The civilization of youth is the civilization of struggle, which struggles with the times and experience. Youth is the king, Spring and essence of one’s life—as the encouragement to both of us. Do not recall the past sadly for it has gone; make use of today wisely for it belongs to us; greet the unknown tomorrow with a man’s heart bravely. In this World, successful people are those who strive for the opportunity they want. If we cannot find any opportunity, we will create them.

Well, where do you want me to start? From the beginning of my troubles? I came to Los Angeles at the age of 17 and first my asthma improved quite a bit here. Back in the little town in Arkansas, a man fooled me into an affair and I became pregnant. When the child was born, my mother was very mad at me and became awfully nasty. I never heard any nice word from her and was feeling that she wanted to get rid of me and the child.

The father was no good. He threatened to kill me and my baby if I ever told his name to anybody as the father of the boy. He repeated that time and again and even told me that he would come to Los Angeles to kill me if I ever would mention him as the child’s father. For that reason, I never dared to ask for help from any state agency. The only one helping me with money was the man from my home town once in a while, so I was able to register in a private university. I could stay then with my two brothers who had come to Los Angeles and found jobs.

Mind you, it was impossible for me to live with my brothers. One of them frequently made advances at me and even tried to rape me [very excited]. So I moved to a single apartment on county assistance. As I had to make a living, I had to quit college and take customer service jobs, which I kept getting fried from because of my son’s medical issues.

My asthma become much worse at that time. You know, I had to go to the hospital every so often and also had to stay here a few days for treatment. Naturally, I always lost my job and had no hope to recover. That is why I wanted to die and want to die all the time because I am no good, no good! [Crying, agitated, hyperventilating, reaches for ISUPREL nebulizer, gets a generalized tonic seizure and loses contact with environment.]

Interpersonal situations can produce cardiac changes which are dangerous and even lethal, especially individuals who have already suffered a heart attack or who are presumably predisposed by severe atherosclerosis. However, the reverse is also true. If the lack of human love or the memory of earlier personal traumas can disturb the heart, then just as clearly the presence of human love may serve as a powerful therapeutic force, helping the heart to restore itself.

Nowhere is the power of human contact more readily apparent than in the period of emotional crisis that follows the sudden occurrence of a heart attack. Warm, interpersonal support is a critical element in the recovery process of such a patient. The therapeutic power of human contact begins immediately after a heart attack or any injury, in the form of the bedside manner of those who first come in medical contact with the patient, and continues thereafter in the loving support given by the patient’s family.