GARY GREEN, M.D.
Health Columnist
Last November marked a full month that 5-year-old Ana had been learning to tie her own shoes. One of the older girls who lived a couple of doors down had been teaching her. That day, Ana refused to tie the shoes. She wouldn’t even sit down for snack time. Instead, she clutched a young woman and would not let go. Ana was not sick or scared. In fact, she was the happiest she had been in months.
The woman holding her was Pepperdine senior Natalie Abadir. The two had little in common. Like many Pepperdine students, Abadir has been raised in a loving and affluent family.
In stark contrast, Ana is an orphan from Tijuana, Mexico, the daughter of a crack-addicted mother who now serves a prison sentence across the street. Ana speaks no English, and Abadir speaks no Spanish, but despite the class, culture and language barriers, the two share one vital thing: a love for humanity.
“I want to be a doctor when I grow up so I can make people feel better,” Ana said through a translator.
Abadir is a member of Pepperdine’s Rotaract Club, an organization that includes some 30 students. About 15 of them take a trip every semester to a Tijuana-based orphanage known as the Dorcas House.
“I just love coming here because these kids rarely receive the attention they need,” Abadir said. “We can supply that for them, if only for a short while.”
The Rotaract Club, a networking organization in Pepperdine’s Business Division, devotes itself to making a difference in local and international communities, according to the division’s Web site. Rotary International, a 1.2 million-member, service-oriented organization, sponsors it. Malibu Rotary is the parent organization to Pepperdine’s Rotaract, which welcomes students of all majors to join.
Pepperdine Rotaract hosts multiple speaker seminars each semester and also participates in highway pickups, soup kitchen services and trips to places such as Dorcas House.
“Going to the Dorcas House every semester was the highlight of my career at Pepperdine,” alumnus Wendy Messenger said. “There is a sense of meaning and fulfillment I get from these children, who are so eager to love and be loved.”
Like many such institutions, the orphanage is understaffed and overpopulated. Three full-time employees and a part-time cook care for more than 40 children, who range from age 3 to 14.
“The problem is, we have a limited budget and an unlimited number of children who need help,” Dorcas House Director Sylvia Labouin said. “That is why the help of Rotaract every semester has just been an amazing blessing.”
The history of Dorcas House has close ties to Pepperdine’s Rotaract Club. In response to Mexico’s lack of programs addressing the children of convicted criminals, Malibu Rotary created the orphanage on Tijuana’s outskirts in 1999.
“Without Malibu Rotary, most of these children would grow up homeless and quite possibly (get) into a life of crime,” Labouin said. In addition to funding the orphanage, Malibu Rotary also provides money to Pepperdine Rotaract for Dorcas House interests, such as purchasing and presenting the children with gifts during the holiday season.
The Dorcas House excursion, which is set to take place this semester on Nov. 5, usually begins early on a Saturday morning. Students either carpool or take vans down for the four-hour ride to Tijuana.
“The vans tend to be a little more expensive, so we try and carpool as much as possible, so we can save the budget for the kids,” said senior Jessica Haynie, Rotaract’s president.
Students arrive with toys, sports equipment and arts and crafts materials. They play with the children for a few hours to get both students and children comfortable with the language barrier.
“They are always so happy to see us,” Haynie said. “Give them two minutes, and they’re already jumping around … giving us hugs and kisses.”
Students then take the children out for lunch and a movie. Last semester, they saw the Spanish version of “Shark Tale.”
“I tried to use the movie time as nap time,” Abadir said. “Ana wasn’t having it. She made absolute sure that I didn’t miss any of that movie by tugging on my shirt every time I closed my eyes.”
There are other activities following the movie — roller skating at the local rink, for instance. At the day’s end, students and children say their goodbyes.
“It’s sad because we only get to see them once or twice a semester, and we can only stay for one day,” Haynie said. “I’m in awe of the pureness of their hearts and am truly grateful for the opportunity to have the chance to visit.”
