Fear Attitudes Research Articles

The pattern of traditional and modern bone setting among the people in a selected community in Kano, Nigeria: a comparative study

Background: Bone setting practices contribute largely to alternative medicine almost all over the world. It’s commonly accessible in large parts of rural populations. The aim of the study was to determine the pattern of traditional and modern bone settings among the people in a selected community in Kano, Nigeria.Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional type of study carried out from January to May 2019 to determine the pattern of traditional and modern bone (TBS and MBS) settings among the people residing in Kano, Nigeria. A simple random sampling technique was used to select a total of 222 study participants from the selected community. In this study, a face-to-face interview technique was used to collect the information from the study participants using a semi-structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using a statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) 22.0 version.Results: In this study, about 34.7% were between 31-35 years and most of the respondents (28.4%) had secondary school level of education. Slightly above nine-tenths (90.1%) of the respondents stated that TBS is more preferable than MBS and the reason for preference were fear of amputation/operation (51.0%), lack of knowledge (32.0%), the attitude of health personnel (28.0%) and fear of the application of plaster of paris (25.0%).Conclusions: The finding of this study reveals more than half of the respondents had enough knowledge of both traditional and modern bone settings. The public should be educated about the modern method of bone setting and the complications of traditional bone setting.

Reasons for the utilization of the services of traditional birth attendants during childbirth: A qualitative study in Northern Ghana.

Background:Skilled delivery reduces maternal and neonatal mortality. Ghana has put in place measures to reduce geographical and financial access to skilled delivery. Despite this, about 30% of deliveries still occur either at home or are conducted by traditional birth attendants. We, therefore, conducted this study to explore the reasons for the utilization of the services of traditional birth attendants despite the availability of health facilities.Method:Using a phenomenology study design, we selected 31 women who delivered at facilities of four traditional birth attendants in the Northern region of Ghana. Purposive sampling was used to recruit only women who were resident at a place with a health facility for an in-depth interview. The interviews were recorded and transcribed into Microsoft word document. The transcripts were imported into NVivo 12 for thematic analyses.Results:The study found that quality of care was the main driver for traditional birth attendant delivery services. Poor attitude of midwives, maltreatment, and fear of caesarean section were barriers to skilled delivery. Community norms dictate that womanhood is linked to vaginal delivery and women who deliver through caesarean section do not receive the same level of respect. Traditional birth attendants were believed to be more experienced and understand the psychosocial needs of women during childbirth, unlike younger midwives. Furthermore, the inability of women to procure all items required for delivery at biomedical facilities emerged as push factors for traditional birth attendant delivery services. Preference for squatting position during childbirth and social support provided to mothers by traditional birth attendants are also an essential consideration for the use of their services.Conclusion:The study concludes that health managers should go beyond reducing financial and geographical access to improving quality of care and the birth experience of women. These are necessary to complement the efforts at increasing the availability of health facilities and free delivery services.

МЕЖСАМЦОВЫЕ ВЗАИМОДЕЙСТВИЯ НА НЕЙТРАЛЬНОЙ ТЕРРИТОРИИ И ПОСЛЕДУЮЩАЯ ДИНАМИКА УРОВНЯ КОРТИКОСТЕРОНА И ТЕСТОСТЕРОНА В КРОВИ У РУЧНЫХ И АГРЕССИВНЫХ СЕРЫХ КРЫС ( RATTUS NORVEGICUS )

