Share a helping hand

It is very heart warming to see members of our community, and the friends of our community, become one in trying to achieve a worthy goal. As you will read in this issue, the cash donations collected in Manitoba by the Fil-Can Disaster Relief Fund Committee (as we go to press) is over $65,000 and still growing.

The problem continues in the Philippines. Displaced families need to get back on their feet. Businesses that were adversely affected by these recent typhoons will definitely find the road to recovery extremely challenging. The devastation caused by the super-typhoons was seen around the world. Thanks to the massive media coverage, people just knew it was time to share a helping hand. All of a sudden, our worries became too small and bearable compared to those who had to watch their loved ones die and worldly belongings disappear – either buried by the landslides or by flood that inundated their homes in mud and filth.

A recent report by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) indicated that continuing remittances from Filipinos working and residing abroad could help alleviate the negative impact of the natural disasters that the Philippines continue to experience. The OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) will again play a crucial role in boosting our motherland’s economy thereby helping the kababayans we left behind to heal. The Christmas season is coming soon and we know that this time, whatever amount we send back home will be more meaningful than before. Let us count our blessings and share them with our fellow Filipinos back home.

“Wash your hands…
Stay at home if you are feeling sick…
Cough or sneeze on your sleeve…”

And the indoctrination continues.

These days we can never be too sure if we are doing the right thing. I can’t afford to get sick and I also do not want to be the reason for someone else getting sick.

I have been washing my hands like crazy – to the point that my skin has become extremely dry and in danger of cracking. So, what do I do now? My handbag has become quite heavy because not only do I have my anti-bacterial hand sanitizer but I also have my heavy-duty hand lotion. Unlike in the past when the pocket size would serve my daily needs, now I must ensure that I have enough to last me from morning till night.

I also make sure I have Kleenex and a handkerchief ready to rescue me if I my throat gets itchy and I need to cough. I have also been practicing to cough or sneeze on my forearm sleeve. It takes a while to get used to this because I grew up just “covering my mouth when I cough” with a Kleenex or a hankie – or with my bare hands if I didn’t have enough time to get the right tools from my purse. Of course, upon pondering on this old habit, it is obvious that the germs get settled on to our hands. Then, it gets nastier because we touch our face, our nose and our eyes with the same hands that caught the germs from our cough. From touching parts of our own face, we shake hands with people we meet because that is the right thing to do socially. Worse, we have this habit of beso-beso (kiss-kiss) and the germs have a field day moving from one warm body to another.

Am I getting too paranoid or obsessed about being germ-free? Now I have begun to appreciate why the late Michael Jackson wore a mask and gloves when he went in public.

Media reports and warnings from our health authorities do not make our lives easy. Do I need a flu vaccine? If yes, which one do I get first – the seasonal flu vaccine or the H1N1 vaccine? And will I even be able to get any of these two flu vaccines? If I can’t get it because I am not considered a priority recipient of the flu vaccine, what then?

In this issue of Pilipino Express, our Health 101 columnist Armalyn Tesoro writes about the H1N1 vaccine. I invite you to read her column and be informed.

In the mean time, let us all keep in mind the basic rules: wash your hands as often as possible; stay at home if you are feeling sick; cough and sneeze on your sleeve if you don’t have a tissue; and please don’t forget your Purell and Kleenex!

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