Living WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellLiving WellBEAUFORTMEMORIAL.ORGFALL 2016

Living Well

PLUS Sure, he’s a movie star, but Chris Pratt’s favorite job is dad

FamilyFeel-

Good �things you can do to��keep everyone healthy�66

CANCER CARE DESIGNED TO HEAL BODY AND MIND

The Struggle to Drop Unwanted Pounds

REAL-LIFE TIPS FOR SURVIVING PARENTHOOD

MEET TWO ADVANCED PRACTICE PROVIDERS … OUT OF THE WHITE COAT See page 6.

Beaufort Memorial Keyserling Cancer Center Celebrates 10 Years of Caring for the CommunityOn a sunny afternoon in 2006 hundreds of people gathered in Port Royal, South Carolina, to celebrate the grand opening of the area’s first cancer center, a place where patients could be treated in the comfort of their community, and in the company of caring physicians and staff.

Our center was named in honor of longtime Beaufort Memorial Hospital physician and community member B. Herbert Keyserling, M.D., and supported by generous donors throughout the area, and its opening marked both an end and a beginning: the end of traveling great distances to receive life-saving cancer care and the beginning of comprehensive cancer services close to home.

Beaufort Memorial’s affiliation with MUSC Health expands that care by providing local access to cancer clinical trials through one of the country’s elite, NCI-designated cancer centers —just one more demonstration of our commitment to helping our community live well.

Chemotherapy––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Radiation Therapy––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Infusion Services––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Genetic Counseling––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Cancer Registry––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Clinical Trials ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Nutrition Counseling––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Nurse Navigators––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Social Services––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Tumor Board––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

In addition to the services provided at the Keyserling Cancer Center, our oncology program includes Beaufort Memorial Oncology Specialists, the practice of board-certified medical oncologist Dr. W. Marcus Newberry III; Beaufort Memorial Chemo-therapy & Infusion Services; the Women’s Imaging Center; an inpatient oncology unit and a dedicated team of mammography specialists, oncology-certified

nurses, pathologists, radiologists and surgeons.

SERVICES

Harriet Keyserling cuts the ribbon to the Keyserling Cancer Center in 2006.

1680 Ribaut Road, Port Royal, SC 29935 843.522.7800 (radiation oncology) 843.521.9879 (medical oncology)www.beaufortmemorial.org

Harriet Keyserling cuts the ribbon to the Keyserling Cancer Center in 2006.

Celebrating

OUR PROVIDERS

Jonathan Briggs, M.D.Board-certified radiation oncologist

Susanne Baisch, ANPBoard-certified adult nurse practitioner

Katy Jones, ANPBoard-certified adult nurse practitioner

W. Marcus Newberry III, M.D.Board-certified medical oncologist

Majd Chahin, M.D.Board-certified medical oncologist

FEATURES

FALL 2016 1

IN EVERY ISSUE 2 Opening Thoughts 3 Introductions 4 Collected Wisdom 6 Out of the White Coat 8 Ask the Expert 32 The Quick List 33 This Just In 38 The Truth: ADHD 40 How To: Prepare for a

Colonoscopy 42 Freak Out or Chill Out:

Childhood Illnesses 44 At a Glance: Smoking 46 In the Market:

Brussels Sprouts 48 Health by the Numbers:

Organ Donation 54 Foundation-Building

What’s your body shape telling you?PAGE 34

9 Drs. Mom and DadParents know: Kids need constant

care and attention to be as healthy as possible.

10 Dad-vocateActor Chris Pratt is spreading the

word about pre-mature birth after his son was born nine weeks early.

14 Keeping Kids SafeFrom food

allergies (know the signs) to crib bumpers (don’t use them!), there’s a lot to know to protect your children.

22 Get Schooled Whether your kids are 3 or

18, back-to-school time is always an adjustment. We have some advice that can help them and you.

28 Building an Alzheimer’s Toolkit

It isn’t always easy to com-municate with a loved one with Alzheimer’s, but it is possible—and important.

49 The Weighting Game For adults and

children who struggle with obesity, Beaufort Memorial wellness programs can help make lifesaving changes.

8Ask the ExpertCertifi ed nurse prac-titioner Suzanne Wolf off ers women advice on healthy and happy aging.

ContentsFALL 2016

COVER PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES/ALBERT L. ORTEGA

It’s your (other) full-time job: keeping your family healthy and safe. PAGE 14

THE BIG STORY

52 Healing Body and Mind Cancer support

services helped Ervena Faulkner cope with an unexpected diagnosis and get back to living her life.

OPENING THOUGHTS

Living Well, a subtitle of Vim & Vigor™, Fall 2016, Volume 32, Number 3, is published quarterly by MANIFEST LLC, 4110 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 315, Scottsdale, AZ 85251, 602-395-5850. Vim & Vigor™ is published for the purpose of disseminating health-related information for the well-being of the general public and its subscribers. The information contained in Vim & Vigor™ is not intended for the purpose of diagnosing or prescribing. Please consult your physician before undertaking any form of medical treatment and/or adopting any exercise program or dietary guidelines. Vim & Vigor™ does not accept advertising promoting the consumption of alcohol or tobacco. Copyright © 2016 by MANIFEST LLC. All rights reserved. Subscriptions in U.S.: $4 for one year (4 issues). Single copies: $2.95. For subscriptions, write: Circulation Manager, Vim & Vigor™, 4110 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 315, Scottsdale, AZ 85251.

BEAUFORT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

PRESIDENT & CEORichard K. Toomey, DHA, FACHE

BMH BOARD OF TRUSTEES Terry Murray, ChairWilliam “Bill” Himmelsbach, Vice ChairDavid Tedder, Secretary/TreasurerAndrea Allen, MS, LMSWKathleen CooperMark Dean, MD David HouseFaith Polkey, MDJames Simmons, MD

EX-OFFICIO MEMBERSNorman Bettle, MD, Chief of StaffHugh Gouldthorpe, Foundation ChairmanBill McBride, Beaufort County Council Representative

BMH EDITORIALCourtney McDermott, Director, Marketing & CommunicationsSallie Stone, Editor and Marketing & Communications Content

ManagerPaul Nurnberg, Photographer

PRODUCTIONEDITORIALASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Matt Morgan EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Meredith Heagney COPY DIRECTOR: C.J. Hutchinson

DESIGNASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTORS: Chris McLaughlin,

Tami RodgersART DIRECTORS: Cameron Anhalt, Molly Meisenzahl

PRODUCTIONSENIOR PRODUCTION MANAGER: Laura MarlowePRODUCTION MANAGER: Jenny BabichDIRECTOR OF PREMEDIA: Dane NordinePRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY SPECIALISTS: Julie Chan,

Sonia Fitzgerald

CIRCULATIONSENIOR DIRECTOR, LOGISTICS: Tracey LenzPOSTAL AFFAIRS & LOGISTICS MANAGER: Janet Bracco

CLIENT SERVICESSENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTORS: Dawn Barnes, Mark KatsACCOUNT MANAGERS: Connie McCollom, Katie Murphy,

Marisa Mucci

ADMINISTRATION CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: Jason BenedictSVP, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT – HEALTHCARE:

Gregg Radzely, 212-574-4380CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER: Beth Tomkiw

Beaufort Memorial Hospital955 Ribaut Road

Beaufort, SC 29902843-522-5200

843-522-5585 – Doctor Referral Service

For address changes or to be removed from the mailing list, please visit mcmurrytmg.com/circulation.

Our mission to improve the health of our community goes well beyond providing out-standing patient care. It also means offering

facilities, programs and services to meet the needs of a growing community. As our neighbors, supporters of our hospital and patients who expect the best care your hos-pital can provide, you will be interested in enhancements taking place at Beaufort Memorial.

Work is underway to renovate and expand the Collins Birthing Center, delivering on a promise we made to the community last year and complementing the great work that has been done to expand access to our OB-GYN services in Beaufort, Bluffton and Hampton. Once completed, the center will offer fully renovated birthing suites, special amenities for parents and their families, and much more.

Our commitment to women’s services continues to grow with the addition of a second 3-D mammography unit to serve more patients in our Women’s Imaging Center in Beaufort, a nationally accredited Breast Center of Excellence. Our patients south of the Broad River can look forward to 3-D mammography services at our Bluffton Medical Services location in Westbury Park; we’ll be adding a new unit there in the coming months.

Our Ambulatory Surgery Center is the first to bring state-of-the-art endoscopy equipment to the region, equipping our board-certified gastroenterologists with the best tools for diagnosing and treating polyps and tumors at their earliest stages. This new technology increases early detection rates by more than 30 percent—a lifesaving diagnostic tool to be sure.

Recently, our Keyserling Cancer Center celebrated 10 years of providing com-prehensive care close to home. Following that milestone, we made a commitment to consolidate all outpatient cancer services into one location. That means enlarg-ing the facility to accommodate our three board-certified oncologists and dozens of oncology-certified staff, as well as expanding our chemotherapy and infusion ser-vices. And thanks to our new affiliation agreement with MUSC Health in Charleston, qualifying local cancer patients will soon be able to participate in clinical trials through its National Cancer Institute-designated Hollings Cancer Center.

We are excited about these changes, which will provide greater access to care in more comfortable, convenient locations. To learn more, visit beaufortmemorial.org.

Rick ToomeyPresident & CEO

GROWING AND EXPANDING TO BETTER SERVE YOU

FALL 20162

INTRODUCTIONS

WEBSITE

Meet Your New Provider Looking for a new health-care provider? Whether you need a primary care doctor, a specialist, a nurse practitioner or a licensed professional counselor, we’ve got you covered. Visit beaufortmemorial.org/find-provider to search by specialty.

Rebecca Swofford, PA-C Beaufort Memorial Harrison Peeples Health Care Center has added a second certified physician

assistant to its team, helping improve services to residents of Hampton County and the surrounding areas. Rebecca Swofford is a recent graduate of the College of Health Professions at South University in Savannah, Georgia. As part of her primary care training, she worked at the Varnville practice last year. She completed clinical rotations at Beaufort Memorial Hospital, Coastal Carolina Hospital and Hilton Head Hospital.

Susan Draves, FNP-CCertified family nurse practitio-ner Susan Draves came to Beaufort Memorial Hospital

to travel with the LifeFit Mobile Wellness Unit, serving residents of Beaufort and Jasper counties. A graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University with a master’s degree in nursing, Draves has been a nurse practitioner for 18 years, most recently at Lowcountry Urgent Care. She worked for 16 years in a family prac-tice office at Marion General Hospital in Indiana. She began her career at the Indiana hospital in 1976, serving as an operating room nurse.

Catherine Tambroni-Parker, CNMCertified nurse-midwife Catherine Tambroni-Parker has joined the medical team at Beaufort

Memorial Obstetrics & Gynecology Specialists. During her career, she has delivered more than 3,000 babies, most recently at Park Ridge Health in Hendersonville, North Carolina. After earning her master’s degree in nurse-midwifery at SUNY at Stony Brook, she worked for 15 years in an OB-GYN prac-tice in underserved Upstate New York. Earlier, Tambroni-Parker served as a primary care, triage, labor and delivery, and maternal-child health nurse.

Jonathan Briggs, MDJonathan Briggs, MD, a board-certified radiation oncologist, has joined Beaufort Memorial Keyserling Cancer Center.

Briggs had served as director of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, New Jersey. A graduate of Rutgers Medical School, Briggs trained in radiation oncology at Eastern Virginia Medical School and the University of Arizona School of Medicine. His research projects have varied widely, and he has a special interest in treating breast, prostate, skin and lung cancers.

Robert Webb, MDRobert Webb, MD, a board-certified internist with more than 35 years of experience, has joined Beaufort

Memorial Harrison Peeples Health Care Center. Previously, Webb had a private practice in Jefferson County, West Virginia, and served as director of the Intensive Care Unit at Jefferson Memorial Hospital. He was a longtime visiting clinician/clinical assistant pro-fessor of medicine at West Virginia University School of Medicine and a vol-unteer physician at Eastern Panhandle CARE Clinic. His interests include cardi-ology and geriatrics.

