Category: Lifestyle

Besides navigating the hurdles of childhood stardom and breaking out of the Disney bubble, Nick Jonas has been candid about his health struggles. He has never held back in being involved as a spokesperson and raising awareness for type 1 diabetes.

Words Hannah May-Lee Wong

Anybody remember the Jonas Brothers? If you’re a millennial, you probably will. If not, let me fill you in. Of the three members, Joe Jonas was the front man of the band, also known as the resident ladies’ man (he broke up with Taylor Swift via text message). Kevin was the down-to-earth one who liked to handle the business side of things, while Nick was the youngest and the most music-focused brother. With boyish good looks, Nick was endearingly charming, garnering popularity among teens all over the world back in the day.

Flash forward 10 years after the Jo Bros’ prime, Joe has moved on to form a new punk-rock band named DNCE, best known for their hit song “Cake by the Ocean”. Kevin, since his marriage, has become somewhat of a family man. And Nick, 26, is now pursuing his solo singing and acting career.

The early years of Nicholas Jonas

Nicholas Jerry Jonas was born on the 16th September 1992, to parents Denise and Paul Kevin Jonas. He had a knack for singing and performing since young and was discovered at the tender age of six at a barber shop. “I was in a hair salon with my mom and I was bored, singing while my mom was getting her hair done. Someone heard me sing and said I should go see this manager. I went and saw the manager and started doing auditions for Broadway shows and things. My first ever show was with Frank Langella when I was eight,” Nick said in an interview.

Nick also wrote his own songs from a young age, and it wasn’t long before he released his first album, self-titled Nicholas Jonas in 2004. The following year, Nick and his brothers formed the Jonas Brothers band. However, soon after the group’s formation, Nick discovered he had type 1 diabetes (T1D). He went public about it in 2007 and has since been very involved in education and raising awareness about the disease.

Dealing with diabetes

Living with diabetes is never easy. Nick recalled the first symptoms he experienced, which led to his diagnosis at age 13: “We (the Jonas Brothers) were in the beginning stages of our career and we were doing a school tour… I started to notice that I was losing weight. I lost about 15 pounds (6.8kg) in two weeks and I only weighed about 110 pounds (50kg). I was drinking a lot of water, using the bathroom a lot and overall had a very bad attitude but didn’t know why.” Nick went to the doctors to discover his blood sugar level was extraordinarily high.

He revealed that in the beginning, he was scared because he didn’t know anyone else who had the disease. “Diabetes sounds like you’re going to die when you hear it… But once I got a better idea of what it was, and that it was something I could manage myself, I was comforted.”  

Type 1 diabetes at a glance

Diabetes is a chronic disease and it happens when blood sugar (glucose) levels in the body are too high. Glucose is important as it is a source of energy for the body to function. However, in people with diabetes, the hormone insulin, which helps glucose enter our cells to make energy, is not produced in sufficient quantity or is not utilized well. As a result, glucose stays in the blood and does not reach the cells where it is needed. High glucose levels can lead to serious health problems – it can negatively affect the eyes, kidneys and nerves. It also increases the risk of developing heart disease, stroke or even the loss of a limb.

Although diabetes is not uncommon and affects millions around the world, only less than five percent of all diabetes cases are type 1 (the majority have type 2 diabetes). Type 1 diabetes used to be known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes. But it is now known that type 1 can develop at any age, even in adults. T1D occurs because the body does not produce insulin. The exact cause of this is still unknown, but possible causes include an autoimmune response, genetics or exposure to viruses or environmental factors. That said, with insulin therapy and other treatment options, those affected can still live healthy lives by learning how to properly manage their condition.

There are plenty of options available for diabetes treatment. Nick shared that he manages his disease by using an insulin pump and checking his blood sugar levels regularly. He also said in an interview, “My family has been an incredible support from the time I was diagnosed to now… I am never afraid to rely on them when certain situations come up.” The message he wanted to bring to others living with type 1 diabetes is: “Know that you can still do anything you want to do with your life. I didn’t let it slow me down, and you don’t have to either.”

Beyond type 1

In 2015, Nick together with Juliet de Baubigny, Sarah Lucas and Sam Talbot founded Beyond Type 1, a non-profit foundation dedicated to educating, advocating and supporting active research on the chronic disease. According to the foundation’s website, it aims to educate the global community, provide resources and support those living with type 1 diabetes. Nick explained why Beyond Type 1 is a unique philanthropic foundation in its own right: “I think traditionally the internet has been used as an educational tool for many diseases and things of that nature, but in regards to type 1 diabetes, this is the first time social media has really been a defining factor in the outreach and the presence of a non-profit.”

The foundation uses social media as its main platform to reach as many people as it can across the world – they currently have 16 digital platforms (including Instagram and Facebook). On top of that, Beyond Type 1 also hosts programmes such as a global app, pen pal programmes, marathons and nationwide bikeathons across the United States. At the heart of all these activities, Beyond Type 1 works towards uniting communities for better education regarding the disease, improving access to better diabetes care and encouraging innovation. For more information, check out beyondtype1.org.