Stress responses studied earlier in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) selected for the absence or enhancement of the aggressive–fearful attitude to humans (tame and aggressive behavior, respectively) were targeted mainly at nonsocial factors, whereas the data on the consequences of social stress induced, in particular, by interactions with a conspecific are scarce. It has already been shown that the selection of Norway rats for tame and aggressive behavior towards humans causes an attenuation or enhancement of intraspecific intermale aggression. In order to find out whether the differences in aggressiveness are accompanied by hormonal changes, variations of the blood levels of corticosterone and testosterone after the test for intermale aggression have been studied in tame, aggressive, and unselected rats reproduced in a vivarium for 7–8 generations as a reference. The goal of this work is to investigate the effect of selection for attitude to humans on agonistic interactions in an unfamiliar cage or in neutral territory and on the subsequent variation of blood corticosterone and testosterone levels in tame, aggressive, and unselected rats. In our experiments, tame males show longer attack latency than aggressive or unselected ones, and the duration of their aggressive behavior and the number of its patterns are much less, close to zero. In the test in neutral territory, aggressive rats are inferior to unselected in the overall time of confrontations. More pronounces signs of aggressiveness in unselected males in comparison to aggressive or tame are noted against the background of elevated basal corticosterone levels and elevated stress responsiveness. The lower aggressiveness of tame rats in the test in neutral territory correlates with the lower testosterone level after the test as compared to unselected or aggressive animals.

VARIATION IN ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES AMONG HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS IN COVID 19 PANDEMIC: ARE THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE AND DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES UNDERLYING DETERMINANTS

OBJECTIVE
 To measure the impact of knowledge and demographic variables on attitude and practices among healthcare workers regarding Covid-19 in Punjab-Pakistan
 STUDY DESIGN
 A cross-sectional survey using electronic distribution of questionnaire.
 SETTING AND DURATION OF STUDY
 The study was conducted through online survey in Punjab province from 11.7.2020-20.7.20
 SUBJECTS AND METHODS
 Through snowball sampling technique, a sample of 350 healthcare workers was taken from all over the Punjab after taking consent. Demographic information was collected on demographic sheet. Survey questionnaire contained 29 items to assess knowledge, attitude and practices concerning the epidemic. The collected data was analyzed in SPSS version 20.
 RESULTS
 Results showed that most of the participants (64.8%) fall in the category of minimal knowledge, mean scores on fearful attitude measure was 2.72 with standard deviation 1.36.Around 52.9% healthcare workers have poor practices while 47.1% in good practices category. Positive correlation between knowledge and practices was found significant (p<0.05). Results of regression analysis demonstrated that knowledge influences practices significantly (β= .12, p< .001), i.e. it gives positive correlation among healthcare workers :F (1, 348) = 5.01. Moreover, these was significant difference in knowledge scores for six profession groups: F (5, 344) = 73.91.
 CONCLUSION
 The study concluded that most of the healthcare workers have minimal knowledge of covid-19, however their attitudes and practices vary from each other. The knowledge of healthcare staff highly affects their practices regarding pandemic. Moreover, profession influence the level of knowledge. However the place of residence is not statistically significantly associated with practices and knowledge. The findings can help to draw interventions for enhancing positive practices among healthcare workers.

Echoic Communications and Pragmatic Relevance of COVID 19 Memes in Nigeria’s Social Media Space

There are greater possibilities for a language utterance to have more meanings than what is stated. It is also possible for the hearers/audience to interpret what the speaker has in mind beyond what the speaker has put out in words. These meanings derived in this form are echoic and they are arrived at by choosing meanings that contextually relevant involving the least effort. How echoic relevant definitions are achieved has been studied using different language instances. Still, none in the researchers' knowledge has investigated how the COVID 19 social media memes, as used by Nigerians, communicate deeper meanings that are contextually relevant and how the echoic interpretations reveal the users' attitude. On this basis, therefore, the present study investigated the echoic nature of COVID 19 related social media memes as used by Nigerians. The study used Sperber and Wilson (1986) relevance theory as the theoretical framework and qualitatively analyzed Ten (10) purposefully selected memes. In the end, the study found out that interpretations of memes are significantly linked with the shared cognitive background knowledge which the speaker/meme creator and the hearer/audience have. Also, memes could echo the attitude of concern, disdain and fear while also harboring deeper meanings that contextually relevant and implicit.