WELCOME TO BMH! Meet the newest members of the team

FALL 2016 3

COLLECTED WISDOM

PARENTS SURVIVAL GUIDEChildren don’t come with instruction manuals, which leaves moms and dads to get over

the steep learning curve on their own. Take these tips from experts and parents who have survived the terrible twos, dramatic tweens and rebellious teens.

A BATTLE OF WILLSAs a single mother of two teenage girls, Wendy Spears has mastered the art of negotiation.

“You have to let your children have a voice,” says the mother of 14-year-old Jacquelyn and 17-year-old Taylor. “Hear them out, and then if you have to say no, give them a reason that makes sense.”

Spears, an executive assistant at Beaufort Memorial, is also mother to 30-year-old Gregory and 19-year-old Carlton.

“As soon as Gregory began to see the world, he decided to dance by his own rules,” Spears recalls. “Carlton was standing toe-to-toe with me starting at age 3. But we got through it. I look at them now and I’m so proud.”

Recognizing that her home is a training camp for the real world, Spears established expectations from the cradle.

“You have to give them core values to live by,” she says. “You get the best return if you invest time and energy in your children. Let them know they matter and never give up on them.”

TUNING INTO THE TECH-SAVVYTWEEN Middle school counselor Lori Howell of Beaufort has no trouble handling your standard preteen drama.

“For kids that age, everything in their life that goes wrong is a crisis,” she says. “I tell parents, the best thing they can do is listen to their children. Let them talk through things to help them problem-solve. Don’t try to fi x it for them.”

But these days, parents of tweens have more to worry about than the occasional schoolyard squabble.

“Technology is a game changer,” says Howell, who has her own tween, 12-year-old John Asher. “When you hand a child a smartphone, you’re handing them unlimited access to the internet.”

With John Asher, Howell set ground rules from the start. He is not allowed to use his phone at the dinner table, at a restaurant or after 9 p.m.

“My son knows at any given moment I can pick up his phone and read his texts,” she says. “You have to set limits and they have to be nonnegotiable.”

Wendy Spears with her daughters, Jacquelyn, 14, and Taylor, 17.

Lori Howell with sons Fisher and John Asher.

FALL 20164

WEBSITE

CDC Milestones ChecklistTo fi nd out what milestones children typically reach between 2 months and 5 years of age, go to cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones. Act early if you have concerns.

NIGHTY NIGHTIt should be the most relaxing part of every family’s day. But bedtime can be a battle if you don’t lay the groundwork early on. At 12 pounds, your baby is physiologically ready to sleep through the night. That’s the time to start developing good sleep habits, says BMH pediatrician Joseph Floyd, MD.

“It’s OK to let them fuss if they wake up in the middle of the night,” Floyd says. “They

need to learn how to fall back asleep on their own.”For young children, a regular ritual that includes quiet time

uninterrupted by TV or electronic games or phones can do wonders for sleep habits. A bedtime story helps, too.

Older children can read on their own before bed to prepare for sleep. And of course, no TVs in the bedroom.

NOT-SO-TERRIBLE TWOSWhen it comes to the terrible twos, Annie Powell lives by the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared.

The Beaufort mother of three energetic young boys, she has learned how to manage the meltdowns and mayhem that have earned this phase of childhood its bad rap.

On car trips and outings, Powell always packs extra snacks and toys, and a change of clothing for each of her sons.

Her strategy for whining is threefold: Ignore it, change the subject or fi nd a distraction. For the inevitable crying-in-the-restaurant scenario, Powell or her husband will take the child into the bathroom to give him a few minutes to settle down. If that doesn’t work, packing the food up to go may be the best solution for the sake of the child and fellow diners.

IS YOUR CHILD ON TRACK?

Think your child may be slow meet-ing developmental milestones such as crawling, walking or talking? Don’t panic, but pay attention.

“There’s a wide range for when

children achieve a particular mile-stone,” says Megan Mack, manager of HealthLink for Children, Beaufort Memorial’s pediatric rehab center. “Walking, for instance, can occur anytime between 9 and 18 months.”

Parents can track their child’s development using a milestones checklist found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website. HealthLink also off ers free developmental screenings in the cen-ter’s Bluff ton and Beaufort offi ces.

“If you have any concerns, talk to your pediatrician,” Mack says. “Kids benefi t from receiving intervention as early as possible. It can prevent more problems from developing later.”

Annie Powell and her three sons at the playground.

6 MONTHS

Age a baby typically begins to sit without support

2–4Number of words used in a sentence by a 2-year-old

9–11 Hours of sleep needed

by children ages 6 to 13 each night, following

National Sleep Foundation guidelines

2.3Average hours on a weekday

U.S. teens watch TV, surf the internet, text and

engage in other media or communications activities,

according to the U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services

71Percent of American teens

who use Facebook (according to study by Pew Research Center)

BY THE NUMBERS

FALL 2016 5

OUT OF THE WHITE COAT

CALL

Annsley Troxell is a certi-fied physician assistant at Beaufort Memorial Surgical Specialists. She can be reached at 843-524-8171.

Annsley Troxell

A big yellow school bus may not be the most romanticsetting, but when you’re 9,

it’s as likely a place as any to meet the love of your life. Of course, Annsley Troxell never imagined back then that she would end up marrying the boy who

FINDING THEIR MATCH For two advanced practice providers, love came from unexpected places

sat next to her on the ride to school in Anderson, South Carolina.

“We were friends all through elemen-tary school,” Troxell says of her husband, Ross. “But in the sixth grade I moved to Texas and we lost touch.”

Then, in her senior year of high school, her family moved back to Anderson. Friends reintroduced the two and they

began dating. The romance continued throughout Troxell’s undergraduate years at Clemson University.

“Ross visited me so much, he became an honorary Clemson student,” she says.

When Troxell moved to Charleston to get her master’s degree in physician assistant studies at Medical University of South Carolina, Ross moved too. Having earned a landscaping degree, he found a job working at The Greenery.

After Troxell graduated, the couple moved back to Anderson and married in May 2015. Their plans to stay in the Upstate for a few years changed when Ross was offered a job at The Greenery’s location in Beaufort.

“My best friend in college is from Beaufort, so we would come down in the summer to visit,” she says. “We loved that it was a small town, but had a nice downtown and was near the beach.”

For Troxell, who was born on Hilton Head Island, it was like returning to her roots. She joined Beaufort Memorial Surgical Specialists to work with board-certified vascular surgeon Chad Tober, MD, as a certified physician assistant.

Today, the couple live in Shell Point with their yellow Labrador retriever, Levi.

“One of our favorite things to do is take Levi to the beach to play in the water,” Troxell says. “We also enjoy going out on our boat. My husband likes to fish. I just go along for the ride. It’s all about being outdoors.”

Annsley Troxell and her husband, Ross, met on a school bus as children.

FALL 20166

CALL

Erin Scott is a certified adult nurse practitioner specializing in family medi-cine at Beaufort Memorial Lowcountry Medical Group. She can be reached at 843-770-0404.

Erin Scott

Erin Scott can thank her father for two of her all-time favorite finds: Jackson Hole,

Wyoming, and her husband, Tuck.The Beaufort Memorial nurse practi-

tioner discovered Jackson Hole after her father and some partners bought a dude ranch there in 1998. A nurse working in Charlotte at the time, Scott went out to visit her parents and was so taken with the famed mountain resort she quit her job and moved out west with her dog.

“I loved the environment—the fresh, clean air and beautiful rivers,” Scott says. “There’s just so much to do out-doors. One day you can go hiking, the next day fishing. And in the winter you can go skiing.”

Scott lived in Jackson Hole for four years before moving back east to Beaufort, where her parents had

settled and her father opened Bay Street Outfitters. It was there she met Tuck, one of his Orvis-endorsed fly-fishing guides.

“At our wedding, my dad joked that he found him first,” Scott says.

But she wasn’t ready to completely write off the mountain community she had come to love.

“The deal when we got married was that we would go out to Jackson every year,” Scott says.

Between a full-time job and having children, that prenuptial pact fell by the wayside. Now married eight years, Scott juggles family life with her husband and two young boys and a busy career as a certified adult nurse practitioner at Lowcountry Medical Group.

She hadn’t been back to Wyoming in four years when the opportunity to attend a three-day medical confer-ence in Jackson Hole presented itself

last summer. And while she was excited about seeing her friends there, Beaufort will always be home.

“I love the life we have here,” she says. “It’s great to be able to go out on the boat or take our dogs for a walk along the Spanish Moss Trail. We have fun just sitting on the front porch blowing bub-bles with the boys.” n

Nurse practitioner Erin Scott walks the Spanish Moss Trail with her husband, Tuck, and their two sons and dog.

FALL 2016 7

ASK THE EXPERT

CALL

Make an Appointment Certified nurse practitioner Suzanne Wolf sees gynecology patients at Beaufort Memorial Obstetrics & Gynecology Specialists. She can be reached at 843-524-8151.

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HEALTHY AGINGYou can’t stop the clock, but there’s a lot you can do as a woman to stay healthy and happy in your golden years. Certified nurse practitioner Suzanne Wolf offers some advice.

Q Why do we gain weight as we get older, even if we’re eating the same amount of food?

Blame it on your muscles. With each passing decade, we lose muscle mass, the energy powerhouse of the body where most of our calories are burned. To make matters worse, muscle cells get damaged with age and our body’s ability to repair them diminishes. With fewer muscle cells to burn calories, you’ll quickly begin to pack on the pounds if you don’t adjust your calorie intake.

Q What can I do to maintain my weight as I get older?Women start to lose 6 to 8 per-

cent of their muscle mass every 10 years starting around the age of 40. For men

it’s in their 60s. That means you can’t eat like you did when you were in your 20s and 30s.

In addition to cutting back on calories, strength training is one of the best things you can do to retain and build muscle. If you don’t want to go to the gym, you

Certified nurse practitioner

Suzanne Wolf

can do pushups, pullups, abdominal crunches and leg squats or use resis-tance bands or weights. Things around the house, such as soup cans or half-gallon water jugs, are great for exercises like bicep curls.

Strength training has other benefits, too. It helps boost stamina, improve bal-ance and increase bone density, reducing your risk of developing osteoporosis.

Q What else can I do to prevent osteoporosis?Get enough calcium and

vitamin D. Women 51 and older (and men 71 and older) need 1,200 milli-grams of calcium a day. Healthy sources of calcium include low- or nonfat milk, yogurt, cheese, canned sardines and salmon, collard greens, kale, broccoli, figs, okra, almonds and oranges.

As for vitamin D, if you’re 50 and older, you need 800 to 1,000 IU (inter-national units) daily. It helps your body absorb calcium for your bones. n

FALL 20168

82.9% of children 5 to 11 years old are in excellent or very good health.

Up to 10 common colds are caught by a toddler in one year.

322 million illnesses will be prevented by vaccines during the lives of children born between 1994 and 2013.

9.3% of children have asthma.

21% of youths ages 12 to 19 were obese in 2012; that number was 5 percent in 1980.

17.9 billion hours of unpaid care were provided by caretakers of someone with Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia in 2014—often adult children of people with the disease.

1 in 4 teenagers ages 13 to 18 will have an anxiety disorder; about 6 percent will have severe anxiety.

Keeping children healthy is a full-time job. And, of course, you do the best you can to minimize those sick days and tummy aches. But just like adult health, there’s always room for improvement.

Whether you have a baby relying on you for all of life’s essen-tials, a soon-to-be college student preparing to fly the nest or an aging parent needing spe-cialized care, you can help maximize everyone’s health and happiness.

Read on to find out how.

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Pediatrics & Child Health; Alzheimer’s Association PHo

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You can help them see the value—and fun—of being healthy.

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FALL 201610

Inspired by his son, who was born nine weeks early, actor Chris Pratt advocates for research and awareness of premature birth By Amy SAunderS

VocateDaD-

For actor Chris Pratt, the middle-of-the-night news that his wife was in labor was cause not for celebra-tion, but for panic.

