This week, I interviewed three women about health issues that concern them. The answers that I got were all different, but I believe that they were issues that many women worry about.
The first person that I interviewed was a friend, who is a Caucasian nineteen year-old college student. Her main concern was obesity. She is most concerned with obesity because many of her family members are overweight. Due to this concern, she makes it a point to exercise a minimum of three times a week. She is a healthy-eater and loves fruit, so she tries to choose fruit over sweets and keeps track of her diet.
The next woman I asked is a 44 year-old Hispanic woman, who has been a family friend for many years. This is what she had to say:
“The most complicated thing in my life is diabetes. My mom died from complications of diabetes, my sister has it, and I have it too. Not having adequate health coverage makes it even harder. Medicines and testing supplies are all expensive, so I have to really watch what I eat. I worry about the many complications that are involved with this disease.”
The last woman I asked is a 56 year-old Caucasian. She has many concerns because one side of her family has heart disease and cancer. But her main concern right now is mobility. She has been having trouble with her knees and right hip. Her father was in a wheelchair, because he had Peripheral Neuropathy and her siblings also have joint problems.
At this stage of my life, I am not concerned with Diabetes or mobility issues. However, I understand why both of these women are concerned with these issues. It would be frustrating to me to have a disease and not be able to take care of myself because of a lack of money. I can see why not being able to get around easily would be frustrating. If I had trouble walking, it would take away some of my favorite things such as walking the mall, walking for exercise, and attending sporting events that require getting to and from the parking lot and into the bleachers.
As for my concerns, I am on the same page as my nineteen year-old friend. When I started dating my boyfriend a little over a year ago, we began going out to eat all of the time. My weight at the time was 148, about 10 pounds more than when I was running everyday. Well, for my boyfriend, who is 6 feet tall and only weighs 127 pounds (!!!), gaining weight wasn’t a concern. I was having so much fun on our dates that I didn’t even notice how fast I was packing on the pounds. I gained about 30 pounds in 10 months! Now that I know how easy it is to gain weight, I have become more careful about what I am eating, and started working out again.
Another concern that I have is cancer. I am adopted and I don’t have very much information on my family’s health history, but cancer has impacted my life in big ways. My biological brother was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma and passed away when he was 16. Although I don’t have the same genes as my adoptive family, I have lost both of my grandparents on my adoptive mother’s side due to cancer. My grandpa survived lung cancer, but passed away from colon cancer and my grandma passed away due to breast cancer. My grandpa’s sister also lost her life to colon cancer. One of my aunt’s has breast cancer, just finished chemo, and for the time being it is gone. Watching all of these people suffer, has really made me worried about getting diagnosed with cancer. I just hope that one day there will be a cure, so that no one else will have to suffer from this disease.
Hi Meghan!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it scary being so young and knowing so much about health issues? Although I am not adopted, Most of my family lives in Iran and does not have health care. So I understand somewhat of what it feels like to be in the dark about your family history. All I know is that, all we can do is try our best to live a healthy happy life. Most of these things we can prevent just by eating healthy and exercise and most importantly getting our yearly checkups! I know that if we pay attention to our bodies, we are most likely to get through anything. Yes of course there are some things we cannot stop from happening, but we can try our best to prevent them by being smart about our lifestyle and decisions. As for your eating out all the time, maybe you should try cooking with your boyfriend! Its fun, creative, and a healthy alternative plus there's nothing greater than a man who knows how to cook!
Hi there, what a terriffic blog, I enjoyed reading it! As I was going through, I noticed some similarities between us from my interviews. Diabetes was a concern with one of my ladies interviewed as well. My dad has been living with it for years too. What is it about this disease that makes it so widespread? At my age of 29 I don't know to many girls that haven't been concerned with weight struggles. It seems especially disheartening for a young girl to find out that obesity runs in her family history. At younger and younger ages nowadays, this has become a major concern that needs to be managed. Your friend is spot on with obesity concerns! I would like to add a thank you for sharing your family history. You have had some major life experiences which I see you drawing from in a positive way.
ReplyDeleteThanks Meghan! I had no idea that the funding for lung cancer was so low! But I am happy to hear it brought more awareness. I have known 3 women who passed away from it. One woman was only 27, and was given three weeks to live. It was really the deciding moment for me when I thought... wow, this could literally happen to me or by best friend right now! So thank you for listening! I know all types of cancer are serious. I think for me personally, this one scares me the most. It could also play into the fear that I would not be willing to lose a lung. A lot of my life revolves around being active and one of my biggest fears is not being able to do the physical things I love. Thank you again for posting the information!
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