Paul's Heart

Life As A Dad, And A Survivor

08 Sep 2020

In The Worst Of A Crisis, Can Behavior Get Any Worse?


Like many areas of the United States, my locality is dealing with the Covid19 crisis as best as it can.  Eight months in, scientists and our government leaders still struggle to learn about this pandemic, how to treat it, and how to prevent it.  All politics aside, as the US is quickly approaching 200,000 dead Americans, and over six million Americans infected, there is no denying the reality of this crisis.

As a long term cancer survivor, having various issues related to my health history, I am considered “vulnerable”.  Needless to say, I pay very close attention to details and data, that I gather personally from the medical professionals that I deal with personally.

From the beginning, I saw the line drawn in the sand that instead of drawing us together as other national emergencies have done, instead pitted us against each other.  Throughout our history, we have dealt with major epidemics from measles to polio to the flu of 1918.  We know when faced with a health crisis like this, they are real.  People actually died.

Which is what is maddening to me.  Right from the gate, when we were warned about Covid19, and a decision was made to downplay the serious and mistaken potential of spread, our country had done what it had never done before, denied reality.  But why?  Because, instead of saying to ourselves, “hey, this is getting really serious,” some decided to take the approach, “don’t attack the president.”

If anyone has been witness to a brush fire, and living in Florida I have experienced that, it does not take long for a spark to ignite and spread to 10,000 acres.  And it depends on how much time you waste, grabbing the water bottle over by the rock to pour on the growing flames, or reaching out for the professionals that determines the devastation.

In the case of Covid19, “a bottle of water” was poured, denial that it was serious enough to require extra attention.  And that denial actually exploded to a full blown inferno, as some reinforced their protection of the decisions by the president, to calling it a hoax.  Keep in mind, a hoax gets defined as something not real.  Nearly 200,000 dead Americans alone from Covid19.  Far from a hoax.

The strategies to deal with this crisis only made things worse.  And we can argue constitutionality til the cows come home.  We have today has not worked.  We needed a plan from the top.  Instead, it got passed down to the states to fend for themselves, and then within the states, leadership said it was up to the local governments to figure things out.  I am going to get to that cluster-F in a moment.

We have the professionals in place to tell us what we need to do.  Whether they come in the form of mandates or recommendations, they will help.  But again, that boils down to leadership, on all levels, to acknowledge and set example of following the recommendations, most made by the CDC.  And that should be all there is to it.

But the problem is this.  Our federal government has teeth.  Our state governments have teeth.  Our local governments try, and if faced with unsurmountable criticism and objections, may not withstand doing the things that are recommended, instead falling on the “common sense of the people to do the right thing.”  And if the people do not do the “right thing,” enforcement or mandates are met with resistance.  And it is the “why” of the resistance that make no sense to me.

A couple of months ago, our county held an emergency meeting to determine safety precautions that our federal and state governments would not do.  I will only discuss the one option, as it is the one getting the most attention.  The county was taking a vote on mandating masks in public.  Again, this is something recommended by the scientists at helping to reduce the spread of this deadly virus.  It is something that all people with “common sense” should see as a good thing.

I did not take notes of that meeting, but it was quite contentious.  Most of the public speakers spoke against any mandate.  I really do not recall their reasons.  Unfortunately I missed any professional testimonies that were given most likely to support the mandate.  The mandate went through by a vote of 3-2 and would go until last week when another meeting would be held to discuss renewing or letting the mandate expire.

This meeting, I paid a lot more attention to, because I follow the numbers for various reasons, not just because I am a nerd.  I have reasons besides my health for knowing if we are getting better or worse.  So, the first part of the meeting, I did hear the testimonies of the local professionals, doctors on the front lines, who brought data to support the success of the efforts of the mask mandate since it was first imposed.  The information was all there in black and white, lower cases, lower hospitalizations, and lower deaths.  Our county had been on an upward climb until that mandate, and now the numbers were lower.   And really, that should have been the end of that.  If you want to know how to make a good chicken florentine, you ask a chef.  If you want to find out how to change out a transmission on a car, you ask a mechanic.  If you want to know how to deal with a lethal pandemic, you ask the doctors and scientists.

