Medicine or Medical Attention?

I recently became ill due to a terrible bacteria that caused me to have a lung infection. On top of this lung infection a bacteria also spread to my eye giving my bacterial pink eye, I unfortunately thought my eye was just itchy before going to sleep and rubbed it as well as my other eye. When I awoke the next morning I thought I had gone blind as I could not see anything, at first my eyes were glued shut from the mucus drying over night but even when I was able to open them my vision was blurred. The excess amount of discharge coated my eyeballs making them very wet and teary. I went to the doctors and received Novamoxin prescribed to take 3 times a day for 10 days as well as some polysporin eye drop medication.

            It seemed to be working well as my eyes and chest cleared I was starting to feel relatively healthy once again until after a week of taking the medication I had an allergic reaction to it. Just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day I broke out into hives from head to toe, with some slight swelling externally in places such as my ears, lips, cheeks and nose. It turns out I am allergic to penicillin which is what Novamoxin is and just never knew, thankfully it is not an anaphylactic reaction which usually occurs within the first hour of digestion of the medication and can be fatal if not treated immediately.  Although my case was not as dangerous it was still serious, my boyfriend had the pleasant surprise of waking up next to a pink polka-dot balloon. At first we thought some creams might be able to help since I had already stopped taking the medication the day before but more medical attention was needed then some tea tree oil. We went to the pharmacist who recommended Benadryl and within the first half hour of taking the small pills I was knocked out for the rest of the night.

            I woke up the next morning around 8am to open the store at the mall I work at, the manager was unable to work due to a death in her family so I took on the responsibility of covering her shift before I had the reaction. I knew I looked terrible as the hives had not settled down, although they were not as itchy they had doubled in numbers occupying the majority of my body. As soon as I got to work my district manager saw me and sent me home, she insisted that I do not stay and wait for another employee to show up, to just lock the doors and leave, I couldn’t argue with her especially since I felt weak. I couldn’t eat very much; the hives infected my mouth and tongue making them extra sensitive. My teeth felt like little shards of glass against my tongue and my lips split from swelling and dehydration.

Just when I finally thought my luck was starting to turn around and I was becoming healthier, I even quit smoking right before getting sick and have not been able to smoke in month now. Hopefully this is the last of any medical issues I will endure for a while, I now know that penicillin is not the cure for me but in the process of learning, at least I acquired a new bracelet.

Relatable Public Relations

This week seems to be all about Kony 2012, it has blown up social media which is part of its mission. This video campaign has been made famous within a few days thanks to tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Stumble-Upon and the controversy surrounding the issue. It was in the Sunday paper having just under 50 million views, in class on Monday we watched the video for PR and it had just over 70 million hits. So in a day it received over 20 million views which is incredible to think about how viral it has gone.  

For those of you who are not aware of what Kony 2012 is let me inform you. It is a campaign to stop a man named Joseph Kony who has been named one of the world’s worst war criminals, he abducts children in Africa and forces them to act in brutal and cruel ways.  He took over a rebel group renaming it the Lord’s Resistance Army, which has consisted of more then 30 000 children over the years. The campaign was made by young individuals who will not stand by and let innocent killings and lives be taken. These people have already taken it upon themselves as their personal responsibility to catch Kony and make him face his consequences. They have already made change and created progress by raising awareness, this led to 100 US military personnel being deployed to help the Uganda army track and capture Kony.  

The people behind the organization have also created the charity TRI which has raised money for schools, clothing, shelters, food and water. They want the children to be independent so they can have a chance for a better life. I personally think it is motivational and inspiring but being in public relations I think the campaign is brilliant.

The work and effort put behind everything is astonishing, they have even created websites to become transparent, confronting rumours and lies and informing the public of the truth. This subject has become very controversial so using transparency from the main 3 creators helps establish trust and enforce reliability. The websites inform you of the mission, allow you to pledge and track progress. It’s interesting that they are targeting younger generations and it’s working, they have already sold out of kits and posters supporting the cause.  The use of the directors’ son was manipulative however used for the right purpose, Gavin finds out what his father has been doing and who the bad guys are that he is fighting against for the first time. Also using one of the boys who escaped from the army after watching them murder his brother is a touching experience. He speaks of what he would say to his brother if he was still alive and breaks down in tears, but he isn’t the only one. I’ve watched this half hour video 3 times now and every time I see that part it brings tears to my eyes as well.

The video is long but so well constructed since the director is a professional, the brief clips, music and people keep it interesting and intriguing, most are unable to look away the first time watching it. The video also makes the cause seem “cool”, meaning it appeals to the younger generations by using graffiti, bracelets, posters and unity. Younger people are feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment when usually they are considered as kids who aren’t capable of such drastic change. It is very impressive and  a great technique using two-way symmetry communication, by allowing the exchange of dialog.

Overall I was impressed from a public relations stand point but also personally. I think the video is well worth watching if you can spare the time, maybe replace a television program with it.