Showing posts with label Coverage: World Journal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coverage: World Journal. Show all posts
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Feature Story: "Veteran Fighter Takes on Hepatitis B"
In February 2007, medical specialists told Bok Pon, commander of the American Legion Cathay Post #384, that he wouldn’t be alive today. With an estimated six months to live because of hepatitis B-induced liver cancer, Pon was determined to live life fully.
As a veteran of the Army’s highly decorated 82nd Airborne during the Vietnam War, beating the odds of survival is nothing new for Pon. At 65 years young, he attributes his longevity to a positive attitude, exercise and solid health insurance.
“When I first found out that I had hepatitis B, I was shocked,” Pon said. “It was a very emotional and upsetting experience for me and my family.”
After becoming familiar with the disparate statistics of hepatitis B, he turned his unfortunate experience into a positive awareness opportunity for the Asian American community. In addition to galvanizing efforts to establish a Chinese American veterans museum, as well as working on the issues of affordable housing and youth education at Cathay Post, Pon is also supporting the San Francisco Hep B Free Campaign.
He emphasizes that hepatitis B does not only affect health but also finances. “Because of the high cost of medicine,” Pon explains, “hepatitis B can completely destroy the financial structure of a family.”
Since being diagnosed with hepatitis B, Pon has undergone approximately $500,000 worth of medical treatments. “It’s hard for many members in our community, when they have to choose between their children’s education and their parent’s survival. It’s tough.”
Pon underwent chemotherapy earlier this year and said that it wasn’t effective. He then tried painful radiation therapy, where doctors used high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells in the affected areas. Pon compared this intense treatment to microwaving the inside of his body but added jokingly, “I told my doctors medium-well and not well-done.”
Pon is currently discussing with doctors the possibility of a liver transplant, but the odds are against him. “Liver transplants are very competitive,” Pon said. Approximately 98,137 people are on the waiting list, and there are only 10,850 available donors, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. “If I meet the criteria and receive the government’s approval, I’ll hopefully be eligible.”
If you wish to contact Commander Bok Pon or support his efforts with donations, contact: American Legion Cathay Post #384, 1524 Carl St., San Francisco, CA 94133 or (415) 386-3544.
This article will be featured in Sing Tao Daily, World Journal and AsianWeek.com during the month of May as part of the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
As a veteran of the Army’s highly decorated 82nd Airborne during the Vietnam War, beating the odds of survival is nothing new for Pon. At 65 years young, he attributes his longevity to a positive attitude, exercise and solid health insurance.
“When I first found out that I had hepatitis B, I was shocked,” Pon said. “It was a very emotional and upsetting experience for me and my family.”
After becoming familiar with the disparate statistics of hepatitis B, he turned his unfortunate experience into a positive awareness opportunity for the Asian American community. In addition to galvanizing efforts to establish a Chinese American veterans museum, as well as working on the issues of affordable housing and youth education at Cathay Post, Pon is also supporting the San Francisco Hep B Free Campaign.
He emphasizes that hepatitis B does not only affect health but also finances. “Because of the high cost of medicine,” Pon explains, “hepatitis B can completely destroy the financial structure of a family.”
Since being diagnosed with hepatitis B, Pon has undergone approximately $500,000 worth of medical treatments. “It’s hard for many members in our community, when they have to choose between their children’s education and their parent’s survival. It’s tough.”
Pon underwent chemotherapy earlier this year and said that it wasn’t effective. He then tried painful radiation therapy, where doctors used high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells in the affected areas. Pon compared this intense treatment to microwaving the inside of his body but added jokingly, “I told my doctors medium-well and not well-done.”
Pon is currently discussing with doctors the possibility of a liver transplant, but the odds are against him. “Liver transplants are very competitive,” Pon said. Approximately 98,137 people are on the waiting list, and there are only 10,850 available donors, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. “If I meet the criteria and receive the government’s approval, I’ll hopefully be eligible.”
If you wish to contact Commander Bok Pon or support his efforts with donations, contact: American Legion Cathay Post #384, 1524 Carl St., San Francisco, CA 94133 or (415) 386-3544.
This article will be featured in Sing Tao Daily, World Journal and AsianWeek.com during the month of May as part of the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
Feature Story: "Promoting Prevention Through Education"
State Assemblywoman Fiona Ma admits that she knew practically nothing about hepatitis B before becoming involved in the SF Hep B Free campaign. Like many persons infected with hepatitis B, Ma never exhibited any symptoms of the disease. She was shocked when, after submitting to a routine blood test administered as part of a job application process, she learned that she is chronically infected with hepatitis B.
Ma contracted the disease from her mother via perinatal exposure, a very common means of transmission for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. Ma’s brother later tested positive for hepatitis B as well. But their younger sister, who was born after the hepatitis B vaccine became available, is safely immune. All in Ma’s family remain healthy. And, with regular monitoring to detect signs of potential liver damage, they expect to remain so.
“I’m perfectly fine today,” she says. “But it’s one of those things that you and your doctor have to monitor very closely because this disease rarely shows symptoms until it’s too late for treatment.”
After becoming aware of the impact of hepatitis B on the Asian and Pacific Islander American community [an estimated 1 in 10 APIs is infected with chronic hepatitis B, compared to 1 in 1000 in the general population] and learning of the challenges that lack of awareness, cultural differences and language barriers present to efforts to screen, vaccinate and treat APIs for the disease, Ma set out to increase public awareness within her community.
In 2006, shortly before vacating her seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Ma wrote a resolution calling for the screening and vaccination of all API residents in San Francisco. The resolution was passed and signed into law by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom in November 2006, laying the groundwork for the San Francisco Hep B Free campaign.
As a State Assemblywoman, Ma has since written a similar bill calling for the creation of state-funded hepatitis B prevention and management pilot programs in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.
“This disease is treatable and preventable,” Ma explains. “But many people are unaware that they may be infected with hepatitis B, like I was. Through raising awareness and directing resources, we can end the disproportionate impact that the disease has on Asian Americans.”
This article will be featured in Sing Tao Daily, World Journal and AsianWeek.com during the month of May as part of the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
Ma contracted the disease from her mother via perinatal exposure, a very common means of transmission for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. Ma’s brother later tested positive for hepatitis B as well. But their younger sister, who was born after the hepatitis B vaccine became available, is safely immune. All in Ma’s family remain healthy. And, with regular monitoring to detect signs of potential liver damage, they expect to remain so.
“I’m perfectly fine today,” she says. “But it’s one of those things that you and your doctor have to monitor very closely because this disease rarely shows symptoms until it’s too late for treatment.”
After becoming aware of the impact of hepatitis B on the Asian and Pacific Islander American community [an estimated 1 in 10 APIs is infected with chronic hepatitis B, compared to 1 in 1000 in the general population] and learning of the challenges that lack of awareness, cultural differences and language barriers present to efforts to screen, vaccinate and treat APIs for the disease, Ma set out to increase public awareness within her community.
In 2006, shortly before vacating her seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Ma wrote a resolution calling for the screening and vaccination of all API residents in San Francisco. The resolution was passed and signed into law by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom in November 2006, laying the groundwork for the San Francisco Hep B Free campaign.
As a State Assemblywoman, Ma has since written a similar bill calling for the creation of state-funded hepatitis B prevention and management pilot programs in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.
“This disease is treatable and preventable,” Ma explains. “But many people are unaware that they may be infected with hepatitis B, like I was. Through raising awareness and directing resources, we can end the disproportionate impact that the disease has on Asian Americans.”
This article will be featured in Sing Tao Daily, World Journal and AsianWeek.com during the month of May as part of the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
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