Health & Wellness

Medicine Man

jbloustein — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:18:33 -0600

Retirement. Lingering with the paper over a late breakfast. Basking in the sun, legs dangling in the pool. Nothing but blue skies and open fairways.

My wife, Nancy, and I dreamed of this day after running my dermatology practice for 40 years. Now, a week into the promised land of retirement, I was haunted by work still left undone.

“Forget the golf game or sleeping in late,” I told Nancy. “I just can’t all of a sudden stop being a doctor.”

Gone to the Dogs

admin — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 06:21:00 -0600

Pali Boucher's life has literally gone to the dogs. Of course, you could say it began that way too.

Pali is the founder—and prime pup protector—of Rocket Dog Rescue, a San Francisco-based all-volunteer organization that saves dogs from overcrowded shelters, where they might be put to sleep, and finds them loving homes. She's known for taking on the hardest cases, dogs many would consider unadoptable because of their disabilities or behavioral or medical problems.

The New Sam

admin — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 09:11:00 -0600

On January 19, 1979, a 19-year-old man was skiing in the mountains above Vancouver with a friend. He attempted a trick—one he'd done before—in which he skied downhill between his friend's legs.

Dentist Recognized for Helping Poor

batch — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:05:05 -0600

One dentist in Napa Valley, California, is helping people in poor communities smile a lot more.

Dr. Adrian Fenderson, who has held a practice in Napa Valley for nearly 40 years, recently received the Jefferson Award, which recognizes community volunteer work, according to CBS5.com.

Red Cross Looks to Create an Online Shopping Site for Charitable Gifts

batch — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:10:06 -0600

According to a survey by the American Red Cross, many people have giving on their minds during the holiday season, with 62 percent of Americans planning to donate $25 or more to charity.

Pink Is for Hope

admin — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 12:20:00 -0500

Tibetan bells chime softly as I open a door wreathed in pink roses. Pink letters spell out a welcome sign—Lovely Lady.

Soon I'll be greeted by some very special women. "My ladies," I call them. They mean the world to me. So does this shop. Yet if I had my druthers, I would close it down tomorrow, after nearly 30 years. Let me explain.

I was a young nursing student in California, full of idealistic dreams back in 1976. I didn't know where life would take me, but like many students, I felt a desire to make a difference.

The Years Since

admin — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:35:00 -0600

This is the second time I've appeared in GUIDEPOSTS. The first was back in 1947, right before I got two Academy Awards for my portrayal of Homer Parrish, a young soldier who loses his hands during World War II, in the celebrated motion picture The Best Years of Our Lives.

Angels on the Move

admin — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 10:35:00 -0600

I had anxiously awaited—but dreaded—returning home to Slidell, Louisiana, after Hurricane Katrina.

When the storm hit, I evacuated to my sister's house to the north in Mandeville. The first day residents were allowed back, I drove to my house anticipating the worst; still, I couldn't have been more unprepared. My beautiful yard was a mess of uprooted trees and debris; the salt water had burned the grass a sickly brown. My lovely white picket fence lay on its side, and shingles from my roof littered the ground like fallen leaves.

Meningitis Angels: Reaching Out to Families

jbloustein — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:51:07 -0500

Frankie Milley founded Meningitis Angels because she didn't want other families to suffer the same heartbreak that she and her husband Bob felt when they lost their only child more than a decade ago.

On June 22, 1998, meningococcal meningitis claimed the life of 18-year-old Ryan Milley, less than one month after he had graduated from high school.

Reel Retreats

admin — Mon, 01 May 2006 12:48:00 -0500

Men hunt and fish, women gather, or so goes the stereotype. Not according to Missouri mom and nurse Patti Hummert, though.

She believes that women—specifically breast cancer survivors like herself—should gather to fish, because it's healing for body and soul.

Patti was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 41 and had a bilateral mastectomy. "I've always been a glass half-full kind of person," she says. "So I looked for a positive way to approach my disease and recovery."