In 2017, Nick won the Disney Hero award at the Radio Disney Music Awards for his efforts in co-founding Beyond Type 1. In his award acceptance speech, he looked back on when he was first diagnosed with diabetes, saying, “It was a moment in my life when I was just getting ready to start making music with my brothers, and touring, and it was something I thought would slow me down before I even got started. Thankfully it didn’t, and I’m in the healthiest place I’ve been since my diagnosis… What I saw as the biggest challenge of my life really did become the biggest opportunity to bring some encouragement to people.”

Making movies and meeting his wife

Following the split of the Jonas Brothers in 2014, Nick released his second solo album that same year, titled Nick Jonas, from which emerged two hit songs, “Jealous” and “Chains” (they are extremely catchy!). Following that, Nick came out with his third studio album, Last Year Was Complicated in 2016, which featured lead single “Close”, a collaboration with Swedish singer Tove Lo. He also helped write “Home”, the title song to the soundtrack of animated film Ferdinand (2017). The song was nominated for Best Original Song at the Golden Globe Awards.

In the realm of film, Nick co-starred in the 2016 drama Goat, a coming of age movie about two brothers navigating their college fraternity. And just last year, he appeared in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, a fun family film which starred the likes of Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan. The movie was a major success, grossing close to US$1 billion worldwide.

Nick still has a couple of upcoming projects up his sleeves; he certainly seems like a bright young star to look out for.

On a more personal level, the good news that surrounds Nick lately is his engagement with Indian actress and singer Priyanka Chopra. The exotic beauty was the winner of the Miss World pageant in 2000 and is one of India’s most popular and celebrated women.

On an American talk show, Nick revealed how they met. “We met through a friend and got connected first over text. We started talking for a while and this was six months before we met up in person. And then we attended the MET gala a few years ago together and had a great time just as friends. And our lives were kind of taking us to different places. Then we met up just a few months ago and it was kind of immediate. We just knew it was right, we jumped right in and we are very happy,” he proclaimed cheerfully.

In August this year, Nick officially announced his engagement to Priyanka with a loving photo of the two of them, captioned “Future Mrs. Jonas. My heart. My love.” on his Instagram. This was followed by more pictures of the couple’s engagement ceremony in Mumbai, India – a custom signifying confirmation and approval from both sides of the family.

We are guessing that their wedding will be one of the most anticipated celebrity events on both sides of the planet. We would like to wish Nick and his bride all the best in their years ahead, and hope that he continues his good work on T1D advocacy.

<< Pull quotes >>

“What I saw as the biggest challenge of my life became the biggest opportunity to bring some encouragement to people.”

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WORDS HANNAH MAY-LEE WONG

He’s tall, dark, scruffy and good- looking. Standing at 6ft 5in with a great build, Jason Momoa is certainly a physical specimen to behold. While some may remember him from popular TV series such as Baywatch: Hawaii, Stargate Atlantis or Game of Thrones, in December, he showcases his biggest role yet as Aquaman.

BORN BY THE WATERS

Jason Momoa, 39, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Coni and Joseph Momoa. His mother, who was an artist, raised him as a single mother in Iowa, USA. While growing up in the Midwest, Jason recalled his mother introducing him to skateboarding, rock climbing, painting and music – hobbies he still carries with him to this day.

Before breaking into bigger roles such as Khal Drogo from Game of Thrones and Aquaman from Justice League (2017), Jason got his start in acting when he was just 19 years old. He was cast as Jason Loane in Baywatch Hawaii from 1999 to 2001.“I got my start on Baywatch, which was very crazy because I was just a college student in Colorado. I was on vacation, getting to know my father better and the TV show came. I was 19, running around with no clothes on and saving people. But it gave me my passion for acting,” Jason recalled in a radio interview. “It led to getting no respect for about four years and I couldn’t get an agent to save my life. I just became a rock- climbing bum and spent the little money I got from Baywatch to travel the world,” he said laughingly.

CONQUERING LAND, SHORE AND SEA

With a true affinity to the sand and sea, in 2004 Jason was cast in the American soap opera North Shore – a drama that revolved around the happenings in an exclusive Hawaiian resort located on Oahu’s north shore. Interestingly, Aquaman wasn’t the first film in which Jason stepped foot into the fictional lost city of Atlantis. Moving on from North Shore, the actor starred in Stargate Atlantis, a sci-fi space adventure series, where he played Ronon Dex, a soldier from the planet Sateda.

In 2011, Jason starred in his first leading role as Conan in Conan the Barbarian, a reboot of the original 1982 movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The role was the starting point for more roles as savage, bloodthirsty warriors. His big break came when he got the role of Khal Drogo in HBO’s hugely popular Game of Thrones.

