Do a Kind Act For a Stranger
What defines a kind act? I know I created this blog challenge (Gaming & Giving Back), but this is the one task that I found to be very broad and I didn’t know how I was going to approach it.
Again, something just magically appeared for me today. This time, on my phone. I could have just ignored the text or responded with a vague answer, but I decided it was the perfect opportunity to spend time ensuring this girl I didn’t know was okay and had a bunch of information that she was obviously lacking because she didn’t know how to go about finding it. I am going to call the person in my task, A.
A is a 15 almost 16 year old girl who is friends with a friend of mine. So hypothetically, a stranger to me.
My friend wanted to go with A to the doctors because A thought she might be pregnant, and she was terrified. A didn’t even know what to expect for a pregnancy test. No one has told her. The text that I received was asking me what happens at the doctors to find out if you’re pregnant. My friend wanted to confirm with me so she could forward the correct information.
I got the text just as I was leaving work, so I responded with a “pee test”. I was kind of wondering if my friend was the one who was pregnant and just curious so she could check. This is when I realized that girls, who are highly educated on the computers and have seen more porn than they admit to, have no idea what real life means until they are faced with it. How could someone have sex and not know about the “morning after pill” or about free birth control, or even what happens when you need a pregnancy test.
My friend was using A’s phone to text me, but I guess she took off and I started texting A. I told A that I know how scary it can be, and if she ever needs an adult to confide in, I am available.
Yes… sometimes, I am an adult 
I am 28 remember!
Anyways, A said definitely. She needed someone to talk to. She said that she was terribly afraid of talking to her mom because she honestly believes that her mom would kick her out if she knew she was having sex, and now might be pregnant. I know a bit about A’s history, but not too much. A’s mom is rather religious and “proper”. A said that she couldn’t talk to her mom about having sex, and this time sort of just happened. I really hope it wasn’t her first time, but I didn’t feel it was my place to ask.
I asked A how she got to this point, what made her think she might be pregnant. She responded with “a boy took advantage of me a couple weeks ago and now I’m 6 days late for my period”. I found out later that night, that the boy… is almost 20 and they were both drunk.
Since I didn’t really know this girl, I didn’t know how to engage in conversation with her, but texting seemed to work. I phoned my doctor and asked them what they can do if someone who is 15 years old wants to go on the birth control pill and doesn’t want their parents to know. They said just come in. It would all be confidential and they would make sure the girl got the right pills. Apparently at 12 years old girls can start the pill without their parents knowing.
I sent the text to A explaining this, and providing her with the phone number and address of my doctors. This will help her if she is not pregnant yet.
I also recommended that she stops stressing about it, as stress could cause her period to be late too. In a couple days, if she still doesn’t have it, then do a home pregnancy test in the morning because that’s when the hormone is easiest to read. Or go to the doctors and do a test. The doctors wouldn’t tell her parents, and they would provide her with the resources she would need.
She said thank you, and I felt like the conversation was at an end, so I told her again that if she ever needed someone to talk to… I’m around. I think it’s easier for her to talk to me because we don’t know each other and my opinion is irrelevant. I’m here to offer information and support if she needs it, but I’m not going to interfere with her daily life. I think we’ve said ‘hello’ once at the bus loop.
I truly hope this counts as a kind act for a stranger. If not, I held open the door at Starbucks this morning too
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Update on my “actual life” and gaming! 
For the past few days I have been feeling terrible! Like dreadfully ill. Probably the common cold, but since I’m such a wuss, it feels like so much more! My body has been aching, my nose all sniffly and sneezy, and the migraines…oh man, that’s the worst part! It’s moved into my throat now, so I have a bit of a cough. My lovely friend, Priscilla, recommended Camu-C a few months ago and I don’t know what I would do without it. It’s way better than the Cold FX pills that I was taking when a cold started. I am feeling a wee bit better today… finally! This is merely just as an update as my two favourite games just got sequels!! Gaming and resting should help beat this common cold that’s attacking me. Plus I am dying to get into my games so I can access if I actually love them or not.
Has anyone picked up Sims 3? I have it on the PC, but I was wondering if it’s worth the purchase for the XBOX. I didn’t play it too much on the PC because it’s … well… not really a gaming computer so the graphics sort of suck.
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I found out that the 24 hours of gaming actually succeeded more than I could have imagined! Thank you to everyone who sponsored me, who participated in the challenged, and who helped the other gamers! BC Children’s Hospital raised $15,000. What a fantastic outcome! Hospitals around the globe will receive very generous donations for gaming. I can’t wait to participate in this next year!
