My close friend form college, Brianna Magruder, was born with a heart condition where her heart is to big for her body. Throughout her life, she has had 3 heart surgery's, an she is about to undergo another one within the up and coming year. As a child she experienced pain in her body(main the chest area), ans was in the hospital numerous times. This affected her physical, social and emotional well-being. It was not easy for her to make new friends, the children would tease her at times, because of the scar left behind form the surgery. She was not able to play with other children/and her friends all the time like regular children do; she also missed out on a lot of adventures her friends would take. Often times Brianna asked herself, "why me"? She always wondered why she had to be born with this heart condition; why was she the chosen one. This not only affected her emotional but it also affected her family, especially her mother. Her mother believed it was her fault she was born with the condition. Brianna informed she her and her family sought counseling, and of course medical attention to help solve the issues they were facing. Today Brianna is more open to and accepting to talk about her condition. She told me that she did not have the easiest childhood growing up, but she appreciates every second of life. She also said at times she still does not understand why she was the "chosen one'.
Another part of the world I wanted to learn about was South Africa. Some of there stressors include HIV/AIDS, food insecurity, poverty, children vulnerability now an din the future, public health, social and family environment. They are extremely worried about their children in South Africa. They are striving today to come with helpful resources for the people in the country. The government plans on doing interventions to break the negative cycle threatening the children. They say they will take any help they can get to improve in their country.
Your friend sounds like a very strong person for overcoming all that she has. Will this be her final heart surgery or do they not know? I wrote about an area in Africa too that is affected by HIV, among other things. Children have their parents taken from them so young due to this disease and they are forced to raise themselves and/or their younger siblings. I can't imagine how that has to make a child feel.
ReplyDeleteTHanks, she is a very strong individual especially to be so young, but this should be her last heart surgery, hopefully! YOur absolutly right, I cannot imgaine how one mkight feel to have both parent die at a young age.
DeleteHi Shana, Thanks for sharing this story. Severe illness is indeed a stressor. A good friend of mine gave birth to a third son who was born with hepatic lymphoma (liver cancer). I watched as the disease gripped this family... as if by the throat, mercilessly shaking everyone. The two older boys were in Montessori school with my girls, and that provided a safe, nurturing, and predictable environment for them. I knew a pediatric surgeon from the UCLA Medical Center in L.A. and he and his wife graciously took this family "under their wings" in advising and guiding them through all the decisions and difficulties associated with the illness. Multiple surgeries and chemotherapy ensued. The last I knew, Carlos was alive and well at the age of 5 years; small for his age and a bit academically delayed compared to his brothers but alive and well loved by his family.
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