Our Healthcare Workers (Eleanor, José, and Carolyn)

Best Day often has nurses coming in to check on the older buds, offering their services in the lobby to people who have difficulty going to the doctor's for one reason or another. Two of them, Simmoune and Kaitlyn, decided to come to Best Day to share their stories. And wouldn't you know it, we had one of the largest crowds since the pandemic started! We had a total of thirteen attendees, three on Zoom and ten in person! You can see Simmoune and Kaitlyn writing below, and we should have their stories ready in a few weeks' time!

In honor of their visit, writing, and contributions to our older buds, we've posted stories honoring healthcare workers:

Eleanor Kazdan

02.18.2021

The First Test

There was no testing at that time. My husband was like the first person to go through the drive by testing, or maybe he was the second. First or second person at Jefferson Hospital. His doctor said “You should go get tested” because he had symptoms and that was in March the 12th or something like that. And the doctor said “There’s nowhere to get tested now, but later in the day they’re supposed to be opening a drive-by clinic at Jefferson.” And sure enough, the doctor called him at four o’clock and said “They’re open.” So we got right in the car and drove over there. And they came out in hazmat suits and tested him. And yeah, that was crazy.
We were the first people anybody knew who had COVID. We were like superstars, everybody in the world kept calling us. I mean, thank god he recovered right away. Mine lasted for two weeks and his was gone in no time at all. But he gave it to me, I think.

José Dominguez

01.30.2020

The Big Stick Policy

Having a small business in Ciudad Juarez downtown was very crowded, dangerous and amazing. Our store was full of shoes, sneakers, baseball caps, T-shirts, underwear etc. and the front part near the sidewalk was 100% open so the clients could enter or exit at will.
We were surrounded by businesses that offered the same merchandise to the public, so the competition was very hard and sometimes violent. In front of us across the street there was a small restaurant, a store of electronics and in the corner an ice cream business. And in front of his lollipop store there was a newspaper and magazine stand. The person in charge was a small woman, Dolores, who was a hard-working woman. Her husband Pedro was a tall, corpulent, good for nothing violent, crazy, drug addict.
One of those days at noon I was speaking very freely with one of my neighbors who happened to own a drugstore and I called him ‘Doctorcito’, little doctor. We decided to stand in the street in front of my store to take the sun and joking with no preoccupation at all. Our innocent time ended when Pedro the crazy drug addict crossed the street and walked toward us armed with a big stick. It looked little in his huge hands, but it was 4 feet long and 3 inches wide.
As soon as he arrived, he yelled, “So you think you are very important people because you own a business, I’m going to break your bones just to show you what you are.” The threat was very serious because 2 weeks before I saw how he attacked my friend ‘El Abuelo” with the same stick and now The Abuelo ended up in the hospital.
I was in panic, but no word came from my mouth and no movement indicated to escape. Suddenly my friend El Doctorcito spoke with a clear and conciliatory voice. “No Pedro, you are not going to hurt us, you know why? Because we are friends, we are equal, everybody is equal to everybody and we live like a family because we are family”. Pedro was waiting for something else and what was perplexed about Doctorcito’s speech. He cursed, frustrated, and returned to his corner.
I praised the Doctorcito’s intervention and told him, “If you didn’t intervene for sure we will at this time be in the hospital.” We laughed and continued saying jokes.

Carolyn Boston

06.18.2020

BlueJeans

BlueJeans is the name of Penn Medicine’s virtual teleconferencing system. The first time I used it I was amazed at how simplistic it was and I was very, very thrilled with being able to use it. My first teleconference was with my primary doctor. The fact that I wasn’t waiting in the outside office for a long time was refreshing. Plus. there was no need to make the long, tedious trip to the office. I could wait online if she was running late and sip on a cup of tea until she was onscreen. I appreciated the convenience of being at home and felt very relaxed as opposed the stress I experience getting there.
My second virtual visit was with my hip surgeon; that was a piece of cake. We finished in less than 10 minutes. I only waited for 15 minutes for him to come onscreen. The last time I was in his office I waited over an hour and he was so busy that he was unable to see me or the other people that had been waiting for almost two hours. So, I was able to return home, but I was very frustrated because you have to wait almost a month or so to see him.
This time his attendees got him out of his last visit, he jumped on the screen, we talked, and our visit was over. It was great. I really applaud the new technology. In my opinion teleconferencing is here to stay and kudos for all the work that IT and everyone else is doing to make life much easier and better for all of us who have doctor’s visits and really; if we’re not suffering extremely bad we can avoid having to do long trips. So, I really enjoyed being on their teleconferencing system and I’m looking forward to seeing my doctors in the future on that same system. It was a breeze. 