Jason remains a big fan of the books and continues to follow the show even though his character had left the series years ago. Although Khal Drogo was a significant character – being the leader of the Dothraki tribe of warriors – his spoken lines were limited and only in the Dothraki language (which sounds like a cross between German and Arabic). Jason famously won over the casting crew by performing the Haka (a ceremonial warrior dance in Maori culture) for his audition. Explaining his bold move, he told the New York Times, “On Game of Thrones, Drogo doesn’t say much. So how do you convey him? There’s nothing in the script. Then I did the Haka. It was challenging to do the audition… I couldn’t stop my heart from beating.”

Actor Chris Pratt, most well- known for his roles of Star- Lord in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies and Owen Grady in the recent Jurassic Park sequels, offered some interesting advice on how to reach for the stars during the 2018 MTV Music Awards. Here is some of his advice that we can take to heart in 2019.

1. You have a soul. Be careful with it.
2. Do good deeds. Be of service, especially to those in need. Doing so will make you feel good and it’s good for your soul.
3. If you’re strong, be a protector. If you’re smart, be a humble influencer.
4. Strength and intelligence can be weapons – do not wield them against the weak. That makes you a bully. Be bigger than that.
5. Nobody is perfect. People may tell you you’re perfect just the way you are, but you’re not. You are imperfect. That’s fine, because we are all unique individuals with our own strengths and weaknesses, and what seems like a weakness to you may be a strength in another person’s eyes. If you can accept your imperfection, you will be able to embrace life and live it to the fullest. HT 

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WORDS JENNIFER F. NETTO

Emily Blunt burst into our collective consciousness as the caustic and acerbic Emily Charlton in The Devil Wears Prada more than 12 years ago. Since then she has grown from strength to strength as an actress. Recently, she co-produced and co-starred in the hit horror movie A Quiet Place alongside her husband John Krasinski.

Hearing the Mary Poppins Returns star’s plummy English accent, one would never realise that Emily struggled with a speech impediment growing up. She stuttered. And she was bullied for it.

HER RISE TO FAME

Emily Blunt was only 23 when she was cast in The Devil Wears Prada. In a film helmed by the great Meryl Streep and anchored by the star-power of Anne Hathaway, Emily managed to hold her own and even walked away with a Golden Globes award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. Critics were effusive in their praise of her performance, commending her on stealing almost every scene she was in. Emily has never looked back since, playing a gamut of roles ranging from a young Queen Victoria to futuristic warrior Rita Vrataski who aids Tom Cruise in saving Earth from aliens in Edge of Tomorrow. Just recently in December 2018, Emily was our spoonful of sugar in Mary Poppins Returns.

BREAKING THE BARRIERS

Growing up though, Emily would have found it hard to say “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”. Emily Olivia Leah Blunt was born in Wandsworth, London where she lived with her brother Sebastian and sisters Felicity and Susannah. Emily’s mother Joanna was a teacher (also a former actress) and Emily’s father Oliver Simon Peter Blunt was a lawyer awarded with the “Queen’s Counsel” title. Despite her mother and father’s obvious facility with the spoken English language, Emily was plagued by a stutter while growing up. Later in life, she found out that her stutter was genetic and ran in her family. It was not due to anxiety or to a nervous disposition, as is commonly assumed. However, up to the age of 14, she was still struggling to manage it. While Emily credits her mother, Joanna in helping her, it was only when a teacher cast her in a play that Emily realized how to handle her stutter. It was the same way she stood up to her bullies. She became someone else.

Emily was bullied and made fun of for her stutter. Instead of getting upset or retaliating in kind, Emily made her tormentors laugh instead. She did impressions and spoke in funny voices. Her teacher heard her doing this and encouraged her to do the same in the school play when Emily balked at the opportunity citing her stutter. Thus it was that Emily’s greatest liability became her greatest asset.

Acting opened up a world of possibility to Emily. For her Sixth Form, she enrolled in Hurtwood House in Surrey which was known for its performing arts programme. Emily was reportedly discovered there and signed up with an agency. Emily’s debut in the world of acting was as the great Dame Judi Dench’s granddaughter in a play called The Royal Family. A mere 5 years later, she starred in The Devil Wears Prada. She is still good friends with her The Devil Wears Prada cast mates. In fact, Stanley Tucci who played the art director Nigel in The Devil Wears Prada became her brother-in-law! He met Emily’s sister Felicity at Emily’s wedding.

THE LOVE OF HER LIFE

Acting also brought Emily the love of her life. She was dating the singer Michael Bublé during her The Devil Wears Prada days, but they broke up in 2008. Shortly after that, she met John Krasinski through a mutual friend. John was acting in the U.S. version of The Office at that time and Emily, as a true-blue Englishwoman loved the U.K. version, of course. For John, she binge-watched the U.S. series. They were married in 2010 and have two daughters, Hazel and Violet.

John and Emily have one of the longer and stronger marriages in Hollywood. John not only adores his wife but encourages and supports her in her every endeavour. Since the end of his The Office days, John has increased his forays into writing, directing and producing. John co-wrote, directed and starred in A wrote, directed and starred in A Quiet Place, a horror film that did extremely well both critically and at the box-office. Interestingly, the premise of the film has to do with horrific creatures which hunt by sound. In looking for an actress to play his wife in the movie, John did not have to search very far and cast Emily. This was the couple’s first movie together, with likely more to follow.

