Empathy

Empathy is the ability to imagine yourself in someone else's position and to intuit what that person is feeling. It is the ability to stand in others' shoes, see with their eyes and feel with their hearts.I think that I am empathetic because I do try to put myself into other people's shoes before just judging them. On my Empathy test I scored a 52, which is average. I agree with this score because although I try to be empathetic, I am not always that way towards others. I liked what Dan Pink had to say in his video about empathy, but I can not believe that empathy can be taught. I believe that as a parent or an elder figure in someone's life that you can teach them to care and think about others; however, I think that being able to put yourself into someone else's shoes and try to understand what they are experiencing is something you have to want to do on your own. Although a child is taught to care for others, they might not have empathy for others because sometimes it is hard to think about what it would be like in other people's shoes. Also, some people just think that the situation should be handled by the person rather than being empathetic towards them. In my life I am surrounded by multiple empathetic people; however, one person stands out. This person always tries to put their self into other people's shoes and stands up for people even if they may not deserve it just because she tries to put herself in their shoes. She is amazingly caring and always thinks about other people. One example is for a lady she knows in her work life. The empathetic lady stood up for the other lady when she was unable to make it to work due to family issues. She was putting herself in the shoes of another and defending her to other coworkers. To me, this person shows great empathy towards others and is a great role model in my life. However, there are people in my life who lack empathy as well. One person will openly admit that she lacks empathy towards others. This person does not try to place herself in other people's shoes, she thinks that they should have to deal with it. An example is when someone admitted to their wrong doing of a situation that both people participated in; however, this non-empathetic girl did not come forward and let the other one take the blame for everything not knowing what she was experiencing because she did not care to place herself in the others shoes. In our society, there are empathetic people and there are people who do not have empathy towards others. I think that being empathetic is a great quality to have because you never know what someone else is going through and placing yourself in their shoes could show you a whole new side to things in life.
I hope that everyone has a great week! God Bless.

My Project

Last semester I mentored with a Pediatrician. I am still waiting placement with a mentor for this semester and I am very excited! Since mentoring in the medical field, I have decided to change from becoming a lawyer to becoming a doctor. From the Pediatric mentorship, I developed a topic that I wanted to learn more about which is childhood cancer's. In my mentorship, I asked my mentor about cancer's in children. She told me the Leukemia was a common childhood cancer; however, she could not give me much information because she was not specialized in that area. I found an article that gives common signs of cancer in children.

In childhood, there are many illnesses. The signs and symptoms of a cancer in a child can often mimic the signs of those childhood illnesses. Although childhood cancer is rare, there are still signs to look out for. With being a parent you should watch for a continuance in unexplained weight loss, a continuation of vomiting in the mornings that can be come along with a headache, a lump or mass (especially look for that in the abdomen, neck, check, pelvis, or armpits), a large amount of bleeding, and/or a whitish color that is behind the pupil in the eye. Children can often not recognize or even explain their symptoms; therefore, as a parent there needs to be an observation of any of the signs listed. There should definitely be a check in signs of constant health or behavioral changes with a child. If there is a concern with a child about cancer, contact the child's doctor and go in for a consultation, as well as get a second opinion. Always be cautious and keep a check on your child's life so there can be a realization if there is a change.

Citation:
"Recognizing the Symptoms of Childhood Cancer - Kids and Cancer." Children's Cancer Research Fund. Web. 23 Jan. 2011. .

I am very interested in learning more about childhood cancer's symptoms, treatments, and organizations that can help; therefore, when reading the above summarized article I was intrigued to further my knowledge. Also, below are two websites that I think will be useful in my quest to learning more about my topic.

--http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f87d4c2a71fca210VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD

I think that the St.Jude Hospital website will help because it is a hospital specifically to help children with cancer; therefore, I can learn more about that organization, as well as what they do to help.

--http://paediatric-cancer.blogspot.com/

I think that this site will help because it lists childhood cancer's with information such as symptoms and treatments. It seems very helpful for what I am wanting to learn.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful week! Enjoy your mentorship this semester!