If you want to transcribe for Best Day, then email us at info@bestdayofmylifesofar.org. You can also share our older buds' adventures by donating to Best Day, subscribing to our newsletter, sending a note to our older buds, or following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. And if you or the older buds have stories honoring our healthcare workers, then you or they can submit stories through our portal right here. We're especially interested to stories from Black older buds, but we're always looking for stories from older buds of color, older buds with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ older buds, older buds of any gender or sex, older buds of any religion, and older buds who just plain break the mold.

 

 

And don't forget to maintain contact with the older buds in your life. If you can't be there in person, please call them, email them, or message them on social media. And if they're using teleconferencing or remote events for the first time, give them a call and help them set things up. Check in on them to see how well they're getting used to these programs. Buy them a computer or an internet package if they don't have one of their own. It's a human right, after all.

Curated by Caitlin Cieri

National Hispanic Heritage Month (Cida and José)

September 15th to October 15th is National Hispanic Heritage Month! A month dedicated to recognizing the contributions and influence of Latin Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. In honor of this holiday, we're featuring stories from older buds Cida and José this week:

Aparecida de Souza

12.05.2019

I Once Died, But I Came Back

It was Carnival, 03-11-1983. I went on a trip with my younger daughter. Our first stop was to be in Macin, AL. It was past lunch time when we arrived at the hotel. The beach was sunny and beautiful, so we decided to spend some time checking out the warm sand and water and just have dinner.

Going back to the hotel meant that we had to take a shower, even before resting up in our room. We were told to use a bathroom in the downstairs area, which seemed to be out of use, and good only for showers. I noticed that the electricity was off, and saw a switch by the showerhead, way up, near the ceiling.
Trying to reach it, I stepped on the sanitary vaze, unaware of the fact that it was very old, very dirty and also unattached, completely loose from the floor.
That is when it turned around and I fell with my lower back on top of it…
I only saw blood running and my daughter screaming for help wildly.
They took us to the hospital, but, as I said, it was Carnival- No doctors there, there wouldn’t be any for 3 days! Many interns gathered around to help me, but they had had no experience with that kind of wound.
Nurses were telling them how to go about stitching- how to prevent tetanus, etc., etc.
As soon as I was allowed back to the hotel, about two days later, the stitches were already coming loose and breaking. It was the first infection.
After seeing a private doctor, I contacted a private nurse to come to the hotel, clean me up, change the dressings and apply the medicine daily.
Meanwhile, my family in São Paolo kept trying to get me a flight back, what couldn’t possibly be done anytime soon, because airlines were all booked on account of the Carnival.
They finally got me a ticket for two weeks ahead. No matter how I tried to take care of myself, having to lay in bed day and night, the infection only increased.
My daughter was taken from me, and went to stay at the house of the hotel owners.
If not for the kindness of many people that were staying at the hotel and came over bringing food and drink to me I would have starved. The stink in the room was unbearable and cockroaches infested all sides of the bed and bathroom.
I was in and out with high fever, but never stopped praying, asking God not to take me this time, because who would take care of my 2 daughters.
I don’t know if I finally gave up, but at one of this “outs” I passed, and crossed something like a closed bridge.
On the other side, which was bright and beautiful, a tall man came to help me. He was holding me for a while, as we walked ahead, kind of instructing me that I should go back.
I did come back, and it was then that I promised to bring my children to the U.S. to guarantee that they would have a good life.
In 1986 we came to the U.S. for good. 

