Den Morton It all began in Gorham, Maine Den Morton, from Gorham, Maine, knows all about cancer. “I still remember the phone call from my surgeon,” he shares. “It was election night in 2004, and he called to let me know the tumor on my neck contained atypical cells and [...]

  A few days ago, I received an email from Malcolm Henderson. He found the Catching Health blog on Google and thought I might be interested in a book he wrote called “Granddad in the Back: A Guide to Adventurous Senior Living.” He told me that he was ” …  born in 1933 but feel [...]

Guest post by Jani Darak-Druck, Cancer Community Center Definition of a cancer survivor What is a cancer survivor? When do you become a survivor? Do you have to wait that magic five years before you can call yourself a survivor? Does it mean you are cured? Debbie Porter, a participant at the Cancer [...]

Ethan and Ralph Kimball It’s not every grandfather who can brag that he has played hockey with his grandson, but Ralph Kimball can! He sent me a photo of himself and his now 14-year old grandson Ethan. “He’s a terrific hockey player and will play prep school hockey at St. [...]

I first met Joyce White in the late 90s, when I interviewed her about her new business Weighty Issues. She’s a licensed professional counselor who helps people struggling with issues related to … weight. In addition to her private practice, for many years Joyce  ran the Weighty Matters Support Group at Martin’s Point Health Care [...]

Did you know that every year more people develop asthma? Or that Maine is on the top ten list of number of adults with asthma? More than 100,000 adults in Maine have asthma and more than 22,000 children. Years ago, an allergist explained to me that trying to breathe during an asthma episode is like [...]

If someone offers you a vegan burger do you automatically turn up your nose? Try this recipe and you just might change your mind.

Ken Capron is an intelligent man. I got that right away when we met recently. His gaze was strong and focused and he was quick and articulate when he answered my questions. I only knew he had dementia because he told me ahead of time. I had the same experience with Donna Beveridge. Since her diagnosis, [...]

I think today should be all about Becky Sawtelle. No wait, let’s give her the entire rest of the week. She deserves it! For most of Becky’s life she struggled with her weight and finally decided to have gastric by-pass surgery. Dr. Jamie Loggins, from the Central Maine Bariatric Surgery Center did the procedure the [...]

Walking in the woods with my sister Debi. Something we both look forward to all year round. Serene, peaceful. Take a few moments to walk with us and leave all your worries behind. […]

My family has always been immensely proud of my father’s achievements in the military. In addition to rising up in the ranks of the Army, retiring as a Lt. Colonel, he fought in the Korean War and did two tours of duty in Viet Nam. It was only in the last decade of his life that [...]

Fran Seeley, Diane Atwood and Lisa Hachey I had such a great time last night! Here I am with Fran Seeley and Lisa Hachey at the Cancer Community Center in South Portland. Every year the Center honors its many volunteers and we were all on the guest list for the [...]

You know how law enforcement agencies often use a database of DNA profiles to identify crime suspects? Well, scientists are also building a DNA database of all the different species of plants and animals around the world. If you’re interested, you might be able to help them out this summer — and get to spend some [...]

Anne Belden and her husband John began trying to get pregnant when she was 29. It would take them 10 years to build their family — 3 1/2 years and many rounds of fertility treatments before their son was conceived and after he was born, another five years of the same before they decided to [...]

The Atwood family has a hard time getting rid of stuff. We still have our first computer — an iMac Plus. Yes, we are loyal Apple fans. We took our daughters to DC during April vacation back in the 90s and our computer was already on display in the Smithsonian. By then we’d moved up [...]

Julz and Bella, meant for each other Julz Poirier invites all dog owners in Greater Portland who have been touched by cancer to join her and Bella, her beloved dalmatian, for Bark For Life — a spin-off of Relay For Life, an annual American Cancer Society fundraiser. Julz was diagnosed [...]

The play “A Streetcar Named Desire” is full of examples of domestic violence, but when Tennessee Williams wrote it in 1947, domestic violence was not a topic most people discussed, even when it was happening right in front of them. Now, 65 years later, the Maine Humanities Council is not only giving people a chance [...]

Last year, I wrote about a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that all baby boomers born between 1945 and 1965 get a one-time blood test for Hepatitis C. The reason for its recommendation was that baby boomers are five times more likely to be infected than other adults and account [...]