A Nursing Mother Can’t Ignore A Hungry Baby-Salma Hayek

     If you were traveling through a poverty striken area and you had a baby of your own that you were still nursing…could you walk away from a hungry newborn baby that had nothing to eat?  Actress Salma Hayek was in Sierra Leone on a humanitarian mission…she nursed an African newborn who was starving because his mother could not produce milk for her child.  Salma was moved to feed that child.  She talked about his eyes lighting up as he began to feel the nutrition flow into his body.  She was moved in her heart to feed him; because i believe that a nursing mother can’t ignore a hungry baby that is crying out in his/her need;  that is called basic human compassion.  Still, you would think that we all had that in abundance; but, not always so, some would run the other way as quickly as they could go.

       This moment was captured on film by the news crew of  “Nightline”  who were along on the trip for Unicef , to promote the importance of tetanus vaccines.   Unicef and Pampers have a campaign called 1 Pack=1Vaccine; Salma is a spokeswoman for Pampers.  www.unicefusa.org or www.pampers.com/unicef 

         I love the message of what Salma did; purely from the standpoint of, if you see a need fill it.  Salma still is breastfeeding her own child who is approximately 1 year old.  She understands the importance of, the nutritional value as well as the bonding value of, breastfeeding. 

         Surely there will be those individuals who will criticize her for what she did.  There will be naysayers who will bring up the issue of aids and to the  possible exposure to her health or that of her own child.  They will say that she did this as a publicity stunt, or for the attention.  Some will say in the larger scheme of things…did that one feeding make a difference; will it save the life of that child.   I believe it made a difference.  I believe an African woman saw an American woman with heart.  I believe a baby felt fulfillment, comfort, and love.  I pray that the mother and child received more help.  A world saw a desperate moment and an act of love.

          I say, she was in the moment.  She saw a child in need; she felt the despair of a mother who could not provide for her child the most basic necessity in life at that time for her child; she did what she was able to do.  I love that she didn’t think twice.  Those who have been blessed in life and find themselves around others in need have a responsibility to share.  I respect Salma for doing it so very naturally.  There are so many in need around the world…what can you do to make a difference?

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Kissing is Dangerous

         You really might want to think twice about kissing that guy or gal on the first date.  You may even want to think twice about kissing someone you’ve know for a long time after you read this.  Get real ya say?  

           Well, are you aware that about 95 % of the adult population (over the age of 20) has been exposed to the Epstein Barr Virus?  Never heard of it…..join the club…lots of people haven’t. 

        It is an infectious disease…it is transmitted through the saliva of an infected person.  Even someone who is healthy and doesn’t exhibit symptoms of the disease can pass it on.  Once a person is infected with EBV, they carry it for life…it may be dormant, but they still have it.  It can flare up at any time, stress and other illnesses can trigger an outbreak.

        My sister has just been diagnosed with it.  This is after a couple of weeks of extreme illness,tiredness, and weakness.  The doctors that she saw in her family practice as well as in the emergency room did not know what was wrong with her.  It took my sister being proactive to get results…she went to a specialist who did some major tests and procedures before she got the results.

        The epstein barr virus is an illness that attacks the immune system.  It can cause many problems such as fevers,sore throat, headaches, weakness, diarreaha, pain, swelling of the spleen, liver and other organs.  It can even get more complicated than that; as in some rare cases, it can evolve into some cancers and it can also affect the central nervous system or the heart. 

           Doctors are the only ones who can diagnose this or any serious illness.  It is important to seek medical care whenever an illness attacks because you just can’t know for sure if it is something simple or a very serious illness.

          There really is no cure for EBV.  There are a couple of medications that may help …but, they also can attack healthy dna in a person, as well as the virus.  The best thing a person can do is to rest, drink lots of fluids and build up the immune system with a healthy diet. 

         Any information we have been able to find on the subject of EBV is somewhat vague and discouraging.  Even after recovery, you need to  remember that this is a virus that stays with you and can reappear in your future.  You must follow up with your doctor anytime that you think the virus is active again.

          It is important to find a doctor who will listen to you, and who will do the appropriate testing.  You must listen to your own body(follow your instincts) and not let anyone tell you that it is all in your head or that you “probably” just have the flu.  