In achieving so much success, both personally and professionally, Emily has not forgotten her roots or the impetus that led her to acting. She is a board member of the American Institute for Stuttering and talks openly about her difficulties growing up with a stutter. She especially highlights the genetic and biological component of stuttering in an attempt both to encourage stutterers and educate those around them. Emily found, strangely enough, that her stutter crept back in during her pregnancies.

TAKING ON MARY POPPINS

Emily aims to delight audiences everywhere with her portrayal of the iconic Mary Poppins. While Emily’s very Englishness  and her singing prowess (as clearly evident in Into The Woods) may have allowed her to land the role, she confesses to not having seen the movie recently.

In order to make the character her own and not just be a carbon-copy of Julie Andrews who played the original Mary Poppins, she made it a point not to see it before her audition. Emily is joined in Mary Poppins Returns by a stellar ensemble cast which includes Colin Firth, Emily Mortimer, Meryl Streep, Ben Whishaw (the current Q in the James Bond movies) and multi- talented Lin-Manuel Miranda. Yes, Emily is also reunited with Meryl Streep, she who played the scary Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada.

Both The Devil Wears Prada and Mary Poppins share another thing in common (apart from Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep, of course), in that both movies are based on books. Mary Poppins is actually a series of eight books written by the Australian-born British author, P.L. Travers.Travers eventually sold the rights to her characters to Walt Disney after initially rebuffing his efforts to make a movie on Mary Poppins. For an understanding of how that happened, you can watch Saving Mr. Banks where Walt Disney is portrayed by Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson plays P.L. Travers. The story (believed to be more or less true to life) is that Walt Disney had pursued P.L. Travers and the rights to Mary Poppins for 20 years but she continued to deny him as she was worried how Hollywood would depict Mary Poppins. While accounts differ on whether Travers was actually happy with the final product, it is safe to say that generations of children everywhere are.

SERVING A NEW GENERATION

It is only fitting that Mary Poppins Returns for a whole new generation of  children to be schooled in the magical nanny’s witty wisdom of using a spoonful of sugar to let the medicine go down. Mary Poppins Returns promises to be   a colourful, musical and fun romp down memory lane for us adults and to introduce a new “fairyland” to the children of today. After all, she is portrayed by Emily Blunt the very embodiment of Mary Poppins’ encouragement to “Open different doors. You may find a you there that you never knew was yours”. HT

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WORDS RACHEL SOON

In 2017, targeted violence against the Rohingya community in Myanmar forced over a million people to flee across the border to Bangladesh. In this issue, Cpt Manvikram Singh Gill, military pharmacist with the Royal Medical and Dental Corps (RMDC) of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) who was stationed at Cox’s Bazar — now the world’s largest refugee camp — shares his perspective on the first humanitarian assignment of his career.

What is the RMDC?

The RMDC is one of the service support corps under the MAF, with the aim of ensuring military readiness and conserving the MAF’s fighting strength. The commissioned officers under the RMDC include medical and dental consultants, specialists, medical officers, dental officers, pharmacy officers, veterinarians, general and special duty officers, technical/general trades of non-commissioned officers from other ranks and files, and various allied healthcare civilian staff.

To ensure the RMDC is always well trained and prepared to face any diversified healthcare operations, apart from providing medical care to soldiers, immediate family and veterans throughout the country, the RMDC has always been actively involved in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR). 

The Malaysian RMDC has an extensive track record in HADR involvement throughout the country and internationally. Among the HADR operations globally for the past 30 years are those that happened in Namibia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Somalia, Bosnia, Pakistan, the Western Sahara, Myanmar, Lebanon, the Philippines and Nepal. These operations included medical relief during wars as well as natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis and cyclones.

Tell us about the field hospital in Bangladesh.

The situation in Cox’s Bazar (CXB) is bad. They really need assistance because their numbers are 1.5 million and increasing. The conflict intensified last year around August, when there were increased incidences of villages being burned and other violence in Myanmar. More people started coming to Bangladesh and the numbers basically just exploded.

In support of the humanitarian effort there, the Malaysian government sprang into emergency response planning. In November 2018, the Malaysian Armed Forces Health Services (MAFHS) under the leadership of Lieutenant General Dato’ Dr Ya’akop bin Koming set up a Level 3 field hospital, the Malaysian Field Hospital (MFH) in Ukhia in CXB, aiming to provide up to tertiary medical care for the refugees.

The MFH has a 50-bed capacity which can be increased up to 100 upon any medical crisis. Operations officially started 31 November 2017 after the infrastructure setup was completed by soldiers from the RMDC 2nd Medical Battalion.

For the first 3 months, it was run by medical staff from the Malaysian Ministry of Health (MOH). After the 3 months, the RMDC took over in what was named Ops Starlight-1, which I took part in. We replaced the team over there and expanded the services that were available.

