Blog #2

Everyone handles sickness in a different way. Some stay strong, some cry, some already know what will happen to them and face it. Sickness sometimes does not even affect people, depending on the type of sickness someone has. In the novel The Hot Zone each patient handled Ebola or Marburg viruses in different ways. One of the nurses who had caught the Ebola virus, Nurse Mayinga, was treated by Doctor Isaacson. Doctor Isaacson had to wear a gas mask in order to not be contaminated by the sickness Mayinga had. She took off her mask in order to become comfortable in the heat and try to save her. Dr. Isaacson knew what it would cost her, but she was fearless of getting it. Everything in her life was taken care of and she lived for saving people and she would do anything for her patient. Nurse Mayinga appreciated the fact that she tried to save her, but she new she was going to die and was prepared to die. They were both prepared for what was to come. Peter Cardinal, a patient with the Marburg virus, was only ten years old when he caught the virus. His parents were devastated and could not believe what happened to their son. They tried to put the blame on someone, including themselves, and were so upset about this. His mother had assumed the worst and could not calm down. His parents were busy being too sorry for themselves for their loss to focus on anything else. Even I handle sickness differently. Depending on the severity of the sickness of oneself or a close friend or family member, it can be difficult. Usually if it is a serious sickness, one with no cure or very small chance of survival, it can make people emotional. Some become sad or angry. Some feel guilty and others feel all of this. Something like cancer, which I have had a couple family members have, is scary. The only thing to do is hope it can get treated and nothing bad happens and just enjoy time while we can. Everyone handles sickness differently. We must do all we can in order for it not to affect us, but also be in touch with reality.

Blog #1

In The Hot Zone there are a few ethical dilemmas. One of the ethical dilemmas in the story is Nancy working for the Army Veterinary Corps and being a scientist on the case of Ebola. She is a strong woman and knows what to do and follow procedures, but her boss does not think so. Her boss says since she is a married woman she should not be allowed to do this job. He thinks she would have too many emotions for this job and she should just be home with her husband and kids. On the other hand, he is right because she could easily get and spread the disease to her husband and kids and the kids could spread it to classmates and so on. Yet, Nancy is strong enough and capable of doing her job. She knows the limitations and how she should handle everything. Nancy being a scientist and working with Ebola is just one of the ethical issues in The Hot Zone.