English

The study aim to determine the factors that make women deliver at home after attending antenatal care, to determine the awareness of women on risks associated with home delivery, to determine the type of birth attendants’ available during home delivery, and to explore the opinions of women on various strategies to prevent home delivery. A non- experimental cross-sectional design was used, with a target population of 960 people and systematic random sampling technique was employed to select the sample of 132 subjects out of the target population. Participation was voluntary and the principle of informed consent was ensured. Questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection but only 121 were retrieved and analyzed, using SPSS Version 23. The findings of the study revealed that, women deliver at home due to cost of hospital services, male attendant during delivery, distance of the health facility from their home, poor attitude of health care provider and fear of surgical procedure. Also, according to the findings, the strategies of preventing home delivery includes provision of free maternal and child services, good health care provider attitude, health education on danger associated with home delivery, and adequate man power. In conclusion, majority of respondents were aware on factors that make them deliver at home. Recommendations were made that, health services should be subsidized and made available to women of child bearing ages and health education as well as improvement of community awareness on the importance of institutional delivery should be planned and implemented. Key words: Determinants, home-delivery, antenatal care.

Social Stigma during COVID-19 and its Impact on HCWs Outcomes

The COVID-19 emergency has significantly transformed the working environment and job demands. Providing care was emotionally difficult for healthcare workers. Uncertainty, stigmatisation, and potentially exposing their families to infection were prominent themes for healthcare workers (HCWs) during the crisis, which first broke out in China at the end of 2019, and then in Italy in early 2020. This study examined the effects of stigma, job demands, and self-esteem, and the consequences of working as a “frontline care provider” with patients infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19). A correlational design study involved 260 healthcare workers (HCWs) working in a large hospital in southern Italy. The following questionnaires were administered: (1) the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ), for assessing psychological and physical demands; (2) the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL) to measure the quality individuals feel in relation to their work as “frontline care providers”, through three dimensions: compassion fatigue (CF), burnout (BO), and compassion satisfaction (CS); (3) the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, for evaluating individual self-esteem; (4) a self-administered multiple-choice questionnaire developed by See et al. about attitudes of discrimination, acceptance, and fear towards HCWs exposed to COVID-19. The findings suggest that stigma has a high impact on workers’ outcomes. Stigma may influence worker compliance and can guide management communication strategies relating to pandemic risk for HCWs.

A phygital approach to cultural heritage: augmented reality at Regaleira

<p>In the last two decades, contemporary society has been conceptualized and discussed around the assumption that digital technologies are its most defining feature. Jean Baudrillard’s take on the Fable of Borges suggests a replacement of the physical world by a virtual experiencing life, setting the tone for a pessimistic and somewhat fearful attitude towards technological development. On the verge of the dissemination of disruptive innovations that can be described under the “umbrella” of Internet of Things (IoT), we observe not a replacement, but a deep and complex intertwining of online and offline experiences, sketching the contours of what can become a phygital society. This alternative conceptualization of our contemporary society, combined with the possibilities of technological development, affords new opportunities for the expression and experiencing of culture, and also for the creative industries. In our research, we explore the impact of one augmented reality (AR) app designed for one of the landmarks of the Portuguese cultural heritage, Quinta da Regaleira. We explored this single-case study using qualitative data collection techniques, aiming to discuss the positive and negative outcomes of this innovation, both for the dynamizing of cultural heritage, and for the visitors. The article provides useful information for heritage spaces that wish to follow this path. It describes the main steps to be taken in the production of content and provides examples of the narrative model that helps people to visit the space and obtain information, knowing stories relevant to the past and present of the cultural heritage. The objective is to clarify, finally, due to the research developed in the Quinta da Regaleira case study, what kind of stories and experiences can be narrated, the strengths of this application, its limitations, and paths for future investigations.</p>

