AN APPLE A DAY

Its been on my mind lately but ive tried to focus on other things but the day has arrived for me to face this topic.. i mean how could i avoid it any longer?

1. A friend was in hospital for like 3 months

2. My colleagues' 36 year old pal collapsed at work..turns out he had a stroke

3. Then the Patricia Show is talking about diabetes...

If those are not signs..i don't know what is...

im talking about good health or the absence of...i did a lot of health reporting..suffice it to say i tried my best to practice what i preached in those stories but sometimes sacrificing that kuku choma for salads was not so easy..but the above incidences have made me wake up and really really check myself..and my loved ones health..

I mean 36 years with a stroke? That only happened in America i thought but nope...ni mkenya...dark skin and all...what is worse...he has been married a short time...just think of his wife..battling with physiotherapy and stroke meds at that age...this is the time for kids and fun...not hospitals and labs..

But what really shook me was my pal whose been in hosi for like 3 months...first time we all saw him we were shell shocked...remember the line 'he was now a shadow of his former self'? scrap that! he was a skeleton of his former self...literally! we could not recognize him...in a span of 3 months he had transformed from robust man to a skeleton of his former self...his wife was trying to be strong but after seeing your husband suffer for that long...u can only hold up for so long...she cried a lot...we did our best to console her but at times i wondered...how is telling her its going to be ok going to help? Actually it did but at that time it seemed so hopeless..thank God for faith..when we were loosing hope...someone reminded us to keep praying for him...the guy is now out of hospital and is on his way to recovery...God does answer prayer!

But the whole situation made me think...what if it happened to me? What if i was that wife and my husband was in that bed? how would i have fared? how prepared am i for such eventualities?

You see as young people...with this 'my whole life is ahead of me' tag that we take with us everywhere we go..having someone so young in a hospital bed literally spins us out of control..after all...we are meant to be having 'our whole lives ahead of us'...not dealing with sicknesses that our grandma's are also contending with.

Lessons:

1. Be prepared for anything: get ur act together..if u have insurance..find out what does that really cover? Whats our savings like? Can i survive if in the unlikely event my husband dies or my mum or dad leave suddenly? are we saving up for such eventualities? the same applies to the single's as well.

2. Watch your health: what are u eating? are u heading down the road of diabetes and strokes?

3. Go for check ups: ladies and gents: cervical cancer, fibroids and prostate cancer can be prevented if its detected early..same for most cancers and heart conditions..

4.True friends and family stick with you no matter the season...you learn your true friends in times of adversity...not plenty.

5. Try to avoid stress...ur health is too important.

As the dettol advert says: "Good health is in your hands". (metaphorically).