This morning i woke up at 945 in a hospital bed. not just any hospital bed but one at one of the best transplant and cystic fibrosis centers in the country. its cushy. the walls arent stark white but a calming tan with a pretty leaf design, curtains block out the light so i could sleep in and i was warm, safe, i had the medicines i needed and could order my breakfast from my cell phone as soon as my medicines were given to me and my respiratory treatments were finished. i was woken up gently, with a hand on my leg and a care tech, ice water in hand, saying my name softly. ive been doing this for 5 days and tomorrow i go home to my house. my warm bed. my dog and my family. home cooked meals and again, every medicine that i need to keep me as healthy as possible.
this is an easy stay aside from the moments of anxiety which are, in all honestly, small potatoes.
on the other side of the world a child woke up not to the sound of a tech bringing fresh water gently waking them but to the crash of a bomb. they choked on chlorine gas instead of receiving medical treatment they desperately needed and if that hadnt have killed them then odds are starvation, or another bomb, would have.
today i participated in a twitter storm to bring awareness to the trouble in Syria and east Aleppo and i have not stopped thinking about it all day. my stays here in the hospital used to be hard on me, i hated my illness and the medical treatment i received was pain and discomfort i didnt appreciate. Aleppo's last hospital has been bombed and there are people, children, not receiving the simplest of care they need none the less the cushy western medicine i have on a slow drip and pangs of guilt when i push my call light for Tylenol and xanax for my simple pains and problems hit me like bullets.
the images ive shared on my twitter today will stick with me forever. the images ive seen on the stories in the group im a part of on facebook will haunt me. The stories of the people suffering continents away will stick with me forever.
I wasnt super involved in this movement and to be perfectly honest i had no idea what was happening there until i read some posts by someone who about a year ago became a good friend, mentor, and the ultimate role model not just for me but for women everywhere. shes started the hash tag #StandWithAleppo (which i encourage you all to use, share, all the above) and look into the crisis going on over seas.We have bombings here, we have murder, and we have senseless shootings and we mourn them as we should, We worry about our rights with this upcoming administration coming into office, women's rights, disabled rights, gun laws, the effects on the minority population and the fear mongering spreading hate throughout our country so we have plenty to fear on American turf. im not saying that America is safe and sound and we have nothing to worry about, but did you wake up and wonder if today was the day you would starve to death? Did you look at your emaciated child and wish they had food in their belly's? did you feel the sadness that your child wouldnt get an education or medical attention that day?
The bombings overseas have left many dead and many scarred. I dont usually use my blog to post about causes such as this but then again ive been a bit blinded by the comforts i have around me and ignorant to the plight of others. ive only recently come to really invest myself in my countries political system, get involved in the rights of not only myself as a disabled woman but the rights of others who dont fall in the 1% that seems to gain the most and has the least to fear. Ive just recently been exposed to the struggles and strengths of people in much worse situations than myself and i cannot stand for these injustices.
I urge you to get involved. I urge you to research and i urge you to check your privileges a little tonight. i have this platform that i dont know reaches many but if i reach even a few, if i make the tiniest little difference than ive suceeded. I wont flood my blog with humanitarian posts and politics (a lot, although like i said this new administration is going to bring challenges and big changes and many of them will effect me directly) but i do plan on becoming more involved. i plan on fighting the things i dont agree on and fighting for the rights of myself, my fellow Americans, and the rights of men women and children in places that are not as fortunate to have the petty problems we have here.
tomorrow i go home. it breaks my heart that so many dont have a home to go to, a hospital to receive care in, a school to learn in, or food to eat. words like rations, genocide, refugees- these are not words we should be hearing. use your voice and help make a change.
im including links and information on the bottom of this post for those who want to get involved. please consider taking action.
passing the caesar bill
Syrian American Medical Society
NYT crisis in Syria and Aleppo
Tweet Your Congress
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