Monica Richard gives voice to brother’s story

It began with the consumption of pork from a food vender that gave Lenine Sequeria a terrible headache that ultimately sent him to visit three different hospitals with health concerns.

According to Globe Magazine, Sequeria lived in Cape Verde “where he worked as a driver for the Ministry of Health.” Sequeria was constantly “on the go (and) eating on the road” while he traveled and consumed a lot of pork, said Sequeria’s sister Monica Richard.

In the spring of 2016 when Sequeria moved to New Bedford, MA, he began to experience terrible headaches that interrupted his sleep. Days later he felt “nauseous (and) numbness in his limbs, (experienced) blurry vision, (trouble) speaking properly and (waves of) confusion,” said Richard.

One day Sequeira was home with his mother when he experienced a whirlwind of these symptoms and his mother thought “he was having a stroke because he could not talk” correctly and “his body was shaking,” said Richard. The paramedics were called to bring him to New Bedford hospital.

According to Sequeria’s sister, St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford was “not sure” what illness or disease Sequeria had or why he was experiencing specific symptoms. From there, Sequeria was sent to a hospital in Rhode Island. There, Sequeria was diagnosed with tapeworm.

Tapeworm can exist in pork. Another interchangeable term is known as “Taenia solium,” which translates to pork tapeworm, according to Globe Magazine.

Pork tapeworm is common in “South and Southeast Asia, South and Central America, and sub-Saharan Africa, including Cape Verde,” where Sequeria lived before he moved to the United States, according to Globe Magazine.

Tapeworm is “a chain of organisms, connected, one to the next, by ropy lateral nerves” and obtains “no brains, no hearts, no mouths, and no guts,” said Globe Magazine. In order for a tapeworm chain to affect a person, the chain grows “suckers and hook (that) anchor (themselves within” a person, or in this case Sequeira, said Globe Magazine.   

The next step involved with being infected by tapeworm is a bank of egg sacs detach themselves from the chain and burst, causing the eggs to spill out in a person’s body.

According to Globe Magazine, in order for the eggs to hatch they “must be swallowed (either by) a person” or a pig. From there, the eggs that lay in the human “bore through the intestinal wall and go into the bloodstream” and eventually spread throughout the body.

Once Sequeria became informed with his diagnosis, his family connected the dots starting with the food, specifically the pork, he ate in Cape Verde, which turned out to be the root problem. The family was in a state of “shock (and) denial,” and questioned how the food is treated in Cape Verde, said Richard.

The family knew that tapeworm existed and thought it could be treated quickly and easily, but they were not aware of “how long (the tapeworm) lived in (Sequeria’s brain,) or how serious the illness was and the consequences or damage” it would cause Sequeira, said Richard.

The hospital in Rhode Island prescribed Sequeira with medication, but because the prescriptions were extremely expensive Sequeria’s family could not afford them. Without the proper medication to help treat Sequeria’s tapeworm he experienced a “seizure less than 24 hours” later, said Richard.   

When Sequeria’s symptoms worsened, his family took him to Mass General Hospital where he was admitted and underwent tests to “figure out what (the doctors could) do (to help) my brother,” said Richard.

The medical staff at Mass General “immediately took the burden on themselves (to) provide everything (Sequeira) needed to get through the treatment,” and luckily a “few weeks later (he) was allowed to leave the hospital, but he did not leave empty handed. (The hospital made sure he) left with the proper medication,” continued Richard.

Sequeira and his family are “forever grateful” for the “the care (and) the love” Mass General provided,” said Richard.

Since 2016 when Sequeria was diagnosed with tapeworm, “it has been challenging. In the beginning it was tough. He experienced depression when he realized it was a long term condition and he was not able to live a typical lifestyle of driving, going to work and (engaging in) social interaction. He isolated himself. (He) wanted to give up, but (Sequeria’s) family talked to him” and motivated him to keep fighting, said Richard.

As a result of experiencing confusion, his “brain (could not) focus” and Sequeria had a difficult time taking his medication, so his sister Monica used “sources, such as friends and family to help (her) organize the medication” and make sure Sequeria was taking it, said Richard.

