We Need A 2016 A Great Year

At the time my doctor and I were under the impression that it would be a short recovery and we were very relieved that my symptoms would resolve quickly. However we were wrong. What we thought was going to be a month of antibiotics turned out to be three and a half years, two of which I was essentially confined to my bed. While my friends were off at football games, shopping, and attending school, I was doing what I could to avoid spending my nights in the emergency room. Every day was a struggle. I suffered from a variety of symptoms, including headaches, muscle pain, joint pain, dizziness, and fatigue. I would sleep for 14 hours and wake up exhausted, of course this was only on the nights were I wasn’t in too much pain too sleep. Despite how terrible Lyme disease was I am more than grateful that I was able to come out a stronger person. Without Lyme I do not think I would have the same determination, focus, or confidence that I posses

Rishi Manchanda, a Doctor in South Central Los Angeles, states in his performed Ted Talk,“What makes us sick? Look upstream” that “We can all invest in making sure that we improve the allocation of resources upstream, but at the same time work together and show that we can move healthcare upstream. We can improve health where it begins.” We can work together and mirror where our health should be, not where doctors want us to be. “We simply need a healthcare system that moves beyond just looking at the symptoms that bring people into clinics, but instead actually is able to look and improve health where it begins,” Manchanda states, “And where health begins is not in the four walls of a doctor's office, but where we live and where we work, where we eat, sleep, learn and play, where we spend the majority of our lives.” Manchanda suggests that improving our health is more than just being put on a medication. Better health is improving our daily surroundings and furthering each day in a healthy way: it will make moving upstream a much easier concept.

In early November of 2014, I was just 19 years old and could barely move—my life was falling apart. I had never felt so sick and helpless before, and I thought I was going to die. The many doctors’ visits ended me in the hospital that year. I was scared to death; and I did not know what my future would hold. Now, as I take a look in the mirror, I see myself better than before. While this journey has been tough, and I still encounter many challenges of lupus (an autoimmune disease); I am thankful for God’s blessing of having my family and friends by my side during hard times.

“Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.” The words of the great Jimmy Valvano. Jimmy was a Men’s Basketball Coach at N.C. State University. He is one of the greatest coaches of all time. But he is also the man who delivered the “Never Give Up” speech at the ESPY Awards in 1993. This has inspired so many people. It’s the thought of Cancer that often brings Jimmy into mind. Stuart Scott is also very inspirational when it comes to cancer. A real inspiration is Mrs. Spatz. She has beat cancer 4 times. Over and over again, she has fought and beat cancer. She is now a teacher at Wyndcroft Private School in Pottstown. Although she is my mother, she creates inspiration for many

Many people can relate to his personal battle with cancer and his dedication to cancer research. His speech was full of emotion. He gave examples of his anguish during a seven-day stay before the awards ceremony, explaining his liver complications, kidney failure, and multiple surgeries. This provided the audience with real life experiences to understand the depth of what this award stands for.

Over the last one hundred years there has been a great change in the way nurses, doctors, and others in the medical field, as well as the general public, have come to view health and wellness. Where once health was thought to only be comprised of our physical body and the physical things that affect it, we now know that health encompasses so much more. We know that who we are is made up not only of the physical body, but also of mind, and spirit (Koerner, 2011), and that this not only affects each of us individually but also those

Lyme’s Disease kept me from doing the things I love. I couldn’t swim, and had to quit my old swim team. I couldn’t hike, and had to be left behind from family adventures. I couldn’t hang out with friends, because I didn't have any. I was imprisoned to my ailing body, at eleven years

Lyme disease was discovered in the 1970’s, as any other disease was, by a large number of cases, with patients having the same symptoms. In Lyme, Connecticut, a doctor was having patients who were all suffering from the same symptoms that made patients become debilitated. There were so many cases that the doctor marked it as an unknown disease. It wasn’t until later in the 1980’s that there were more widespread cases throughout the north-east. Lyme disease is becoming a serious problem in the north-east and especially in New York State, given the drastic increase of cases. Without treatment Lyme disease can result in blindness and in severe cases, death.

What is Lyme disease? Should it be measured as a true “illness”? These questions are being asked thousands of times each year. Doctors, scientists, and patients all around the United States desire to comprehend what this infection indeed is and how to deal with it. The steps to healing and treating this disease have been very controversial. The idea of Lyme disease being a chronic illness has also been up for debate recently. Do we understand enough about this tick borne illness to accurately benefit those infected? How much treatment should doctors offer to their patients? Lastly, is Chronic Lyme disease a legitimate disease or are its patients just crying out for attention? These are just a few questions Americans hope the Lyme Disease Control Board and doctors will soon be able to answer.

The threat of Lyme disease is an ever growing concern especially due to the fact that late stage Lyme has no cure and early stages are hard to diagnose. The

Chronic Lyme disease specialists’ asserts that for some the Borrelia bacteria has become more prevalent. “If untreated, infection can spread to the joints, heart and nervous system, causing a large variety of symptoms which may persist over months or years” (Melisa) Additionally, when the bacteria is able to spread like this, according to medical officials that agree with Chronic Lyme diseases existence, if left untreated bacterial persistence can occur. When this happens treating the bacteria becomes a much harder and longer process. This viewpoint however is so divisive because the body that decides medical treatment of diseases of this class, the Infectious Disease Society of America, claims that Chronic Lyme doesn’t exist. Today many doctors shy away from the topic as those who support the existence of Chronic Lyme and try to treat patients risk losing the medical license. While this argument is riddled with claims of conflict of interest and fear mongering I believe taking care of the patient’s well being is paramount and that more care should be allotted to Chronic Lyme by American medicine as evidence points to the existence of Chronic Lyme.

My use of online sites, surveys, and discussions were my initiation to raise awareness regarding Lyme Disease. Lyme Disease is an uprising issue in my region and is causing many problems in people’s lives. By increasing awareness, we are one step closer to coming up with a real

However, it's not just the excitement to find answers that inspires my passion, it's also the need to help those who have been plagued by the illnesses that are unseen and consequently mispercieved as

“’So what’s your story?’” she then then replies “’I already told you my story. I was diagnosed when-‘” He interrupts and says “’No, not your cancer story. Your story. Interests, hobbies, passions, etcetera… Don’t tell me you’re one of those people who becomes their disease. I know so many people like that. It’s disheartening. Like cancer is in the growth business, right? The taking-people-over business. But surely you haven’t let it succeed prematurely’” (Green, 32).

One of the many of the world's problems is sickness, but some diseases have no cure which can result in death. Cancer is a code we just can’t seem to crack and it has taken hundreds of thousands of lives. Everyone knows of someone who has died of or had cancer in their life. It’s a hard sickness to beat but many strong people do beat it, some being children. I have personally seen my family members go through this and of course, some didn’t make it out alive. If you have seen anyone who has cancer, you’ll see how it can take over your body, how that person doesn’t even look like themselves anymore.