These past few days, everything seems to be focused on disease and disorders. My friends fathers went through an open heart surgery, which my granduncle also went through. one of my other mothers went through back surgery, and then there is seeing my fathers health deteriorate, its overwhelming
To make matters tougher, my research paper for developmental psychopathology class is on sexual abuse. Going through the research is like going through a horror movie. One of the books I read was called “Don’t Tell”, by Michel Dorais which shares childhood sexual abused stories of these grown men.
Reading those real life experiences, and how it affects the child life development from creating positive relationship, high substance abuse, conduct disorder, etc is disturbing… what is even more troubling is how high the prevalence of sexual abuse is, in some communities of the world as high as 60-80%.
I decided to take a break from it all to watch a movie(Jenifer), which happed to be about a women named Jenifer Estress who had been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig/amyotrophic lateral sclerosis which is degenerative condition, which attacks the cells that control the muscles, that eventually they cant walk, cant move and eventually suffocate to death after suffering for two to five years.
When Jenifer was diagnosed, doctors said there was no cure, and that she continue to live comfortably, and prepare for the worse. Jenifer and her sisters showed great strength when they fought against what the doctors said and established a project called project ALS. This project would work on finding a cure for this disease, during an interview Jenifer shares that although she could no longer walk, “I can still speak. And while I can, I’ll make sure no one else has to hear that there is no hope and no cure. That’s absolutely unacceptable.”
In another interview she shares her wisdom of life and death that “Once you conquer the fear . . . of losing your life, a lot more opens up to you”
All these stories takes strength, courage and wisdom…