ATTITUDES IN FRONT OF DEATH: NURSES’ VIEWS IN THE HOSPITAL ENVIRONMENT

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the relationship between personal characteristics and the profile of attitudes towards death among nurses in a Portuguese hospital. Method: a cross-sectional, quantitative, exploratory and descriptive study, carried out in a hospital in the North of Portugal, with 981 nurses, who answered a questionnaire composed by the scale of evaluation of the Profile of Attitudes about Death. Data collection was carried out in February and March 2018 in the services, and the findings went through descriptive and analytical statistical analysis with the aid of the SPSS software. Results: the nurses revealed to have the attitudes of approach (36.29 points), fear (27.82 points), neutrality (27.25 points), avoidance (17.48 points) and escape (15.52 points) in the face of death, and these were associated with the different socio-occupational characteristics of these professionals, including gender, marital status, age, having children, type of employment relationship, professional category, specialty, time of service, and the practice or belief of some religion. Conclusion: the profile of the nurses' attitudes towards death is influenced by their socio-professional characteristics, which points to the importance of rethinking training strategies in the academic environment, in health organizations and in services, favoring the better reception of patients and family members, but also in relieving the suffering of the professionals in the face of finitude.

Tragedy of Errors- An Analysis of Human Factor in Medical Errors

William Shakespeare wrote a play “Comedy of error”, but this is about medical error which may often result in tragic outcome. We often read about medical errors and sometimes realise in our clinical practice that an error has been committed by us or our team leading to an adverse event. Sometimes, these errors are due to lack of knowledge and sometimes due to improper communication and misinterpretations. The aim of this manuscript is to analyse the causes of medical errors, which may vary from irrational prescription, attitudes of arrogance in seniors and juniors leading to communication gaps, bad hand writings or wrong patient selection for surgical intervention for economic benefits. Use of Artificial intelligence, Data mining and Medical informatics can rectify errors of improper assessment and irrational prescription. Self-introspection and spirituality can prevent errors arising from attitudes of arrogance, fear, greed and pride in medical professional.

Perception of money resources and psychological attitudes toward globalised world

The aim of the research was to identify differences between selected age groups in attitudes toward the contemporary globalised world and material personal resources. The Questionnaire World-I and the Time and Money Survey were used. Examined were 905 participants: 20–26 years old (n = 315), 27–40 years old (n = 317), and 60–88 years old (n = 273). The results demonstrated that acceptance of the contemporary world was higher in the emerging and young adult groups than in the late adults, while the opposite was the case for critical and fearful attitudes. This was evident for older people with below average material resources. The research showed that in order to be less negative about the globalised world, it is useful to stabilise material conditions of people, especially the older ones.

Supplementing the lack of ubuntu? The ministry of Zimbabwe’s Mashoko Christian Hospital to people living with HIV and AIDS in challenging their stigmatisation in the church

This article uses the African communal concept of ubuntu to reflect on the ministry of Mashoko Christian Hospital (MCH), Zimbabwe, to people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS (PLWHA) during the early days since the discovery of the disease. The main question this article seeks to answer is: from a perspective of the African philosophy of ubuntu, how did the ministry of MCH to PLWHA challenge the fear and judgemental attitudes towards the disease within the Churches of Christ in Zimbabwe? This leads to another question: what should the churches learn from MCH’s response to HIV and AIDS? This article only focusses on trends in conduct and not on a detailed history of engaging HIV and AIDS. The significance of this article is to demonstrate the important role played by faith-based organisations (FBOs) in complementing the compassion and care often lacking in the official churches’ response to HIV and AIDS.

La influencia de la formación en las actitudes hacia las personas con trastorno mental en una muestra de estudiantes universitarios

