Racism tinted Sunglasses

This is a story that was sent to me, it is not about cancer, but it shows racism.

 

My daughter was taken to hospital from school after a fight at school. I went up to the hospital and found it really difficult to get to my daughter, she is 14 the general attitude was that she was old enough to take care of herself she isn’t she is still a kid and this was the first time she was in a hospital since she was born and she was there all by herself. I was in the waiting room she is in a cubicle alone having to make decisions alone without anyone on her side.

She was asked if she had had sex she said no. She was asked if she had a boyfriend, she was asked again about having sex, they told her it’s alright to admit to it they won’t tell me. She was asked if she could be pregnant and not know it. They kept on and on about this.

The problems in her gut must be from pregnancy or something like that. As a mum I was pissed off that she had been grilled over her virginity or lack of. She went into the hospital after a girl had kicked her in the stomach. Sure ask her if she might be pregnant, because it might cause problems, but leave it at that don’t keep on asking just deal with the problem.

When after 4 hours I finally could see my daughter, I found  this out and that she had been tested for alcohol and drugs it made me wonder if everyone on the ward was tested or just my daughter the only black person there. I had to overhear someone say that she wasn’t drunk or stoned to find out she was tested. Who oversees this, why is a child being tested and if she gets tested I hope everyone gets tested.

When a practitioner was available to speak to me, I asked why had my daughter been asked about her sex life so much that it upset her. Why was she tested for alcohol and drugs. I was told that because she was in a fight they check these things it is standard. I asked how my daughter was and how long she would be here, I thought standard questions to ask. I was told to “slow down” there was no rush to leave here.

I was asked to go with a person “just to fill out forms” while I was talking to this person telling how my daughter doesn’t get in fights, she is not a fighter, this is the first fight she has ever been in and this happened because the other girl was angry my daughter took her place on a school sports team. I was talking about the school saying it will never happen again, the other girl has been suspended they have zero tolerance to fights and the school hoped she would be alright. I was answering questions about home and how life is at home, are there any problems is there any bad influences there. I thought this was usual. I was starting to suspect something when I was asked if we (being my husband and me) had extended family in the house often, do we drink do we have party’s or if anyone in the house uses illegal drugs.

I wanted to see my daughter again, I thought something is happening here and I don’t understand. I thought that she had a bad injury and they were keeping it from me. I became a bit loud and upset I demanded to see my daughter, I left where I was and walked back to her. Somebody had the gall to try to stop me from going back to my daughter. My husband phoned me then I said I needed to take the call, he had just shown up at the hospital and wanted to know what was going on. I told him to go to emergency and ask for us.

I went back to my daughter and I asked her if she was alright, she wasn’t she was upset. She had been asked the same questions I had been asked but worse, She was asked if her parents party, if she has ever felt unsafe at home with family, if strangers ever come over to party and stay overnight, If she feels safe in her room. I realised they took me aside so they could talk to her alone. I was now starting to feel that maybe some things weren’t standard and that being Aboriginal was what made it standard.

My husband came to us and without a lie, I could see the change in attitude of the staff, they were suddenly all business, organising to get my daughter an ultrasound and an x-ray, no more mention of drugs, sex or fights. She was looked, appropriately for her age and for the incident, given pain relief, and offered a drink and snack.

I try not to look at situations as racist, I try to look at it as being individuals who are misguided, I try to give the benefit of the doubt. But sometimes there is no other explanation than the system is racist and it is kept up by the racism of the people who work in these places.

P.S. My husband the father of the injured daughter is the local police officer, he is white and he thought our daughter was treated with tinted racist sunglasses.

 

 

 

 

 

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Don’t Play with Scissors

Yesterday I had one of my wonderful vague outs. This time I didn’t think I was a snail, and I didn’t have a nightmare.

All I know is that I came to with a bad bad haircut. I took to cutting my hair without knowing, so now I have a crooked bad hair cut 

Living a Nightmare

Ever read the side effects sheet the pharmacist gives you? If you have, you might be alarmed at some of the side effects from the medications, or you might laugh, but either way, you have read it and understood it and know what you are possibly in for and know when to stop and go and visit the doctor again.  This is a good thing, because sometimes the side effects of the medication is life threatening or just mildly annoying.

I have just spent 2 weeks on a new medication, Lyrica, I was put on this because my brain tumour has been not enjoying the overly hot summer. Yep brain tumours don’t like the heat. Since October last year I have been put on antidepressants to stop me fainting and vaguing out. I have also had those medications doubled and then increased more, just to control the problems I have been having.

Enter the new wonder drug, I was told that being a neuralgia that it will stop the fainting and vague outs. But alas It was not meant to be. I have been living a nightmare for the brief period that I have been on it.

