Reporting on Fear – Keep calm and turn off the news

Ebola is a dangerous disease.  It’s the stuff of horror movies.  Vomiting blood, bleeding eyes, liquid bowels.  It’s scary.  There have literally been books written about how dangerous this disease feels.  Here is a well written one: The Hot Zone  http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B007DCU4IQ/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_txyvub10YPTFM

It’s also pretty easy to quarantine and control.  You aren’t contagious when you aren’t sick.  That is a huge win for public health.  It’s pretty easy to ask people to take their temperature every day and wash their hands.  When someone isn’t projectile vomiting on you, you are not going to be sick by being within 40 feet.  You aren’t going to be sick from a sneeze on the subway. 

But wash your hands and be careful about your contacts after being in contact with Ebola patients doesn’t make good news.  Reporting is about selling fear.  Pay attention to the news or you will die gets a much bigger audience then this is a cool story.

Our medical professionals who are literally putting their lives on the land to volunteer in Africa should be treated as heroes, not prisoners.  But Ebola is in on backyard sells papers.  Nurse is still healthy after serving in Africa is less so.  A daily log of her temperature isn’t riveting news. 

Nigeria had a handful of cases of Ebola after an infected traveler arrived.  They implemented immediate hand-washing stations outside of buildings.  People waved instead of kissing for a few weeks.  The chain of infection stopped quickly.  They are now once again Ebola free. 

There are a lot of people who live in fear of the end-times.  This isn’t it.  Be calm and turn off the news!

Feeling Helpless when you are use to being Helpful

I’m someone who always has to be busy.  My hands and my brain just always need to be engaged.  Even at night I’m usually listening to an audiobook while I’m settling into sleep.

Two nights ago my back twisted into a giant ball of pain.  After a long day I finally found an effective pain medicine and my back relaxed back into position.  But I still needed to relax and rest today.  Usually that’s a normal Saturday for me, but today a friend came over to help me clean.  I just wanted to reach in and help.  I hated just sitting there.

Then I reflect back on this last week.  An acquaintance of mine is in the same Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit where my dad spent the first month after receiving his brain tumor/cancer diagnosis.  My brain immediately spun into helpful mode.  I even tried to pay a visit, and realized that I was there for me, not him.  I sat in the waiting room for a while and it was cathartic for me to remember this period of time and mentally thank all of those that people that helped us then.  It was also a good place to remember how God carries you through those most turbulent days.

God uses us as hands to help people through those rough patches.  We need to be willing to help.  We also need to be willing to accept help when things get beyond us.  My heart failure requires me to pace myself, but even while walking slowly through my life, I can reach out a hand and help.