Spotlight Articles Archive
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by Lauren Grover
- Issue July 2008
When a mother signs up for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) federal nutrition program, she is not alone by any means.
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by Melissa T. Shultz
- Issue July 2008
John Walen is a man with a mission. The newly appointed physical education teacher at Trinity Charter School, the in-house school for physically and emotionally abused kids from Nelson Children’s Center in Denton, wants to give his students the opportunity to see beyond their difficult pasts to a future full of possibilities--one hop, skip, and jump at a time.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue July 2008
Music can help you beat depression, lower high blood pressure, even ease pain. So that’s a good reason to find out where the Crystal Lake Community Band is playing this summer.
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by Jerry Davich
- Issue July 2008
Whether you’re into walking, jogging, bicycling, kayaking, or canoeing, the Fox River Valley offers countless opportunities for summer fun and fitness.
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by Debra Mayeux
- Issue July 2008
Sally Lopez held her little boy to her chest and looked adoringly at his face.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue July 2008
Jamie Chavez has been teaching for six years. Like any other classroom at the Robert Frost Elementary School in Pasco, hers hums with activity. What makes Chavez’s class so special are the children she teaches: All of her students have autism.
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by Chris Sholly
- Issue July 2008
For more than 20 years, Dr. Robert Silverman has been paying it forward, giving back to the community that helped his family in their time of need.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue July 2008
Salina pediatrician Edgar Rosales, MD, spends his days tending to infants and children who come to his office for checkups, vaccinations, and treatments for colds, earaches, and other typical childhood ailments.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue July 2008
A typical day at Triple Creek Ranch in Redding finds students grooming horses, learning riding skills, and working drills in the riding ring.
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by Katie Byers
- Issue July 2008
Huntsville-area physicians know that the warm months of summer are sure to bring injured patients to their offices and to emergency rooms.
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by Adrienne Greer Foley
- Issue July 2008
No longer are Minnesotans satisfied just watching the The Biggest Loser on TV. Now they’re organizing at-work versions of the popular NBC program.
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by Sheila Mulrooney Eldred
- Issue July 2008
At midday, do you crave a comfort meal packed with flavor and nutrition? Or is tasty but calorically virtuous fare what you seek? Either way, you’ll find it in these five best-bet spots for lunch.
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by Kay Harvey
- Issue July 2008
Centenarians in remote corners of the world are doing physically active work every day, enjoying spirited gatherings with friends, and offering us a new model of health and longevity.
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by Jay Gabler
- Issue July 2008
What’s your favorite summer thing to do in the Twin Cities?
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by Sheila Mulrooney Eldred
- Issue June 2008
The new buzzword in the health- and eco-conscious community is locavore, a term for people who eat foods grown within 100 miles of their homes.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue May 2008
Paradise High School’s Student Activities Director Jack Danielson was sitting around last winter with Rick Prinz, the football coach, talking about how difficult it is to lose weight.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue May 2008
David Klonoff, MD, doesn’t get much sleep. The medical director of the Mills-Peninsula Diabetes Research Institute at Mills-Peninsula Health Services in San Mateo has a far too busy schedule.
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by Sarah Tonner
- Issue May 2008
“There was a point in my life when I never dreamed that I would be alive today,” says Cherry Ruffino.
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by Karen Martinez
- Issue June 2008
For Lila Bowman, 78, of Great Bend, just a short walk left her right leg in excruciating pain. An ultrasound revealed a serious blockage in the arteries.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue May 2008
Beth Smith says she “gets around slowly” on land, but in the water, she’s nearly as agile as a seal.
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by Sally Wyatt
- Issue June 2008
When Bernice Stalk, a para-educator at the Irene Larsen Head Start program in Vacaville, was asked to oversee the creation of a school garden, the Master Gardener was ready to get dirty.
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by Ann Vogel
- Issue May 2008
When Julie Cicero of Gig Harbor awoke one winter morning in 2001, she had a chilling premonition.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue June 2008
Laura Taylor spends a lot of time having fun--but it’s fun with a purpose. She is the program manager for the nonprofit NEA (Northeast Arkansas) Clinic Charitable Foundation’s Center for Healthy Children.
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by Kathleen Pierce
- Issue June 2008
When Mike Soha decided to run the 2008 Boston Marathon, he thought he could lace up his sneakers and click away the miles.