On last November’s trip, Ana told Abadir that she wanted to show her a surprise before the students left.
“I almost cried when I put her down,” Abadir said. “She plopped down on the floor, undid her shoe laces and started trying to retie them. She thought it was so important that I didn’t leave disappointed, since I had tried to get her to show me
earlier.”Around this time each year, the media send the public into a mild panic with dire predictions of a flu epidemic. During the past flu seasons, there was a limited supply of influenza vaccine, which exacerbated the situation even more. Despite a relative lack of vaccine, the United States did not experience the epidemic that was predicted to rival the 1918 outbreak that killed thousands.
This year, there seems to be an abundant supply of flu vaccine, and the Student Health Center can provide you with some. But more importantly, what exactly is the flu? And what options are available to deal with it?
In the class of Rhino and Reo viruses, there are well over 100 new cold and upper respiratory
viruses that originate each year. These infections produce varying degrees of fever, aches, nasal congestion, sore throat, increased cough and mucous production. Most healthy individuals will get one or two such infections per year, and there’s no specific treatment or prevention.
Influenza, in contrast, is a disease caused by two unique viruses, Influenza types A and B. Type A is responsible for nearly all the cases. Infection with Influenza type A/B usually results in high fevers, body aches, fatigue, nausea, diarrhea and respiratory symptoms such as a severe cough. For the majority of people, it’s a relatively benign problem, but exceptions include those who are extremely young or old, and those with compromised immune systems.
Three easy steps can help reduce your risk.
The first step is avoidance. It’s obviously helpful to avoid people who are already ill. Good hygiene, especially hand washing, can help reduce contact with the influenza virus.
Second, reduce your risk by following healthy lifestyle habits. Get enough rest and eat well, and it will help your immune system stay top-notch to help fight off infections. And here’s another reason to avoid smoking: It dries out the respiratory mucosa, and makes smokers more susceptible to respiratory infections.
Third, get an influenza vaccination. One can be had at the Health Center for $15, though flu-like symptoms can result for some individuals, and anyone with egg allergies shouldn’t try it, since it is cultured from eggs. This flu shot is a good option for anyone with a compromised immune system.
For those who don’t want a shot, another good option is a nasal vaccine such as FluMist, which is administered through a nasal spray. It can’t be administered to those with compromised immune systems and costs about $50, which most health insurance providers don’t cover.
If you begin to get flu symptoms, there are many over-the-counter remedies to help deal with them. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen reduce fevers and aches, decongestants and cough suppressants work for respiratory symptoms, and bismuth and loperamide can be used for diarrhea. It also is sensible to stay home from school or work if you are sick to limit spreading the virus to more people, and to get rest to avoid more serious complications.
The flu can also lead to more serious illnesses, such as pneumonia. If you have underlying respiratory diseases, it’s recommended that you receive a pneumonia vaccine every 10 years.
The Health Center has a rapid test to determine if you have the flu. Physicians use a nasal swab that can be read in about 10 minutes. It’s important to remember that of all the patients who contract an upper respiratory infection — cold, coughs, fevers, aches or congestion — very few actually have the flu. Garden-variety upper respiratory infections are much more common.
But if you are diagnosed with the flu, there are several anti-viral prescription medications that will reduce the severity. To be effective, however, they must be administered within the first 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. Again, these medications do not cure the flu, but they can reduce the severity and length of the infection.
This is an area where a little common sense goes a long way, and hopefully this year’s shortage of influenza vaccines will not result in a major epidemic. Although some people recommend supplements such as vitamin C, there is very little data to prove their efficacy. But like a warm bowl of chicken soup, it doesn’t hurt to take them if you feel the need.
Dr. Gary Green is a clinical professor at UCLA and a sports medicine specialist who sees patients at the Pepperdine Student Health Center. He also practices in Pacific Palisades at the Pacific Palisades Medical Group. He can be reached at the Pepperdine Health Center.
10-27-2005