What additional services does a Level 3 provide?

We do a lot of surgery cases. Our specialists were there for 3-month rotations providing 24/7 care for a range of specialties: anaesthesiology, family medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, orthopaedics, obstetrics and gynaecology, and public health. Medical officers, dental officers, a pharmacist and pharmacy technician, radiographers, lab technicians, medical assistants, nurses, environmental hygienists and general logisticians were also part of this team.

We are unlike the non-government organizations in that their specialists operate based on a volunteer basis and for a shorter duration, sometimes 2 weeks at most. We’re one of the few Level 3 hospitals there; the others are the Turkey Field Hospital and the Red Cross.

What was your deployment like?

I was there for 6 months with the pharmacy technician. Initially, I received the recommendation for deployment from Colonel Mohd Adlan bin Adnan, who was the chief pharmacist at the Pharmacy Department of Tuanku Mizan Armed Forces Hospital (TMAFH), where I was stationed. Upon further endorsement from the MAFHS Director of Pharmacy, Brigadier General Dato’ Dr A Halim bin Hj Basari, I was officially selected to be deployed for 6 months, with Private Mohd Aizat bin Izzuddin as the pharmacy technician.

This mission was officially named Ops Starlight-1 with Brigadier General Dr Adnan bin Abdullah as the Commanding Officer on field, and Colonel Dr Mohd Arshil bin Moideen as the Chief Technical Planner & Advisor (Malaysia). I was made responsible for the pharmaceutical and medical logistics (PharmaMedLog) aspect, and we were tasked to prepare necessary documentations and any medical commodities for deployment.

Prior to my deployment, the MFH had already been operational for 3 months, so PharmaMedLog had to be resumed and maintained, not initiated. So, on detailed medical intelligence, surveillance on existing stock and requirement discussion with all specialists, it was decided that all PharmaMedLog items such as drugs and disposables would be acquired locally in Bangladesh instead of bringing them from Malaysia.

I also had to look into pre-deployment personnel medical requirements such as vaccinations needed — as there was a diphtheria outbreak on-field — and prophylaxis drugs since Bangladesh is a malaria-endemic country.

Pvt Aizat and I arrived in Bangladesh on 23 February 2018 as part of the advance team. On 24 February 2018, the RMDC fully took over MFH operations from MOH staff, fully resuming MFH operations upon the arrival of the main team a week later.

What were your duties on-site?

For outpatient pharmacy services, we saw about 400 to 500 people a day. Overall, we treated about 23,000 people in a 6-month duration. Pvt. Aizat and I both worked closely doing filling, labelling and dispensing. The medication labels were customized using pictograms to ensure that the patients understand fully the medication instructions.

We also picked up basics of the Bengali and Rohingya languages and decided to dispense medication ourselves rather than using the limited manpower of local translators hired. This was to avoid any miscommunications in medication instructions and to ensure that only a credentialed person was dispensing.

For inpatient pharmacy services, the routine included drug distribution activities such as ward unit-of-use supply mechanism; supplies for floor stock, emergency trolley medication, psychotropic and dangerous drugs; and bedside dispensing for discharged patients. Ward pharmacy activities were minimal as it was based on any opportunity I could get away from other workload. However, medication counselling, especially for inhalers, was something compulsory for me to attend.

The backbone of MFH pharmacy services is the PharmaMedLog aspect. It was crucial that drugs, disposables, lab reagents and medical gases were not only available for doctors, but that these items should be of highest quality, safe, proven effective, and acquired with minimal cost. Hence, I spent most of my time ensuring that the procurement plan that I devised was functional.

To achieve this, I had to maintain good working alliances with various stakeholders. My task was certainly effortless with great teamwork from all specialists involved and the MFH administrative leadership, which always focused on working closely with other counterparts to achieve a common goal.  

We also worked together with the governments of Bangladesh, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Brunei, as well as global agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as the WHO, various arms of the United Nations, the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Malaysian NGOs such as the Islamic Medical Association Relief Team (IMARET), Malaysian Relief Agency (MRA) and Mercy Malaysia were also involved.

The setting up of the MFH was an act of humanitarian response by the RMDC, and also gave the opportunity for RMDC personnel to train on how to function in times of crisis in the global arena. Personally, in the 6-month deployment, I have certainly gained a lot in terms of military medicine and military pharmacy practice.

What did you feel was the most challenging aspect?

Because I was in charge of PharmaMedLog and we had decided purchasing supplies in Bangladesh would save us a lot of time and bureaucracy, I had to get medical intelligence to find out which pharmaceutical companies could be trusted—because it’s not easy. Of 250 companies there, only 8 were shortlisted that we could purchase from, after my survey on whether they were fake or real medicines, whether they were effective, etc. That was the main challenge.

The other challenge was communication in terms of the language. Pvt Aizat and I had to learn Bengali and Rohingya, because we also saw the local Bengali population who were from the surrounding villages; the ratio of Bengali to Rohingya patients was something like 70%:30%. We had to treat them as well, because when you go into their area and the government has given you land there, you can’t be exclusively for the refugees.