“It’s too soon,” Pratt told the staff when he and his wife, actress Anna Faris, arrived at the hospital. “It’s not supposed to be happening yet. Please help us.”

It was August 2012—nine weeks before their son’s intended birthday.

After Jack was born at just 3 pounds, 12 ounces, Faris got to hold him for only a moment before he was whisked away to the neonatal intensive care unit. Jack would spend the next month in the NICU, surviving with the help of a feeding tube and a catheter leading to his heart.

In the moments Pratt was allowed to hold his tiny son, he placed Jack on his chest and imagined a more hope-ful future.

“I made him promises … just about what kind of dad I wanted to be,” Pratt said in a 2014 speech for March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization that works to help women have full-term pregnancies. “And I just prayed that he’d be here long enough and he was going to let me keep him.”

Jack is now a healthy 4-year-old who, aside from needing eyeglasses, has no limitations. Many premature babies grow up to be perfectly healthy. But some babies born too soon aren’t so fortunate.

FALL 2016 11

Chris Pratt and his wife, Anna Faris, share an unusual hobby (see No. 4). About one in 10

babies in the United States is born preterm

—before spending 37 weeks in the womb,

according to March of Dimes. Four in 1,000

die within their fi rst 28 days of life, and some face

long-term disabilities such as cerebral palsy and autism.

Others will have health chal-lenges, including digestive prob-

lems, asthma, hearing loss and vision troubles.

Researchers have identifi ed risk factors that contribute to about half

of preterm births, which encompass lifestyle choices, genetic factors and medical issues.

But with the other half of cases unexplained, Pratt—the star of Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy—is speaking in support of March of Dimes, hoping that more babies will have the healthy start Jack didn’t. Here is what families should know to lower the risks of preterm birth and help ensure a safe pregnancy.

WHAT WE KNOW—and Don’t KnowThis much researchers know for certain: Moms-to-be leading unhealthy lives put their babies at higher risk of prema-ture birth.

During the last three months of preg-nancy, one in 13 women drinks alco-hol and one in 10 smokes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both habits are

risk factors for preterm birth. Being overweight increases risk, as do obesity-related health conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.

Socioeconomics can play a role: Researchers have found correlations between preterm birth and stressors such as having little education or low income or being a victim of domestic violence. When women don’t receive adequate medical care before and during their pregnancies, perhaps because of these situations, their risks of delivering early increase.

In other cases, doctors can trace the cause of premature birth to medical reasons like preeclampsia (a pregnancy condition marked by high blood pres-sure), infections contracted during pregnancy, and problems with a wom-an’s uterus or cervix.

Another risk factor is tied to a trend: With fertility treatment on the rise, more women are giving birth to twins. In 2014, the rate was 33.9 twins per 1,000 births, a new high for the nation. This so-called “twinning rate” rose 76 percent between 1980 and 2009.

Being pregnant with “multiples” is one of the top three risk factors for preterm birth, along with having given birth to a premature baby in the past and having uterus or cervix problems.

Still, as researchers study possible risk factors ranging from genetics to air pollution, these factors tell only half the story of preterm birth, says Jan Rydfors, MD, chief medical adviser of the American Pregnancy Association.

“The problem is that even if we know the risk factors, with a good 50 percent or more of cases, we can never really fi gure out what caused it,” he says. “It’s a frustrating problem.”

POSITIVE MomentumThere is some good news about pre-term birth. The percentage of babies born early in the U.S. is lower than it has been in decades: 9.6 percent in

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7 THINGS YOU (PROBABLY)

DON’T KNOW ABOUT CHRIS PRATT1 He was a 19-year-old server at the

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Maui when actress and director Rae Dawn Chong asked, “You’re cute. Do you act?” and cast him in his fi rst fi lm, Cursed Part III.

2 Before spending most of his child-hood in Lake Stevens, Washington, Pratt and his family lived for four years in Alaska, where his dad mined for gold.

3 He married actress Anna Faris in Bali in 2009, two years after they met while fi lming Take Me Home Tonight.

4 Faris has said she knew Pratt was the man of her dreams because he had a dead-bug collection—and so did she.

5 Impressed by Pratt’s charm, the Parks and Recreation creators upgraded his character, Andy Dwyer, from a six-episode role to a series regular.

6 In 2014, Pratt was named one of GQ’s Men of the Year and People’s No. 2 Sexiest Man Alive.

7 Pratt lost 60 pounds in six months to get in action-hero shape for Guardians of the Galaxy.

FALL 201612

2014, down from a high of 12.8 percent in 2006.

Siobhan Dolan, MD, a medical adviser to March of Dimes, attributes the positive trend to better aware-ness of the fact that every week of pregnancy counts. Until recently, she says, doctors were more inclined to induce labor or schedule a C-section for women who felt ready to give birth after 37 weeks.

“There was a limited understanding that it was risky,” Dolan says. “There wasn’t as much data that every week improved outcomes, up to 39 weeks.”

The final weeks of pregnancy are especially vital in a baby’s development: Between 35 and 39 weeks, the weight of a baby’s brain increases by a third. Babies born full term are less likely to have breathing difficulties, hear-ing and vision problems, and trouble with feeding.

Recent years have also brought prog-ress in preventing preterm labor and its complications. In 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved injections of a synthetic progesterone, a hormone that helps maintain preg-nancy, for women at risk of delivering early. Other treatments include cortico-steroid injections, which help the baby’s lungs develop, and magnesium sulfate to reduce the risk of cerebral palsy.

A HEALTHY PregnancyThe best way to prevent premature birth is to have a healthy pregnancy—ideally, one that begins even before conception.

“[Premature birth] can happen to anybody; so many people don’t have risk factors,” says Rydfors, of the American Pregnancy Association. “It’s a really good idea to see someone before you get pregnant so you can preempt problems.”

In a prepregnancy visit, a health-care provider will evaluate the woman’s health and weight, review medications and identify genetic factors that could affect the pregnancy.

Doctors recommend that, before and dur-ing the early stages of pregnancy, moms-to-be take a daily prenatal vita-min containing folic acid, which helps prevent birth defects. Pregnant women should maintain a healthy weight (a weight gain of 25 to 35 pounds is recom-mended), exercise 30 min-utes a day, and regularly visit their OB-GYN, even if they feel healthy.

At the same time, women should remember that even moms who did everything right during pregnancy have prema-ture babies, says Dolan, the March of Dimes adviser. Not all preterm births can be prevented.

“We know some risk factors in women, but we also don’t want to go to this place where we blame women for the outcome,” she says.

Faris told Health in 2015 that she and Pratt wanted another baby, although her pregnancy would be considered high-risk and need to be closely monitored.

In the meantime, they’re thankful for Jack—who, as Pratt said in his March of Dimes speech, has grown “from a small, helpless, little squirt to a strong, happy, funny and vocal boy.” In the speech, Pratt reflected on the progress made in researching premature birth and how lucky he feels to have his son.

“I’ve done all kinds of cool stuff as an actor. I’ve gotten to jump out of helicopters and do daring stunts and play baseball in a professional stadium,” Pratt told the audience. “But none of them mean anything com-pared to being somebody’s daddy.” n

FALL 2016 13

THE REST PERIOD AFTER PREGNANCYCan’t wait for your new baby to have a sibling? You should—at least 18 months, studies suggest.

Women who become pregnant within 18 months of giving birth are at higher risk of having a premature baby. More than half of moms who waited less than a year between pregnancies delivered early, accord-ing to a 2014 study in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

“You need to give your body time to heal, especially if you’ve had a cesarean delivery,” says OB-GYN Marlena Mattingly, MD, of Beaufort Memorial Obstetrics & Gynecology Specialists. “Shorter pregnancy intervals can increase your risk of pre-term labor and delivering a smaller baby.”

Some research suggests that back-to-back pregnan-cies also are risky because women who recently gave birth have not yet restored important nutrients like iron and folate.

WEBSITE

Enroll in Baby UniversityLifeFit Baby University classes cover everything from breastfeeding to reading your baby’s body language. Visit beaufortmemorial.org.

KEEPING

KIDS

THE BIG STORY

FALL 201614

SAFE

Every parent knows: Keeping your children

healthy and happy is a full-time job. Whatever you worry about—allergic reactions, broken bones, car safety—there are steps you can take to protect your kids, and your sanity BY TERESA CALDWELL BOARD

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Discovering and managing

your child’s food triggers is only part of the challenge. Learn how to keep them safe when you’re not around

Food AllergiesIt took one bite of a peanut butter cookie to

initiate Kristen Brown into the “parents of

kids with food allergies club” when her

daughter Kylie was 18 months old.

“She immediately went into anaphylactic

shock,” says Brown, who volunteers with the

nonprofit Food Allergy Research & Education

(FARE). “It was horrible.”

A PArent’s guide to nAvigAting

FOOD ALLERGIES

With a few strategies, you can avoid mealtime anxiety over allergens.

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One in 13 children in the United States has a food allergy, in which the body’s immune system mistakes a food protein as a threat it needs to attack. The symptoms of an allergic reaction usually happen within a few minutes to a couple of hours of exposure to the food. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, these symptoms may include:

• Skin rashes, itching or hives• Swelling of the lips,

tongue or throat• Shortness of breath, trouble

breathing, wheezing • Dizziness or fainting• Stomach pain,

vomiting or diarrhea• Feeling as if something awful is

about to happenAlthough they share some symp-

toms, an allergy is different from a food intolerance, when the body has difficulty digesting a food (think lac-tose intolerance).

Equip YOURSELFIf you think your child has at least one food allergy, seeing an allergist is the first step. “It’s important to get a proper diagnosis,” says Scott H. Sicherer, MD, the author of Food Allergies: A Complete Guide to Eating When Your Life Depends on It. “You want to know that you’re avoiding the correct foods and not avoiding foods that are safe.”

After Brown’s daughter had an allergic reaction to peanuts, “we did full allergy testing and found out she was allergic to some other things as well, including tree nuts,” Brown says.

For most kids, not eating the problem food is enough. For others, cross contact can also trigger a reaction—from trace amounts on serving utensils, for exam-ple. Allergy testing pinpoints the level of sensitivity so your doctor can identify how strictly your child needs to avoid incidental contact with an allergen.

Empower YOUR CHILDAs kids get older, they begin to learn how to keep themselves safe. “In the younger years, it’s mostly the par-ent advocating for the child,” says Gina Clowes, director of education for FARE. That modeling paves the way for future independence.

Now that Kylie is 12 years old, “she’s a good advocate for herself,” Brown says. “She’s learned that if she doesn’t speak up for herself, there are times when no one else can do it for her.”

The good news is, better treatments—and ultimately even a cure—may be on the way. For example, a treatment called oral immunotherapy is being tested, with supervised patients eating a small, steadily increasing amount of a trig-ger food, delivered as a commercially manufactured powder mixed into a safe food. Early clinical trials of oral immu-notherapy have been effective in 70 to 80 percent of people.

“I would be surprised if there are not several options to make life safer for people with food allergies in the next five years,” Sicherer says.

Inform OTHERSWhat about when your child is at school or camp or the home of a friend or fam-ily member? “Living safely with a food allergy is like living in a minefield,” Sicherer says. “Every meal, every snack, every social event, every holiday—almost everything we do has to do with food.”

Calm, clear instructions can help other adults honor your child’s specific needs. You can download an emergency care plan at foodallergy.org/faap. n

FALL 2016 17

BE PREPARED FOR AN ALLERGY EMERGENCY Even when kids strictly avoid their food allergens, accidental exposure can hap-pen. If a child in your care has a serious food allergy, it’s important to have a plan in place, says Beaufort Memorial pediatrician Tim Keane, DO.

During an anaphylactic reaction, a child may have difficulty breathing or a drop in blood pressure causing dizziness, weakness or fainting. Giving epinephrine opens airways and maintains blood pressure.

“Kids with serious food allergies should always have access to an EpiPen that can deliver epinephrine instantly,” Keane says. “This is short-lasting medication that should be delivered on the way to the emergency department.”

