Tonight's picture was taken on February 14, 2009. I will never forget that day. I was locked out of the child life playroom at the hospital, so Mattie could work with his art therapists to great a Valentine's Day surprise for me. Mattie literally made me an entire box of Valentines. He decorated the box and even made me this glorious crown of hearts. I kept this box of wonderful creations and feel they are part of Mattie's legacy. Mattie's art therapist, Jenny, captured this photo of Mattie touching noses with me and looking into my eyes. This was a typical Mattie move, but one that wasn't always caught on camera, until this photo!Quote of the day: We simply can't abandon ship every time we encounter a storm. Real love is about weathering the terms of life together. ~ Seth Adam Smith
Nearly 64,000 cases of novel coronavirus have been reported in mainland China since December 31, 2019. This has become a global concern and something we hear about daily on the news. In fact, the CDC is closely monitoring the outbreak of this respiratory disease. On February 11, 2020, the World Health Organization named the disease 'coronavirus disease 2019' (abbreviated COVID-19). Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats. Rarely, animal coronaviruses can infect people and then spread between people such as with MERS, SARS, and now with this new virus (named SARS-COV2).
Just like cancer, clearly the first focus is on the MEDICINE! Drugs that can fight back the disease and mitigate symptoms and the spread of the disease. But now two months into this outbreak, guess what is popping up? That's right, mental health issues and concerns. An article entitled, China launches hundreds of mental health hotlines amid coronavirus outbreak, is running all over the internet. Every news agency seems to be covering the issue, because like with any medical issue, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE MEDICINE. What is reportedly on the rise in China is depression and PTSD.
Yet unlike the USA, mental health issues remain a relatively taboo subject, and two issues are bubbling to the surface because of this: 1) will people feel comfortable expressing these concerns to officials, and 2) will there be enough "trained" mental health professionals on hand to manage these concerns. Currently, China has 2.2 psychiatrists available for every 100,000 people, this ratio is five times lower in comparison to the USA.
Yet Chinese medical professionals welcome the launch of government run hotlines. Can you imagine how difficult life is for those living in China now? Being quarantined, not knowing if you are going to contract the virus, must less die because of it. I view this as deeply scary and challenging to our most basic needs for safety as human beings. It is hard to believe that we live in the 21st century and yet outbreaks and medical crises like this still exist.
China launches hundreds of mental health hotlines amid coronavirus outbreak:
https://nypost.com/2020/02/13/china-launches-hundreds-of-mental-health-hotlines-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/
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