           No one knows your body as well as you do!   Push, push, push for the doctor to follow up with the blood work…and the ultra- sounds and whatever else it takes to get the care that you need. 

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Patrick Dempsey Cancer Center

        Cool information recently came to the public’s attention about a new cancer center that Patrick Dempsey contributed a large sum of money to help fund in Maine.  His mother is a three time ovarian cancer surviver.

        I love the fact that he is giving back to the community that he grew up in .  The hospital is also one that his sister works at; and, she will help to run the cancer center.  Everyone has a mother or a sister or both…and giving to something that touches so many families is a great thing.

           Ovarian cancer is a disease that is often mis-diagnosed until the cancer has progressed past an early stage.  There is no easy cancer and all cancer is an enemy. 

          I applaude all who contribute their time and money to such a worthy cause.

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First Born Birthrights Denied

        Wow, who knew that it mattered, when you were born, which side of the blanket you were born on when it comes to getting your birthright inheritence or whether your rights will be denied?

         Is a child’s birthright not automatic when that birthparent gives the child up for adoption?  No, it can be denied in the state of New York, anyway. 

          Today, i read in the news that a woman born over 50 years ago to a direct descendent of the jello fortune was denied by the highest court in New York the right to a portion of that said fortune. 

           It seems that the estate of the woman’s birthmother denied that she was entitled to a third of the estate; because, she had been put up for adoption and, because the laws of the state said that a child put up for adoption wasn’t considered a child of the person for whom the trust was established.

        The mother of the “child” went on to get married later after putting up the infant for adoption and went on to have two additional children who were entitled to their portion of the estate because they were born during her marriage.

         Does that seem fair?  The child did not have a say about when she was conceived or to whom she was born; she was born to the woman and allegedly, to a man who was married to someone else.  Is it her fault about the circumstances of her birth?  No.  Was it her choice to be adopted?  No.  Still, i guess legally…the decision has been made.

         My question is…morally is it a correct decision?  I wonder how the birth, half- siblings feel?  I mean, obviously the estate felt that they had a right to fight paying a portion of the trust fund to this woman; but, personally, if it were me….i would feel that she was entitled to a sum of money. 

         The woman started searching for her birthparents when she was 19.  She spent lots of money and time searching.  She didn’t start her search thinking that she was going to discover she was born to a family with incredible riches that she could inherit.  I am sure that she began searching strictly for the purpose of finding out more about herself personally. 

           Whatever her personal reasons for searching; I hope she found some kind of answers to her questions when she met her mother.  She did get to meet her and find out about her birth circumstances.  Hopefully she was able to heal those parts of herself that were filled with questions when she discovered she had a NEED to know about her beginnings. 

           It seems that these questions about the trust fund came up after the birth mother died.  Who knows what the birth mother’s feelings were on the subject.  That wasn’t reported in anything i have heard about this trust fund issue with the courts.  Was the woman and her siblings able to develop any type of postitive relationship?  If so, why the issue of money went before the court is curious. 

            If the half siblings contested sharing the money…i then wonder, what makes them in their own minds feel more entitled?  It is kind of sad.  Who knows how much richer their lives could have been otherwise.  I mean, i wonder if they would find joy in knowing their sister had there not been money involved?   Maybe it isn’t just an issue of money; could it be some other reason that they feel she is not entitled to a share of the wealth?   I wonder is the sister the kind of person that would not be welcome in a family whether they had money or not?  Is she a good, friendly, moral person?

             Some how, it feels like an injustice.  I mean, the half siblings got to grow up with their mother.  The woman did not.  They were born to a comfortable lifestyle; did the woman live in comfort?  Should she be compensated for being rejected at her birth?  I don’t know.  But regardless, it just feels a little unfair to me. 

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Sisterhood

       Tonight, i went to a secret sister get-together.  It was very nice.  About 6 weeks ago…a group of ladies from our group of WOW (women of worship) exchanged names to pray for; and, surprise each other with small gifts or cards.  The big reveal was this evening.

       The really special part of this evening was that the ages ranged from like 13 years of age to the upper 70’s.  It was sweet.  My secret sister made me cry when she thanked me for her gift.  It was a vase full of a dozen roses…i knew that she liked roses.

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