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How a life-saving transplant transformed my life

| Annemarie Ward shares her journey of keeping hope alive amidst heart disease | NEARLY 15 YEARS AGO, Annemarie Ward was walking the family’s three dogs with her mother Polly and sister Emily when she collapsed. At age seven, Annemarie had suffered a heart attack. She was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or enlargement of the…
Pop Quiz: Maintaining optimal optical health

| Understanding the causes of low vision and taking precautions as you age | EYESIGHT is a precious thing, and unfortunately there are many threats to optimal optical health. One common eye problem is low vision, and it affects seniors the most. Low vision, in its simplest terms, is any vision loss that interferes with…
Celebrating Black History Month with a look at local African-Americans in medicine

ALEX ALEXANDER Registered Nurse Bartow Regional Medical Center As a black registered nurse from North Carolina, 56-year-old Alex Alexander has had his run-ins with prejudice. But he’s learned to remember who he is, treat others like his brothers and sisters, forgive, and … not believe everything he hears. “You earn things by your merit and…

Healthy Skin: Protect your skin and keep healthy

DERMATOLOGY’S main focus is to protect your skin and to keep you healthy and safe. The best thing you can do for your skin is to use sunscreen on a regular basis, especially here in the Sunshine State. When it comes to sunscreen, make sure to choose one that protects from both UVA and UVB…
Hospice Help: Protection from the flu

AS THE SUMMER MONTHS wind down and Labor Day fasts approaches, it is almost a rite of passage that we begin to notice the promotion of flu vaccine availability. But exactly who needs to be concerned about getting a vaccine and protecting themselves against this disease that could prove fatal?
Word of Mouth: ‘Wise’ advice for back-to-school oral care

WHILE WISDOM TEETH don’t make you smarter, they do usually come in when you are in your late teens or early 20s — a time when you’re expected to start displaying “wisdom” and maturity. Unfortunately, pain and discomfort from problems with your wisdom teeth can result in a lot of missed days from school —…