Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Walgreens Helps You Stay Healthy During Flu Season!

The weather's turning colder, and school is back in session. I don't know what this means for your family, but I know for mine it is often the kickoff of the sniffles and cough season. It seems like everywhere I look someone is sick, and my youngest has already started bringing home various stomach viruses that her classmates have been so kind to share with her.

This is also the time of year when my family gets our flu shots. As an RN, I've seen how sick the flu can make people. Sure, if you're an adult in good health, you're unlikely to die or suffer serious side effects from the flu, but individuals in poor health and children aren't always so lucky. I am healthy, but I don't want to risk passing the flu on to my children, or to someone else I happen to meet, so I gladly roll up my sleeve each year for that little shot.

Walgreens has made it easier than ever to get a flu shot. Many of their locations are fully stocked and have healthcare professionals trained to give out the shot, often with no wait. While getting a flu shot isn't a hardship for my family, not everyone can afford this sometimes lifesaving vaccine, which is why Walgreens and The Motherhood is asking us to spread good health with their "Random Acts of Wellness" campaign.

I was given 5 gift cards, each good for a free flu shot, to distribute to those in need, and I took this challenge very seriously. Here are a few of the stories of those I gave a card to:

  • One of my recipients was a man I know with emphysema. He has smoked for most of his life, and now in his late 50's is suffering the effects of that. The good news is he did quit smoking a few years ago; the bad news is that some of the damage to his lungs is permanent. Staying healthy is a must for him, as the flu could easily land him in the hospital in a life-threatening situation. His flu shot will help him to stay healthy and stay at work through this season.

  • One gift card went to a woman I work with who is pregnant. The CDC has recommended flu shots for all women in their second and third trimesters of pregnancy, as the flu could cause complications with the pregnancy. Her baby is due in November and I wanted to make sure that not only is she protected, but that the baby she and her husband are so looking forward to is protected as well.

  • Another woman I know has two children, one of whom has a health condition that leaves him susceptible to any virus that comes along. What might be a sniffle for us could be a hospitalization for him, and the flu could be deadly. She works hard, but makes very little money and while she gets help in providing her children with health insurance, she has none. A flu shot for her is vital to her child's health, and I was happy to ensure that money would not stand in the way of her getting her shot as soon as possible.

Having the chance to provide the gift of health to others has been such an amazing and rewarding experience. But it doesn't stop there - I have another 5 flu shot gift cards from Walgreens to give away to 5 lucky readers! Use it for yourself, use it for someone in your family, or create your own random act of wellness and give it to someone in need.

To enter, leave a comment below sharing the "acts of wellness" your family participates in during flu season. How do you keep your family healthy? What steps do you take to avoid illness? Comments will be accepted until Tuesday, October 5 at 11:59pm ET, one entry per person, US households only. Please be sure to leave your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win.

5 winners will be selected at random after the closing date and will be notified by e-mail. Winners have 2 days to respond or a new winner will be selected.

The best tips shared by all of you will also be gathered to create a Walgreens "Acts of Wellness During Flu Season" tips list and I'll feature my favorite tips in a follow-up post here as well.

Good luck, and stay healthy this winter! For more information on the Walgreens flu shot program, you can visit their website or their Facebook page.

Full disclosure: I was provided with five flu shot gift cards to hand out as part of the "Random Acts of Wellness" campaign with Walgreens and The Motherhood, as well as 5 gift cards to give away on this site. I was also provided with a stipend for my time involved with this project. All opinions shared here are 100% my own, and yes, I am an RN, but before you ask me for medical advice I will refer you to your doctor.

54 comments:

almaNYC said...

We make handwashing a priority

thischickwins@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Cover those sneezes! And coughs!

frogz60@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

We don't share towels .

Anonymous said...

We wash our hands frequently to drown the germs.

rhoneygtn at yahoo dot com

Faither said...

We've taken flu shots, regular vitamins, sleep, exercise and hand washing

MOMFOREVERANDEVER said...

eating healthy- clorox wipes

mverno said...

handwashing is a must mverno@roadrunner.com

Ms.Diva said...

We wash our hands often, everyone has a hand sanitizer in their backpack or purse. We also carry wipes with us just in case we need to wipe a surface or cover our mouths when sneezing. Eating Right and exercising daily also help to strengthen our immune system. Finally, we take our vitamins ( lots and lots of vitamin C ).

anewbabe@gmail.com

TRUN said...

Sanitizer - washing hands- and at work we have everyone clean down their desks every Friday - worst germs ever on those keyboards and desks !!

Davina said...

We always have hand sanitizer nearby. In the car, kitchen, bedroom, garage, etc.

Linda said...

We get plenty of rest, eat healthy and wash hands often!
mintstatesportswear(at)juno(dot)com

kitnlov said...

We eat healthy and make hand washing a priority and daily activity a must.

melsywsou said...

We all get our shots and constantly wash our hands.

mogrill said...

We definately practice hand washing religiously.
Thanks for the chance.
mogrill@comcast.net

Ellie Wright said...

We practice frequent hand washing and I carry anti-bacterial wipes in my purse.
eswright18 at gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Washing of hands or use of sanitizer.

clc408 said...

I stay away from crowds as much as possible and wash my hands frequently.

wgbc1446 said...

I try to wash hands often and keep them away from my face to avoid the flu. Sleeping enough is key also. wgbc1446[at]yahoo[dot]com

Anonymous said...

