Thanks to our flat screen high definition TV and much to our daughters’ surprise, we have joined the Boston Red Sox nation and now follow baseball. Attending a Red Sox game was on my summer “fun things to do” list so when my brother called with two tickets, we were delighted to join him and his son. I held my own understanding everything that was happening on the field with only a few “What just happened?” questions, mostly answered by my nephew. My brother and I reminisced about going to Yankee stadium as kids with our dad, back in the days of Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Yogi Berra, and laughed about how we both became Red Sox fans – eventually
I hadn’t attended a game in quite a long while. Here are some of the things I learned:
1. Attending a game is not the same as watching it on TV. You might see more but you miss the smells and excitement. The amazing talent, strength and skill of the ball players isn't quite as apparent on TV. Watching David Ortiz hit a ball out of the park and seeing Jacoby Ellsbury steal a base makes you realize just how talented these men are. It gives you a greater appreciation for the concept of multiple intelligences, especially the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence.
2. If you are hyperactive, you’ll fit right in at a ball game. I was immediately struck by the movement in the stands – the whole stadium was in perpetual motion. Hawkers wandered up and down the aisles with food and drink. There were constantly people walking through the aisles, while others danced at their seats. Starting in the bleachers, everyone stood, raised their hands and screamed, creating a huge wave that went around the stands at least four times!
3. People like belonging to a group. And sometimes that means being labeled. Probably 75% of the people were wearing Red Sox clothing, mostly t-shirts and baseball caps. No one seemed to mind being labeled a Red Sox fan.
4. An upbeat mood is contagious. People wore smiles on their faces. Those who were lucky enough to catch a ball tossed it to the nearest young child to the cheers of those nearby. Even though it rained at the end of the game, everyone quietly stood in line waiting to get into the T stop – and no one complained or pushed!
5. There’s always something to learn, no matter where you are!
So this summer, take yourself out to the ball game!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Genetic Screening
Many years ago, when I was considering having a baby, I took a few precautions. I got tested to see if I ever had rubella. Knowledgeable about special needs, I knew having rubella when pregnant could affect the development of the fetus. Turns out I did not have antibodies and needed to get vaccinated.
Genetic testing was just beginning and the Jewish community had begun a serious campaign for people to be screened for Tay Sachs. I was eager to sign up. One of my college friend’s sisters had given birth to a baby with Tay Sachs so I knew about this disorder in a personal way. Both my husband and I were tested and neither of us were carriers. Years later, my husband’s daughter discovered before giving birth to her third child that she was a carrier for Canavan’s disease. Her husband was not. When our daughters were tested before becoming pregnant, we learned that one of them carries this gene as well. Her husband is not a carrier.
What would any of us have done had we and our spouses tested positive?
Luckily we weren’t faced with this dilemma. According to the Victor Center for Jewish Genetic Diseases in Philadelphia, “a number of genetic disorders occur more frequently in certain ethnic populations. In the Ashkenazi Jewish population (those of Eastern European descent), it has been estimated that one in four individuals is a carrier of one of several genetic conditions.” If both parents are carriers, the baby has a 25% chance of having the disease, a 50% chance of being a carrier and a 25% chance of not having the gene at all.
One of my daughter’s friends recently delivered a beautiful baby boy. Problems developed with feeding and weight gain. Then they noticed low muscle tone. They continued to have tests done and learned that their baby has Familial Dysautonomia, a genetic disease. About one in 30 Jews of Ashkenazic descent are carriers. When I asked my daughter if her friend had done genetic testing, she told me she had, but was told she wasn’t a carrier for any genetic diseases. Based on this information her husband never got tested. Obviously, both she and her husband are carriers of the gene, but the doctor’s office had failed to tell her this positive result, although it was contained within the report.
What would she and her husband have done? Who knows, but she and her husband had the right to be armed with information – to think through the implications of both being carriers of this gene – to consider their options – to decide together what they were ready to face. That’s why one undergoes genetic screening – to have information to make very difficult decisions when faced with very difficult results.