Other prescription auto-injectors include Auvi-Q and Adrenaclick. Auto-injector trainers are available that contain no medicine or needle, so kids and caregivers can practice in advance.

WEBSITE

The Facts on Food Allergies Some 15 million Americans are allergic to some kind of food. To learn more about causes and prevention, go to bit.ly/1TgYAdE.

SPORTS SAFETY

Injuries happen, but good

communication and preparation can keep young athletes safer

First line oF DeFense

Headers are part of the game, but concussions don’t need to be.

Parents spend a lot of time, money and energy to support the athletic endeavors of their children. This can encourage a play-at-all-costs mentality that can cause or worsen injuries.

“You want your kids to be the best they can be,” says sports medi-cine physician Robert B. Flannery, MD, “but parents have to actively try not to put their aspirations onto their kids.”

Sometimes the pressure comes from the athletes themselves. “Kids have a sense of loyalty to their team and coach,” says Valerie

Maholmes, PhD, chief of the pediatric trauma and critical illness branch with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Even when they get hurt, she adds, “they may press forward and participate because they want to be a good team member.”

Despite these pressures, adults can take steps to keep young athletes safe.

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Build Openness AND TRUSTParents and coaches can set the tone for open communication so kids feel comfortable speaking up about injuries. “You have to build trust with the athlete, so they know that we have their best interest in mind,” says Flannery, who volunteers with the National Center for Sports Safety.

Adults can help young athletes take a big-picture view when they resist a temporary break from full participa-tion to properly recover from injury. “Sometimes I have to explain, ‘You can rest for two weeks now or you can take two months off later,’” Flannery says, because playing while injured can make the problem much more serious down the road, or even chronic.

With a foundation of strong commu-nication, adults and athletes can be pre-pared to prevent injury and intervene if an injury occurs. ACTION STEP: Trust your intuition. If your child seems hurt or sick, check in with him or her before practice or play.

PREVENT Overuse InjuriesWhen kids start young in focusing on a single sport, they put themselves at risk for an overuse injury. “Having an ath-lete specialize early is one of the quick-est ways to derail their athletic career,” Flannery says.

Safeguards such as limiting the num-ber of a baseball player’s pitches exist to protect young athletes, but it’s often up to parents to make sure kids follow these guidelines if they play for multiple leagues or get individual coaching out-side their organized sport.

“Taking time to rest and giving the muscles a chance to do some-thing different is helpful to the body,” Flannery says.ACTION STEP: Encourage diversity of activity. Plan time for rest and recreation.

RECOGNIZE Signs of ConcussionBeyond blurred vision, confusion and nausea, the symptoms of a concussion can also be behavioral, such as irritabil-ity and trouble concentrating.

“Vigilance on the part of parents is important,” Maholmes says. A concus-sion can happen after a contact-heavy game or practice, even in the absence of a single dramatic hit or fall.

Helmets can prevent skull fractures but not all head injuries. “Until you fig-ure a way to strap the brain down inside the skull, you’re going to have concus-sions,” Flannery says.

After a suspected concussion, an ath-lete should be checked by a doctor before returning to practice or play.ACTION STEP: Know the signs of head injury. When in doubt, get it checked.

BE READY for a Cardiac EmergencySudden cardiac arrest is responsible for the death of a young athlete every three days in the United States. Parents should talk to a doctor if their child has experienced unexplained fainting or has

a family history of sudden cardiac death. “Unfortunately, the first symptom is often death or collapse,” Flannery says.

Ready access to an automated external defibrillator (AED) can be lifesaving.

For each minute defibrillation is delayed, the chance of survival is reduced about 10 percent, according to the American Red Cross.ACTION STEP: Have a working AED and someone trained in CPR at every practice and game. n

FALL 2016 19

ADVANTAGES FOR ACTIVE KIDS Participating in sports comes with the potential for injury. But the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, says Jenny Craft, a registered dietitian with Beaufort Memorial’s Healthy Kids Campaign.

“Studies have shown that kids who participate in sports are more likely to be active as adolescents and adults,” Craft says. “It’s also good for their emotional health.”

In general, research shows that participants in youth sports have bet-ter health and fitness, greater social and psychological well-being, and higher academic achievement. 1 Middle and high school athletes are 25 percent less likely to experience

depression than nonathletes.

2 Athletes are 43 percent more likely to report liking school.

3 Youth athletes tend to have higher grade-point averages and are more likely to plan on attending college.

WEBSITE

Not Just a BumpER visits for traumatic brain injuries jumped 62 percent between 2001 and 2009. To learn more about what to do if you suspect your child has a concussion, go to bit.ly/1Tk8BsH.

As child-safety recommendations evolve, it can be challenging for parents, let alone grandparents, to stay current.

“When grandparents were parenting their own kids, they were working with the best information they had at that time,” says Lorena Kaplan, campaign lead for the Safe to Sleep initiative of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. But things have changed.

When talking to grandparents, parents can frame the conversation around cooperation rather than correction. Doing what’s best for the baby means following the latest safety recommendations.

“Injury prevention is a science-based discipline,” says Dorothy A. Drago, the author of From Crib to Kindergarten: The Essential Child Safety Guide. “We don’t want to scare people, but we want them

From safe sleep to car

seats, infant care recommendations have changed a lot. Here’s how to get grandparents on board

The Gen Z BaBy

Grandma knows best? Or just thinks she does?

INFANT SAFETY

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VIDEO

Watch This Before BedFor a short video on “Safe Infant Sleep for Grandparents and Other Trusted Caregivers,” visit youtube.com/nichdvideos, the channel for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

to understand that we know more now, and we can do more in the field of prevention.”

So what do you say when Grandma wants to put her fluffy quilt in the baby’s crib or Grandpa wants to take the toddler for a quick ride without a car seat? Here’s the rundown of expert consensus on keeping little ones safe during sleep and on the go.

A Safe Place To SleepPutting babies to sleep on their backs emerged as a strategy to prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) during the early 1990s, leading to a dramatic reduction in cases of SIDS—4,073 babies died from SIDS in 1994, com-pared with 2,643 in 1999.

What began as the Back to Sleep cam-paign changed its name in 2012 to Safe to Sleep. It addresses many factors of a baby’s sleep environment, Kaplan says.

To reduce the risk of all sleep-related infant deaths, including accidental suf-focation or strangulation in bed, experts recommend parents and caregivers:

• Always put babies up to a year old to sleep on their backs. Once they are old enough to roll over in their sleep, you don’t have to turn them back over.

• Use a crib or bassinet that meets current safety standards, with only a fitted sheet—no blankets, pillows, bum-per pads or stuffed animals. A sleeper or wearable blanket is enough to keep the baby warm.

• Keep babies in the same room—but not in the same bed—as their par-ents, “where the baby can be more closely monitored,” Kaplan says. Room sharing may decrease the risk of SIDS by as much as 50 percent, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Consistency in safe sleep practices is important, since unaccustomed tummy sleeping carries a high risk for SIDS. Babies who are placed to sleep on their

tummies when they are used to sleeping on their backs are 18 times more likely to die from SIDS.

Ready for the RoadFrom rear-facing car seats to long-term use of boosters, current car-seat rec-ommendations may seem extreme to grandparents used to the free and easy days of jumping in the car with kids.

But with more and bigger cars on the road driving at higher speeds, “it’s a dif-ferent world,” Drago says. “The physics of a crash tell you that the bigger the car and the faster it’s going, the more severe the injuries you can have.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends:

• Babies and toddlers should be in a rear-facing car seat until they are at least 2 years old or until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car seat’s manufacturer.

• Toddlers and preschoolers should use a front-facing car seat with a har-ness as long as possible for their weight and height.

• Once they outgrow their car seat, kids need to be in a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s seat belt fits correctly—typically at a height of 4 feet, 9 inches. Kids younger than 13 should be in the back seat.

Follow this advice, and share it with other caretakers, to keep your child as safe as you can. n

Parent-to-GrandParent translationGrandparents are parents, too, and although they might not follow the latest safety guidelines, they mean well. “Being a parent is probably the hardest job you’ll ever have, and it doesn’t stop when your kids are grown,” says Jay E. Berkelhamer, past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a grandfather. Adult children and their parents “both need to make an effort to put themselves in the other’s head,” he says.

When parents say: “We don’t do that anymore.”Grandparents may hear: “you were wrong.”

When grandparents say: “We didn’t do that and you turned out just fine.”Parents may hear: “you’re being overprotective.”

To promote mutual respect, both parents and grandparents can say, “We know you want what’s best for the baby.” While new parents may need to teach grand-parents the latest safety recommendations, they still have plenty to learn from their own parents’ wisdom and experience.

FALL 2016 21

ometimes the signs are obvious—your preschooler clings to your leg and demands that you stay with her. Other times, not so much—your teenager backs

out of the driveway without a glance your way, headed off to start his senior year of high school. No matter the behavior, it’s safe to assume that the start of the school year is trying for most kids.

Read on to learn more from experts about the back-to-school challenges kids of all ages face, and what you can do as a parent to smooth the annual transition.

GETSCHOOLED

This ages-and-stages guide will help your family start the school year right BY STEPHANIE THURROTT

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Help your Help your teen consider teen consider teen consider Help your teen consider Help your Help your teen consider Help your

the pros and the pros and

cons of decisions.decisions.

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solving solving solving mindset. mindset. mindset. mindset. solving mindset. solving solving mindset. solving solving mindset. solving

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PRESCHOOL: The World Expands3WHAT’S HAPPENING?Preschool-age children see a huge boost in imaginative play, dramatic play and language development. Language becomes a tool they can use for play, and not just something they use for basic communication.

“When children start preschool, their world gets a lot bigger. It’s very exciting, but it also can be a cause of stress and anxiety,” says Lawrence J. Cohen, PhD, a psychologist and the author of The Opposite of Worry: The Playful Parenting Approach to Childhood Anxieties and Fears. Preschoolers shift toward real friendships with peers, and that means they’ll have some emotional ups and downs. They also have to navigate sepa-ration from home.

3WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW?Steer clear of environments that over-emphasize academic readiness, Cohen says. “There’s nothing your child needs to know before preschool or kindergar-ten. They don’t have to know how to read, or their numbers, or their colors,”

he says. Instead, give your child lots of playtime. That helps build children’s comfort levels in diff erent settings and lets them handle their emotions to some extent.

Don’t panic if you think your child isn’t yet cut out for school. “Trust in the power of development,” Cohen says. A child who doesn’t seem ready for school in the spring will often see huge growth over the summer and be ready by the fall.

3HOW CAN YOU HELP?Know your child and his optimum level of stimulation, and provide lots of time in that type of environment, whether that means time alone with you or playing with several children at once. Gently encourage him to handle more. “If your child prefers a quiet room with you reading to them, do a lot of that, but gently draw them out to spend more time with other children in louder, bus-ier activities [which is good for healthy development]. Help them through that initial challenge,” Cohen says.

For separation anxiety, Cohen sug-gests “hello and goodbye” games. Pick up a doll, say “goodbye,” put it behind your back, and a second later put it back in sight and say “hello.” Cohen says, “You can have a hundred hellos and goodbyes in one game, and you take the tension away.”

On preschool drop-off mornings early in the school year, trust the pro-cess. “If you’re happy with the school and you like its vibe, trust how they do things,” Cohen says.

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WEBSITE

Get-Ready ResourcesVisit bit.ly/1tUwVoV for articles and audio fi les in both English and Spanish, as well as a poll that kids can take about what they’re looking forward to on the fi rst day of school.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Great Gains in Growth3WHAT’S HAPPENING?The elementary school years are times of rapid change. Children will see huge gains in physical, cognitive, language, social and emotional growth from ages 5 to 10.

Robin Zorn, an elementary school counselor and a spokeswoman for the American School Counselor Association, says, “Their way of thinking becomes more logical and more mature. It’s amazing to see that transformation.”

Elementary school is rule-oriented, even socially, and those rules become important in guiding behavior. This age group tends to move away from fantasy play and toward team sports and board or computer games.

3WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW?Elementary school is the age when devel-opmental delays, learning disabilities and attention defi cit hyperactivity disorder are usually identifi ed. “All kids are dif-ferent, but we know based on averages where children should be,” Zorn says.

“If we see concerns, we encourage par-ents to check with their doctors.”

School personnel also may recom-mend that your child undergo assess-ments based on their concerns. Zorn points out that hearing and vision screenings are key—sometimes kids who aren’t performing at grade level simply can’t hear or see the information presented in the classroom.

3HOW CAN YOU HELP?“Make sure you are showing them both your expectations and lots of uncondi-tional love,” Zorn says. “Family is very important. Kids want to feel like they belong and they are a part of something. With good support, kids can be resilient, even if tumultuous things happen.”

She says adults need to be good role models and set good examples: Be kind, practice healthy eating habits, release stress and take care of yourself. “It can be hard, but kids are watching every-thing parents do,” she says.

‘I’LL NEVER SEE KAITLYN!’The day that class lists come out can be a big deal for kids, especially elementary schoolers, who will typically spend most of the day with the same class-mates. Psychologist Lawrence J. Cohen, PhD, the author of a parenting book on childhood anxieties, says it’s important to be empathetic if your child is upset because she won’t be in the same class as her best friend.

“Say, ‘That’s hard. But it’s OK. I’ll help you.’ Don’t dismiss their feelings by saying, ‘Oh, you’ll make other friends,’ and don’t call the superintendent or threaten to sue the school if your child isn’t moved, either. Neither of those are helpful,” he says.

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MIDDLE SCHOOL: Learn to Let Go3WHAT’S HAPPENING?The transition from elementary school to middle school is particularly challeng-ing. Durenda Johnson Ward, a middle school counselor and a spokeswoman for the American School Counselor Association, says kids can be anxious about the changes that accompany the move to middle school: transitioning to a bigger building, the heavier workload, meeting new classmates from other ele-mentary schools and dealing with bully-ing. “And parents can have those same fears,” she points out.

3WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW?Many parents of middle school students hold on too tightly, and that can trig-ger stress in their children. This is the time to encourage independence and problem-solving to foster a mindset of growth. “Challenge them and support them. That balance has to be there for

development to occur. Let your child take some ownership and responsibil-ity, but also help them,” Johnson Ward says. For example, if your child is dis-organized, it might take her 10 tries to master a system for keeping track of her schoolwork. You can help, but don’t dictate her choices; the method she uses might be diff erent from yours.

3HOW CAN YOU HELP?Make sure your child attends any open houses or orientations that can help him or her feel more comfortable with the transition to middle school. And be sure to review any papers that come home from school, as well as any electronic updates or grade portals.

Seek help early if your child is not doing well. “Ask about tutoring … or time in the school day to help students, and do it sooner rather than later. Parents have a voice, and communicat-ing with teachers and counsel-ors can make the middle school years as good as they can be,” Johnson Ward says.

FOUR WAYS TO BEAT SCHOOL STRESSToday’s high-stakes environments can lead to stressed-out students. “Adolescents’ schedules can be more hectic than adults’,” says Melissa Beverly, a spokeswoman for the American School Counselor Association. “We need to help them manage that stress and create a healthy balance.” Here’s what you can do:

1. Encourage your child to eat and sleep well.

2. Help your child learn to say “no” when schedules are getting jampacked.

3. Watch for changes in mood, grades or eating patterns that could be warning signs of depression.

4. Talk to your child’s teacher or school counselor if stress levels are worrying you.

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HIGH SCHOOL:Preparing for Adult Life3WHAT’S HAPPENING? “Adolescents may look like adults, but their brains aren’t fully developed until age 25,” says Melissa Beverly, a high school guidance counselor and a spokeswoman for the American School Counselor Association. Physical, cog-nitive, social and emotional develop-ment happen unevenly. Parents have an opportunity to help their kids at this age develop decision-making skills that will last a lifetime. “Instead of just saying, ‘No, you absolutely cannot do some-thing,’ work with your child on looking at the pros and cons of the situation and considering all possible outcomes,” she says. “They need help fostering this skill.”

3WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW?Look for opportunities to let your child talk, Cohen says. “Listen more than you talk. Children tune out lectures. If you don’t have any interaction with your child except nagging about homework, you’re not going to see if something big is going on with them.”

In conversations with your child, focus on the positive—point out good work on a test, for example. “That way, when you do have a challenging situation—if a grade slips or you’re concerned about certain friends—it’s not the fi rst time you’re connecting with them,” Beverly says. “When you build a positive relationship, it’s easier to address problems.”

3HOW CAN YOU HELP?“When it comes to adoles-cents, parents struggle with their level of involvement,” Beverly says. “It’s important to know that it’s not a matter of whether parents should be involved, but how they should be involved.” Because high school students face more dangers than when they were younger, par-ents may have to put in more work, more eff ort and more supervision. Nudge your child toward positive, healthy experiences to foster growth and development. Those experiences could be sports, clubs, service events or other activities.

It may seem that your child only cares about peers’ opinions at this age, but don’t overlook your own infl uence. “Parents are still the top infl uencers of their children. They just don’t always know that, because they don’t get that feedback from their child,” Beverly says. �

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than when they were younger, par-than when they were younger, par-ents may have to put in more work, ents may have to put in more work, more eff ort and more supervision. more eff ort and more supervision. Nudge your child toward positive, Nudge your child toward positive, healthy experiences to foster growth healthy experiences to foster growth and development. Those experiences and development. Those experiences could be sports, clubs, service events could be sports, clubs, service events or other activities. or other activities.

It may seem that your child only It may seem that your child only cares about peers’ opinions at this cares about peers’ opinions at this age, but don’t overlook your own age, but don’t overlook your own infl uence. “Parents are still the top infl uence. “Parents are still the top infl uencers of their children. They just don’t always know that, because just don’t always know that, because they don’t get that feedback from they don’t get that feedback from their child,” Beverly says. their child,” Beverly says. ��

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Memories

ArtCrafts

Pets

Games

FALL 201628

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H aving a loved one diag-nosed with Alzheimer’s disease can be a jarring experience. As time goes

on, the puzzling ways that the condition progresses add to the diffi culty: Your loved one may have complete clarity one moment and not remember you the next.

While this type of memory loss is what most people associate with the disease, there’s more to it than that. Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia that causes thinking and behavior problems along with memory disturbances.

“Memory loss is what most people think about, but they lose other cogni-tive domains as well,” says Creighton Phelps, PhD, deputy director of the neuroscience division at the National Institute on Aging. “They lose their ability to pay attention, and to plan and execute activities. They can get con-fused and lost easily, and they can’t

expectations for the visit. When we’re spending time with a loved one who has Alzheimer’s, there can be a tendency to push for our own agendas. We want that fl icker of recognition, to feel that con-nection. In truth, we should be more concerned about our loved one’s experi-ence than our own.

“The key is to meet them where they are and focus on what they’re interested in at the moment, past or present,” says Ruth Drew, MS, a licensed professional counselor and the director of family and information services for the Alzheimer’s Association. “Trying to pull them into our world is much more diffi cult.” You also need to be OK with periods of silence.

“We want to rush in and fi ll it because we feel awkward. But we need to sit with ourselves, take deep breaths and fi nd a way to connect—particularly when our loved one isn’t able to use language,” Drew says. Read on for tools that can help.

do even the simple calculations they once could.”

About 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease. Of those, 5.1 mil-lion are 65 or older. Symptoms tend to progress slowly and worsen to the point that they interfere with daily tasks and then prevent the ability to complete tasks at all. Though medications are now being used to treat Alzheimer’s, they don’t provide a cure. Instead, they work to temporarily slow symptoms and enhance quality of life.

Knowing all this, it’s easy to see how an impending visit with a loved one who has Alzheimer’s might be cause for trepidation, but it doesn’t have to be. We’ll help you create a toolkit to make it easier—for everyone.

Setting ExpectationsBefore we dive into creating your tool-kit, it’s important to set reasonable

Building an

Tips for spending quality time with a loved one living with dementia BY ALLISON THOMAS

ALZHEIMER’STOOLKIT

FALL 2016 29

TOOL: MementosWhether it’s pictures, home movies, a memory box, an old pair of glasses or a beloved Christmas ornament, share items that have special meaning for your loved one. Take care to ensure that it doesn’t feel like a quiz. “We can still get those moments of clarity, but we can’t force it,” Drew says. “They’re most likely to happen when the person is calm, comfortable and feeling at their best.”

TOOL: MusicMusic is a powerful way to bond and help a person with Alzheimer’s open up. “I’ve seen this work amazingly well. It perks them up and they’ll sometimes sing along,” Phelps says. Be sure to bring along (or sing) her favorite music, the tunes she loves and remembers. “They may even decide to dance, so they’re getting exercise plus triggering memories,” he says.

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TOOL: Conversation Conversation topics will naturally depend on where your loved one is in the progression of the disease. If he or she is able to talk, bring up pleasant memories versus trying to dis-cuss things going on in your daily life. “Go with them where they can go and help them be their best,” Drew says. If the person is having a hard time with conversation, fi nd other ways to connect (see the next page for ideas).

FALL 201630

TOOL: Games and CraftsPlaying games or making crafts might be appropriate if

the individual is up to it. Drew suggests taking your cue from him or her and keeping it simple. You could set up a game of dominoes, work on a puzzle, color pictures, paint a pumpkin or put beads on a string. Your loved one might

enjoy the chance to be creative.

TOOL: PaintbrushEven if your loved one wasn’t an artist before, he or she is likely to enjoy drawing or painting with you. “Someone who seemed mute at fi rst

can come alive simply by describing what they’re drawing,” Phelps says.

TOOL: PetsBring your own dog or cat along on the visit

if you can, or arrange for a care animal to join you, Phelps suggests. “Your loved one can pet and love on them, and most facili-

ties will allow this if you ask in advance. It can be very rewarding for everyone.” �

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HELPING KIDS COPEIf you’re bringing children along to visit a loved one with Alzheimer’s, preparing them for what to expect is critical.

“Let them know there is nothing anyone did or did not do that caused their relative to have dementia,” says Peggy Hitchcox, a licensed master social worker and the Beaufort Memorial Memory Center navigator. “It’s important to reassure them that their relative still loves them, but may not recognize them or respond as they used to because of the disease.”

HERE ARE TIPS TO GET YOUR CHILDREN READY FOR THE VISIT:

TALK HONESTLY Answer their questions about the disease.

COMFORT THEM Let them know it’s OK to feel sad or angry about what’s happened to their loved one.

GET THEM INVOLVED Have them help you play music you bring along or lead a dance session.

DON’T FORCE IT If a child is nervous or afraid, don’t make him go, as this could intensify his fears.

CALL

Help for Memory LossThe Beaufort Memorial Memory Center offers comprehensive assessment and treat-ment and a navigator to coordinate any needed services. Call 843-707-8833.

THE QUICK LISTPH

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3 Say hello to your new roommate: It’s safest to put an infant to sleep in your

room, but not in your bed, for easy monitoring. And remember, until a year old, babies need to sleep on their backs to help prevent SIDS.

1Thinking about getting pregnant? Great! Now is the time to see your doctor and work on improving your health through a nutritious diet and exercise.

4 Pay attention—but don’t panic—when it comes to your child’s academic and

social development. Remember, every kid is diff erent. Talk to your doctor if you suspect a problem.

10 Remember that with your love and support, your

kids can be resilient, even during challenging times at school.

2 Only some preterm births can be prevented—many cannot. To give your baby

the best chance of going full term, don’t smoke or drink alcohol during your pregnancy.

8Make sure you have positive conversations with your adolescent and praise him or her

for a job well done at school or in extracurricular activities. If you only nag or scold, teens will tune you out.

7 If your student is falling behind, consider a hearing or vision

test, or both. It’s impossible to keep up with material you can’t see or hear.

6 Don’t shout from the sidelines. Too much pressure in

youth sports can lead to injury because kids believe they must play even if they’re hurting.

