and everything what you're not the only human John Chapman has been driving a truck for the past four years and that time he's never considered his job as glamorous Instead he sees himself as an average Joe doing an important job He turned No no calories like you or Average mechanic down the shop factory workers up. He just try and try and make a living. That's why he knows how? John doesn't drive alone. He's part of a team His partner is Kay Dudley. She's been driving with John for the past year in loving every minute of it It's great. I wouldn't trade it now for anything, but I You know it's not like being a housewife. That's That's for sure You get a lot of you see a lot of people here you see a lot of places, but it's very tiresome You don't have time to rest you don't have time to to sleep as much as you like or Eat what you want? Or you eat where you can and grab a bite here and there have coffee when you when you get a chance to stop Jammy beers cross country isn't easy the hours are long and many times lonely that's one of the big reasons many trucking firms welcome teams via to mails husband and wife or Boyfriend/girlfriend teams provide companionship, yeah you get the companionship of having somebody to talk to when you want to talk but we go for hours without talk and believe it or not we can sit there and Still be alone Well, it's not better than being out they run by yourself John learned his trade in Vietnam driving a mail truck there was no formal training for him The army just put him behind a wheel and he learned by doing Case stories a little different. She's a graduate of the Iowa truck driving school There she gained a certain confidence. She never had before. I don't know maybe it's a feeling of Something that uh not very many women can do I feel you know a little bit superior being able to drive tons of machinery down the road and and not having Anybody tell me how to do it or where to go with it It's just that I'm I'm there and I'm taking it where it's supposed to be The school located in West Des Moines has been turning out skilled drivers for the past two and a half years Each student pays of five hundred and forty five dollar fee in return. They get two weeks of rules and regulations today we're going to go to the federal DoD regulations Department of Transportation regulations and practice backing up And most important on the road experience Actually, we just teach the basics And there's so much to learn every day you learn something new out there on the road You know how to cope with situations or how to watch for trouble or? Be able to pick up something before it happens. You know and The on the road driving is your best experience But then some people just don't have that opportunity to do that Betty Carnes is a school's director she speaks with a voice of experience as well as being an instructor at the school She's also a seasoned driver who loves the open road. It's not dull It's a new experience at a new place every time the money's pretty good You're meeting people all the time different people it's in the country And it kind of gives you a sense of powers that nothing before you see everything As both an instructor and driver Betty says she's developed a pretty good Eye for talent behind the wheel one such talented person according to Betty is Marta parrot of Creston Yeah, there's more of a challenge out there because you're always doing different things you're always going different places Marta thought since both her father and brother are truck drivers It would be a cinch for her to carry on the family tradition and be a truck driver, too But she forgot to take one thing into consideration her sex She's a woman trying to break into what many consider to be a man's profession a lot of people like your cars and things I'll really look down on ladies for being a truck driver because I think they should be at home working and Taking care of the kid, but that isn't going to slow down Marta as a matter of fact it might just for her on Man that are truck drivers a lot of them don't really care. They're just Lady trap driver does and she's out there for the money too, but she's out there for the While there are many success stories to come out of the Iowa truck driving school There are also a few that are not so successful Take me for example But instead of passing judgment on myself Let me show you how my first driving session went and let you decide whether I have a future as a trucker Yeah, Betty when you're correct me if I'm wrong now first gear is over one and then straight back right? Now you're gonna start turning it hard hard hard hard Stay over the left now where's my brake on this thing is it the middle bank, okay? Okay, but you should be looking in this mirror here because you can't see the end of your trailer of that mirror my mirror there I don't I always see this big white thing To this point I wouldn't quit your regular job, yeah While I consider myself a pretty good driver, but driving that truck was not easy well It doesn't look particularly easy from inside the cab although it does look like fun. I think it was good That's five country clothes up for this evening join us again in two weeks. We'll be back here on October 16th I'm Charlene Peroni. I bought I'll I'm Twilight young good night