Would you want to go back?

Military pharmacists go on missions on a rotation basis. Since I have been on a mission already, the next in line to go would be my junior, and so on. Although I would love to go back there again, I have to abide by the rules of the organization. HT

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Sarah Hyland might seem like a new kid on the block with sparkly eyes that adorn her young appearance but this petite young lady is one-short-candle away from entering the big THREE-O. Sarah Hyland is America’s sweetheart, but life has taken quite the twist-and-turn on her off-screen presence.

Early Years to Stardom

Hyland was born in Manhattan on the 24th of November 1990, to parents Edward James and Melissa Canaday who were no strangers in the acting world. Like most children of Hollywood celebrities, Hyland’s fame came early. She was only seven when she first landed her acting gig for the film Private Parts. But this alumna of the Professional Performing Arts School of New York went on to act in even bigger roles in the movies Annie and Blind Date.

However, her popularity soared when she took on the role of Haley Dunphy in ABC’s longest running, Emmy-award winning comedy, Modern Family. The show was recently renewed for its 11th and final season in January this year. 

To date, Hyland has acted in close to twenty films of which she was Executive Producer of a few, thirty-odd television shows, and six music videos, and has a net worth of 9 million on her name. She has won the Screen Actors Guild Award, Teen Choice Awards, Critics Choice Television Award, and Glamour Awards between 2011 and 2014 as Haley in Modern Family.

The Tender Road

While her fame as an actress started when she was young, the pain of dealing with kidney dysplasia begun at birth for her. Hyland’s kidneys did not develop properly in her mother’s womb and they never functioned well. Kidney dysplasia, which is sometimes called multicystic dysplastic kidney, is a condition that occurs in the womb when one or both of a baby’s kidneys does not develop correctly and fluid-filled sacs (cysts) grow in place of normal tissue. It is the most common type of pediatric renal cystic disease, occurring in approximately 1 of every 4,300 live births, according to Children’s Hospital Boston.

The causes of these cases vary. According to the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), kidney dysplasia may be related to a mother’s exposure to certain prescription medications or illegal drugs, such as seizure medication, ACE inhibitors for blood pressure, and cocaine, while in other instances, the cause may be genetic. NIDDK also reports that kidney dysplasia appears as a dominant trait, therefore, either parent could pass it on, even if he or she shows no symptoms.

Many children who are diagnosed via ultrasound, grow up without any health problems and require no treatment. Others, like Hyland, aren’t so lucky. In addition to pain and fatigue, the symptoms and complications of kidney dysplasia may include urinary tract problems, high blood pressure, and a slightly increased risk of kidney cancer. A more common problem is the risk of damage to the healthy kidney because of issues with the affected kidney. Some children may develop chronic kidney disease or kidney failure, for which they’ll eventually need dialysis treatments or a transplant like Hyland.

A Second and Third Chance at Life

Treatments prevented kidney failure through her childhood but when Hyland turned 21, it took a turn and she required kidney transplant due to total kidney failure. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing Kidney, transplants are in increasingly high demand in the US and the waiting list includes more than 90,000 people in which fewer than 17,000 of whom will be lucky enough to actually receive a kidney within a year. Hyland was fortunate to find a willing and compatible donor in her father, but sadly, after an excruciating experience of kidney rejection five years later, Sarah required a second transplant. She was forced to be in and out of dialysis for 12 hours each week to assist her in maintaining her health. Unfortunately, all that hard work led her to need another match and she did ­– this time it was her younger brother’.

In Between Pain and Fame

Juggling chronic pain and long hours of dialysis in between filming was not an easy feat for Hyland, as she openly revealed in many interviews on television and magazines across America. She had to constantly hide her discomfort from the camera and get into work even at her lowest points. According to her video post on social media, Hyland experienced suicidal feelings due to guilt caused by the rejection of her body to her father’s kidney as well as fears of another rejection.

But Hyland reached out to someone close to her and disclosed her feelings. She emphasised in her interview with Ellen DeGeneres that it’s not shameful for anyone that wants to reach out to someone but doesn’t really know how because they’re too proud or they think that they’ll be looked upon as weak, it’s not a shameful thing to say and share and she encourages everyone who feels even an ounce of suicidal thoughts to seek the help of someone and to tell it out loud for help.

On top of these serious kidney issues, Hyland also has endometriosis and underwent laparoscopic surgery to address it. A few weeks after the endometriosis surgery, she then had surgery to repair a hernia. In total, Hyland has had 16 surgeries.

An Inspiration 

Apart from acting, Hyland is also a youth ambassador with the Lopez Foundation, an organization created by actor George Lopez to serve underprivileged children and to raise awareness about kidney disease and organ donation. Lopez, like Hyland, is an organ recipient himself — one of many on a list that includes Gary Coleman, Natalie Cole, Neil Simon, and Tracy Morgan.

