Before surgery and two months later Weight loss surgery is a big deal. Sometimes, confesses Becky Sawtelle, she thinks if she had to do it over again, she might not opt for the weight loss surgery she had two months ago. Her issue? “I had a really strong relationship with [...]
At 5:00 this cold St. Patrick’s Day morning, I walked across the sand at East End Beach in Portland. It was pitch black, but you could hear the sound of the ocean. The frigid ocean. As I stood there looking out into the darkness bundled up from head to toe, all around me were people [...]
For several years, the Cancer Community Center held an art auction. Proceeds made it possible to continue offering free services to people impacted by cancer.
Bill laughs in the face of a colonoscopy Sharing what’s on his mind is what Portland Press Herald columnist Bill Nemitz does for a living. Sometimes though, it takes more than words to get people to pay attention. Telling everyone over 50, for instance, that they really need to have [...]
Andy Loman, of Augusta, needs a kidney — along with 95,240 other people in the country, 105 right here in his home state of Maine.
Becky Sawtelle one month out A whole month has passed since Becky Sawtelle was in the operating room at Central Maine Medical Center undergoing weight loss surgery. She had tried for years to lose weight on her own and finally opted to have the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass procedure. So far, [...]
What a difference a week makes! Last Friday Becky got her stitches out and the incisions have all healed nicely. Her blood work also looks great, except for her iron, which is a bit low, so for the next two weeks, she’ll be taking iron pills for extra fortification. Her blood sugar is normal and [...]
I’m wearing red today, to mark the tenth anniversary of National Wear Red Day. Established by the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, each year on the first Friday in February, women and men wear red to draw attention to heart disease in women. […]
We catch up with Becky Sawtelle, who had weight loss surgery one week ago.
An 80-piece jigsaw puzzle. No problem for a 9-year-old. Bit of a challenge for an 86-year-old with Alzheimer’s. My mother loves puzzles. The lower shelf of her plant stand is filled with ones she bought just over the past year at yard sales and second hand stores. Boxes brimming with intricate, tiny pieces — 500, [...]
After years of trying to lose weight and keep it off, Becky Sawtelle finally decided to have Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. It’s not one of those things you think about today and do tomorrow. She had to go through rigorous medical testing — one test showed that her gallbladder was so full of stones it [...]
Becky in 1997 When Becky Sawtelle’s father died 17 years ago, she ate. When her marriage ended three years later, she ate. And when her older sister died of bone cancer six years ago, she ate. “Food has always been my comfort,” says Becky. “It’s the one thing I can [...]
The DES breast cancer trial against drug manufacturer Eli Lilly was a momentous event for Maine DES daughter Patricia Royall, who was in the Boston courtroom on the first day. “The trial was amazing,” she says, “and I was so glad I took the time to go hear opening remarks and the first expert witness, [...]
DES daughter Patricia Royall and her mother, the late Virginia Inness-Brown Conn Since my post about the DES breast cancer trial that gets underway in Boston this week, I’ve been asked how you would know if you were exposed to DES. DES, or diethylstilbestrol, is a synthetic estrogen that was [...]
Patricia Royall and her mother, the late Virginia Inness-Brown Conn When Patricia Royall was 28-years-old she was rushed to the emergency room with massive bleeding. The diagnosis: cervical cancer. “The doctor who treated me asked if I was a DES daughter and I told him I didn’t know,” says Patricia. [...]
The key to keeping your New Year's resolutions is to make sure it's more than simply a wish.
Told she would probably never be able to have children because she was born with a heart defect, Mindy Beyer defied the odds. In 2012, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Her story.
I come from a big family — eight kids. We’re all adults now, with our own families and our own holiday traditions. But no matter how old you are, the traditions you grew up with are an important part of who you are. And so, if something interferes with the way things always were, it [...]
Three times in the past three weeks I have fallen hard on my rear end. And yet, I keep going back for more. Am I a masochist? Am I losing my mind?
Mandating employee flu shots is a growing trend among hospitals around the country. The consequences of refusing vary from hospital to hospital.
One shoulder slides up, the other one down. Fingers drum lightly along the table top. Boots tap against the floor. “Hmmm, that’s a very good beat, isn’t it,” says my mother, making more of a statement than asking a question. “I never could dance,” she tells me as she continues to move her shoulders to [...]
Guest post by my sister Cathy The pies were in the pie basket. Apple and pumpkin, and custard for my mum. The cinnamon rolls were tucked in beside the pies. The odor was bringing back wonderful memories of past Thanksgiving dinners. I stopped to pick up Mum and then it was on to the feast [...]
“Do you know where Diane took me this afternoon?” my mother exclaimed when we got home. “She took me to visit a nursing home. Can you believe that?” “Did you have a good time?” my nephew Mike asked. “Oh, yes, I had a wonderful time. Everyone was so nice and the place is lovely. I [...]
When my mother was a girl, she used to spend summers at her grandparents’ farm in Strickland, Maine. It was a special time and place for her and she has regaled us with stories for as long as I can remember. I knew that out of her love of the farm grew a love of [...]
Allison Kennie, who’s in her early 30s, was looking for something different to help her get back in shape after she had her daughter a few years ago. Friends suggested Punk Rope. If you’ve never heard of Punk Rope, it’s kind of a cross between recess and boot camp. It was created by Tim Haft, [...]
Benelli is one lucky yellow Lab. A few months ago she was in a Georgia shelter slated to be euthanized and now she has a new home in Maine — safe and sound with Dustin, Lindsay and Gauge, also a rescue dog. […]
A leading Parkinson's disease specialist at Mayo Clinic says there's increasing evidence that ongoing vigorous exercise may slow the progression of Parkinson's.
Many congratulations to the Cancer Community Center for being named this year’s 6 Who Care Agency of Distinction! Take a look at this wonderful video produced by Channel 6 and please take a moment to send your own congratulations in a comment at the end of the post. […]
My grand nephew Myles was pretty excited about Hurricane Sandy. Couldn’t wait to get home from school to turn on the television and the computer so he could check the weather reports. He even put together a survival kit. […]
Ordinarily, Maine artist Francine Schrock prefers to paint in solitude. She recently took a risk and ventured outside of her studio. The opportunity led her down an unexpected path. Courtesy Jim Hall Photography […]
Gorham, Maine launches the Yellow Dot program. A yellow sticker on a car window means there's an info packet in the glove compartment in case of an emergency.