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by Jerry Davich
- Issue June 2008
Three years ago, Kristine Andres was shocked at the lack of services available in the Bridgeport area for her autistic son, who’s now 6. But she was really disappointed when she couldn’t find him something she felt he needed even more: friends.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue May 2008
Fourteen-year-old Joseph Buzzell is one of Dawn Kabela’s most enthusiastic students.
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by Debra Mayeux
- Issue May 2008
Radiologist Lynne Bliss was diagnosed with cancer in October 2007. She and her physician husband, Ronald, struggled to explain her illness--Hodgkin’s lymphoma--to her young children.
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by Lauren Grover
- Issue May 2008
Twice a month the tiny Mission House in Bullard bulges with people, from young families with children to elderly couples and the jobless.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue May 2008
In 1999, Larry Falk, MD, a general surgeon in Ukiah, decided to learn Spanish with the goal of spending some time working in a Spanish-speaking country.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue May 2008
Cindy Wolff knows how to solve problems.
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by Jerry Davich
- Issue June 2008
There are roughly 1.7 million reasons why the Centennial Trail paves the way to better health and wellness for Spokane-area residents.
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by Alan Fackler
- Issue May 2008
Misty Blue Foster is full of energy.
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by Randena Hulstrand
- Issue April 2008
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by Adrienne Greer Foley
- Issue May 2008
Kick, punch, jab. Them’s usually fightin’ words--but not when they’re used in mixed martial arts.
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by Adrienne Greer Foley
- Issue May 2008
We talked to Twin Cities experts who help conserve our resources and reduce carbon emissions. Here’s what they do at home.
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by Denise Foley
- Issue April 2008
A funny thing happened 13 years ago when Christine Clifford Beckwith was recovering from stage III breast cancer.
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by Kay Harvey
- Issue May 2008
Natasha Fleischman was 33 when her heart stopped.
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by Sheila Mulrooney Eldred
- Issue May 2008
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by Sara Aase
- Issue May 2008
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by Sara Altshul
- Issue May 2008
If you think the words “fun” and “exercise” don’t belong in the same sentence, you haven’t experienced the magic of Zumba, the high-energy dance workout inspired by salsa, meringue, mambo, and Latin-style hip-hop--with a little calypso, Flamenco, and belly dancing thrown in for good measure.
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by Jerry Davich
- Issue January 2008
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue April 2008
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by Chris Sholly
- Issue April 2008
More children are damaging their hearing as they turn up their iPods, MP3 players, and other personal listening devices, a local expert warns.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue April 2008
Healthy people and healthy communities. That’s what the Shasta County Public Health Department is striving for.
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by Sally Wyatt
- Issue April 2008
Spring is in full swing here in Solano County, and that means the season’s bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables is arriving in local markets.
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by Katie Byers
- Issue March 2008
When Jerry and Karen Nabors were looking for a new family doctor 15 years ago, they had only a general idea of what they wanted.
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by Rachel Briere
- Issue April 2008
Laurie J. Auffant of Lowell is a big loser. In fact, she is the biggest loser of all, and that makes her a winner.
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by Gretchen Fudge
- Issue April 2008
Max, a 3-year-old English bulldog, grunts as he waddles around to get a drink of water and then lounge under the sofa.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue April 2008
Food for People isn’t a typical food bank. Started in 1979 as a small food closet, the organization has grown to occupy a 9,000-square-foot warehouse in Eureka that serves close to 10,000 individuals every month.
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by Lauren Grover
- Issue April 2008
When Dr. John English sees a patient with uncontrolled diabetes, he also sees an old car needing repair.
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by Edie Hall
- Issue March 2008
Carolyn Fleming sat upright and offered a guest a glass of water with her right hand.
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by Debra Mayeux
- Issue April 2008
If you think your kids need to turn down the volume on their iPods and Zunes, you’re right.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue March 2008
When former Olympic runner Don Kardong organized the first Bloomsday Run in 1977, he had no idea the event would become world-renowned and attract more than 50,000 participants.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue March 2008
Friends sit at the coffee bar, catching up over steaming mugs of java. Down the hall, a yoga class is in progress. Visitors wander through the gallery, admiring works by local artists.
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by Gail M. Williams
- Issue March 2008
Have you scheduled a colonoscopy this year? March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, so it’s a good time to ask this question--and get tested.