Hyland’s new year wishes for 2018 was nothing short of an inspiration to her beloved fans, who many like her, struggle with kidney disease. Her openness about her struggles connected with many, and it helped justify that their pain is real despite the front they give to others. Sarah is grateful to her family and friends, and the love of her life, Well Adams, who stood by her and saw her through her most fragile moments. “I believe if he had seen me in my lowest point and stood by me, then he accepts me for who I am, that I am still loveable and beautiful in his eyes!” Sarah shared on DeGeneres’s show.

With the filming of the new and final season of Modern Family, and a third chance at life, we wish the award-winning Sarah Hyland all the success and may she continue to be an inspiration to those who struggle like her with a message of hope that you can strive to be the best, regardless. HT

References:

1. https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/12/219070/sarah-hyland-kidney-transplant-dysplasia
2. https://www.ranker.com/list/sarah-hyland-loves-and-hookups/celebrityhookups
3. https://www.youbeauty.com/beauty/sarah-hyland-qa/
4. https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/0516/behind-sarah-hylands-kidney-dysplasia-diagnosis.aspx
5. https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/about-chronic-kidney-disease
6. https://www.kidney.org/newsletter/modern-family-star-opens-up-about-kidney-disease-transplants
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Hyland
8. https://www.today.com/health/sarah-hyland-reveals-2nd-kidney-transplant-i-was-contemplating-suicide-t144840
9. https://www.self.com/story/sarah-hyland
10. https://www.bustle.com/p/sarah-hyland-wells-adams-relationship-timeline-zooms-in-on-their-social-media-meet-cute-15519571
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Family#Themes

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WORDS HANNAH MAY-LEE WONG

Ahh… weddings. Such a joyous occasion of celebrating love, family and romance. But anyone who has ever planned a wedding knows, that before the laughter and the happily ever after, comes budgeting, handling RSVP’s and other complicated stuff.

He pops the questions, you’re elated! You immediately call up your loved ones to tell them the good news. You have found the one you’re willing to spend the rest of your life with — it’s a miracle and a dream come true. Weeks pass and soon enough you’re ejected into a whirlwind of wedding planning. Turns out, it’s more tedious than you’ve ever imagined.

Lots of wedding planning stress comes from sorting out the financing, making decisions, seating arrangement and who can forget the family drama? Before you get to enjoy what could be the happiest day of your life, you’ll have to work hard on the planning process to ensure things turn out exactly how you, your other-half and your family have envisioned. This is no easy task, it is very stressful. To avoid getting consumed by anxiety and negativity, it’s a good idea to keep your head space in the right place. Try your best to keep your perspectives focused on what’s truly important and enjoy the process while it lasts — easier said than done, right? Regardless, take comfort in knowing that this is a once in a lifetime experience and it goes by in a blink of an eye. 

Here are some helpful tips on how to stay calm, even when so much is going on:

1. Keep it sweet and simple

This might not be an option for some, as certain families might have set high expectations. But try keeping things as simple as you can, especially if you and your fiancé are paying for the wedding yourselves. Interesting statistic: according to a study, couples who spent less on their wedding were less likely to divorce. It just goes to show that you don’t need an overly extravagant wedding to have a happy marriage. Besides, possibly getting into debt just for a wedding is hardly a good way to start a marriage.1 There are plenty of ways to cut back and simplify. Some of the best ways are: having a smaller guest list, booking a smaller venue, having a lunch get-together instead of a dinner banquet, using artificial flowers instead of fresh ones or sending e-invites instead of printed ones.

2. Get help

There are plenty of avenues where one can get help. One of the easiest options is to get a wedding planner will hold your hand and make sure your wedding goes by smoothly. Wedding planners come with a cost, but keep in mind that they have connections to vendors and their experienced hands will tell you what you need and what you don’t need, for your day to look just as lovely. This might save you some money in the long run. Alternatively, if you opt not to hire a planner, fret not, I didn’t hire a planner for my wedding and neither did many other brides. Still, we managed to pull-off an awesome wedding and I’d recommend this route to anyone. Indeed, planning a wedding yourself is a daunting task, but with the recruitment of some close family and friends, it’s an exciting experience and a great bonding opportunity for those involved. It gets more people invested in your special day and after the event, you’ll all be glad you did it together.

3. Focus on the important stuff

When so much is going on, it’s easy to lose track of what’s truly important: your relationship with your soon-to-be spouse. Remember, a wedding lasts for one day but a marriage lasts a lifetime. Take time off from the wedding planning occasionally and try your best to still do date nights. If you’re feeling anxious, nervous or unprepared for the wedding, consider attending premarital counselling or marriage preparation courses. This is compulsory for Muslim couples in Malaysia, but if you are non-Muslim, consider sourcing for qualified centres that offer these services. While you may think you already know everything about your other half, these courses are often very efficient in bringing up important topics to discuss before marriage including: defining the roles of husband and wife, how to handle conflict, financial management and dealing with the in-laws.2 You’d want your marriage to have a good start, and the best way for this is to be prepared mentally and emotionally.

