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Painting the town teal

Ovarian Cancer Support Group spreads awareness message for fellow women WOMEN WHO are diagnosed with ovarian cancer must navigate a scary range of emotions while dealing with unchartered health challenges — but in Polk County there’s help available from a local support group.
Samantha Haverty Wiemer shares the story of her fight against breast cancer

A fighter’s take on the disease and her four keys to survival HOW DO YOU TELL YOUR CHILD you have been diagnosed with breast cancer — especially when that child already knows the loss of this devastating disease? For Central Florida resident Samantha Haverty Wiemer, not telling her son, Russell, about her diagnosis wasn’t an…
Medical Advice: Your breast cancer fast facts and why raising awareness is so important

FAR TOO MANY families know the worry, fear, and anguish when a friend, family member or loved one receives a cancer diagnosis. Some people reading this article may have been diagnosed with cancer themselves. Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women. This is why taking a month to…

The “Ripe” Time for Cataract Surgery

Whenever I tell a patient that he or she has cataracts they immediately ask if they need to have surgery. We start thinking about cataract surgery whenever the patient’s quality of life is affected. Common complaints include, “I can’t read road signs,” or “I can’t read the writing on TV,” or “I can’t read small…
A Cautionary Tale for Frequent Biting, Grinding, or Clenching

Biting and chewing your food. It’s something we do every day and without thinking. That’s why when most people have biting issues— where they bite the inside tissue of their mouth— they usually don’t think beyond the few minutes of pain and discomfort it causes. However, frequent biting (as well as grinding and clenching) can…
Oral Cancer Awareness Month

The month of April is considered National Oral Cancer Awareness Month. The American Cancer Society’s most recent estimates for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers in the United States for 2019 show that about 53,000 people will be diagnosed with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer and an estimated 10,860 will die of these cancers. Lip and…