My son Jonathan
experienced one of these stressors as a child.
He is a cancer survivor. When he
was sixteen years old he was diagnosed with B Cell Lymphoma. Even with a
diagnosis of cancer, he still had the same needs as other young people - going
to school, having friends, and enjoying things that were a part of life before
cancer. My husband and I helped meet these needs by letting him live as normal
a life as possible. This was a
contributing factor in what helped him to cope with his illness. Jonathan kept in touch with his friends. They were a big part of helping him cope with
his disease. As Jonathan was in
chemotherapy treatment one week on and one week off and had to be hospitalized
for the week he was on Chemo (three months in total). He returned
to school on his “off weeks”. He kept up
with schoolwork which made him feel good about himself. This for him was another coping mechanism. Even when he felt the worst he always had a
positive attitude. I know that his
outlook on his disease had a positive effect on the rest of the family. We were all supported by a loving family and
wonderful friends. Our family’s greatest
support came from Arnold Palmer hospital.
What a loving, caring and overall marvelous staff of doctors and
nurses. One of Jonathan’s most
surprising support system came from the families that we met while staying at
the hospital. Parents are allowed to
stay with their children for the duration of their hospital stay. Jonathan made so many friends in the
hospital. All of these children and
families dealing with similar diagnosis in the Pediatric Oncology Unit (blood
cancers). These children were all
dealing and coping together. All of the families
were dealing and coping together. His
treatment was intense but only lasted for three months. Honestly, we did not seek out outside
resources for support. I am sure that a
good resource for families dealing with a cancer diagnosis would be the American
Cancer Society. www.cancer.org/. Jonathan’s
love of music was another great coping strategy for him. He is a musician. He plays both base and rhythm guitar. While Jonathan was in the hospital, a music
therapy program was just getting started.
Jonathan was a part of the beginning of the program. He is shown in the
very first flyer playing his base guitar. Jonathan is now a senior at UCF. He is healthy and working toward a degree in
Hospitality Management. He works in
Group Sales at the Marriot Hotel where we live in Lake Mary Florida. He made it through his illness in a
remarkable way. It was a terrible time
in all of our lives. The disease and the
chemotherapy affected his body. I
believe his disease made him a stronger person.
He has a great appreciation for his life and lives every day to the
fullest. He knows he can and will
accomplish anything he sets his mind to.
In Africa, many children
in this region of the world suffer from poverty, hunger and disease. These stressors have a great impact on the
physical, emotional and cognitive development of the children affected. Malaria
is contracted from the bite of a mosquito.
Malaria is both preventable and curable.
Children in this region of the world are contracting this disease. It infects approximately 219 million people each year (a
range of 154 – 289 million), with an estimated 660,000 deaths. Malaria infection during pregnancy is
associated with severe anemia and other illness in the mother and contributes
to low birth weight among newborn infants.
It is one of the leading risk factors for infant mortality and
sub-optimal growth and development. Malaria
has serious economic impacts in Africa, slowing economic growth and development
and perpetuating the vicious cycle of poverty. Malaria is a disease of poverty. It afflicts primarily the poor who tend to
live in malaria-prone rural areas in poorly-constructed dwellings that offer
few, if any, barriers against mosquitoes. Severe malnutrition puts
children at greater risk for malaria due to reduced immunity. (UNICEF, 2013)
What UNICEF is doing to help
through prevention and treatment:
·
provide Insecticide-Treated
Nets
·
work
with governments and communities to improve and promote prompt and effective
malaria case management, and to ensure that children have access to medications
within 24 hours of the onset of illness.
·
provides pregnant women with
at least two doses of an anti-malarial drug to reduce the risk of anemia in the
mother and low birth weight in the newborn.
·
reach underserved children, helping
to strengthen management of child illnesses including malaria at health
facility and community level.
·
work together to ensure a
complete “continuum of care” from resource mobilization to implementation –
ensuring that those most vulnerable to malaria are the beneficiaries of
preventive and curative interventions for malaria.
·
continue to provide support
to countries to move towards malaria elimination, wherever possible. (UNICEF,
2103)
Resource:
http://www.unicef.org/health/index_malaria.html