9 If your child has a food allergy, it’s best to give other adults

who care for him or her clear and calm instructions on food safety.

10 THINGS TO REMEMBER FOR AN ACTIVE LIFE

5 If you have a loved one with dementia, model compassionate

communication for your kids: Talk to people with memory loss about whatever they’d like to discuss, and don’t pressure them to remember anything.

WANT MORE HEALTHY IDEAS? Check out our winter issue, all about improving your day-to-day health.

FALL 201632

THIS JUST INGOOD-FOR-YOU NEWS, CUES AND REVIEWS

IS COFFEE SAVING YOUR LIFE?If life begins after coff ee for you, there’s good news. Life may also be longer with coff ee.

Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health examined coff ee consumption of more than 200,000 study participants, and what they found suggests that your morning java may lower mortality.

In fact, when they examined coff ee consumption among people who say they’ve never smoked, those who drank three to fi ve cups of coff ee per day had 15 percent lower risk of premature death than noncoff ee drinkers. One expert notes that life expectancy is a com-plex issue and that the study doesn’t prove cause and eff ect.

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Which is healthier?

WHAT YOUR BODY SHAPE IS TELLING YOU An apple a day may keep the doctor away. But if “apple” describes your body shape? That’s problematic.

Even people of normal weight who carry fat at their waistlines—possessing a so-called apple shape—might have a higher cardiovascular mortality risk than “pear-shaped” peers who carry excess weight in their hips and thighs, according to research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The key takeaway? If you have a normal body mass index (BMI, a measure of body weight rela-tive to height) but also have belly fat, there’s room to improve your health. A healthier diet and physical activity are your Rx.

PUMPKIN SWEET

POTATOANSWER: PUMPKIN. Sweet potatoes prevail when it comes to fi ber, magnesium and vitamin A. But when it comes to categories that pack on pounds, pumpkin has a leaner edge. For every 100 grams (slightly less than a cup), pumpkin weighs in at a svelte 26 calories, 6.5 grams of carbohydrates and 2.76 grams of sugar versus the raw sweet potato’s 86 calories, 20 grams of carbs and 4.18 grams of sugar.

Of note for low-sodium dieters: Sweet potatoes also have 55 milligrams of sodium to pumpkin’s paltry 1.

THIS JUST INGOOD-FOR-YOU NEWS, CUES AND REVIEWS

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TOOL

Facing Down Melanoma Have you wondered about your risk of developing melanoma, the deadli-est form of skin cancer? An interactive tool from the National Cancer Institute can give you an idea. Visit cancer.gov/melanomarisktool.

SIMPLER SCREENING SCHEDULINGFrom Pap tests and tetanus shots to mammography and colonoscopy, it’s tough to stay on top of your own health screenings, much less those needed by family members. Here are tips for keeping track:

• Visit healthywomen.org and search “passport to good health” for a free, pocket-sized, download-able screening record booklet (or download an app to keep track on the go).

• Schedule family members’ annual tests to coin-cide with birthdays.

• Ask your healthcare provider if he or she has electronic health records and reminder tracking. Ask for email, mail or phone reminders.

TRUE OR FALSE Pregnant women shouldn’t exercise.

FALSE. Almost all women can and should exercise during pregnancy, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Of course, you might want to adopt a kinder, gentler exercise regimen than you’re used to. And talk to your doctor fi rst, especially if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, anemia or other health conditions. The benefi ts of exercise for you and baby typically include:

3 The right amount of weight gain3 Reduced aches, cramps,

constipation and swelling3 Lower risk of gestational

diabetes

3 Improved mood3 Improved sleep3Easier, shorter labor3 Faster recovery and

return to healthy weight

Big gains have been made in driving down

obesity in preschoolers,

and yet the problem

continues to aff ect kids at alarming rates in the

United States.

12.7 MILLION children and adolescents ages 2 to 19

are obese

1 IN 3

children is overweight or obese, triple the rate from

1963

8.4%

of children ages 2 to 5 are obese (down from 13.9% in

2003–04)

UNDERAGE TAN BAN?Indoor tanning exposes users to ultraviolet radiation and increases risk of eye injury and skin damage, including cancer. And it appears the Food and Drug Administration has had enough when it comes to tan-ning’s eff ects on the young.

UV exposure adds up over a lifetime, which puts the young-est tanners at the highest risk for UV damage. The FDA, therefore, is moving to restrict tanning bed use to adults 18 and older. If the agency gets its way, tanning facilities would also have to obtain a signed risk acknowledgment from users that informs them about the health risks of tanning.

Stay tuned. At press time, this issue was just heating up.

OBESE KIDS

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TOOL

Be Accountable Tracking foods and physical activity can help you lose weight. Try SuperTracker from choosemyplate.gov (click “online tools”) or My Food Advisor from tracker.diabetes.org.

WORKOUTS THAT WORK:SNOWSHOEINGOn the surface, snowshoeing looks like a leisurely stroll through snowy terrain. Truth is, it’s a big-time energy burner that helps with balance and agility. Snowshoeing outpaces walking in energy expenditure (read: calo-rie burn) even when performed at slower speeds.

Consider trying this winter workout this year. Here’s how snowshoeing can help your bod:3CHEST, TRICEPS AND BICEPS: Poles don’t just help snowshoers maintain balance. They off er an upper-body workout, too.3YOUR CORE: Varying snow depths and inclines and declines engage abdominal and back muscles.3YOUR WAISTLINE: Snowshoeing outmuscles cycling, hiking and down-hill skiing in calories burned per hour at 680 (based on a 150-pound person moving at a moderate pace). 3QUADRICEPS AND HAMSTRINGS: Climbing and descending give your legs a huge workout.

HIT PREDIABETES HEAD-ONDiabetes can cause many problems in the body, not the least of which is kid-ney damage. Unfortunately, research-ers now have reason to believe that kidney complications might start much earlier than thought.

The earliest stages of kidney injury caused by high blood sugar may begin in prediabetes, a condition in which blood sugar is high but not high enough to be deemed diabetes.

Prediabetes aff ects more than one in three adults. The good news? Changes in diet and exercise that result in even moderate weight loss can lower risk for diabetes in some-one with prediabetes.

THIS JUST INGOOD-FOR-YOU NEWS, CUES AND REVIEWS

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A HEMATOMA is a mass of clotted blood that forms in a tissue, an organ or a body space as the result of a broken blood vessel. Usually caused by surgery, an injury or another trauma to the body, hemato-mas can be life-threatening in the brain.

JARGON WATCH

MAKE THAT A DOUBLE (TAKE)Women, listen up. When that second evening cocktail calls, consider that you’re spiking your health risks as well as your drink.

Studies show that women who imbibe excessively increase their risk for heart dam-age. (Moderate drinking is considered no more than one drink a day for women and no more than two for men.) The risk of breast cancer also increases as alcohol use increases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Meanwhile, scientists at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found that the number of females who drank in the previous 30 days increased from 44.9 percent to 48.3 percent between 2002 and 2012. The number of drinking days per month also increased from 6.8 to 7.3 days.

And while alcohol use in men declined slightly during that same period, guys don’t get a free pass. The key for both sexes? Moderation.

WHAT ARE THE ODDSof surviving

breast cancer?

5-year relative survival rate*

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STAGE 0 STAGE I STAGE II

100% 100% 93%

STAGE III STAGE IV

72% 22%

*Percentage of patients alive at least fi ve years after cancer diagnosis,

factoring in deaths caused by some-thing other than cancer

An obvious reason to schedule that

mammogram: The earlier breast cancer is found, the easier it

is to treat.

FALL 2016 37

The TruTh By Colleen RingeR

True or false:ADHD is not a real medical diagnosis.

FAlse. It is as real as diabetes and high cholesterol. It occurs when the areas of the brain that oversee organiz-ing thoughts don’t make enough of the right chemicals. This is why it can be dif-ficult for people with ADHD to follow directions or concentrate. They may be hyperactive or behave impulsively. Remembering details or controlling their mood may seem impossible to them. Children with ADHD may be fidgety or unable to wait their turn to talk. They may also have trouble staying in their seat.

So who’s at risk? The most common cause is heredity. There’s also research that links smoking and substance abuse during pregnancy to the condition.

Before we knew what we know now, kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were sometimes labeled problem children. Adults with the disorder may

have been called flaky or restless. It was first described in 1902, and the first medication to treat it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1936. Today we know more about ADHD than ever, and we are more understanding of people who have it, yet myths still abound. Here, we deliver the facts about this condition that affects millions.

The TruTh

about aDHDReality check: ADHD isn’t a new condition, and it isn’t a problem of “bad behavior”

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Kids and adults with ADHD have long been misunderstood.

FALL 201638

TRUE OR FALSE:Only boys are affected by ADHD.

FALSE. ADHD can affect boys, girls, men and women, though it is more com-mon in males than females and typically diagnosed in childhood, at the average age of 7.

TRUE OR FALSE:ADHD is the result of bad parenting.

FALSE. “A lot of parents have guilt,” says Robert Wergin, MD, a family physi-cian and the board chair of the American Academy of Family Physicians. “But they shouldn’t.” ADHD is not tied to parent-ing philosophies—remember, it’s a chemical imbalance in the brain. Of course, once a diagnosis is reached, par-ents play a crucial role in the treat-ment plan.

Other things that don’t cause ADHD: eating too much sugar, watching too much TV, playing too many video games and not getting enough vitamins.

TRUE OR FALSE:ADHD does not go away in adulthood.

TRUE. “If you have diabetes, you don’t say, ‘Now that I’m 18 I don’t have

it anymore,’” Wergin says. “It may manifest itself a little differently once you get older, but it doesn’t magically go away.”

An adult with ADHD may miss dead-lines at work, forget meetings or have relationship issues. Sometimes alcohol or drug abuse is another sign. A doctor can help determine whether ADHD is at the root of these problems or it’s some-thing else, such as depression, thyroid issues or medication side effects.

TRUE OR FALSE:It’s possible to treat ADHD without medication.

TRUE. “Many times you can start by implementing behavioral programs and increasing structure at home and in the classroom,” Wergin says. Medication can also help, but it isn’t a magic bullet, and it should be used in conjunction with a set home-and-school routine.

At home, parents can help their child by establishing (and sticking to) a schedule that includes specific times for sleeping, eating, doing homework and playing. Keeping rules simple, setting clear expectations and consequences and rewarding good behavior are also essential. “When treatment is working, home life is better and often a child’s grades go up,” Wergin says. n

FALL 2016 39

DO YOU HAVE ADHD?Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) doesn’t only affect kids. Adults can have it, too.

“For some people, it becomes a problem in col-lege when they find they are unable to concentrate at that level,” says Dan Smith, DO, a board-certified family medicine specialist at Beaufort Memorial Lowcountry Medical Group.

“As adults, they have trouble staying focused on the job and may have difficulty maintain-ing relationships with family and friends.”

If you think you might have ADHD, talk to your doctor. The American Academy of Family Physicians suggests these screening questions:

3�Is it difficult for you to pay attention? 3Are you hyperactive?3�Do you have problems con-

trolling your temper or main-taining a positive mood?3�Is it a struggle for you to stay

organized or be on time?3�Do you notice these issues

both at home and at work?3�Have family members and

friends mentioned these issues to you?

WEBSITE

Management Techniques for ParentsWhether your child has ADHD or a learning disability such as dyslexia, you’ll find the information you need at ldaamerica.org/parents to help him or her succeed.

how to By Amy Lynn SmithPh

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it’s the test most people don’t even want to think about, let alone do.

but routine screening colonoscopies—usually every 10 years from age 50 to about 75—can stop colorectal cancer in its tracks.

