21-Year-Old “Adult”
Shaina Desai, Design Intern
I loved my birthdays as a kid. Going to Chuck E. Cheese for the pizza, cake, and games was the highlight of my year. But my happiest day of the year also meant my most dreaded day was coming: the one time a year I was forced to go to the pediatrician.
I remember hiding in the house, car, waiting room, or any place that would stall the inevitable. A million questions whirled in my head before each visit. Will I have to get a shot today? Will they draw my blood? What if I have a scary disease like cancer or diabetes? Then, I’d have to go to a specialist, which is even scarier than the regular doctor. What if I’m dying? While some questions were a little far-fetched, a few of these fears did come true. But despite the anxiety and tears, these visits were never entirely horrifying because my mom was always by my side.
Fast forward to the age of 21: I still drag my mom to the doctor’s office with me, whether it’s for an annual checkup, a blood test, or a school-mandated form. The anxiety associated with doctor’s appointments has been instilled in me, and I am still unable to pin down why. Uncertainty? Fear of getting diagnosed with some horrible illness? The pain from shots and blood draws? All of the above? I always wished this fear would disappear, since I understood the importance of regularly visiting the doctor.
July 22, 2019, was the first time I went to the doctor without my mom. You may be thinking, “Yay! She got over her fear of doctor’s visits!” Nope. I was working in Baltimore for the summer and began battling a fever, cough, chills, and ear pain. Being away from home, I battled urgent care alone, where I was diagnosed with an ear infection and bronchitis. I was scared to my core every step of the way, from walking into the urgent care office to picking up my prescription.
While my innate passion for helping children originally inspired me to apply for an intern position with Afi Health, it is my reflection of my own lack of health confidence that motivates me in every task I undertake in my role as Product Development and Design Intern. Maybe if a loving elephant and kooky kangaroo informed me about health from a young age, I would now be able to confidently visit the doctor without my mom.
As a senior public health major at a top-ranked public health school, you would think I would’ve gotten over this fear. However, I realized that a lack of health knowledge stays with you. My lack of health knowledge led me to never feeling confident enough to become informed about my own health. I’m now older and more knowledgeable about the importance of annual checkups, yet I still default to my parents when it comes to my own health. This is why the Marketing Team has taken actions to involve clinics and reach kids and their families directly through social media. If a relatively healthy 21-year-old public health student is not confident about her health, how can an 8-year-old battling diabetes feel informed about theirs?