Following the testimony of the local medical professionals, came public commentary.  And as the title of my post suggests, it was not good.  If I had to guess, those opposed to extending the mandate made up maybe 80% of the public comments.  But it was their reasoning, and their methods that left me shaking my head in disbelief in what I was witnessing.  The comments about wearing a mask, made as much sense as someone taking something out of an oven without oven mitts.

The following is the list of arguments against wearing something, while not perfect or guaranteed, could still have a positive impact on getting through this crisis:

My choice faith will get us through charts by professionals prove nothing death counts fake social engineering experiment health department conspiracy silent majority are fed up lack of intelligence stats are inconclusive right to breathe freely rights and freedoms media propoganda personal responsibility lunacy busy living fear porn Natzi rule moving the goalposts totalianarianism wearing a diaper on the face about an election seizure of property oath of the government to protect the constitution not the people overreach communism hoax being lied to okay with dying medical negligence and finally, pharmaceutical profits.

I intentionally left out commas, because I wanted it to be a list, but when I typed it up, I realized how long it made the post look, and did not want that appearance.  But among all of these reasons people gave not to wear a mask (some were repeated), they were also follow up with insults and threats.

I was shocked.  We are dealing with a major crisis, likely to kill 500,000 Americans before we have any kind of control over it, and people are actually threatening and insulting government officials trying to do something to help us get through this.  But beyond the insults and threats, look again at the list given against masks.  Do you see any reference to even recognizing the virus as real?  Do you see anyone relate to any personal experiences with Covid19?  Do you see anyone offering any other possible solutions?  Clearly there are those who want to make this pandemic end and they are doing what they can, and then there are those who are doing all that they can to prevent it from ending.

And this is what is referred to as being politically driven.  And this is going to kill even more people.  There is no world order out there trying to wipe out millions of the world’s population.  And while our president DID NOT create this virus, we relied on his leadership, just as we did with Roosevelt, Truman, Carter, Reagan, Bush (both), Clinton, and Obama, we needed this president to lead us through this crisis.  And yes, that same group of people who made up that list of complaints against masks, see this as an attack on the president they vehemently support.  And I get the concept of support, just not at all costs, especially if it involves lives.

I do still have faith in our scientists and doctors.  I have no reason to trust otherwise.  And it is a shame, because I honestly believe, that had the right decisions been made sooner, we could have been done with this, at least under control, in three months or less.  Now, we are entering our eighth month, and into a time period, this virus is expected to increase in cases and deaths.

I will finish with actually agreeing with one of the negative comments, to a degree.  How we get through this is personal responsibility, with the information that we have been given and recommended to do.  But as the numbers continue to climb, it is clear that not enough are exercising that personal responsibility.

And that is disappointing.

Posted in Bullying, Education, Family and Friends, Inspired By..., Politics, Side Effects | Leave a comment
07 Sep 2020

A Reason To Celebrate Labor Day


It is odd.  We celebrate this weekend for all the wrong reasons.  We recognize it as the “unofficial end to Summer,” the last hoorah to go to the beach or Summer party before schools begin.  Only a select few actually understand what the holiday is about.  Politically speaking, for many, it is not something that is wanted to be talked about.

We know why we celebrated Veterans on Veteran’s Day.  We know why we honor and memorialize our fallen on Memorial Day.  But Labor Day is not just a day off or a long weekend.

Labor Day recognizes the advances of the Labor Movement, as well as those who have contributed to the advances and achievements.  In 1887, Oregon became the first state to recognize Labor Day as a holiday.  By the time the United States recognized it as a national holiday in 1894, thirty states had already recognized this annual recognition (Wikipedia).

