Blog 5

Edna Adan Ismail

The woman that I have choose to blog about is Edna Adan. After watching Half of the Sky my world has forever been changed by this courageous woman. I can not even begin to explain how much of an impact this lady has made on my heart just seeing what she has given up to help others. Edna is a Somali native who decided to give up everything she had worked hard for to build a maternity hospital from scratch in Somali-land. This hospital is now known as the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital which officially opened in 2002. Edna runs this hospital off of her own funds as well as donations from across the world. She delivers several babies everyday in the best conditions to offer in Somali. Edna is the former Foreign Minister of Somaliland. Edna came from a very successful family with her father being one of the top doctors. Edna went on to build a career for herself as a nurse then opened the hospital to make a difference in a desperate country. 

This woman is such an inspiration to so many. For any woman to give up and sell everything she owns to help others in her country.... that is just amazing. She built the maternity hospital with her own money and donated supplies from others in the area. Today this hospital has saved thousands of lives all from an amazing woman giving up her own to help others. The Edna Adan Hospital continues to grow everyday. 

Docurama (Director). (2011). Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide - Night 2 [Motion Picture].

Blog 4

What can a woman do to reduce her risk of assault? 

Assault is an ongoing problem for women around the world not just in the United States. I believe there are many areas where  a woman can reduce her risk of assault. I will start with the most important tip that women often don't follow. The number one for any woman to always remember is to ALWAYS be aware of your surroundings. I see so many women out shopping that don't even look around before they get into or out of their car. You should always keep close attention to your surroundings no matter where you are.  My second tip follows that and it is NEVER travel alone as a women. There are so many things that can happen when you are taking a long trip as a women that we are not physically prepared for. I think it is always a good idea to go out in groups when you are a woman. You never know what person is watching you the entire time or may even try to follow you to your car. When most women go out they go out looking their best and ladies men pick up on this and sometimes even take it too far. So, when you choose that low V-cut top with the push up bra you may want to think twice. Lastly this is not for everyone but I suggest to carry a weapon. It doesn't have to be a gun but even a small taser something to defend yourself if you are ever put into a situation. 

Blog 3

Interview with my Momma

For this assignment we had an option to interview someone with a chronic disease and I knew I had to write about my mom.

My mom was diagnosed with Colon/Rectal cancer over 10 years ago in May. I will never forget the day she told me, it felt like my heart fell onto the floor. The wonderful news is that she is in remission and doing well THANK GOD! 

When my mom found out that she had cancer she was very taken by surprise however she remained very strong. She felt as though she had to stay strong in order to fight this and not to crumble in front of my father & I. Her first protocol was setting up her Chemo and radiation treatments. My mom then decided it was time to change her diet. She wanted to juice for a while because of the great health benefits of doing so. She also decided to switch to organic food as well. 

My Mom has explain cancer as being a big eye opener that life is very precious. She stated that before having a strong love for God wasn't as big as a deal as it is now. She speaks more freely about how awesome God has been to her and her family and how much she loves him. She mentioned that cancer definitely has strengthened her relationship with Jesus.

Since beating cancer she is now in need of a hip replacement which she will soon have. The radiation does take a toll on your body but she still remains thankful and has no complaints.She does have to go in to have her port cleaned and blood test every so many months to make sure her cancer levels are not up. The routine check ups will be something she will always have to maintain, which doesn't matter to her as long as she is cancer free. She is trying her best to eat well but that can be a struggle at times as she does live in New Orleans where all the good food is :)

I love my mom! So thankful that she is cancer FREE! 

Blog 2

Talk with the Teen

On a bright Saturday morning, Paige took her daughter Sydney to have breakfast at Original Pancake House and told her that they would have a mother-daughter day. Paige being a mother of a twelve year old figured it was about time she have "The Talk" with her daughter. She told Sydney at the breakfast table that after she wanted to go hand out at the park to have some bonding time. When they reached the park Mom told Sydney to have a seat on the bench that she needed to have "The Talk" with her. She expressed that she wanted to bring up this matter at a peaceful place and the park with the lake seemed like the best idea. 

Paige approached the talk with now I just want to give you a better insight on things that you really need to know at your age. Of course Sydney rolled her eyes and said MOMMMM....and Mom did not back down. She went onto explanation of what sexual inter course is and the morality behind it.  Mom went onto the explanation of sex in the bible.  Then came the explanation of every STD and risk associated with contracting these STD's. Of course all moms come prepared, she had every STD bookmarked on her Iphone so that she could give Sydney a visual image that would stick out in her head of why she would not want to risk this. Paige went on to explain to her daughter that sex is a very beautiful thing but only between two people who are in love with each other. Mom went on to express she would advise against sex until marriage. Mom was prepared for the very first question "How old were you when you first had sex?" Once mom went through all the in's and out's about sex and Sydney listened they went to the mall for some shopping and Starbucks. 

It is so very important to keep an open line of communication with your children. I feel if you keep an honest open relationship talking about sex will be nothing embarrassing just another topic of discussion.   

Blog 1

How can we encourage adolescents to follow healthy behaviors?  What ideas do you have for parents, healthcare providers, health educators, media, society, etc? Please provide outside resources as well.

In the fast paced world we live in these days, I feel like sometimes we forget as adolescents and adults to remember to follow healthy choices and behaviors. We live in a society where adolescents have a Monster Energy Drink for breakfast. Everything is rush rush rush. In my opinion a great way to encourage healthy behaviors in adolescents would be to push healthy behavior ads on Facebook.  If healthy behaviors were more popular I think others would follow. Since social media such as Twitter and Facebook are such utilized tools for adolescents why not push the behavior where they will see it the most? 

A great way to encourage parents to get on board would be if they received a discount on health insurance cost if their child scored really well on their yearly physical. At that point the benefits would not only be for the adolescent but for the parent as well. If more High Schools had more Health classes devoted to better health decision making, that could be beneficial for students as well. 

A popular fundamental web site to get adolescents to make health decisions would be to use myfitnesspal.com. This is a web site that helps you make healthier decisions and pushes you to reach goals. This is an excellent resource for anyone at any age to get on track to living a healthier life.

Bio Blog:

Hi Class!!!!

Is it really already 2013 and another semester closer to graduation???  My name is Elizabeth Rourke. I am currently a senior at Texas Women's University perusing my bachelors degree in Health Studies and planning to continue to the Masters program for OT. I was born and raised in New Orleans, LA and recently moved to Texas 4 years ago. I have to say that I love it here but, I do miss my Cajun food, family and Mardi Gras! I am married to my wonderful husband of three years in April. My favorite hobbies are cross fit, shopping, travel, football (Geaux Tigers), make-up and scrap-booking.

The health industry has always been of interest to me since I was a child. I always dreamed of being a Dentist since I could remember. Until I grew older and realized how much schooling was involved and I changed my mind quickly. During this class I am hoping to learn more about the role of gender and culture in women around the world. After taking Global Health I am so ready to learn so much more about people in different cultures and occupations around the world. Every semester I look forward to growing and learning so much more about Health Studies in all areas. Best of luck to everyone this semester! Lets do this!!!!