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Courageous Voyage

Lakeland Man’s Journey Through Sickness and Transplant to Second Chance by MATT NORMAN, RN Heart health is something that we don’t often think about. Especially when we’re young. For Lakeland resident DeWayne Wilson, this all changed in 1999 when he received a life-changing diagnosis. That moment started him on a journey towards something bigger than…
Good for the Heart

Heart Walk Participants Explain Why Event Is So Rewarding by TERESA SCHIFFER According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most ethnic and racial groups in the U.S., being responsible for one out of every four deaths, or approximately…
Convenient Care

Winter Haven Doctor Offers TAVR Treatment That Once Required Travel by TERESA SCHIFFER For patients suffering from aortic valve stenosis, there used to be little to nothing that could be done to restore heart health. As little as two decades ago, high-risk patients who experienced this narrowing of the aortic valve opening faced a very…

Delicious food and the diabetic’s diet

It’s in the Bag Diabetes is a group of diseases characterized by high glucose levels caused by insufficient production of insulin. That’s a fairly simple definition for a disease that is not simple to treat. In general, and that’s all we can deal with in a short article, a balanced diet is a good starting…
Body, Mind & Spirit: Giving thanks by giving back

What it Means to be a Foster Family Foster parents provide a safe, nurturing home for children to heal. While there are currently about 150 licensed foster homes in Circuit 10, which covers Polk, Highlands, and Hardee Counties, more are needed. According to Teri Saunders, CEO of Heartland for Children here in Polk County, “That…
Editor’s Dose: More than just comfort food

Reading this article on food “made with love” for the sick really brought back some memories. As a young teenager, my mother had to undergo open heart surgery twice within four years. She has a blood disorder that causes her body to produce too many of the clot-forming platelets. Adding to that complications of…