LIFE&ARTSInjuries up with dance exercise �D3

A Zumba fallout

CELINA, Ohio — Poring over the yellowConnect Four grid, Christina Bryansmiles broadly upon realizing that thefar-right column is stacked in her favor.

She need only drop a red checker into the slot.The task proves strenuous, though, for the

28-year-old Celina resident — who struggles tomove her tense hands, let alone grip the gamepiece between her fingers.

A physical-therapist assistant supports herback, keeping her standing straight, as occupa-tional therapist Kylene Tobin guides her righthand for the move that seals her opponent’sfate.

Ellen Bryan recently won the title of MissOhio, but she has just lost a concentrated battleof Connect Four to her oldest sister.

The friendly game betweensiblings provides a bittersweetreminder of the deliberateprogress that Christina has madein the past 11 years — since thesummer day in 2000 when light-ning struck her on a golf course,instantly reordering her prioritiesand her life.

The accident changed Ellen,too — so much so that, in recentyears, she has tried to educateother people about the perils oflightning.

Three years ago, when sheentered her first pageant, Ellenbecame an advocate for lightningsafety — an issue she hadn’tmuch pondered before her sisterwas injured.

Since winning the Miss Ohiocompetition in mid-June, she hasadopted the cause as her plat-form for the Miss Americapageant — to take place onJan. 14 in Las Vegas.

The issue represents a first inthe 90-year history of the event.

“We haven’t had any nationalcontestants using this platform,”Bonnie MacIsaac, a spokes-woman for the Miss America

Cause for concernSister’s accident in 2000

gives Miss America contestanta pageant platform to discussdangers of lightning strikes

By Leah WynalekTHE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

TOM DODGE DISPATCH PHOTOS

A therapy session with, from left, occupational therapist Kylene Tobin, assistant Melissa Etzcorn, Christina Bryan and sister Ellen Bryan

See CAUSE Page D2

An effort to increase movementin Christina’s hand

YOU TELL US� What cause would youchampion as a pageantcontestant? Fill us in at

Dispatch.com/youtellus.

07-18-2011 PAGE D1

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Records set by ‘Potter’ finaleThe final Harry Potter movie claimed a

record-setting opening weekend at thebox office, beating the previous best of$158.4 million for the Batman block-buster The Dark Knight (2008).

Overseas, the film added $307 millionin 59 nations since Wednesday — top-ping the international debut in May of$260.4 million for Pirates of the Carib-bean: On Stranger Tides.

Estimated ticket sales for Fridaythrough yesterday at U.S. and Canadiantheaters, according to Hollywood.com:

1. Harry Potter and the DeathlyHallows: Part 2, $168.6 million

2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon,$21.3 million

3. Horrible Bosses, $17.6 million4. Zookeeper, $12.3 million5. Cars 2, $8.3 million

Book focuses on StatehouseThe book Ohio Statehouse: A Building

for the Ages will be offered in earlyAugust at the Statehouse Museum Shop.

Written by Capitol Square Review andAdvisory Board staff members Cheryl J.Straker and Chris Matheney, the volumefeatures images from throughout Capitol

SHOW & TELL

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

See SHOW & TELL Page D2

Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) workssome magic in Harry Potter andthe Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

With constantly changing technology, not to men-tion blogs that cover the latest indie bands minute byminute, online music is usually considered somethingjust for young people.

AARP, one of the biggest symbols of life in the grayyears, is betting that a custom digital player on itswebsite will rekindle a love for discovering new musicamong its members.

Last month, AARP quietly introduced a free Internetradio service for listeners 50 and older — with 18 chan-nels programmed by the Concord Music Group, arecord company that releases music by baby boomerssuch as Paul McCartney and Paul Simon.

The organization, according to Hugh Delehanty,editor-in-chief of AARP publications, hopes to help

ONLINE MUSIC

AARP offers boomersfree streaming tunesBy Ben SisarioNEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE

See AARP Page D3

Who’s your ‘twin’?Are you a dead ringer for Beyonce orBurt Reynolds? Ahead of the annualTwins Days Festival in Twinsburg, TheDispatch wants to toast central Ohio“twins.” What celebrity do you — orother people — think you resemble?Send a photo, an explanation and aphone number to talking@dispatch.com. The deadline: next Monday.