The key is what brought us to this day.  It begins with the “evil” trade unions and the labor movement.  The whole idea of this movement was to create a better and safer working environment, and to be able to negotiate for better wages and benefits.  The concept is simple.  It is more successful to negotiate as a group, than individually.  Someone asks for something individually, it is very easy to tell that one person “no.”  But if an employer risks a work interruption, a “strike,” where workers refuse to work until the company and union comes to an agreement, the employer is likely to not opt for the work stoppage and risk profits.  It should be noted, union workers do not earn their pay while on strike, and unless the union is financially prepared, even health benefits are at risk by a “strike.”  It is not really an option that neither side wants.

You can thank the Labor Movement for the “8 hour work day” which became effective in 1886.  Can you imagine what it would be like to have an employer require you to work sixteen hour days?  You can be thankful for breaks during the work day.  You can be thankful for the establishment of OSHA requiring workplace protections.

Labor Unions came into the picture in 1935 with the signing of the National Labor Relations Act.  This allowed workers to organize into unions and engage in collective bargaining (negotiate a contract) to earn better wages, safer working conditions, benefits, and job security.

In the beginning, unions had a major impact on such dangerous jobs as coal mining (a separate story deserving its own post), and many other large industrial jobs.  Eventually other public sector jobs would also join into the labor union representation such as teachers and police.

Over the years, unions have been portrayed as both evil and necessary.  Evil, because to provide a better work environment means it costs a company more profit to provide such.  Politically, as companies lobby the government for assistance against labor unions.  Obviously, if a company can pay someone less, they will make more profit.  But the question is, at what cost to the employee?  The answer, a company owner only cares about the profit, not who earns it for them.

If you have never belonged to a union, it is very easy to be jaded against them.  Chances are, all you have ever witnessed, are news stories about strikes.  Whether they be transport workers, nurses, airline pilots, teachers, or whoever, if you do not belong in a union, the immediate warcry is “greedy bastards” when the workers are shown on strike, asking for better conditions and more pay.  And why that warcry?  Because it is likely, that person does not have that representation, and thereby deems it unfair since they do not have the opportunity to have the same negotiating power.  But you do.  You choose not to.

Unions have typically been portrayed as thugs in Hollywood (both of these were great movies by the way, “Fist” starring Sylvester Stallone, and “Norma Rae” starring Sally Field).  There is no doubt that there have been issues of violence associated with labor negotiations.  But I would argue, that for the most part, the benefits of being represented far outweigh the benefits of not being represented.

Personally speaking, my grandmother belonged to the Electrical Workers Union, and was even a treasurer for her local organization.  I laugh at the thought of my grandmother being a “tough guy” in a union, as she stood only 4 foot 7 inches tall, and was quiet in appearance.  My mother also worked with the Electrical Workers Union.

Then came my turn.  But up until that point, I was one, like many, opposed to unions, for the same reasons as others, misconceptions leading to unfair judgments courtesy of my jealousies.  In 1997, an opportunity came up to work for a major pharmaceutical company, with the entry level position, including union membership.  I would become the third generation belonging to a union, oddly, the Oil, Atomic, Chemical Workers union, yes, in pharmaceutical.  Immediately, I would see the difference and the benefits to me.

In 1988, I was diagnosed with cancer.  This made me uninsurable for health insurance, life insurance.  Hell, employers did not even want to hire me at all, just because I had cancer.   But the first benefit I received following my probationary period?  Guaranteed Health and Life insurances.  You see, the union negotiates this for their workers.  That is why they call it collective bargaining.  Because it benefits their entire group.  Everyone in that group has to have the same thing.  I could not be turned down just because I had cancer.

Sure, the money was also good.  And compared to other pharmaceutical companies that did not have union representations, my counterparts were lucky to make even half of what I was making.

Work environment?  If I felt my work area was unsafe, or equipment was lacking, I could count on my union leadership to demand action.  In industrialized jobs, workers are automatically at a higher risk for injury and death, and deserve all precautions to keep them as safe and protected as possible.

And a big thing with unions, job security.  Do you know anyone who was fired just because a boss did not like the otherwise productive employee?  Have you ever been laid off from work, after working decades, while the company kept someone who just started, simply because they made less money?  Seniority is one of the pillars of the labor movement, job security.

