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Brimming With Hope

Mother of T1D Uses Cups of Hope to Raise Awareness by REBEKAH PIERCE It’s the little things in life that make it so meaningful – and for families affected by type 1 diabetes, it might truly be as simple as sharing a good cup of coffee. Katie Schmid started the Polk County chapter of Cups…
Where AI Meets Awareness

AdventHealth’s GRACE Helps With Early Detection of Breast Cancer by REBEKAH PIERCE October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and while we’ve known for many years that awareness and early detection can help save lives, it’s always been an “easier said than done” situation. Like many cancers, breast cancer is notoriously hard to detect and can…
The Journey of a Lifetime

Bo Boyte’s T1D Experience Turned Him From a Boy Who Hid His Disease to Outspoken Advocate by RYAN MILEJCZAK For many, being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before you can even walk might seem like a monumental life change. But for Bo Boyte of Lake Wales, who was diagnosed when he was only 13 months…

Editor’s Dose: Tips for minimizing back-to-school stress

IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, then come early July you were already thinking about preparations for the new school year. Parents and children in the community this year are getting ready extra early because Polk County public schools moved up their calendar by one week — day one of school is August 15.
Making the choice to breastfeed

THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH in Polk County (DOH-Polk) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) recognize August as Breastfeeding Awareness Month. This is a wonderful time of year to promote breastfeeding as a vital health activity and discuss the health benefits breastfeeding provides. Although every woman has their own…
Editor’s Dose: Keeping kids’ bodies and minds active this summer

WHEN I FIRST had the twins, my mom would say, “Have a schedule for them, or they’ll have a schedule for you.” Basically, she was cautioning that I’d better keep those little minds and bodies active, or chaos would inevitably ensue. Being a mother of eight children, I think she was speaking from personal experience.…