HIV/AIDS

We often go through life taking for granted the simple things in life such as having friends, family, and our health. When I was about 6 I found out that a very close friend of the family had contract the HIV/AIDS virus. It was weird hearing the news because my grandmother had form an organization in memory of a close friend, which promoted HIV/AIDS awareness, clinics, and many other things. I understood what caused the virus, the dangers of passing it on to others, and the likely hood that the virus would eventually be the cause of her death. The thing that weighed down my heart the most was the uncertainly of her daughter faint because she was one of few childhood friends that I had. I can remember sitting down with my mother to talk about the situation and she explained to me that Tonya had contracted the virus through her boyfriend which was a drug user (needle exchange) When I heard this news I valued to never intake drugs and make it my responsibility to educate those around me about the risk factors and consequence of using drugs.  Within the 1^st year the virus took out Keisha’s dad leaving her mother and grandmother to look after her. I knew Ms. Tonya would not be around for ever so I wanted something to remember her by so I wished and prayed for a gap like hers. About 2 months later I had a small gap! The following month Ms. Tonya passed.  Keisha had to go stay with her grandma, resulting in us losing contact. I often wondered the effects of her coming up without her mother and father, my wondering ended about four years ago when my grandmother ran into her grandmother. She informed my grandmother that Keisha had been in and out of the juvenile system shortly after her mother’s death.  

I chose to talk about poverty because it is something that effects people all over the world. The children that I work with live in poverty, people I grow up with lived in poverty, and I too lived in poverty as a child. I chose to look at the poverty in Africa, one of the poorest countries. What is being done to fight poverty in Africa? We are taking action here in the US by hosting various events to raise money to help fight poverty such as the annual walk with the Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A The walk takes place in cities throughout the US. The National Planning Commission in South Africa has come up with a national development plan that will end poverty in South Africa by 2030. The plan plans to improve the government’s existing plan and work for to reduce poverty by improving the unemployment rate.

References:

David Breen.  (29  October). BRIEF: Annual walk at Lake Eola takes on poverty. McClatchy - Tribune Business News, Retrieved November 25, 2011, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 2497682601).

The National Development Plan Will End Poverty in South Africa By 2030 - Really? [opinion]. (2011, November 15). AllAfrica.com  (French Ed.), Retrieved November 21, 2011, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 2511723921).

SIDS

I chose to talk about Sudden Infant Death (SIDS) because I had a classmate who experienced this with her daughter. SIDS has left many with unanswered questions as to what exactly causes it, what factors play a role in either increasing or decreasing the likely hood of it happening.  

After reading, I have to ask, can we really list SIDS as a cause of death if we really don’t know what causes it. There has been an ongoing debate for decades about what actually causes SIDS. Here we are today, 2011, still torn about the cause of SIDS. The US is among the highest while China, Japan, and South America lead with the lowest cases of SIDS. Between 1970 and 1974 Japan had 37 infant deaths directly after vaccination and raked in 17^th place for SIDS. This led them to do a study and boycott vaccinations to see if the vaccinations play a role in SIDS. Vaccinations were stopped completely for two months, which meant that no child received a vaccination until their 2^nd birthday. They found that SIDS had pretty much disappeared; however when they lowered the vaccination age to 3 months, SIDS rose again.

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/vaccine_sids.htm

http://www.sidscenter.org/Statistics.html

Fiona MacRae. (2011, October 28). Babies 'should share a bed with their mother until the age of three' [Eire Region]. Daily Mail,11. Retrieved November 11, 2011, from ProQuest Central. (Document ID: 2496558781).

My Birth

As a child I used to be ashamed to tell people about my birth, I now use it as an opportunity to encourage others to seek prenatal care and other assistances during pregnancy.  During her pregnancy, my mother did not seek prenatal care because she had plans on getting an abortion. When her plans failed through she went into a denied that she was pregnant and denied her pregnancy to any one that asked. One stormy summer night while at work, she began to have pains but paid them no mind. When she went to use the bathroom, I slide out and hit the floor. She cleaned me up, cut my umbilical cord, wrapped me in a sheet, and took me home. When we arrived home my grandmother could not believe her eyes, she know I needed medical attention so she had me rushed to the hospital. After undergoing various test, they find that I was a preemie but in good health.

I share this story to encourage others to seek prenatal care and never be afraid to except the fact that you are pregnant. My own story has encouraged me to open a home for young girls ages 15-20, who want to keep their child and have nowhere to turn. 

After ressearching the cost of having a child in the US verses having a child in the UK, I have found that it is not only cheaper to have a child in the UK  but also in Canada. Having a home birth or a birth at a center is also my popular in the UK and Canada than in the US.

http://londonbirthpractice.co.uk/index.php/cost.html

http://www.costhelper.com/cost/child/baby-delivery.html