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by Karina Ramirez
- Issue March 2008
When Becky Hard visited her doctor to have her annual physical exam, her doctor found a cyst on her left ovary and recommended she have it surgically removed.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue March 2008
When you walk into a nursing home, the last thing you expect to find is a hallway full of animals.
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by Debbie Hovanasian
- Issue January 2008
Put four infants on their backs in the same room for an hour and chances are at least one will cry, setting off a crying jag--times four.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue January 2008
Dr. Armen D. Ketchedjian, known as “Dr. Ketch,” is a man with a mission. In 1990 he was a medical student in the South Bronx and became involved in the care of three boys in their early teens who were addicted to crack.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue January 2008
When Sunny Almeida moved from California to Kennewick in 1995, she didn’t set out to be an inspiration to cancer patients.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue January 2008
When Sunny Almeida moved from California to Kennewick in 1995, she didn’t set out to be an inspiration to cancer patients.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue January 2008
Kathie Clark starts her day with a 5 a.m. weight-training session followed by at least a half hour of cardiovascular exercise, and that’s before she heads out the door to work out again with her clients.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue January 2008
Across the region, health-care professionals leave their practices at the end of the day and head for home--but not their own.
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by Jerry Davich
- Issue January 2008
Fourteen million pounds. This is how much food is delivered each year to hungry and needy Inland Northwest residents by the Second Harvest Food Bank in Spokane.
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by Chris Sholly
- Issue January 2008
From the time she was a teenager, Angel Frey had trouble controlling her weight, despite trying many diets.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue January 2008
You probably know that the American Red Cross is a disaster relief agency that helps thousands of people every year when fires, floods, earthquakes, tornados, and other disasters strike.
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by Gail M. Williams
- Issue January 2008
Ronnie Smotherman knew something was wrong. He felt tired all the time and thought that a lung infection he’d successfully fought years ago was coming back.
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by Katie Byers
- Issue January 2008
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue January 2008
Denny Arnold remembers when he would go through his day drowsily.
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by Ann Parker
- Issue December 2007
Santa Cruz County has long been a Mecca for teachers and practitioners of integrated medical practices, also known as alternative health care.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue December 2007
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue December 2007
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue November 2007
A typical day at Life Force Chiropractic in Crystal Lake can easily be described as hectic. From the minute she walks through the door at 8 a.m., Dr. Jennifer Loose starts seeing patients.
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by Jerry Davich
- Issue October 2007
It’s only slightly larger than a desktop calculator, yet it could help subtract the number of local cardiac arrest deaths in Hidalgo County--a number expected to multiply as this area’s senior citizen population doubles over the next 10 years. It’s called an Automatic External Defibrillator, or AED.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue October 2007
Salina attorney Terry Criss ate, drank, and made merry for 40 years. He didn’t worry about his ballooning weight. When friends showed their concern, he brushed them off by saying, “I’m going to eat what I want, drink what I want, and enjoy my life until I’m 40. At that point, I’ll go to my doctor, find out what’s wrong, and then fix it.”
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by Katie Byers
- Issue October 2007
Jeana Swaim began having stomach pains about six years ago. She couldn’t figure out what triggered them, but as a nurse and busy mother of five, she didn’t have time to worry too much about them.
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by Randena Hulstrand
- Issue October 2007
They swoop through the neighborhood streets and back roads of North Texas counties with the tenacity and speed of a swarm of hornets. Dressed in their yellow jerseys and black riding shorts, the Corinth Cycling Club is leaving their tire tracks on the map and building friendships along the way.
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by Gail M. Williams
- Issue October 2007
When it comes to obesity, your child’s pediatrician can be your best ally. Dr. Ranga Yalavarthi, a pediatrician who has privileges at Medical Center Hospital, has been tracking weight gain in children for 22 years.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue October 2007
When Paul Van Risseghem got up on the stage at the Cincinnati Blues Fest this summer, he was drumming for a cause--the Sharon Van Risseghem Endowment Fund for Cancer Research. Named in honor of his wife, who lost her battle with liver and brain cancer in 1994, the fund aims to help other cancer patients in clinical trials.
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by Kathy Hanks
- Issue October 2007
Ty Cohoon might be mistaken for a coach, rather than a chiropractor. Trim, with an athletic build and a healthy glow to his complexion, Cohoon is training people to excel at life.
