Health & Wellness

Nonprofit Rebuilds Stroke Victim's House

batch — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 04:05:12 -0600

When Verdell Sims decided to help Rebuilding Together Dayton on their annual Rebuilding Day last April, she has no idea she would be on the other side of the cause one year later.

Sims saw a group of volunteers fixing up a home in her area and asked if she could help, planting flowers, getting rid of debris and lopping tree limbs, according to the Dayton Daily News.

The Story That Saved My Life

admin — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:46:44 -0500

Pressing my fingers to my temples, I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate despite the waves of pain radiating through my head. I couldn't let a nagging headache stop me now, not when I was so close to finishing the documentary I'd been working on for several months. My production deadline was just a few days away, and I'd spent too much time and effort on the project to let anything hold it up now.

News To Use: About Strokes and Aneurysms

admin — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:53:54 -0500

A stroke is a sudden interruption in the brain's blood supply. In the U.S., stroke is the leading cause of adult disabilities and the third-ranked cause of death. A stroke is usually caused by a blood clot or by the bursting of a swollen blood vessel in the brain. These swollen blood vessels are aneurysms. Strokes occur equally among women and men—usually more often in people over age 60—but are more likely to be fatal to women.

The Shore House

admin — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 08:51:00 -0500

The bridge was usually such a welcome sight. After a two-hour drive from Pennsylvania, I finally saw it appear on the horizon, the final landmark before reaching the sandy, house-lined strip called Sea Isle City, a beachfront town at the Jersey shore. In a few minutes we'd be there for a one-week vacation of fun in the sun. But this time the bridge didn't seem so welcoming. My husband, Marc, and our three children were quiet as the car rumbled along.

What If?

admin — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 10:28:00 -0600

Every day of the last 11 years my husband, John, and I have used the same prayer—for our family, for friends, for ourselves—the prayer whose answer is always yes. We learned it, as we learn most things, at a time of crisis. The story began in January 1996, as we set out from our home in New York on what we thought would be a typical editorial trip for GUIDEPOSTS. On the twenty-fourth—at a motel in Georgia—news reached us that our 45-year-old son Scott had suffered a major stroke.

When Memory Serves

admin — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:59:17 -0600

I scanned the dining hall, trying to spot Mom in the sea of gray. Elderly men and women, their faces deeply lined, sat clustered at tables of four.

Mom was near a corner, her wispy white hair set off by her blue sweater. I walked over and gave her a hug and a big smile. She didn't say hello, but from the way she pursed her lips I knew she recognized me.

Against All Odds

admin — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:33:51 -0600

When people with serious illness rally and recover unexpectedly most physicians are hesitant to use the word miracle. And yet, "There are always people who do far better than we expect," says Dr. David Steinberg, chief of hematology at the Lahey Hitchcock Medical Center in Burlington, Mass., and assistant clinical professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. So every year during the holiday season Dr. Steinberg devotes the hospital's weekly tumor conference to what he calls the Miracle Conference.

The Quilting Cure

admin — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:54:47 -0500

Strokes don't hurt. At least, mine didn't. I woke up one bright June morning in 1999 to the sound of the radio and the smell of the bacon my husband, Ed, was frying in the kitchen. I felt a little groggy, but not much worse than I usually do before my first cup of coffee. I threw off the big warm handmade quilt, pulled on my robe and went downstairs. Just as I stepped into the kitchen, the phone rang. I grabbed it before Ed could answer.

The Unlikely Bus Hero

admin — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 07:47:00 -0500

Last period—yes! Time for basketball practice. I was a sophomore at Pryor High and I had worked my tail off to make the team. I'd been shooting baskets at home all summer long, getting in shape. The day I made the team was an amazing day. I was psyched for a great season.

At the End of the Day

admin — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 12:15:00 -0600

No matter what kind of a day I had, it was a comfort to know it would end with Speeder and me sitting together in my easy chair. One winter night I petted her soft black fur. Her bottom lay curled in my lap, her graying head rested on my shoulder and she wrapped one black paw around my arm. Our peaceful nightly routine. I'd never forget the first time I saw her. My nephew showed up one day with two of his own dog's cocker-spaniel-mix puppies and told me to take my pick.