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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…

Vascular Manifestations of COVID-19

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to wreak havoc around the world, with 88 million confirmed cases and more than 2 million deaths as of January 8, 2021. In the United States, the number of infections has risen dramatically since the first week of March, and the US now has more confirmed cases and deaths than…
Smoking Can Lead to Amputations

While most people are familiar with the devastating consequences of smoking on their lungs (COPD, cancer), heart (coronary artery disease) or brain (stroke), its direct relation to limb loss escapes public attention! For far too many smokers, the first time they learn of the connection with limb loss is when a vascular surgeon diagnoses them…
Glaucoma and Dry Eyes

Eye doctors are excited this year with 2021 rolling in. It’s an excellent opportunity for us to shine some light on eye care topics that we would like to highlight. January is Glaucoma Awareness Month. Over 2 million Americans are affected by glaucoma. With proper treatment, the vast majority will not go blind from…