READER SOLICITATION

After graduating from collegefour months ago, I effectivelyentered the “real world.”

Yet adulthood didn’t seem quitereal until Thursday night, as Iwaited in line with hundreds ofother people — most about my

age — to see thefinal Harry Pottermovie.

The series thatdefined my ado-lescence was com-ing to a close, andI was already feel-ing nostalgic forHogsmeade, theBurrow and theentire wizardingworld I’ve treas-

ured for more than half my life.I was 10 when I fell in love with

the book series by British authorJ.K. Rowling.

I still vaguely recall hunchingover my desk in my fifth-gradeclassroom during quiet time,becoming acquainted with thescraggly boy named Harry — whowas my age — in the first install-ment, Harry Potter and theSorcerer’s Stone.

Like me, Harry was just startingto figure out who he is — only hehad magical powers, a pet owland an evil archenemy. His lifewas more exciting than minewould ever be (a good thing).

As I read and reread the booksthrough the years, I grew up withmy fictional friend: I laughed athis first awkward attempts atromance with Cho Chang; Ienvied his adventures with Ronand Hermione under the in-visibility cloak; I ached as he lostloved ones to Voldemort and theDeath Eaters.

When the seventh book —Harry Potter and the DeathlyHallows — was released in 2007, Ihad just graduated from highschool. Harry, too, had left hisschool, Hogwarts — albeit fordarker reasons.

Although the stories ended, themovies kept Rowling’s fantasyworld alive, letting me cling to thecharacters my friends and I men-tioned in casual conversation as ifthey were longtime pals.

Now, Harry and his friends(and Daniel Radcliffe and hisacting cohorts) are grown-up —as am I.

It’s fitting that Harry Potter andthe Deathly Hallows: Part 2 isreleased as I’m preparing to moveout of my college duplex andreturn home, ending a milestonein my life.

Call them silly fantasy novelsand overblown blockbuster pic-tures if you want, but Harry Pottertaught a generation about cour-age, integrity and love.

An era ended for us 20-somethings early Friday in thea-ters nationwide. Thankfully, themagic remains — between thepages of the beloved books.

Leah Wynalek, a Dispatchintern, will carefully pack herButterbeer mug and Ron WeasleyT-shirt before heading back nextmonth to Olmsted Falls.

lwynalek@dispatch.com

Random Thoughts is a weeklyforum in which Dispatch staff

members ponder whatever strikesthem at a given moment.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Growing upwith Harrya fun ride

LEAH WYNALEK

07-18-2011 PAGE D2

SUDOKU

The youth of America is their oldest tradition. It has been going on now for three hundred years. — Oscar Wilde

CROSSWORD NO. 2

CHALLENGER JUMBLE

CRYPTOQUOTE

CROSSWORD NO. 1

bench grump

bigwig adding

The damage caused by the termites was really — Bugging him

Today’s puzzle solutions� Puzzles on Page D4

D2 � Life & ArtsTHE COLUMBUS DISPATCH MONDAY, JULY 18, 2011 BREAKING NEWS: DISPATCH.COM

� Daily Sudoku on this page

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HOW TO REACH US

Q: I have a friend whoseglucose tests taken in themorning range from 140(7.8) to 200 (11) and arenever in the normal range.He is constantly thirsty andhas otherdiabetessymptoms.

Hisdoctorordered ahemo-globin A1ctest, whichcame backas 5.2. Thedoctor toldhim thatthe fasting blood-sugar testis no longer done — onlythe HbA1c — and that he isnot diabetic, because histest is normal. Has testingfor diabetes changed?

A: Until 2010, doctorsdiagnosed diabetes on thebasis of blood sugar (actu-ally, plasma glucose). In thepast three or four months, arelatively new test — hemo-globin A1c, HbA1c or justA1c — has been added tothe criteria for both diag-nosing diabetes and moni-toring diabetes control.Hemoglobin is a largemolecule inside all redblood cells that grabs oxy-gen from the lungs andreleases it to all parts of thebody as blood circulates.Blood sugar coats hemo-globin. The percentage ofhemoglobin coated withsugar indicates how well-controlled diabetes is. Anacceptable control level isone that is 7 percent or less.