Of course, there are problems within the unions, the slackers who goof off while other good hard workers carry a respective work ethic.  Some of these get into trouble, and seemingly get away with it, unscathed.  That is the benefit of a union, representation to get you out of trouble, by accident, or intentionally.

My experience with the union, I will always support unions.  Besides finally obtaining insurances that I was otherwise denied, my wages allowed me to purchase a home, and allowed me the opportunity to bring the two most important people into my life, my daughters.

And when I needed my union the most, in 2008, following my emergency bypass surgery, for my heart, caused by damage from my cancer treatments nearly twenty years earlier, when my employer threatened to fire me, as my FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) days had expired and demanded me to return to work, even though I had not recovered.  My union fought for me with the Americans With Disabilities Act protections.  You try to do this working for Walmart.   Eventually, I would become a shop steward, a “lawyer” or union representative for my co-workers myself.  And I was a good one.  As one of my co-workers noted, I may not have been well liked by all (I was a stickler for rules, so I could be a pain in the ass), but everyone knew I would support and protect everyone.

I worked for my employer another five years before my disabilities became too much for me, and for my employer to accommodate my health restrictions.

When it came to my early retirement, my union took care of me as well.

The same cannot be said for my peers with other companies who do not have representation, doing the exact same work as me.  But envy should be held against me, because I had representation that I was worth as a human being?  Or should there be displeasure in the fact that someone is either unable or unwilling to establish representation?

As you are out on the beach today, or having a barbecue, be glad for unions and the labor movement.  That is why you are hopefully not being forced to work today.  And if you are being forced to work… I hope you are being compensated properly.

Posted in Adoption, Bullying, Cancer, Education, Family and Friends, Inspired By..., Politics, Recreation, Side Effects, The Heart | Leave a comment
31 Aug 2020

Chadwick Forever


This past weekend, fans learned the sad news of the passing of an up and coming talent, Chadwick Boseman, best known for his role as the Marvel Super Hero, Black Panther.  He was only 43 years old.  His cause of death has left most who knew of him, with so many questions.  Boseman died from a cancer most often associated with someone older in age, colon cancer.  But as I have said so many times before, cancer does not discriminate by age.

The fact that Boseman hid his fight against cancer, including surgeries and treatments, all while filming, including his role as the Black Panther in his stand alone movie and appearances in the Avengers series, may be shocking to those who have never had cancer, but obviously not to those of us who have experienced cancer.

Hollywood can be especially brutal to actors when they are faced with health crisis, whether they be by their own devices, or in just the misfortunes of ill health.  In any case, though it has not been discussed why Boseman hid the news of his cancer, I am sure that there could be concern of losing value in Hollywood, even with the rise of his fame for portraying such icons as Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, James Brown, and of course the Black Panther.

No matter how much star power you have, ill health can take away all of your momentum, as if you were not worried about the outcome of your health was not enough.  This is not any different for us common people in the regular world either.  Out of fear of the impact on our employment, we often hide the news, or “put on the brave face” and show up for work, no matter what, and never let on, that we might not be having a good day.

The amazing movies that Boseman put out without letting on that he was facing colon cancer for nearly four years, is nothing compared to his connection to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Again, without letting anyone be aware of what he was dealing with, Boseman made various appearances at St. Jude’s offering so much joy to the many children there.  During an interview on Sirius Satellite Radio during promotions for Black Panther, Boseman got choked up as he spoke of his experiences of support to the children at St. Jude’s.  Of course, we all have a special place in our hearts for children with cancer, but Boseman had a secret close to home, and I am certain that he felt more than anyone, what these children were going through.

Colon cancer is not necessarily known for being diagnosed in younger people.  The American Cancer Society used to recommend early detection screening once you hit fifty years of age.  Only recently, as statistics show younger people now facing colon cancer, the ACS adjusted their age limit to 45 years of age.  Boseman was diagnosed at 39.

