Ounce of Prevention... Pound of Cure

The Swine Flu has finally hit our little area of the world and it is touching a little too close to home.

No, we are not ones to run around screaming "the sky is falling" but we know when to take precautions. For instance, I was to attend a major seminar in our area today - a seminar I had been looking forward to for months - but knew better than to attend.

Sure, I know to wash my hands and to cough into my sleeve. I understand exactly what keeps us healthy and what can easily get us sick. However, when you have a person in your house that has been healthy for 4.5 years after receiving a double lung organ transplant, you know when the risk is too great to attend such events.

I don't believe one should hold up in the house and refuse to see another human being while this epidemic exists. Rather, it is about going into situations with your eyes wide open.

This specific event is taking place in the middle of our large city, in a room at a very large conference center, with hundreds of people who are not only from this area but have flown in from other places in the country. Some may have just gotten off their flight this very morning or last night. As airplanes are greater cause for concern, it is no wonder that I wouldn't subject myself to being in close proximity for an entire day with hundreds of people who could possibly be infected and not even know it.

So, for my husband's health and life, I have chosen to decline the event. Sure, I am disappointed but it is a small price to pay to keep him healthy during such a time. His health is priority and nothing is more important than that.