La prevalencia de los trastornos mentales en atención primaria ha sido objeto de numerososestudios y se sitúa entre un 24 y un 30% en nuestro medio. Sin embargo, sólo entre un tercio y la mitad de los casos son reconocidos correctamente por el médico de Atención Primaria, no encontrándose diferencias en las actitudes ni en los conocimientos entre los médicos de familia con formación vía MIR (Médico Interino Residente) y no MIR, a pesar de que el programa formativo MIR incluya formación en salud mental (Arrillaga, Sarasqueta, Ruz y Sánchez, 2004). Diversos profesionales se encuentran en su desempeño diario situaciones de interacción con estos pacientes pudiendo actuar como perpetuadores del estigma si muestran actitudes negativas de miedo y hostilidad (Roos y Goldner, 2009)El objetivo de este estudio es conocer si la formación durante la carrera modifica las actitudes hacia los enfermos mentales de los futuros profesionales de Ciencias de la Salud y de Ciencias Sociales y Jurídicas. Se administró el cuestionario “Opiniones sobre la enfermedad mental” (Ozamiz, 1980) a 820 estudiantes (70,37% mujeres y 29,63% hombres) de diferentes titulaciones de Ciencias de la Salud y Ciencias Sociales y Jurídicas. Esta escala informa sobre la Actitud general y 5 subdimensiones (Negativismo, Etiología social, Autoritarismo, Restrictividad y Prejuicio), obteniendo una fiabilidad superior a .7 en Negativismo y Etiología Social.Los resultados indican que los estudiantes de último curso tanto de las titulaciones vinculadas a Ciencias de la Salud como a Ciencias Sociales y Jurídicas muestran en general una actitud más positiva, menores niveles de Negativismo hacia el enfermo mental y mayor tolerancia, en comparación con el alumnado de primer curso. Además, los estudiantes de primer curso de las titulaciones vinculadas a Ciencias de la Salud presentan una actitud en general más positiva hacia los enfermos mentales, menos Negativismo y mayor tolerancia hacia los mismos, en comparación con los estudiantes de primer curso de grados vinculados a Ciencias Sociales y Jurídicas, indicando la posible influencia vocacional en la elección de titulaciones sanitarias.

Barriers to cervical cancer screening among rural women in eastern China: a qualitative study

ObjectivesTo explore barriers to free cervical cancer screening among rural women in China from the perspective of women, healthcare providers and women’s husbands to inform intervention planning.DesignA qualitative study framed...

The influence of an educational internet-based intervention in the beliefs and attitudes of primary care professionals on non-specific chronic low back pain: study protocol of a mixed methods approach

BackgroundPersonal convictions in referral to pain cause misbeliefs in health professionals, which can influence patients who suffer from non-specific chronic low back pain. Likewise, health professionals’ beliefs affect their advice and attitudes towards patients’ treatment, becoming a possible cause of greater disability. The development of educational interventions based on the best scientific evidence in neurophysiology of pain could be a way to provide information and advice to primary care health professionals to change their cognition towards chronic non-specific low back pain. The use of Information and Communication Technologies allows the development of web sites, which might be one of the effective resources to modify misbeliefs and attitudes, in relation to the origin and meaning of non-specific chronic low back pain, of primary care professionals and that may modify their attitudes in patients’ treatment.MethodsThe aim of this project is to identify misbeliefs and attitudes of primary care physicians and nurses about chronic non-specific low back pain to develop a web-based educational tool using different educational formats and gamification techniques. This study has a mixed-method sequential exploratory design. The participants are medical and nursing staff working in primary care centers in the city of Lleida, Spain. For the qualitative phase of this study, the authors will use personal semi-structured interviews. For the quantitative phase the authors will use an experimental study design. Subjects will be randomly allocated using a simple random sample technique. The intervention group will have access to the web site where they will find information related to non-specific chronic low back pain, based on the information obtained in the qualitative phase. The control group will have access to a video explaining the clinical practice guidelines on low back pain.DiscussionThis study has been designed to explore and modify the beliefs and attitudes about chronic low back pain of physicians and nurses working in primary care settings, using a web-based educational tool with different educational formats and gamification techniques. The aim of the educational intervention is to change their knowledge about the origin and meaning of pain, with the result of reducing their misbeliefs and attitudes of fear avoidance.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02962817. Date of registration: 11/09/2016.