We take lots of vitamins--especially extra vitamin C, wash our hands often, get plenty of rest and try to eat right. We always try to get a flu shot too because it's cheaper than all the medicine and doctor bills you pay without one!

web2meb@live.com

Anonymous said...

We take lots of vitamins--especially extra vitamin C, wash our hands often, get plenty of rest and try to eat right. We always try to get a flu shot too because it's cheaper than all the medicine and doctor bills you pay without one!

web2meb@live.com

Luvdaylilies said...

I wash my hands often, try to get plenty of rest and take a multi-vitamin=)
I enjoyed your act of wellness stories!
Luvdaylilies at bellsouth dot net

Debbie C said...

Not just flu season, but year round, 24/7, I keep hand wipes with extra alcohol on them in my car and purse. I wipe off grocery cart handles and everyone uses a hand wipe when we eat out or have been somewhere particularly public and "germy".

bargaingirl said...

We try to wash our hands a lot to stay disease free. Thanks for the giveaway!

Jennireesa/Jennifer W. said...

When one of us has a cold we always say, "cover and clean"...cover your coughs and sneezes and clean you hands!

debbie said...

We get extra vitamin D, it helps fight the flu, get lots of sleep, and we get our yearly flu shot.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

Doubtful Dawn said...

wash our hands, cover our mouths when we cough and sneeze.

Anonymous said...

There's no 5 second rule in our house... if it hits the floor, it goes in the trash. We also make sure to carry instant hand sanitizer with us at all time. Its a germy world out there... ewwwww, gross!
kanderspina~at~yahoo~dot~com

Meet the Browns said...

We carry hand sanitizer!

Katie
showbizkp[at]gmail[dot]com

Jodi said...

I keep hand santitizer by my front door, and I also encourage my kids to eat healthy and get plenty of sleep.

purehrt555(at)yahoo(dot)com

Carole Spring said...

We wash hands frequently; use hand sanitizer; avoid touching our hands to eyes or nose; eat well; try to get plenty of rest; take vitamins; and cough into the inside of our elbow (instead of our hand) to prevent spreading germs.
blondie_31971(at)yahoo(dot)com

Polished10 said...

I make sure we wash our hands frequently, don't touch our eyes, nose, mouth & I carry hand sanitizer with me!

Sandra K321 said...

I have my son take bottled water to school so he doesn't use the germy water fountains.
seknobloch(at)gmail(dot)com

kakihara said...

I make my kids take their vitamins, and eat fresh fruit every single day. They all have kleenex and hand sanitizer with --and I constantly encourage them to use it.
kakihararocks@gmail.com

Unknown said...

handwashing is a priority at our house!

nsamonek at gmail dot com

cass said...

When people are sick around here Im always wiping the handles, knows and faucets down, no one else will ugh

wombatpurple[at]yahoo.com

Trisha D said...

stay warm, the kids will wear shorts if they could!!

Rachel G said...

Plenty of handwashing to the "happy birthday song" and eating fruits and vegtables are great wellness tips

Amy delong said...

wash hands a lot,use disinfecting wipes on everything!
ardelong2(at)gmail(dot)com

clynsg said...

It cannot be emphasized enough--wash your hands frequently.

cgclynsg0 @ gmail dot com

Unknown said...

We go through a lot of disinfecting wipes, sprays, hand sanitizer. We get our flu shots, and try to keep things clean including hands.
pbjmama(at)gmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

We always take my wife's grandmother to get a flu shot every year because she can't drive.

jmcharries@cox.net

Melanie Montgomery said...

We constantly keep up with the wash and clean the house to keep it free of germs.



clarkmurdock@yahoo.com

Chrystal said...

We wash our hands regularly and take vitamins.

chrystaljns (at) gmail (dotcom)

Dawn Reid said...

We take vitamins,and exercise and eat healthy. So far so good.
mightynaynay(at)cs.com

Unknown said...

I keep disinfecting wipes and a can of lysol at my desk at work and they come out any time anyone is sick

Jen said...

We keep hand sanitizer and kleenex all over the house and make sure my 12 month old's toys are washed often to avoid spreading germs.

demmi said...

make sure everyone stays rested it is so much easier to get sick when you are run down

Nicole Larsen said...

I take vitamins daily and wash my hands like crazy--when I'm not near water I use hand sanitizer!

pittsy82@hotmail.com

Kathy S said...

Consistent handwashing, eating healthy,getting enough sleep and in my own case, I stay out of crowds..I do my grocery shopping late at night when the store is not crowded.I also keep hand sanitizer in my purse. I've already had, since August..2 different viral infections due to a poor immune system (I have hypothyroidism,) so a flu shot is a must for me!
kateswen(at)gmail(dot)com

Hbomb said...

we always wash our hands, and carry hand sanitizer around everywhere! I have one in my purse, in all the cars, and tissues too!
xbeautifulcoma at yahoo dot com

SalanderServant said...

Lots of fluids, a dry system is a sick system.

fatally_flayed at yahoo dot com

Sand said...

We wash our hands often and disinfect commonly used areas.

Anonymous said...

We use humidifiers during the cold months so we are not as susceptible to germs

ardy22 at earthlink dot net

Jinxy and Me said...

We make sure we cover our coughs, wash hands often and keep hands away from our face.