José Dominguez

09.03.2020

Julio, a Man With a Mission

This is a story that I wrote last week because I went to visit my friend Ernesto that week at the market. Because of the Coronavirus I was cut off his presence, but only physically. At last after 6 months of not visiting my friend Ernesto I went this past Saturday to pay him a visit at business at the Italian Market. As always he was very busy and between customers. We sustained an updating conversation everything was okay and he asked me to buy coffee for the two of us. When I returned with the coffees a few minutes later an old friend of ours arrived. It was Julio, who brought with him two extra cups of coffee to share with us. Well that's alright. It was a very happy moment to find myself surrounded by my buddies. Ernesto was helping several clients so I spoke mostly with Julio.
He is 52 years old. He’s a Mexican from Acapulco Guerrero more or less of my same height but with a slim body strong and hard as a rock. When he speaks always has a grin and bright smile that transforms his face and makes him a very enjoyable person. He speaks orderly, taking his time to put his thoughts in sequence. I ask him, did he receive any money from the government now under the pandemic crisis? He took me to a more empty space near the refrigerators to explain to me the details of his situation.
“Let me tell you Pepe that for the moment I can't receive any help.” And describing how 5 years ago he was assaulted one night when he was going take the bus to return home. Two guys one with a knife and the other with a gun took his wallet with money and documents. He managed to throw away his phone but received a hard punishment in his left side of his head mainly in his ear that was hit with brutal gun force that made him bleed profusely; he almost fainted. But thank God the bandits opted to disappear. He recovered his phone and asked for help to the police who made a detailed report of the assault. Later he was informed that he could use the police report and the medical certification to present a petition for a certain kind of application for permanent legal residence. He had to hire a lawyer and submit lots of papers but had the chance to include his wife and his youngest son. They told him that in 5 years his case would be solved very likely in a positive way. So, he is waiting for the final resolution to be notified this year.
Knowledgeable about the regular hardships that illegal immigrants suffer explicitly by Latinos, and I ask this because I suffered that kind of exploitation as well expectation at El Paso, Texas. And I don’t want to give a lot of details for that, but for me it’s a very common experience that many Mexicans are exploited by Mexicans, not exclusively by Americans.
And he saw me straight through the eyes and laughing said to me, “No, no, no, no. Not at all my first job that I spent 5 years was in a pizzeria owned by a Moroccan. I worked really hard and my boss loved me because of that. One day he asked me ‘Julio why did you come to America’ and I told him, ‘To work, I have 3 sons and they want to study. I was working in Mexico as a baker in a fine business but my income which was good was not enough to pay for University studies. My oldest son who is a very good student was accepted at the medical school but I didn't have the means to support him. My wife and I suffer and cry tears of impotence and eventually decided that we had to split. She would be in charge of the family and I will be in charge of the money. I love to work and work will have to be the solution; but not in Mexico. So I came to America with a tourist visa and here I am working hard.’
Then my boss continued, ‘Now you don't speak English but the time will come that you will manage to function as an English speaker. That's no problem. Then you will have lots of talking. That will increase. But let me tell you are now with a good job and you will find lots of girls of all colors. They are very easy to find. If walk to any bar lots of them are waiting there to find some guy with whom to companion. Beware. You have to see in the commitment you have with those guys in Mexico. They depend on you don't betray their dreams, they trust you.’ Since then I work harder than ever. My boss rented me a very small house and since then all my money goes to my dear family. Every day then I spent with them a videoconference and my son now is a physician and my daughter became a nutrition specialist. My wife and I love and respect each other as if we were present face to face.”
“I tell you Julio,” I ask him, “Have you ever needed physical contact with a woman?”
‘Of course,’ he says, ‘But I always have in mind that sex is not enough to make me forget my responsibilities. Even when I have been offered it with the legal expressions by girls I have met. But it was not necessary. Those thugs that beat me so hard gave me the chance to stay in America forever. And the first thing I will do is to bring my wife and youngest son to live with me. After 12 years our family dream will come true.”
I gave Julio a bright smile and a big hug.

If you want to transcribe for Best Day, then email us at info@bestdayofmylifesofar.org. You can also share our older buds' adventures by donating to Best Day, subscribing to our newsletter, sending a note to our older buds, or following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. And if you or the older buds have stories of Latine excellence, then you or they can submit stories through our portal right here. We're especially interested to stories from Black older buds, but we're always looking for stories from older buds of color, older buds with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ older buds, older buds of any gender or sex, older buds of any religion, and older buds who just plain break the mold.