ISLAMIC FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY TOWARDS THE ADVANCEMENT OF ISLAMIC BANKING IN INDONESIA

Responding to the digital economy in the era of industrial revolution 4.0, the quality of sharia banking services in Indonesia is estimated and expected to increase significantly, in order to reach all levels of society, especially for people who live in the 3T area (terdepan/frontier, terluar/outermost, and terpencil/isolated). However, currently the quality of sharia banking services in Indonesia is not yet satisfactory, especially by people living in the 3T area. this research, trying to answer the challenge through a SWOT analysis of the application of financial technology policies in Islamic banks, with the hope of the quality of Islamic banking services can be improved and felt by all levels of Indonesian society and banking players can quickly understand and act. The management of Islamic banking management functions appropriately is based on an attitude of fear of Allah SWT, in the context of managing internal and external assets that include banking activities in a holistic manner. Thus, this study aims to analyze more deeply the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of the application of Islamic banking financial technology (mobile banking) in Indonesia, the results showed a significant achievement compared to the previous year, even though in the global context, there were still many breakthroughs needed so that the 3T community could utilize optimal Islamic banking services

Barriers Limiting Youth Access to Reproductive Health Services by Primary Health Care Facilities in Nigeria

Youth represent a tremendously valuable asset to the society therefore working with them to make a healthy transition to adulthood is critical to the world's development now and in the future. The issue of youth-friendly health service has become a matter of concern as many young people still do not have access to such in the country. The community survey was designed to generate increased understanding of the barriers that limit youth access to sexual and reproductive health services(SRH) offered by Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities in Nigeria. Stratified and Purposive Sampling with qualitative and quantitative research methodology was adopted. Qualitative data were obtained through 12 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and 48 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs). For the quantitative component, an interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to elicit information from 300 randomly selected adolescents and youth. The mean age of respondents was 18.9 ± 4.4 years. Reported barriers to youth's access to SRH services were lack of awareness (67.3%), cost of services (46.7%), negative attitude of health care providers (39.7%) and fear of parents and what people will say (32.0%). The results shows that community mobilization for awareness creation and support on SRH issues (59.3%), will support youth to better access SRH services in PHC facilities

New Realignment of Fears in France and Europe

This article is based mostly on a study conducted throughout 2016 in France, Poland, the UK, Spain, Sweden and Germany with the think tank Demos and the Institute Notre Europe – Institut Jacques Delors, called ‘Nothing to fear but fear itself’. The paper focuses mainly on France and departs from the statement that we are living a sort of backlash against the ‘multiculturalist’ approach to integration. This, as shown throughout the paper, cannot always be linked to some of the new fears European societies are facing, but it is the necessary contextual starting point when analysing one of those new fears, namely the hardening of social attitudes on immigration and diversity. This paper points out three of the most common symptoms regarding the new alignment of fears in Europe. It suggests that Europe is not only witnessing a rise of fearful attitudes about terrorism or uncertainty, but also the rise of a society that shows signs of exhaustion regarding the values that used to be the bed stone of European openness. The three symptoms described are: i) growing support for authoritarian populist parties, ii) a low and failing trust in political institutions, iii) a hardening of social attitudes regarding immigration and diversity.Received: 10 January 2018 Accepted: 9 May 2018 Published online: 31 October 2018

Las actitudes del alumnado universitario frente a las personas con trastorno mental

