Laurels & lances: Volunteer, vandalism, overdose
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Laurel: To volunteering again. Getting people to step up to participate in a project is often the hardest part of the job. Marc Wagner is the kind of guy who is willing to jump in.
For 35 years, he has been a part of the Pitt Men’s Study. He was one of 2,000 men who volunteered to be a part of the landmark project seeking a cure for HIV/AIDS — one of the longest-running scientific research studies in U.S. history.
That would be enough for some people. But when the coronavirus pandemic hit this year, Wagner stepped up again.
He decided to participate in the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine study, rolling up his sleeve and receiving an injection that might have been the new drug or might have been a placebo.
“I’m hoping I actually got the vaccine,” said Wagner, a medical technician whose experiences at the University of Pittsburgh led him to his career choice and a recent co-authorship of a peer-reviewed article on HIV and the brain.
Lance: To repeated destruction. A church is supposed to be a place of reverence and respect. It isn’t supposed to see violence and it should be free of fear.
But the St. Joseph Church in Derry Borough has been the scene of two break-ins and vandalism in just one week.
It wasn’t just the fire extinguisher sprayed around or the paper towel dispenser ripped off the bathroom wall. It took a more heartbreaking turn with knocked-over religious statues and the wooden crosses and advent wreath thrown to the ground. Hot wax from spilled votive candles wasn’t just a fire hazard. It was an attack on the prayers those candles represent.
“A place that is sacred to us all. To have religious symbols treated with disregard is hard to take for many people,” Rev. Sam Lamendola said.
It’s a sad attack at any time. It is particularly ugly for a church in one of its holiest seasons — the anticipation of Christmas.
Lance: To children at risk. On Tuesday, a 9-month-old girl overdosed in East Deer while the woman caring for her slept.
Sara Tate, 32, has been charged with aggravated assault, child endangerment, tampering with evidence and drug possession. She was remanded to Allegheny County Jail.
The baby was treated with Narcan and admitted to UPMC Children’s Hospital.
Tate’s charges are not the issue, as her case is yet to be decided by judge or jury.
What is appalling is that this is not the first baby to fall victim to an overdose. Regardless of whether such an incident takes place due to intention or recklessness or simple negligence, every overdose of a young child is different from the overdose of an adult or even an adolescent user.
A baby or a toddler is not choosing the high. They are only being subjected to the risk because of the actions of another.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, overdoses among children tripled between 1997 and 2012. The largest group of overdoses was teenagers, but the largest growth area was preschool or younger. Babies deserve better.