Genetic testing was just beginning and the Jewish community had begun a serious campaign for people to be screened for Tay Sachs. I was eager to sign up. One of my college friend’s sisters had given birth to a baby with Tay Sachs so I knew about this disorder in a personal way. Both my husband and I were tested and neither of us were carriers. Years later, my husband’s daughter discovered before giving birth to her third child that she was a carrier for Canavan’s disease. Her husband was not. When our daughters were tested before becoming pregnant, we learned that one of them carries this gene as well. Her husband is not a carrier.
What would any of us have done had we and our spouses tested positive?
Luckily we weren’t faced with this dilemma. According to the Victor Center for Jewish Genetic Diseases in Philadelphia, “a number of genetic disorders occur more frequently in certain ethnic populations. In the Ashkenazi Jewish population (those of Eastern European descent), it has been estimated that one in four individuals is a carrier of one of several genetic conditions.” If both parents are carriers, the baby has a 25% chance of having the disease, a 50% chance of being a carrier and a 25% chance of not having the gene at all.
One of my daughter’s friends recently delivered a beautiful baby boy. Problems developed with feeding and weight gain. Then they noticed low muscle tone. They continued to have tests done and learned that their baby has Familial Dysautonomia, a genetic disease. About one in 30 Jews of Ashkenazic descent are carriers. When I asked my daughter if her friend had done genetic testing, she told me she had, but was told she wasn’t a carrier for any genetic diseases. Based on this information her husband never got tested. Obviously, both she and her husband are carriers of the gene, but the doctor’s office had failed to tell her this positive result, although it was contained within the report.
What would she and her husband have done? Who knows, but she and her husband had the right to be armed with information – to think through the implications of both being carriers of this gene – to consider their options – to decide together what they were ready to face. That’s why one undergoes genetic screening – to have information to make very difficult decisions when faced with very difficult results.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
President Obama Inauguration
I was attending the Ravsak conference for administrators and lay leaders of community day schools during the time of the inauguration. Since the conference was held in San Francisco, the ceremony was at 9am on Tuesday, January 20th; conference organizers arranged to show the event in real time in the ballroom on a large screen. Luckily, the technology all worked, enabling us to see everything from the entrance of the main dignitaries to the final benediction. Sharing this event with over 300 other educators was quite moving – we laughed, cried, cheered and applauded – joined as a community in this historic moment.
We were struck by the sea of people of all colors proudly waving American flags, a show of patriotism not frequently seen, especially in recent years. Many of us shared stories: of our work in inner city schools, of our role in the civil rights movement, of remembrances of assassinations and murders of blacks and whites, of first hand experiences with public bathrooms and water fountains marked “colored” and “white,” of segregated restaurants and schools. How far we have come; how much further we have to go.
Rabbi Harold Kushner provides this commentary in Etz Hayim on the Torah section of Mishpatim: “The decency of a society is measured by how it cares for its least powerful members.” Our society will be remembered for how we treat our most marginalized people – those who are poor, who are immigrants, who are different races or religions, who are gay, lesbian or transgendered, or who have dis/abilities.
Perhaps the power of President Obama’s inauguration will be an inspiration to create more inclusive American moments.
We were struck by the sea of people of all colors proudly waving American flags, a show of patriotism not frequently seen, especially in recent years. Many of us shared stories: of our work in inner city schools, of our role in the civil rights movement, of remembrances of assassinations and murders of blacks and whites, of first hand experiences with public bathrooms and water fountains marked “colored” and “white,” of segregated restaurants and schools. How far we have come; how much further we have to go.
Rabbi Harold Kushner provides this commentary in Etz Hayim on the Torah section of Mishpatim: “The decency of a society is measured by how it cares for its least powerful members.” Our society will be remembered for how we treat our most marginalized people – those who are poor, who are immigrants, who are different races or religions, who are gay, lesbian or transgendered, or who have dis/abilities.
Perhaps the power of President Obama’s inauguration will be an inspiration to create more inclusive American moments.
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