Fasting blood sugar, thespecimen taken after atleast eight hours of noteating, is still used for diag-nosing diabetes. A level of126 milligrams per deciliter(7 millimoles per liter) orhigher lands one in dia-betes territory.

A second way to diagnose

diabetes is to give a person75 grams of glucose (sugar)to eat, then test the bloodtwo hours later. A value of200 (11.1) qualifies as dia-betes.

A third way of making thediagnosis is employingHbA1c. One selling pointfor using it is that there’sno requirement for fasting.HbA1c of 6.5 or greatermakes the diagnosis.

Your friend is a diabetic.His fasting blood sugarqualifies him as being one.Furthermore, he has adiabetes symptom: per-petual thirst. He should seeanother doctor.

Q: A friend of ours is in anursing home with pneu-monia. We’re afraid to visither. Is pneumonia con-tagious?

A: A huge number ofvarious germs cause themany types of pneumonia.A blanket statement ontransmission, therefore, isimpossible.

No hospital or nursinghome will let you visit anypatient who might be atrisk of spreading any in-fectious disease.

Q: When donated bloodmixes with the patient’sblood, is there a possibilitythat the patient inheritssome of the donor’scharacteristics?

A: There isn’t even aremote chance that a bloodtransfusion promoteschanges in the recipient’scharacteristics. Most bloodtransfusions are red bloodcells only. Those cells haveno genetic DNA.

Dr. Donohue answersletters only in his NorthAmerica Syndicate columnbut provides an order formof available health news-letters. Write him at P.O.Box 536475, Orlando, FL32853-6475.

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH

Hemoglobin testcan pinpoint diabetes

PAUL G.DONOHUE

Your birthday today: Youquickly learn what you needto learn in order to make asituation work. This couldmean communicating dif-ferently with someone oradding new skills. Excep-tional good fortune comesthis month and in Decem-ber. You’ll seal a deal inNovember. December andMay bring family celebra-tions. � Cancer (June 22-

July 22): Let the little joysadd up while you let thelittle disappointments slipinto the cracks. All you haveto do is catch the joys sothat your hands are too fullto clasp any negativity. � Leo (July 23-Aug. 22):

You sometimes equatewealth with hard work, butthe reality is that often itdoesn’t. Good fortune mightcome without effort.

� Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Trust your in-tuition. Your body mightsend you signals that aremore intelligent than thoseyour mind sends. You willstumble upon an arrange-ment that is a perfect fit foryou.� Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23):

You’re very independentnow, and you refuse to getcarried away with anyoneelse’s ideology. You feel aneven stronger calling to doyour own thing. � Scorpio (Oct. 24-

Nov. 21): Busy people arethe toughest to attract.Whether the relationship isbusiness or personal, theother person has to haveroom for you. � Sagittarius (Nov. 22-

Dec. 21): Visit face to facewhenever possible. Younever know where the con-versation will lead.� Capricorn (Dec. 22-

Jan. 19): You have a person-al stake in what you’re do-ing. As for the others, theymight need help getting

involved. Invite them toincrease their participation. � Aquarius (Jan. 20-

Feb. 18): This day will seempatterned to delight, dis-tract and tempt you awayfrom your original plans. � Pisces (Feb. 19-

March 20): You might risewith a conflict alreadybrewing in your mind. Twoideas are at war. By day’send, one will win out. � Aries (March 21-

April 19): You know how todeal with intemperate peo-ple, and you’ll use thisknowledge to succeed.� Taurus (April 20-

May 20): Some are contentto kill time, but you willstrive for a much moreamicable arrangement. Youwant time to favor you andto be able to borrow from itwhen you come up short. � Gemini (May 21-

June 21): Some peoplearound you need a wake-upcall, and you’re the alarmclock. Once you get a fewthings off your chest, you’llenjoy yourself much better.

HOROSCOPEBy Holiday MathisCREATORS SYNDICATE

Q: As South, vulnerable, you hold:� Q 9 5 � A K 4 � 9 3 � A K Q 7 6

The bidding has proceeded:SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST1� Pass 1� PassWhat do you bid?