And don't forget to maintain contact with the older buds in your life. If you can't be there in person, please call them, email them, or message them on social media. And if they're using teleconferencing or remote events for the first time, give them a call and help them set things up. Check in on them to see how well they're getting used to these programs. Buy them a computer or an internet package if they don't have one of their own. It's a human right, after all.

Curated by Caitlin Cieri

Short Story Dispenser (Eleanor)

We have some exciting news for you all! Older bud Eleanor's story was published by Short Édition, the French publishing house best known for the Short Story Dispenser. For those who don't know, the Short Story Dispenser is a machine that prints out one, three, or five minute short stories at the push of a button--free of charge. You can read Eleanor's story about her generous grandson Soleil at this link here. But if you'd like to print them out and read them in print, then you can print them out at any of these locations in Philly:

 

 

1. Free Library of Philadelphia
South Philly Health and Literacy Center - Philadelphia

1901 Vine street

2. Temple University Student Center

801 N Broad St
19122 Philadelphia

3. Short Édition SEPTA Jefferson Station

Jefferson Station
19107 Philadelphia

4. Books in Homes Ronald McDonald House

510 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19106
19106 Philadelphia

5. Philadelphia Airport

8000 Essington Ave
PA 19153 Philadelphia

 

 

Make sure you ask for a 1-Minute story! So give Eleanor a big cheer for joining Best Day's pantheon of older-buds-whose-stories-are-distributed-in-print-by-machines. And we hope you have one more minute to read another story by Eleanor below:

Eleanor Kazdan

10.15.2020

Feeling Faint

 

At age 19 I was traipsing around Europe for 3 months with my best friend Kathy on a Eurail pass. After adventures in England, the Netherlands, Spain, and France, we arrived in Italy. Florence was our first stop. I had just started to learn about great art and was proud of myself for that. Kathy and I had visited quite a few art museums before Italy: The National Gallery in London, The Louvre in Paris and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The big thing about Florence was the statue of David by Michelangelo in the Galleria dell’Accademia.
So after a day or so wandering the streets lined with cafes and eating full course meals, which in those days, unbelievably, cost $1.00 including wine and tip, we set out to see the most famous statue in the world. After entering the museum it was a short walk to a rotunda like room where David lived.
I had seen pictures many times but was totally unprepared for the absolute grandiosity of the real thing. I felt like an ant looking up at this spectacular nude Adonis on a pedestal. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed by lightheadedness and felt like I was going to faint. My heart was pounding it took a great will to gain control and continue on to see the rest of the museum.
Over the years I saw the statute a few more times but didn't have the same reaction. Many years after that first encounter I happened by chance to read an article about the very emotions and physical reactions I had experienced. There is apparently a psychosomatic illness called the Florence Syndrome It was documented by the 19th Century French Writer Stendahl and is also called Stendahl syndrome. The symptoms are rapid heart beat, fainting, confusion and even hallucinations in people who are exposed to extraordinary works of art. “Wow,” I thought, “That's what happened to me those many years ago.”
Since then I have seen countless great works of art all over the world, but that was my only experience of being overcome by Florence syndrome.

If you want to transcribe for Best Day, then email us at info@bestdayofmylifesofar.org. You can also share our older buds' adventures by donating to Best Day, subscribing to our newsletter, sending a note to our older buds, or following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. And if you or the older buds have 1, 3, or 5 minute stories, then you or they can submit stories through our portal right here. We're especially interested to stories from Black older buds, but we're always looking for stories from older buds of color, older buds with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ older buds, older buds of any gender or sex, older buds of any religion, and older buds who just plain break the mold.

 

And don't forget to maintain contact with the older buds in your life. If you can't be there in person, please call them, email them, or message them on social media. And if they're using teleconferencing or remote events for the first time, give them a call and help them set things up. Check in on them to see how well they're getting used to these programs. Buy them a computer or an internet package if they don't have one of their own. It's a human right, after all.

 

Curated by Caitlin Cieri