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by Sarah Tonner
- Issue October 2007
The day that Mandy LaCombe was involved in a car accident was the day that forever changed her life. In August 1996 LaCombe, like many people her age, was deliberating over her future career.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue October 2007
When you dine at your favorite restaurant, your mind probably isn’t on the cleanliness of the kitchen, the temperature at which your food was prepared, or how well your server understands food handling. That’s not your job--but it is the responsibility of the Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD).
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by John Rolfe
- Issue October 2007
“A lot of people want to make positive changes in their lives,” says Meg Wolff, “but they don’t know where to start.” Wolff has a suggestion for them: better nutrition. She follows a macrobiotic diet, and it’s a recipe for living that she truly believes in.
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by Jerry Davich
- Issue October 2007
When Kathy Keepper began her work as director of the Community Clinic of Joplin in August 2005, there were only five dentists and five volunteer assistants in the clinic’s adult dental program. But what really surprised her was the lack of a dental program for children and young teenagers.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue August 2007
Laura Matos, M.D., knew something wasn’t right. Her mother, at age 72, was a breast cancer survivor and an independent woman.
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by Randena Hulstrand
- Issue July 2007
A diagnosis of cancer is scary for patients and their families at any stage. Judy Jeanes, director of the new Mayhill Cancer Center at Denton Regional Medical Center, knows this all too well.
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by Susan Flagg Godbey
- Issue July 2007
Three thousand, five hundred pounds lost. Total miles exercised: 107,905. Number of pairs of pants requiring tailoring due to waistline shrinkage: Not calculated.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue July 2007
“Sometimes I set up right on the hood of my automobile to give kids checkups.” --Leonard Simons
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue July 2007
The boy’s family led him into the Honduran clinic by the hands. His eyes were closed.
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by Gail M. Williams
- Issue July 2007
West Texans gravitate to the great outdoors during the summer months for barbecues, pool parties and fishing trips, as well as lawn and garden tending. But the summer sun can be as dangerous as it is alluring.
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by Katie Byers
- Issue July 2007
The last thing Don Dickson wanted was “to be put to sleep and have someone saw on my bones.” So for nearly seven years, he put up with aching, arthritic knees, trying anything he could to avoid knee-replacement surgery.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue July 2007
School’s out and summer beckons--and we’re all looking forward to the warm days ahead. But are you wondering how you’re going to keep the kids (and everyone else in the family) happy all summer long? If so, Mike Aho has plenty of suggestions.
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by Jeremy Shapiro
- Issue July 2007
As students got out of school for the day, they surrounded Buhler School Principal Nancy Bether and Cricket. “Goodbye Cricket,” several students said. “See you tomorrow!” Bether replied teasingly, “What happened to, ‘Goodbye Mrs. Bether, see you tomorrow’?”
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by Gretchen Fudge
- Issue July 2007
Affected by extreme arthritic pain in her knees, Ann Dyer retired from her beloved job as assistant principal at age 61 and was preparing for a life of immobility. But life didn’t go according to plan, and that turned out to be a good thing.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue July 2007
Joseph Bateman, MD, Vice President and Medical Director of Alliance Primary Care, has seen patients struggle with serious obesity-related health issues like high blood pressure and diabetes.
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by Karina Ramirez
- Issue April 2007
Janice Andrews has been receiving services at the People’s Clinic for the past year. “I don’t have insurance, and there is no other place in Denton I can go to,” says Andrews. Unemployed for the past two years, Andrews had a difficult time getting any health care for her diabetes, a disease she was diagnosed with in 1999.
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by Amy Conkling
- Issue April 2007
A red quilt hangs in Shawn and Kendra Ploutz’s living room, covered with their son’s favorite pajamas, pictures and outfits. Pictures of their son, Dalton, also adorn the walls of the blue room.
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by Kari Smith
- Issue April 2007
You could say Bobbie Hudson was saved by the belt--the treadmill belt. Through diet and exercise, the Hazel Green woman lost almost half her body weight and has continued to maintain a healthy weight for several years.
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by Gretchen Fudge
- Issue April 2007
We all know the important role that fruits and vegetables play in a healthy diet. But lots of children, and some adults, don’t enjoy many veggies and don’t eat the recommended five servings per day.
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by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau
- Issue April 2007
Like peanut butter and jelly or cookies and milk, pets and people make the perfect pairing. Just ask Diane Rasmussen, outreach and volunteer coordinator for the Spokane Humane Society.