“the evidence is overwhelmingly positive that the test is effective in preventing colon cancer or identify-ing patients with asymptomatic colon cancer, when it’s easily cured by surgery,” says J. sumner bell iii, MD, a gastroenterologist and a spokesman for the American Gastroenterological Association. (“Asymptomatic” means symptoms aren’t showing.)

colonoscopy is considered the gold standard for colorectal cancer screenings, though there are other options. During a colonoscopy, a doctor inserts a long, flexible tube inside your rectum and colon. the scope has a light and a tiny camera. During the procedure, suspicious growths, called polyps, can be removed and then tested.

because it usually involves some level of sedation and a pain reliever, the procedure itself isn’t the part most people dread. it’s the preparation the day before, which calls for a liquid diet and laxatives to clean out your bowels. bell has some tips to ease the process.

how to

PreP for a ColonosCoPy5 steps to ease your way to this potentially lifesaving cancer screening

Let’s be honest: You’re going to want to do this part at home.

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1Get a HEAD START

Your doctor will probably suggest that you cut back on the fi ber in your diet a week or two before the test. That’s because fi ber that is nondigest-ible, such as nuts, whole-wheat grain, brown rice and the skin of fruit, may make prep more diffi cult. In addition, if you’re prone to constipation, take a laxative for a few days before start-ing the day-before prep. “It will lower your chances of having inadequate prep,” Bell says.

2 Adjust for HEALTH ISSUES

If you have diabetes, take antico-agulants for conditions such as atrial fi brillation, or have other chronic health problems, talk to your doctor ahead of time about ways you might need to customize your prep. And if you had a heart stent inserted or a hip replaced recently, wait six months before having a routine colonoscopy. Older adults or those with mobility issues might want to have someone around to help during prep or con-sider a bedside commode.

3 Use SOOTHING OINTMENT

Colonoscopy prep causes diarrhea, which can create anal discomfort. After every bowel movement, Bell suggests putting a dab of petroleum jelly or balm on the sensitive area. It’s the grown-up equivalent of pre-venting diaper rash.

4 Think about YOUR DRINKS

You can’t eat solid foods during the prep, which means you’ll be taking in plenty of liquids, some mixed with laxatives. It’s still important to make sure you’re drinking enough fl uids, and choosing fl avors you enjoy can make the prep more palatable. “It’s a good idea to disguise the fl avor and the eff ects of some of the laxatives,” Bell says. “And don’t drink too much cold liquid, or you might start to feel chilled because of how much you need to drink.”

5Schedule WISELYPrep consists of an all-day liquid

diet, with laxatives added in the after-noon or evening for a procedure the next morning. Some doctors now use a split dose, so you take half the laxative in the afternoon and wake up around 3 a.m. to take the rest. People with 9-to-5 offi ce jobs usually don’t have to take time off for prep, but those who work outdoors or have a physically demanding job might want to think about the challenges posed by drinking fl uids all day without solid food. If you work at night, talk to your doctor about an accommodating pro-cedure time and prep schedule. �

FALL 2016 41

WHY GOOD PREP MATTERSIt may be tempting to cheat on your colonoscopy prep, but don’t do it. Good prep makes a colonos-copy more effective, says Bonnie Mohler, a nurse practitioner spe-cializing in gastroenterology at Beaufort Memorial Lowcountry Medical Group.

“Things can hide under stool,” Mohler says. “If your colon isn’t completely clean, your physician could miss a polyp or tumor.”

Adequate preparation helps ensure no fecal matter is left behind that can make it harder for the doctor to see lesions or polyps, especially smaller ones.

“The biggest complaint about the prep is that it doesn’t taste good,” Mohler says. “But if you cut corners and don’t do a good prep, you may need to do it over again or risk the doctor miss-ing something.”

CALL

Schedule Today!Beaufort Memorial can help you find a gastroenterologist to perform this lifesaving test. Call 888-522-5585.

QUIZ By Shelley Flannery

caption

Remember the first time your firstborn had a slight fever and you debated running to the emergency department? It’s natural to be con-

cerned when your child is sick or in pain, but panicking at every little ailment only leads to wearing yourself out with worry. The truth is, some childhood illnesses are best cared for with some TLC at home. Others need a doctor’s intervention. Cathy Haut, DNP, president of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, helps us figure out what’s appropriate when.

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Freak Out Or Chill Out?Learning to decipher childhood illnesses can help parents stay calm

Every parent knows it: With kids, it’s always something.

FALL 201642

website

Flu FactsWondering what this sea-son’s flu forecast is? Visit flu.gov to learn about this year’s virus and vaccine. You can learn about different types of flu and find a place to get vaccinated near you.

Q Your child seemed fine this morn-ing, but now he’s sick and has a high fever.

Is it: The flu or a bad cold?

The Flu. It can be hard to decipher between these maladies, but here’s a good general clue: Colds tend to build up over a day or two, but the flu comes on fast. If your child suddenly comes down with a high fever, body aches and chills along with a headache, sore throat and cough, make a doctor appointment right away. If it is the flu, downtime can be greatly reduced if medicine is pre-scribed within 48 hours.

Q Your 6-month-old has been more irritable than usual, drooling like crazy and pulling on her ears.

Is it: Teething or an ear infection?

TeeThIng. If your baby hasn’t been sick recently, she is probably teething. “Ear infections usually come at the end of a cold. It’s not typical for babies to have ear infections out of the blue,” Haut says. “Teething generally starts close to 6 months, and there are lots of signs.” They include irritability, drooling, chewing on everything, swollen gums, rubbing the face, difficulty sleeping and pulling on the ears. Talk to your pedia-trician about ways to reduce the pain—start with a chilled teething ring and extra cuddles.

Q Your child comes inside after playing with friends and has red, itchy, watery eyes.

Is it: Pinkeye or allergies?

AllergIes. If symptoms just started, examine whether they are in one or both eyes. “One of the key character-istics when children have allergic eyes is both eyes are affected,” Haut says. “Usually with pinkeye, it starts in one eye and then moves to the other.” Pinkeye also is accompanied by yellow or green drainage, which can become crusted if allowed to dry, such as dur-ing sleep. Pinkeye can be bacterial or viral and is highly contagious. Talk to your doctor about treatment and when it’s safe for your child to return to school. You’ll also want to ask about what measures you can take to avoid infecting other members of the family— including you!

Q Your child is complaining of a bad sore throat and you see white spots in there.

Is it: Strep or tonsillitis?

IT depends. Tonsillitis is any inflam-mation of the throat and may or may not be caused by strep. And the pres-ence of white spots isn’t always a telltale sign either. “There’s a specific way strep appears but not always,” Haut says. “If you have pus on your tonsils, it may not be strep. It’s difficult for parents to tell.” The only for-sure way to know is to get a strep test, either at the doctor’s office or a drug-store clinic.

Q Your child has a bad tummy ache and can’t keep food down.Is it: Gastroenteritis or the

result of eating too many sweets?

gAsTroenTerITIs. Often called the “stomach flu,” gastroenteritis causes abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. “A regular stomachache can come from eating the wrong foods, not getting enough sleep, anxiety and constipation,” Haut says. “Gastroenteritis is any form of vomit-ing or diarrhea.” As unpleasant as it is, it’s best to wait it out and ensure your child is getting enough liquids to pre-vent dehydration. “There are medica-tions that can help with the vomiting, but we mainly recommend you don’t try to stop diarrhea, because it’s get-ting rid of the illness,” Haut says. n

FALL 2016 43

AT A GLANCE BY ELLEN RANTA OLSON

SMOKING’S DESTRUCTION A whole-body look at how cigarettes a� ect your health

It’s no secret that smoking—the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the U.S.—is bad for you. Every year, more than

480,000 Americans die from smoking-related causes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We typically think of smoking causing lung cancer—and it does—but the consequences of lighting up extend far beyond the lungs. Smoking takes a toll on every part of you.

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TOOLS

Kick the HabitQuitting smoking is no easy feat, but it is possible. Visit cancer.org/smokeout for tips and tools to help you quit for good.

Kick the HabitQuitting smoking is no easy feat, but it is possible. Visit smokeout for tips and tools to help you quit for good.

WAISTLINE Smokers typically have bigger bellies and less muscle than their nonsmoking counterparts, and they’re more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

FEETCigarette smoking increases the buildup of fatty deposits in your arteries, which can cause a blockage in the blood vessels of your legs, leading to tissue damage and possibly amputation of toes or feet.

LUNGSSmoking destroys the air sacs in your lungs that allow oxygen exchange. When enough of these sacs have been destroyed, emphysema develops, an irreversible condition causing severe shortness of breath and often resulting in dependency on an oxygen tank.

BRAINNicotine is as addictive as heroin. It literally changes your brain, which develops extra nicotine receptors. When the brain stops getting the

nicotine it’s used to, withdrawal symptoms and cravings kick in.

MOUTH Smoking ups your

chances of developing an oral cancer, and it also can cause you to lose your teeth

at a younger age.

FACEWhile no one dies from wrinkles, cigarettes can ruin your youthful look

long before you hit middle age.

HEARTSmoking puts stress on

your heart and increases the risk of cardiovascular

disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S.

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FALL 2016 45

In the Market By Lexi Dwyer

This petite cabbage sub-species, available in the U.S. from late August

until early March, has been sprouting up at restaurants everywhere (chefs seem to love serving them charred with some kind of bacon). But many home cooks still want to steer clear.

“I hated Brussels sprouts as a kid, probably because they were over-boiled, but people are finally learn-ing how to prepare them properly,” says registered dietitian Sara Haas, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Brussels sprouts are not only low in fat, calories and carbohydrates, but they’re also rich in folate, fiber and vitamin C, and unusually high in protein for a vegetable—1 cup provides 3 grams.

“Pregnant women, people with diabetes, vegetarians looking for protein—it makes sense for a lot of people to consume them,” Haas says, adding that you shouldn’t hate on the strong flavor and smell. “That comes from sulforaphane com-pounds that may protect against cancer and inflammation.” Here are her favorite ways to prepare Brussels sprouts:

1 ROAST THEM “Roasting is the best way to turn that

inherent bitterness into sweetness,” says Haas. Chop off tough ends, remove any yellow outer leaves and slice sprouts in half. For 1 to 2 pounds of sprouts, toss with salt, pepper and olive oil in a bowl and roast at 400 F for about 40 minutes. Remove from oven when they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

3MAKE CHIPS First, remove the individual leaves of the

sprouts. “This is a great way to keep your kids occupied at that tricky 4:30 p.m. witching hour,” Haas says. Once you have a big pile, spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and add salt, pepper and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Bake in a 400 F oven until leaves are crispy and brown but not burnt, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Three Ways To CooK

BRuSSElS SPROuTSLow in fat yet rich in protein and nutrients, these cruciferous cuties deserve a spot on your fall menu

2SHAVE THEM It’s more time-consuming, but breaking

the sprouts down “makes it easier for people, especially kids, to accept them,” Haas says. Use a sharp knife, a food processor or a mandoline (pierce the end with a fork, for safety) to make wispy slices. Then build a salad around them or stuff them into tacos or sandwiches as a more nutritious alternative to lettuce.

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FALL 201646

website

Eat Local Looking for local, seasonal eats? Visit localharvest.org for a directory of 30,000-plus family farms and farmers markets. Search by your city and grab your shopping bag!

Know Thy Brussels sprouTsSize and color matter. When buying Brussels sprouts, the smaller the head, the sweeter the flavor. It’s also best to avoid ones with yellow leaves, which are a sign of age.

But they aren’t always green. Rubine Brussels sprouts are a purple variety that retain their violet color even after cooking.3They’re hardy. Like their cab-

bage cousins, Brussels sprouts will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.3They have a hisTorical pasT.

Some scholars believe that the sprouts were eaten in Brussels, Belgium, during the 13th century and that the vegetable was served for wedding feasts at the court of Lille, France, during the 15th century. On U.S. soil, Thomas Jefferson was a culinary trendsetter: The Founding Father planted Brussels sprouts in his Monticello garden in 1812.3you can use Them To deco-

raTe. Did your trip to the market leave you with more sprouts than you can handle? Search Pinterest and you’ll find dozens of ideas for using these veggies in wreaths and other floral arrange-ments, both on and off the stalk.

These actually look pretty tasty, huh?

fall 2016 47

HEALTH BY THE NUMBERS BY ELLEN RANTA OLSON

10

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FALL 201648

UP TO 100 Number of people who can have mobility and health restored because of one tissue donor.

