Educating Kentucky's Youth on Cancer, One Child at a Time

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 22, 2016) – Standing in front of a group of rowdy young children, eastern Kentucky native Melissa Hounshell only has to do one thing to grab their attention – bring out Mr. Gross Mouth.

Aptly named, Mr. Gross Mouth is a prop set of teeth and gums beleaguered by various medical problems caused by smoking and/or poor hygiene – rotting teeth, tongue cancer, lesions, and more. The kids excitedly voice their shock and disgust as Hounshell runs through all the bad habits that might lead to such a set of teeth in real life.

“Kids love how shockingly gross 'he' really is," Hounshell said. "Especially the tongue. They love to pass around the tongue!”

As the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center's Community Outreach Director, Hounshell spends her days traveling the state, partnering with businesses and programs in local communities to raise awareness and educate the public about cancer risk factors and screenings.

One of her latest endeavors is a youth outreach program called Get Fit, Be Smart, Don't Start. Using eye-catching props like Mr. Gross Mouth, it's geared toward educating young children and encouraging them to take an interest in their parents' health in addition to their own.

In a region where many adults avoid cancer screenings out of fear of what they might find, Hounshell notes the importance of getting children involved.

"We feel like it's really important to work with children in the state," Hounshell said. "What we're really trying to do is reach that younger population and change that mindset, to make them understand the importance and value of health and wellness throughout their lives, not just when they're 40, 50, 60 years old."

Overall, the youth program emphasizes a healthy lifestyle encompassing a good diet, staying active, avoiding smoking and tobacco products, and even the dangers of distracted driving. But considering Kentucky's No. 1 ranking in both cancer incidence and mortality in the country, the likelihood of these children having some connection to cancer in their family is high, and Hounshell hopes her message of prevention sinks in.

"I encourage kids many times to go and talk with their parents or grandparents about either stopping smoking or getting mammograms or colonoscopies, because so many times a child can ask someone to do something and they'll do it," Hounshell said. "Whereas if a physician says, 'It's time for your mammogram,' the patient might ignore it. But if her granddaughter comes and says, 'You know, you really need to have a mammogram,' she may listen."

Hounshell's passion for cancer education comes from a very personal place. An only child, she saw both parents suffer from cancer, with her father – a smoker – succumbing to lung cancer just 11 weeks after diagnosis. Her mother, a non-smoker, later battled breast cancer, celebrating six years of survival this month.

"This is very personal to me, it's not just a job," Hounshell said. "That's why I work at Markey. Because I understand -- I truly understand – the value of a wonderful cancer center, but I also understand how harsh cancer can be."

Markey's outreach program as a whole has one overarching goal: to reduce cancer rates in the state. Though it will take more time and a lot of data to see the program's overall success, Hounshell says every small positive anecdote that gets back to her keeps her driven: a middle-schooler who saw how much tar goes into the body from a half pack of cigarettes a day and vowed to ask her grandmother to quit; an older man who picked up a free Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) at a Markey screening event that led to the discovery and treatment of a pre-cancerous polyp; the countless young children who have pledged to ask their parents not to text and drive.

"It's not necessarily about the big numbers, but a change in mentality," Hounshell said. "It's more about the long-term impact, maybe in 10 years we look back and can say, 'These kids have helped change the way we think about cancer.'"

Much of Hounshell's travels have taken her to the eastern half of the state, where the cancer rates are particularly dire. However, with the UK Markey Cancer Center Affiliate Network growing and expanding into Western Kentucky, she's prepared to travel anywhere in Kentucky to improve cancer education and offer information on screenings to those who need it.

"I work with a lot of affiliate partners, but you don't have to be an affiliate with our screening and outreach program," she said. "I'll partner with anybody as long as they're passionate about getting Kentuckians screened for cancer."

For more information about bringing a UK Markey Cancer Center outreach program to your community or business, contact Melissa Hounshell at melissa.hounshell@uky.edu or 859-323-2034. 

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, visit uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue

MEDIA CONTACT: Allison Perry, (859) 323-2399 or allison.perry@uky.edu