As of recently, Sequeira “is not 100 percent healthy, but the treatment is so good because it is sufficient enough to (give him) a little bit a (of his life back). He can work, he can drive (and that) takes off burdens of other family (members). He is more cautious of what he eats, drinks and (prioritizes) his medication” said Richard.

For an extremely long time, Sequeria’s sister Monica lived “with (her) brother’s disease more than anybody because (she) was there the most (to support him). (She) was his voice when he could not advocate for himself until the treatments started to go into effect,” so when she found out Globe Magazine was covering Sequeria’s experience with tapeworm “it was like (she) won the lottery,” said Richard.

Sequeria “is living proof of how (tapeworm) can impact people” and by spreading awareness about tapeworm Monica hopes it will make people “more aware of their health (in order) to prevent the illness” or seek help quickly if symptoms become apparent, said Richard.

Environmentalists find solutions towards global change

This week on A Deep Dive Into The Classroom, environmentalists at Northern Essex Community College are piling into the seats in room E263 to study air pollution and its effect on the Earth.

In order for the students to study the current “state of the planet,” Department of Natural Science Professor Mark Reinhold said he believes it is important for “students (to) understand the spheres (that are) involved” with the planet. The spheres of the Earth include: The lithosphere (land), atmosphere (air), biosphere (living organisms) and hydrosphere (water).

One of Earth’s spheres that is broken down into finer and thorough detail is the atmosphere. The Earth’s atmosphere has five significant layers and Reinhold’s Environmental Issues course’s mission is to study air pollution in the first layer of the atmosphere: The troposphere.

The students’ objective is to “look at evidence” that covers a variety of topics related to air pollution, such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, tropospheric ozone, lead, nitrogen dioxide and particulate pollution. The vital point in studying these topics is for the students to discover the reasoning behind air pollution in the troposphere, global issues associated with this type of pollution and identify how it can be reduced, said Reinhold.

One factor that comes into play when considering air pollution are the impacts of acid rain, which is a form of pollution. During one of Reinhold’s Environmental Issues classes he described the process of acid rain and how it works. To make this explanation more understandable, the professor conducted a visual presentation where he acquired a small bottle of acid in the classroom and poured it onto a rock. As a result, a chemical reaction occurred, which caused the rock to dissolve, erode and release a steaming sensation.

“Professor Reinhold’s enthusiasm” towards his course lectures, presentations and class engagement hold great significance to one student in particular, Clarie Brady, because it provides her with “a more in depth perspective about climate change,” said Brady.

Regardless of the small enrollment in the course, students have created tight knitted friendships that have strengthened their teamwork skills in order to guide them on a path of success to finding solutions towards positive environmental global change.

Students and professors provide an exclusive behind the scenes look into their classrooms.

Classes are back in full swing at Northern Essex Community College!

The parking lots are packed, student success services and centers are helping students get settled into the fall semester and classrooms are full of in-depth discussions between students and professors.

Among the several courses offered at NECC, one of them is exploring a meaningful topic.

This semester the Philosophy of Happiness course taught by Meredith Gunning will examine “different perspectives on what counts as happiness, along with how to attain it in the flow of everyday life” explained the course description on the NECC Blackboard page.

In addition, students will have the opportunity to study “Various philosophers, psychologists, writers, spiritual leaders and figures in pop culture” continued the course description.

The course is starting the semester off and setting a foundation by asking what is happiness?

There are an endless number of possible answers and responses to this question. During one of the classes, the students collaborated to create a definition of happiness.

They said it is a combination of “pleasure and meaning” that requires an individual to pivot “inward” to understand themselves, and to pivot “outward (towards) developing deep and long term connections” with other people, said the students in the Philosophy of Happiness class.

By teaching this course, Professor Gunning is “hoping” her students “get to read perspectives that they wouldn’t have otherwise and to get a variety of views on happiness and thinking through their own thoughts about views they (do or do not) agree with” said Gunning.

The structure of the course “is not just geared to thinking of happiness, but trying to get to try out different strategies” related to “improving the quality of (student’s) lives,” said Gunning.

As the rest of the semester goes on, the Philosophy of Happiness course will unravel “what is most important (to them personally,) and look through the perspectives that resonate and (the ones that) don’t resonate (and with that,) hopefully [the class will] reach a deeper, longer lasting state of well being” said Gunning.