The Last Lecture

After reading and watching Randy Pausch's, Last Lecture I thought WOW! Here is this guy who is giving a death sentence but doesn't allow the circumstances of his situation to alter his lifestyle. It made me think of my father and the things he continued to do upon his death. He wasn't a professor and didn't make a video clip for his kids , but like Randy Pausch he lived his life and countined to do the everything he could physically until he couldn't do it anymore. I call not allowing a death sentence to alter ones lifestyle determination. Randy was determined to do this last lecture so when his kids grow up they could create their own memories of him and decide what type a person he was for themselves, instead of by world of mouth. What a wonderful way to "go out", and be rememdered!

2/25 Post

The article "After a Devastating Birth Injury, Hope", was sad but also very intriguing. The article discusses the negative effects young women in Dodama, Tanzania encounter after giving birth. Many of these ladies suffer several health issues; such as nerve damage in the legs, rectum issues, and/or death, but the most common one is called fistula. Fistula is a hole that allows urine to leave the body through the vagina, and is caused by obstructed labor. Obstructed labor can be caused by several things, such as malnutrition, height, slight frames and/or narrow hips just to name a few. As a result, when these women in Dodama goes into labor it sometimes last three days, resulting in a babies death, and a mothers health issues. Due to the lack of resources and medical staff over 2 million woman and girls in the Sub-Saharan and Asia area are effected by fistula. Because Dodama, is considered one of the worlds most poorest countries, medical teams are sent there to perform operations on these young women to help restore their "life".
I found this article to be very depressing, but also informative. I was oblivious to these problems woman in Dodama, Tanzania face. I am very happy that they have a medical staff whose willing to perform these operations, but at the the same time astonished at the environmental conditions in which they have to be performed in. 2 to an operating room, a mouses running on the wall, and in "sweltering heat"!http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/health/24hospital.html?scp=2&sq=February+24+2009&st=nyt

2/18 NYTIMES Post

The NYTIMES article I read is entitled "For Uninsured Young Adults, Do-It-Yourself Health Care". This particular article discusses the many problems and solutions young adults have to face due to their lack of health care. Young Adults make up the largest population of uninsured people. Many young adults don't have health care due to a lack of a job, and because many jobs don't offer health care. If you're not working, going to school, or not covered under your parents plan you will be effected not only physically if you get sick but also financially. A lot of young adults lack not only the resoucres for health care coverage, but also the knowledge. For example, I am twenty-one years old, and at this point in my life when I go out to look for a job I don't only check to see if it pays well, but also what health coverage they have?, how much is it going to cover?, and how many years would I have to work there in order to receieve full health coverage if I want to retire? I mean there is other resources out there such as Medicade. But, if you don't have that what do you do in the mean time? A lot of times medication are being pass on from person to person. I am guilty of that myself. At the present moment my boyfriend doesn't have health care so whenever he gets sick I will give him something I was prescribed. I know it isn't right, but what else would you do?

2/4 NYTIMES POST

The article "Children Who Take Vitamins Often Don't Need Them", was very interesting. This article came about after researchers concluded that children who needs vitamins don't take them, but the children who takes them don't necessarily need them. A study was conducted on children between the ages 2-17 starting in 1999 and ending in 2004. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey results was starling to Dr. Ulfat Shaikh, a pediatrician who specializes in nutritional problems. The results showed that kids who came from "upper-income" families didn't need vitamin supplements because they consumed enough fiber, milk, and less cholesterol, while those who came from lower-income families was the complete opposite. My thoughts are all children should take vitamins, whether they're poor or rich. In the article it was said that (paraphrasing) money was the reason why poor kids wasn't taking vitamins, and I have to disagree. Although, I believe of course money can have an effect, I also believe it has to do with ones own knowledge and/or beliefs to what they define as being healthy. Wealthy and poor people definition of being healthy may and more than likely be different. A wealthy person may believe eating the right foods, drinking milk, and taking vitamins are what's going to keep their child healthy, whereas someones whose poor might believe that as long as their child has something to eat and drink everyday they are considered healthy. Overall, vitamins are beneficial for everyone.

NY Times 1/28 Post

The article I read in the NY Times was entitled "7 Babies Then (Surprise) Another For Good Luck)". This articles about a woman who gave birth to what she believed to been seven babies but during delivery another was discovered. The woman who chose not to publicize her name gave birth at Bellflower Medical Center in Southern Calfornia at 23 weeks. In total there was 46 medical staff on board to help assist with the welcoming of 2 girls, 6 boys weighing between 1-4 pounds. It wasn't clear to weather or not virto fertilization had to do with the amount of babies born, however it was said that more than likly it was. Virto fertilization is when multiple implants are inserted into the uterus at once to help a woman conceive. I thought the story was very intriguing thats why I decided to write about it.