So it's Friday, whew! Hello :)

We came home late last night from LHI where Mom is confined. The hospital no longer has empty beds during the day they had to refer other incoming patients to another place. There were dengue fever cases, and according to one of the resident physicians, the number of people being admitted for hypertension, diabetes, and other lifestyle diseases is also growing.

She shared that her husband is one of those whose sugar levels must be monitored and while he was advised to follow a proper diet, he still succumbs to the opposite she had to initiate appropriate dieting herself so her spouse would be forced to do the same thing.

Over a decade or two ago, it was rare to hear of relatives and friends undergoing dialysis or chemotherapy but nowadays, it's like normal news. "While people's lifestyles have improved a lot, our health habits degraded so it's not surprising that even at younger ages, many are being diagnosed with these diseases," the amiable Doctor stated a fact that we in Mom's room could not argue with because it's the reality for the majority of us.

"We love meat so much we ignore the healthy greens that our ancestors enjoyed back in the day that contributed to their longer lifespans," she continued. It's another reality as most of us are carnivorous. Some kids even think veggies are weeds. What have we done?

We feed and indulge ourselves with whatever we want, even when fully aware these don't benefit us and instead harm our bodies. Of course, these things we do influence the young ones around us, playing a significant role in their choices and the cycle goes on, well until someone decides to break away.

One of the toughest women I know in the locality has been diagnosed with gastrointestinal (colon) cancer. After her operation, she had to discipline herself with her food intake while undergoing chemo. "I want to live a little longer hence the drastic change," she shared. "Try to be better than me and don't wait until you have the scare of your own being to do something. Be the change," she continued. She now advocates a healthier lifestyle.

The things I heard from the hospital got me thinking on the way home - about what changes we have to make, what bad habits to ditch, what good ones to acquire or start learning, and so on... I wanna be the change in my own clan at least.

_{Photo is mine. 08082024/23:45 UTC}

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