During my time on Lyrica, I have had nightmares that go day and night. I don’t know if I am sleeping or awake. Imagine how terrifying it is to wake from a dream and still have the illusion around you. I am not saying that I was seeing things, but I was feeling things. I was preparing for some kind of evil to attack. I was walking around the house in the dark keeping watch. We found a stash of tinned goods that I had hidden neatly in places. I was preparing. But as I said I was asleep and the thoughts of the dream carried over into waking times. Luckily for my children I realised this, (I found the spot where I would smoke while on guard, cigarette butts and ash all around) told the kids what had been happening made them watch out for anything unusual while I waited to get back into the doctor. I went to see my local GP who agreed with me that I needed to be off it.

Now I am off it, and by general decision by my GP and myself, I am off it permanently and I will double the dose of painkillers, no more antidepressants or neuralgia meds for a while. I will just ride this out and wait for cooler weather.

My other issues with the drug, or maybe just the rollercoaster of changing and trying drugs is that my sight has been blurry and I had a lot of flashes, so I couldn’t read, watch TV or engage in social media.  I guess the worst on a personal level was the effect the drug had on me and the follow on effect of my family, I was an emotional wreck I would snap over nothing and yell and rant and rave. Then I would be crying and all sad about anything like a broken cup, it just wasn’t normal. But imagine being on this drug and having to get surgery? What would be the effects of the anaesthetic mixed with this drug on my system?

Would I get aggressive while having an examination of my jaw? It just isn’t worth the hassle.

 

New Surgery New Problems

I am going to have surgery on my jaw next month, the bone island or tumour is growing and causing pain. So I have decided to do a go fund me campaign to help me raise the money I will need for the medication, tests and surgery.

It’s not cheap, but having cancer is never cheap. At the moment I pay around $200 a week on medication. This is going up because I have been prescribed a newer drug that is over $300 for a 28 day supply.  I wish the medications we cheaper and came under the PBS, but of course they don’t.

So I have set a target of $20,000 to help me pay for everything. I compare that with other times I have had to get surgery and the medications and some of those we about $30,000 But I did my numbers and this shouldn’t be that high. Why am I looking for the money and why is it so much?

I need the surgery quickly and the waiting list is too long. This means I have to pay for the surgical fee, the anaesthetic fee, the hospital fee and the medications.  I have also bargained in for the transport to and from hospital as I won’t be able to drive, and the cost of the pre and post op visits to doctors.

so this is my gofundme campaign, if you can please make a donation, if you can’t pass it on to others, spread it around and please support me.

https://www.gofundme.com/zzxmz-colleens-medical-fund

 

 

Thank you

Lazy Ugly Single Mum

Single mums can’t afford to be lazy, that is a luxury for those who have nannies and Au Pairs. A single mum is mother and father to a child or children. You don’t get a break from it all. Cleaning, dealing with the kids, washing, stopping the argument, going to work, listening as your child cries. There is no time for lazy.

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/kids/one-nation-candidate-sparks-outrage-after-describing-single-mothers-as-too-lazy-to-attract-and-hold-a-mate/news-story/b04bf9207686410eeba5cf0c3732cae2

 

David Archibald from Pauline Hanson One Nation party has no idea on the life of a single mum. His bizarre idea that single mums are too lazy to attract and  keep a mate is frightening. Stop and think about it, he wants you to I guess marry then have kids, stay in that relationship even if there is domestic violence, marriage infidelity or numerous other reasons for a break up.

His idea that women raising kids alone is going to have some evolutionary effect on the human race and give ugly offspring, is a plot from a really bad 1950’s sci-fi film. If you want to talk ugly, it has nothing to do with single parenting, sorry parenting by a single mum. He doesn’t mention single dads. So where are the dads? Well I guess they all pissed off when the thought of having to deal with kids on a daily basis and actually be a parent sunk in. Why doesn’t he comment on the deadbeat dads? Surely they are responsible for some ugly?

 

I have been a single mum for quite a few years I have raised 4 children on my own, I have worked hard to give them a home, I shuffle around work commitments to get them to sporting events and school functions. I am both parents to my kids, as that is all they have. They know they can depend on me to be there. I am the one who picks up the pieces, wipes their tears and goes into battle for them.

Single mums are always attacked by politicians. They don’t sit back and live the highlife off the supporting parents payments. I think very few women would decide to have a child to collect the pension as it’s often put. The payments stop once your child goes to school. This means that a lot of mums are out there living in poverty raising kids, they are doing it tough, they don’t need the attacks and the cast aspersions thrown at them by the  likes of Pauline and her friends who probably think Chocolate milk comes from brown cows.

Single mums are just trying to do the best they can and raise good people