4. Stay organized

You’ll find that wedding planning is more of a marathon than a sprint. The average time to plan a wedding is six months to one year, but it’s not uncommon to extend beyond that. With weddings, most items need to be booked way in advance. Even things that you thought were simple, like getting your wedding bands made, ordering a wedding dress, scheduling a pre-wedding photoshoot can have weeks or even months of wait time. Furthermore, your days would be filled with so many meetings and appointments, that it can very difficult to keep track. Luckily, technology is on your side. The smartphone has plenty of apps that can help you create checklists, set up reminders and organize your documents. Make Google Calendars, Microsoft Word and Excel your best friends (they have plenty of features and are most probably already installed on your devices). Additionally, you can invest in a physical notebook or planner to write down your thoughts or note down anything that inspires you.

5. Utilize online resources

There are so many wedding-related resources available on the internet, and they post beautiful pictures, useful tips and are regularly updated. There, you’ll find loads of inspiration, insightful articles, detailed checklists and easy-to-use templates. I personally felt that I could not have planned my wedding without these websites they were lifesavers! If you’re the first in your family to get married, many of these sites have step-by-step guides on how to plan your wedding from beginning to the end. My favourites are: www.theweddingscoop.com and http://www.theweddingnotebook.com. Some websites even offer templates whereby you can create your own e-invites, wedding posters and wedding programmes. I used www.canva.com and www.greetingsisland.com.

6. Stick to your budget

This may seem obvious, but moments of weakness or not setting a budget in the first place can lead you to overspend, and this leads to unnecessary stress. It’s best to set a budget before starting the wedding planning process and stick to it. Create a spread sheet and document each item you spend on. Don’t be afraid to say no when necessary.

7. Don’t forget to smell the roses

With endless to-do lists and long tiring days, it’s tempting to wish the wedding would just be over already. But getting married is a big deal and you’re only going to do this once. It’s a lifelong commitment and the joining of two sets of friends and families. This should be celebrated and remembered for the years to come! You’ll love seeing your friends and family all in one place, celebrating you and your loved one’s decision to tie the knot. No matter how big or small your wedding is, it is your day and you should remember to be present in the moment and take time to soak it all in. HT

References:

1. The Independent. Couples who spend more on their weddings are more likely to divorce. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/love-sex/wedding-cost-marriage-divorce-ring-how-much-price-study-a8435646.html.
2. New Straits Times. Hold premarital courses. Available at: https://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/12/196932/hold-premarital-courses.

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WORDS HANNAH MAY-LEE WONG

In the early months of this year, Malaysia saw soaring temperatures and dry weather throughout the country as an increasing number of areas were put on a heatwave alert. A heatwave happens when temperatures remain high for a few consecutive days. The exceptionally hot weather is a natural phenomenon that typically happens towards the end of the northeast monsoon. Thankfully, the Malaysian Meteorological Department predicted that this heatwave will likely end in April.

What are the dangers?

The health risks a heatwave can bring include: dehydration, overheating, heat exhaustion and heatstroke (a dangerous condition where the body temperature rises to 40°C or higher and if untreated can cause damage to vital organs like the brain, heart or kidneys).

Anyone can be affected by the heatwave, but there are specific groups of people that are more at risk. They include the elderly, babies and young children, people with pre-existing chronic health conditions, people who are physically active and people who work outdoors. Those who are on medications that affect sweating and body temperature should also take extra precautions.

With that in mind, we ask ourselves, is there anything we can do to beat the heat?

According to a post by the Ministry of Health Malaysia on their Facebook page, here’s what you should do to stay safe and cool in this hot weather:

1. Drink lots of water, even if you haven’t been physically active.
2. If temperatures are high, avoid doing outdoor activities—opt to stay indoors if you can help it.
3. Limit your intake of caffeine, alcohol and sugary drinks.
4. Turn on the fan or air conditioner so that your body can cool off.
5. Wear loose clothing made of light, airy material. Avoid wearing dark coloured clothes as they tend to trap heat.
6. Do not sit in your car (with the windows and doors closed) without turning on the air conditioner.
7. Wear a hat or use an umbrella to protect your body from sunlight.

The above information was adapted from an infographic by the Ministry of Health Malaysia. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/kementeriankesihatanmalaysia/photos/a.390879946236/10155894338076237/?type=3&theater.

Finally, keep a lookout for alerts and announcements made on the radio or in the newspapers, for updates on the weather situation. In doing so, it helps you stay informed and prepared. If you’re feeling too uncomfortable with the heat, seek the advice of your doctor immediately. HT

References:

1. The Star. Temperature soars to 36°C. Retrieved from: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/02/26/temperature-soars-to-36c-perlis-kedah-the-hottest-as-10-areas-placed-on-heatwave-alert/.
2. NHS. Heatwave: how to cope in hot weather. Retrieved from: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/heatwave-how-to-cope-in-hot-weather/.

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