Although there are many common stressors, I would like to focus on diseases. A few years ago when I was completing my Undergraduate degree in healthcare, I learned a lot about different stressors and how it affects children. One of the courses that I had to take was centered on AIDs prevention. I attended a seminar called AIDS 101, it was one of the best experiences that I could have had. I met a sibling that explained how they were born with the illness, and their mom died when they was young from complications from the disease. They elaborate on how their childhood was. They had doctor’s appointments every week, hard to keep friends (when they find out they have AIDs they get scared), always sick, play no sports, missed a lot of days of school (the brother dropped out), etc. I could imagine how their childhood was, because it’s a lot for a child to handle.
AIDS is a major problem in other countries, a bigger problem than the United States. Africa has most of infected people living in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a number of reasons why the disease can spread so fast. The poverty level, economic status, or lack of knowledge could all be factors on why this particular disease could be affecting so many people in Africa. Children also have to stay in the hospital longer than any other patients.
AS a child growing up in Trinidad, AIDs is a huge problem. On the radio station, boards, schools, etc., they discuss the prevention and the importance of being educated about the disease. The children whose parents the disease spend a lot of time with other family members and friends, because their parents was sick a lot and weak a lot. My aunt is a nurse at the hospital and she came home crying many nights because of the death of child from the disease.
Yes, you are absolutely right. I can't imagine how it must feel to be born with aids, and not even have a chance at a normal life. That must have been devistating for those children, to have their lives damaged before it had even began.
ReplyDeleteThat must be tough. I don't think I could be a pediatric nurse of terminal children. Your post reminds me of the commercial for one.org with all the pregnant women. I've been to their site a few times and it has some good information on it.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.one.org/international/
Wow. It always make me appreciate my life and the health of my family when I read stories like this. I have actually been talking about AIDS in my child development class. It's amazing how little teenagers in America know about AIDS and prevention. As a child of the 80s, I remember how scared everyone was of it. Then through education, most people learned how you contracted it and how to prevent it. Now AIDS education has really decreased to almost non-existent. Some of my students actually thought nobody got it anymore. How sad.
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