H1N1: How can you help?
The following article is submitted by Rev. Amy Shanholtzer, Director of Evangelism and Congregational Development.
It’s official. Our household has joined the nationwide statistic – as one that has experienced H1N1. I’ll understand if you prefer to be in another time zone for the next week or two.
This is what I’ve learned so far. It came on fast and furious in our case. We were told to get to the doc within the first 24-48 hours for Tamiflu to be of any assistance. Good luck getting into the doc -I’ve never seen our pediatrician’s office so full of sick children and parents. The final verdict on the swab test took about 24 hours. Tamiflu cost about $115.00 at Rite-Aid, before insurance co-pay. We added in hand sanitizer, Lysol spray and a three pack of Kleenex for the sick child. Then, plan on keeping child home from school for 24-48 hours after fever is gone.
It’s a challenge. It’s always a challenge for working parents managing childhood illnesses. This one will impact more families, because it’s new. It will challenge the working poor, the uninsured and children on the edge most of all – to afford the medicine that will shorten the duration of the illness so that there’s less time off work and school for those who can least afford to miss.
Illnesses in children strike fear into the heart of parents. The unknown strikes fear into everyone’s heart. What is the antidote to fear? Perfect love drives out fear – 1 John 4:18b.
How can we love in the midst of illness in our communities? As I meet with members of UM Churches all over WV, I am regularly hear the lament, “We don’t have any young people in our churches anymore.” Right now, the young people in your communities are facing the challenge of caring for the sick and trying to keep their financial ships afloat in the midst of it. What does perfect love look like then? How can you care for those you are longing for in your houses of worship?
I don’t know for sure. I do know that some prayer and ingenuity is likely to produce some creative results.
Should you donate hand sanitizer to your local school? (I had a friend in higher education administration jokingly tell me I should invest in companies that produce it – now I’m not so sure he was joking). Could your church sponsor one family without insurance to receive Tamiflu for a week? Who do you know in the health care arena who can tell you how you and your church can make a difference?
Mother Teresa said, “I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor. Do you know your next door neighbor?” This would be a good time to find out.