As a long term cancer survivor of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, one of my potential late side effects from my treatments, is developing a secondary cancer.  Common among us Hodgkoids, is colon cancer.  And so, as part of our follow-up, we actually get screened much younger than the recommended age.  Depending on the results of the colonoscopy, determines any frequency of future scopes.

Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel (pictured with Katie Couric whose husband died from colon cancer), made history by having his colonoscopy televised (not in its entirety).  The purpose was to bring awareness.

There are a lot of stigmas to having a colonoscopy, some well-deserved, and some just obscenely false.  The procedure is done with the patient either in twilight, or as in my case, out cold (a complication of my health history makes it necessary for me to be intubated), so by the time it is over, for the most part, you have no idea anything was even done.  You just have to wait for the news.  The most unpleasant part for most of us, is the “prep.”  A patient needs to completely empty out their bowels for the doctor to be able to get where they need to, and with an unobstructed view.  In many cases, multiple laxatives in large quantities (referred to as the prep), leave many with an overly bloated feeling, then only to spend many hours on the toilet.  To be honest, I have never heard anyone say it was “no big deal” doing the prep.  The quantity is what pushes us to our limits.  But other than that, it is a procedure that can save a life.

The one stigma that is unfortunately ignorant and untrue, some will not get a colonoscopy done, because they are afraid they will “wake up gay.”  Yes, some actually think, ignorantly, that because the procedure involves the rectum, the scope will somehow create homosexual tendencies.  I have run into a couple of people like this.  I spent a long time trying to convince my friends this was not the case, and the urgency of getting a colonoscopy.  Eventually, I would convince him, and he did confirm that I was telling him the truth, he would not be “altered” due to the procedure, a procedure that may have saved his life.

Why does a colonoscopy make a difference?  I mentioned earlier, about the frequency of colonoscopies based on results of the scope.  If you have a clean colonoscopy, really no pun intended, you are not likely to be requested to have a follow-up for ten years, possibly more.  But, if during the colonoscopy, the doctor discovers anything, in particular, polyps, these polyps can be removed, and of course tested.  “Polyps aren’t too big of a deal, right?”  Wrong.  Polyps have the potential to advance to cancer, colon cancer.  So yes, having a colonoscopy, discovering and removing any polyps, can help prevent colon cancer, one of the major cancer killers.

I am one of the unfortunately ones.  Not only did I have my first colonoscopy before the age of fifty, I am faced with having them every one to two years.  I develop polyps.  And fortunately, to this day, that is all I have had to deal with.  But my reality is known.  Without this preventative measure, I most likely would not have good chances.

There have been many in my life, who have sometimes criticized me for the awareness I have with my health.  “Just get over it.  Live your life!  You beat cancer!  Enjoy!”  I do not know the circumstances behind Boseman’s diagnosis or battle.  But he was diagnosed four years ago, at an age younger before my first colonoscopy.  If you know who Boseman is, he looked healthy, just as many who do not have the frequent surveillance that I do.  So you tell me who has the better odds… someone not being watched by their doctors because, based on health and age no reason to, or a cancer survivor like me, constantly monitored for what could go wrong next.

Like the actor, I try to go through my life, hiding the many things I face.  I don’t want to be a buzzkill worrying everybody, or incurring pity.  I have a good life, at least I feel it is, and I accept my limits which I rarely let on.  And only if you really pay attention, you can see it.  I get through my life without burdening most, and hopefully making a difference in the many worlds that I advocate for, cancer, adoption, and single parenting issues.

Hollywood lost a great actor who had a brilliant future ahead of him.  And we as fans can only watch the few outstanding films that he made, but will clearly last forever.

I normally save a post like this for Colon Cancer Screening Month, but with the passing of Chadwick Boseman, I felt this was the perfect time to bring awareness.  It can happen to anyone, anytime.

Wakanda forever Black Panther.  RIP Chadwick Boseman.

Posted in Cancer, Family and Friends, Inspired By..., Recreation, Side Effects | Leave a comment

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