La enfermedad mental es un problema de salud a nivel mundial que afecta a una de cada cuatro personas. A pesar de su elevada incidencia, existe una fuerte discriminación social sobre estos enfermos (OMS, 2004). Diversos profesionales se encuentran en su desempeño diario situaciones de interacción con estos pacientes pudiendo actuar como perpetuadores del estigma si muestran actitudes negativas de miedo y hostilidad (Roos y Goldner, 2009). Asimismo, el contacto con estos enfermos mentales condicionará las actitudes hacia la propia enfermedad. El objetivo de este estudio es conocer las actitudes hacia los enfermos mentales de los futuros profesionales de Ciencias de la Salud, en comparación con el alumnado de otras ramas de conocimiento, y explorar si mantener contacto con estos enfermos puede modificar dicha actitud. Se administró el cuestionario “Opiniones sobre la enfermedad mental” (Ozamiz, 1980) a 820 estudiantes (70,37% mujeres y 29,63% hombres) de diferentes titulaciones de Ciencias de la Salud y Ciencias Sociales y Jurídicas. Esta escala informa sobre la Actitud general y 5 subdimensiones (Negativismo, Etiología social, Autoritarismo, Restrictividad y Prejuicio), obteniendo una fiabilidad superior a .7 en Negativismo y Etiología Social. Los resultados indican que los estudiantes de Ciencias de la Salud muestran menores niveles de Negativismo hacia el enfermo mental que el alumnado de Ciencias Sociales y Jurídicas, independientemente del contacto mantenido. Además, los estudiantes que manifiestan haber tenido contacto con estos enfermos presentan menores niveles de Negativismo, no diferenciándose de forma estadísticamente significativa ni en la Actitud general, ni en Etiología social, con independencia de la titulación cursada. Estos resultados parecen indicar que una actitud negativa hacia el enfermo mental es menor entre el alumnado de Ciencias de la Salud en comparación con las Ciencia Sociales y Jurídicas, y entre los que han mantenido contactos con enfermos mentales.

Limited Medical History: An Adoption Story.

Limited Medical History: An Adoption Story Lisa McPherson I have always known that I was adopted. Growing up, our closest family friend’s children were also adopted. As an adult, and a parent, I was a bit more aware of how not having family history could be a problem. And at the age of 51, I was diagnosed with colon cancer. Through many doctor and hospital visits I was asked repeatedly for my family health history. Thankfully, I had surgery, then chemotherapy, and am now five years cancer-free. Throughout my life, I have wanted to know more about myself, where I came from, what were the circumstances surrounding my being placed for adoption, and if I belonged to a family somewhere. In my mid-twenties, my adopted brother was contacted by his birth mother and to say that I was envious would be an understatement. He met with her one time and then broke off all contact with her as he seemed to not need, as I did, to know more about himself. With the advent of computers and internet searches, I began digging into adoption sites. I wrote letters to be put in a file in case my birth mother was looking for me. Nothing was ever found this way. I contacted my adoption agency and they were not very helpful either. It seemed there were two options—I could do a full search that would cost nearly $1000 but it carried no guarantees or I could pay $250 for non-identifying background information which may include health history that my birth mother may have given at the time of my birth. No guarantees here either but it was a much more affordable gamble. What I expected to receive was a synopsis of my birth family’s health history and maybe some information that would tell me more about the people I came from. What I did receive was information on personality, hobbies, interests and social make up of my birth-mother and birth-father but no real health history. My birth-mother stated that her father, my grandfather, had had a heart attack at age 52. While I was disappointed with the amount of health information I received, I was overjoyed to read the two pages that told me that my birth mother had many of the same interests and talents as I did! I was surprised to learn that three of my four birth-grandparents were teachers as I have a degree in education and that my birth father was in the ministry as that has been my vocation for the past 20 years! I was shocked to learn that rather than having a teen-age birth-mother who decided she was too young to raise a baby, she was a 27-year-old divorcee raising a six year old daughter alone. My birth-father was five years younger and has no idea that I exist as she never told him she was pregnant. My joy at learning I have a half-sister is shadowed with frustration as I don’t know more. Just a few years after receiving my background information, I began noticing changes in my health; extreme fatigue after climbing stairs, shortness of breath and my color was not quite right, I called my doctor and made an appointment thinking I was having heart problems due solely to what I read in my non-identifying background information. All heart screenings came back normal. My blood work, though, told a different story. My hemoglobin was 5.5. I was bleeding from somewhere even though I had no indications of that. During a colonoscopy and endoscopy, my tumor was found. I was somewhat shocked as you never expect that to happen to yourself. My husband and children took the news very well and began cheering me on. It was more difficult to tell my friends about my diagnosis as they would often go to an attitude of fear and worry and I found myself assuring them that I would be okay. This was exhausting. After a few days of that I transitioned into “well, let’s fix this mode” and began calling doctor friends for...