A: An awkward hand. You opened one in asuit because it was just too strong for oneno-trump, and now you have a rebid prob-lem. A jump to three clubs would show asix-card suit, while a jump raise to threehearts promises a fourth trump. The latter,however, is the lesser evil. Bid three hearts.

Q2: Both vulnerable, as South you hold:� K 9 7 6 � 4 � A K Q J 5 � A Q 7

The bidding has proceeded:SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST1� Pass 1� PassWhat do you bid?A: No spade raise does this hand justice.Start with a jump shift to three clubs; then, later in the auction, insist on spades.

That will highlight your singleton heart aswell.

Q3: East-West vulnerable, as South youhold:� A Q J � Q 3 2 � 8 4 � A K 10 9 3

The bidding has proceeded:EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH1� Double Pass 1�Pass ?What do you bid?A: You have a good hand, but partner mightnot have much. Had you held a fourthspade, a raise to two spades would havebeen in order. With only three-card sup-port, treat the hand as a minimum takeoutdouble and pass.

Q4: Both vulnerable, as South you hold:� A 5 � K J 7 6 3 2 � A � A Q J 3

The bidding has proceeded:SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST1� Pass 2� PassWhat do you bid?A: This is easy. You have a strong two-suited hand and should advise partner ofthis at the first opportunity. The “high re-verse” of three clubs describes your hand,so don’t even consider anything else.

gorenbridge@aol.com

BRIDGEBy Tannah HirschTRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES

Today is Monday, July 18, the199th day of 2011. There are166 days left in the year.

HIGHLIGHTS IN HISTORY� On July 18, 1811, WilliamMakepeace Thackeray, futurenovelist of Vanity Fair, was born in Calcutta, India.� In A.D. 64, the Great Fire ofRome began.� In 1536, the English Parliamentpassed an act declaring theauthority of the pope void inEngland.� In 1610, highly influentialItalian baroque artist Michel-angelo Merisi da Caravaggio diedin Porto Ercole at age 38.� In 1932, the United States andCanada signed a treaty todevelop the St. Lawrence Seaway.� In 1947, President Harry S.Truman signed the PresidentialSuccession Act, which placed thespeaker of the House and theSenate president pro temporenext in the line of successionafter the vice president.� Ten years ago: PresidentGeorge W. Bush, en route to aneconomic summit in Italy,stopped in Britain as he began asecond trip to Europe in a month.� Five years ago: The Senatevoted after two days of emotionaldebate to expand federal fundingof embryonic stem-cell research,sending the measure to PresidentGeorge W. Bush for a promisedveto. � One year ago: Pakistan andAfghanistan sealed a landmarktrade deal in the presence of U.S.Secretary of State Hillary RodhamClinton, who pushed the twoneighbors to step up civiliancooperation and work togetheragainst al-Qaida and the Taliban.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY“Kindnesses are easily forgotten;but injuries! What worthy mandoes not keep those in mind?” —William Makepeace Thackeray(1811-63)Source: Associated Press

DAILY ALMANAC

� How toplay: Eachrow mustcontain thenumbers 1 to 9; eachcolumn mustcontain thenumbers 1 to 9; andeach set of3-by-3 boxesmust containthe numbers1 to 9.

� Solution below

© 2011 JFS/KF DISTRIBUTED BY UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

DAILY SUDOKU DIFFICULTY: 2 OF 5

Organization, said by email.Ellen acknowledges the

low-profile status of hereffort but sees potential in it.

“It is a rarer platform tohave,” she said, “but it’sreally helped to spread themessage.”

Her sister’s strugglesbegan on June 13, 2000,when Christina was workingat Fox’s Den Golf Course inCelina, about 100 milesnorthwest of Columbus.

Then 17, she had waitedout a thunderstorm in theclubhouse before heading topick up golf-bag stands onthe driving range.

The storm, however,hadn’t fully passed.

Lightning hit her body,sending her into cardiacarrest — which deprived herbrain of oxygen for 10 min-utes before paramedicsresuscitated her. The strike,which created a 3-foot-deephole in the ground, left herwith significant physicaldisabilities.

