Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa

As a member of a team assembled by the Center for International Health, I visited Johannesburg, South Africa this year to consult with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Trust on a project to build the city’s first children’s hospital.

Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa, with a population of more than 9 million people. I was overwhelmed with the state of the city – poverty, shantytowns and the devastating effects of AIDS.

Currently, one-third of all pregnant women in Johannesburg test positive for AIDS. This translates to more children born with the disease. When our group traveled to the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, a two-hour flight from Johannesburg, we learned of the impact AIDS has on young people. We met a young man who, at the age of 11, had lost both his parents to AIDS. Now 18, he grew up in the streets and is working hard to make a life for himself.

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A child is 14 times more likely to survive a bike crash if he or she is wearing a helmet.

Each day in emergency rooms across the country, more than 700 kids are treated for injuries received while riding bikes, skateboards and scooters. Many of these injuries are life-threatening and disabling. Wearing helmets and other protective gear, and following the rules of the road can help prevent injuries.

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When I decided to become a nurse, supporting political positions never crossed my mind. Of course I have opinions! But publicly advocating for them never was a priority.

Recently, I finally found my voice.

I had the opportunity to participate in the Wisconsin’s Hospital Association’s Advocacy Day at the state capitol in Madison. What an enlightening experience! Our day consisted of fabulous speakers who gave us interesting perspectives on the state of health care reform and its impact on Wisconsin.

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Our son Leo told us he had a headache three days in a row upon waking up. My husband, a family practice physician, told me that children don’t have headaches and on day three, had Leo go for a CT scan. Our world turned around when we saw a tumor that was one-third the size of the back of his brain. It needed to be taken out immediately.

Sept. 2, 2009, was when our nightmare began. Leo underwent a seven-hour surgery. The surgeon came out after just a few hours to tell us that the frozen section of Leo’s tumor revealed that he had medulloblastoma. This type of brain tumor only affects 500 children per year. Our Leo had gone from a healthy boy starting school to a boy who could no longer turn over in bed due to weakness and lack of coordination caused by the tumor.

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It’s finally here: spring! It’s time to open the windows to let in some fresh air!

But wait, this also is the time of year when you hear news reports about small children falling from windows. In fact, every year, thousands of children fall from open windows causing serious injury or death. This year, there already have been at least two incidences in our area.

Window screens are not enough. They are made to keep bugs outside – they won’t keep children inside. There is an effective device that can help protect children from falling out of windows – window guards. These guards are easy to install and have a release mechanism in case of an emergency.

Remember, no device replaces active parent supervision. Safety items such as window guards are an aide to help busy, overworked parents.

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