At the time, Christina waspreparing for her senior yearat Celina High School —where she participated inthe choir and on the golfteam, and ranked among thetop five in her class.

“I always wanted to beChristina,” said Ellen, theyoungest of three daughters.

“She was one of thosepeople who didn’t have tostudy for anything; she justknew it on (a) test.”

A decade later, a slowlyrecovering Christina con-tinues to try to regain basicsin speech and mobility.

“Her not being able to talkto you is the hard part,” saidGinny Bryan, her mother.

“You would love to knowwhat’s inside her mind andwhat she’s thinking.”

Ellen, meanwhile, took onthe job of communicatingfor Christina.

She remembers her reac-tion — as an 11-year-old —to the news of the accident.

“I looked at my mom andsaid, ‘Can this kill some-body?’ I just had no idea,”Ellen said. “I think that’swhy I go into schools —because I know that I, as afifth-grader, didn’t know howdangerous lightning can be.”

Each year, lightningstrikes kill about 30 peopleand injure 300 to 400, saidJohn Jensenius, a lightningexpert with the NationalOceanic and AtmosphericAdministration.

The extent of an injury, hesaid, depends largely on thepath that the electric energytakes — with currents thatpass through the neurolog-ical and cardiovascular sys-tems leaving behind moresevere damage.

“Christina is on the sidewhere it’s a pretty extensive,permanent neurologicalinjury,” Jensenius said, “butI know of cases that areworse.”

He blames most lightningaccidents on misinforma-tion.

Many folks don’t realizethat lightning might strike 10miles from a storm, he said,so they unwittingly goindoors too late or pre-maturely assume that astorm has ended.

After her misfortune,Christina spent more than

six months in hospitals be-fore returning home to herbed for most of the next year.

These days, she attendstherapy every weekday —dividing time among waterclasses and speech andphysical therapy.

Her recuperation is con-sidered gradual but notable,said Tobin, who has workedwith Christina for eight yearsat the Community Sports &Therapy Center in Celina.

“When I first started work-ing with her,” the therapistsaid, “she couldn’t evenmove her fingers or arms oranything.”

A typical session includesplenty of movement,whether Christina practiceseveryday tasks — such asbrushing her hair — or playsgames.

“She likes to do thosethings that challenge hermentally,” Tobin said. “She’svery smart.”

Ginny Bryan enjoysobserving the interactionbetween her first- and third-born, noting how Christinaadmires Ellen — somethingespecially visible duringMiss Ohio appearances.

“It’s almost as much funwatching Christina watchEllen as it is to watch Ellen,”their mother said.

Simultaneously, Ellenseeks to ensure that hersister’s inability to talkdoesn’t translate into herbeing overlooked.

“I still want her life tomean something — becauseit does,” Ellen said. “Sheinspires so many people andhas a good life.

“I wanted people to seethat and . . . learn from it.”

lwynalek@dispatch.com

CAUSEFROM PAGE D1

Square as well as informationabout the history of theStatehouse, Senate Buildingand grounds.

The book, $13.95, can beordered at www.statehouseshop.com, under “Statehouseexclusive.” For more informa-tion, call 614-728-9234.

Couchfire leader namedBryan Kossmann, 26, has

been named president of theCouchfire Collective.

He replaces AdamBrouillette, who had led thearts group since it wasfounded in 2006.

Brouillette, 31, serves asexecutive director of Wonder-land Columbus, a multiusespace for art, performancesand retail being developed at697 N. 4th St.

One of the founders of

Wonderland, he will continueas a collective member.

Stations work with NPRWOSU Public Media, WCPN

in northeastern Ohio andWKSU at Kent State Universityare collaborating withNational Public Radio on ajournalistic initiative to reportabout the effect of govern-ment on the public.

Eight such projects wereselected for a two-year initialphase.

StateImpact Ohio: Eye onEducation is managed by thethree partner stations.

The first radio report airedon July 6, with content addedregularly at www.stateimpact.npr.org/ohio.

In addition to Ohio, otherpilot programs are takingplace in Indiana, Florida,Idaho, New Hampshire, Okla-homa, Pennsylvania andTexas.— From staff and wire reports

SHOW & TELLFROM PAGE D1