Sources: American Transplant Foundation; Donate Life; organdonor.gov; United Network for Organ Sharing

Frequency in minutes that someone is

added to the waiting list

for an organ donation.

120 MILLIONThe number of people in the United States who are signed up to donate their organs.

8 Each organ

donor can save up to this

many lives.

MORE THAN 120,000The number of men, women and children who await a lifesaving organ transplant in the United States.

6,500About how many

people die each year because a transplant

was not available.

2People

who may gain sight because of one

eye donor.

ORGAN DONATION

If you choose to donate your organs upon your death, you can extend and improve the lives of others. So how do you sign up?

Becoming a donor is a simple process, but most people don’t know where to start, says Jacqueline Keidel, of Donate Life. “While 90 percent of Americans say they support donation, only 30 percent know how to register to be a donor,” she says.

To register as a donor, visit registerme.org to sign up through your state’s organ recovery organization. You can also check the box at your local department of motor vehicles offi ce when applying for or renew-ing your driver’s license or state ID.

But don’t go it alone—be sure to talk

it over with family members so that they know your wishes.

“Registering as an organ, eye and tissue donor is an end-of-life decision that can-not be overturned by anyone except the registrant during his or her lifetime. For this reason, it is incredibly important to make sure your family knows your wishes about donation,” Keidel says.

Losing a loved one is an emotional and overwhelming experience for a family. Having an open discussion about donation ensures that family members know about their loved one’s decision to register (or not to register) and can help avoid confu-sion during an already devastating time.

THE GREATEST GIFT WEBSITE

Ready, Set, RegisterTo sign up to be an organ donor, visit registerme.org and provide some basic information. The site even off ers a way to share your intentions on social media and encourage oth-ers to sign up too.

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WEIGHTING

Losing weight isn’t easy, but the payoff for your health can be huge. Beaufort Memorial wellness programs provide adults and children with the tools they need to take off the pounds—and keep them off

Diet and exercise. It’s the go-to strategy doctors recommend to lose weight and stay healthy. But does it really work?

Mac Mitchell had his doubts. At 63, the Beaufort contractor had been living on a steady diet of fast food and snacks for most of his life. He was well past the years when he worked in the fi eld with his construction crew, so his job was no longer providing him with the physical activity that had kept him in shape in his 20s and 30s.

“When you become the boss, mostly you’re just pointing,” he quips.

Mitchell knew he had packed on a few extra pounds, but he didn’t realize just how far he had let himself go until his wife, Nancy, signed the couple up for the Total Body Makeover program

The

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FALL 2016 49

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at the Beaufort Memorial LifeFit Wellness Center last fall.

“I was shocked to learn I was 261 pounds,” says the 6-foot-1 Mitchell.

Worse than that, an analysis of his health at the beginning of the program revealed his blood sugar, blood pres-sure and cholesterol levels were all high. And just one lap around the gym’s track—one-twentieth of a mile—left him breathless.

“I couldn’t even do a pushup,” Mitchell says. “I was a train wreck.”

Tough Start Leads to MAJOR PROGRESSDesigned to help participants trim down and tone up, the comprehensive weight loss and fi tness program blends nutri-tion counseling with three-days-a-week small group exercise sessions led by a wellness coach. Mitchell enjoyed the grocery store fi eld trip and cooking demos, but found the workouts brutal.

“During those fi rst two weeks, I wanted to quit every day I walked into the gym,” he recalls. “I felt awkward being in a roomful of strangers trying to work out for the fi rst time in 30 years.”

To learn proper form and get him-self up to speed, Mitchell signed up for personal training sessions twice a week with his wellness coach, Christina Hardy.

“It’s tough, but that’s the point,” Hardy says. “If it’s not diffi cult, your body is not going to change.”

The work paid off . After 12 weeks, Mitchell had lost 24 pounds and seven inches from his waist. His total cho-lesterol had dropped from 195 to 182, and his triglycerides from 235 to 130—lowering both numbers is shown to decrease risk of heart disease.

Mitchell was so thrilled with the results that he signed up for a second Total Body Makeover session and now continues to work out at the LifeFit gym five days a week with Nancy.

Eight months into his new lifestyle, he had dropped to 206 pounds and lowered his total cholesterol to 176 and his tri-glycerides to 91.

“I started out wearing a size 44 and I’m close to a 36 now,” says the father of three. “I feel so much better. I’ve got grandkids now. I want to be able to play and have fun with them.”

When SIZE MATTERS Like Mitchell, Derek Simmons had a junk-food diet and sedentary lifestyle that pushed his weight up. Just 13 years old, the 5-foot-9 middle schooler was 235 pounds, diagnosed as obese and had developed type 2 diabetes.

“Obesity is one of the risk factors for just about every disease on the list,”

says Derek’s physician, BMH pedia-trician Joseph Floyd, MD. “I told his mother, if we don’t get his weight under control, he’s at risk of dying at a young age. She heard the message and wanted to fi x it.”

Floyd referred Derek to Beaufort Memorial’s Healthy Kids Campaign, a free program off ering nutrition and exercise counseling to children ages 2 to 18 identifi ed as overweight or obese.

BMH registered dietitian and certifi ed diabetes educator Kim Edwards helped Derek change his eating habits, with the help of his mother, Christena Simmons. Ice cream, soda and chips became a treat, not part of his daily diet.

Edwards also convinced Derek to take advantage of the free three-month

Mac Mitchell’s dramatic weight loss began with the Total Body Makeover program at the Beaufort Memorial LifeFit Wellness Center.

FALL 201650

CALL

Free Help for Overweight Kids Beaufort Memorial’s Healthy Kids program off ers participants free visits with a registered dietitian as well as discounted rates at LifeFit Wellness Center or the Beaufort YMCA. For more information, call 843-522-5635.

LifeFit membership off ered to Healthy Kids participants and up to two of their guardians.

“It was the fi rst time I had worked out at a gym,” Derek says. “It took me a while to get used to exercising.”

Inspiring OTHERSTo keep Derek motivated, his mother began exercising with him.

“I didn’t feel right watching him work so hard while I was just sitting there,” Simmons says. “And I thought it would be good for me. I am borderline diabetic and want to stay healthy.”

It didn’t take long before the scale was showing the results of Derek’s new diet and exercise routine. Within fi ve months, he had lost 20 pounds. His sis-ter and aunt were so impressed, they joined the gym, too.

“He has been awesome,” says Edwards, who has continued to see Derek every month to check his weight and progress. “I gave him the tools, but he did the work. He’s my superstar!”

The teen’s pediatrician is equally pleased with the results.

“It’s not about dropping a few calories in a month or two,” Floyd says. “Derek

recognizes it’s going to take time to change his habits and lifestyle. He’s got a great attitude and he’s very motivated.”

Both Floyd and Edwards also credit Derek’s mom.

“If the parents show an inter-est, the kids will trail right behind,” Edwards says. “It’s so important to develop healthy habits when your chil-dren are young so they’ll carry them on as adults.” �

TOTAL BODY MAKEOVER Ready for a body makeover? Beaufort Memorial’s 12-week wellness program puts you on track to lose weight, get fi t and—most important—create lifelong healthy eating and exercise habits.

To keep participants motivated, the program is set up as a friendly compe-tition in which teams earn points for attending classes and events, reducing inches, improving their fi tness perfor-mance and keeping a food log. It cul-minates with a fi nal fi tness challenge and awards banquet.

To learn more, call 843-522-5635.

Derek Simmons, 13, learns about healthy eating from BMH registered dietitian Kim Edwards, who called him “my superstar.”

FALL 2016 51

Ervena Faulkner took it hard when an annual mammogram revealed she had breast cancer, but Beaufort Memorial’s cancer support services were there to help

W hen it comes to her health, Ervena Faulkner has always been one to follow doctor’s orders. Each year, she has dutifully gone in for her mammogram at Beaufort Memorial Women’s Imaging Center,

and always was happy to learn she had negative results. But in February 2014, instead of the usual “see you next year”

send-off, the mammographer told her the X-ray had revealed a suspicious lesion in her right breast.

“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing,” says the 77-year-old Port Royal resident. “No one in my family has ever had any kind of cancer.”

HEALING

Ervena Faulkner, 77, works on a quilt. While she was being treated for non-invasive breast cancer at Beaufort Memorial, she took advantage of services such as a breast nurse navigator and a support group.

BODY AND MIND

FALL 201652

CALL

Expert Care Need an oncologist? Call Majd Chahin, MD, of Beaufort Memorial Medical Oncology at 843-521-9879 or Marcus Newberry III, MD, of Beaufort Memorial Oncology Specialists at 843-522-7350.

A biopsy confirmed she had estro-gen-positive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the most common type of non-invasive breast cancer. While it isn’t life-threatening, DCIS can increase the risk of developing an invasive breast cancer.

“It sounds like a death sentence when you’re told you have cancer,” says Faulkner, a retired Beaufort educator and avid traveler.

A Guide on the JourneyOnly hours after receiving the news, Faulkner was contacted by Beaufort Memorial breast nurse navigator Amy Luce Hane. Confused and nervous about the diagnosis, Faulkner asked the RN if she could come into the office to talk in person. Hane said yes.

“It was 4:45 p.m. and everyone had gone home for the day,” Hane recalls. “But I knew she was anxious. Just explaining what would be happening over the next few weeks calmed her down.”

Within days, Faulkner met with BMH general surgeon Deanna Mansker, MD,

and oncologist Majd Chahin, MD. Her treatment plan included a lumpectomy, followed by five years on the antihor-mone drug tamoxifen.

“Over time, the drug changes the environment in the body to become hostile to the development of another cancer,” Chahin says. “It reduces the risk by 50 percent.”

Hane accompanied Faulkner to all of her appointments to offer sup-port and serve as her advocate. “If something was said she thought I didn’t understand, she would explain it to me,” Faulkner says. “She was very helpful.”

A Supportive Sisterhood Faulkner joined Beaufort Memorial’s breast cancer support group, where she met other breast cancer patients and learned more about the recov-ery process.

“I was surprised to see so many people that I knew,” Faulkner says. “I realized I wasn’t alone.”

Faulkner also attended “Look Good, Feel Better,” free beauty sessions put on by the hospital in partnership with the American Cancer Society. Participants receive complimentary makeup kits, hats, scarves and wigs to boost their self-image.

“We try to do everything we can to help patients through the difficult process of treatment and recovery,” Hane says.

Free cancer services include:• Consultation with an outpatient

care coordinator who can direct patients to the resources they need, including financial assistance and transportation.

• An appointment with a physical therapist for patients having mastecto-mies to assess their risk of lymphedema and teach them exercises that can help them heal more quickly. Lymphedema is swelling of the arms or legs that can be caused by damage to the lymph nodes during cancer treatment.

• A free three-month membership to LifeFit Wellness Center.

Now back in good health, Faulkner has resumed her favorite hobbies. Her latest project is making pillows out of fabrics she brought back from her travels to Africa and a quilt that features family members’ exquisite hand embroidery.

“If I had to slow down,” Faulkner says, “I don’t know what I’d do.” n

Keyserling Cancer Center Celebrates 10th AnniversaryWhen the Keyserling Cancer Center opened 10 years ago, it offered area resi-dents convenient access to medical and radiation oncology and a range of asso-ciated services. Accredited as a Community Cancer Program by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer, the facility was honored in 2010 with the commission’s New Program Outstanding Achievement Award.

Since then, BMH has forged a relationship with Medical University of South Carolina, ensuring patients continue to receive the best in cancer diagnosis and treatment options, including leading-edge clinical trials.

The Beaufort Memorial oncology team includes Majd Chahin, MD, who is medical director of oncology services at Beaufort Memorial Hospital and primary investigator for clinical trials. He has been seeing patients at the Keyserling Cancer Center since it opened in 2006. This spring, radiation oncologist Jonathan Briggs, MD, joined him at the Port Royal facility. In practice for 16 years, Briggs is experienced in treating the kinds of cancers most often seen in Beaufort, includ-ing cancers of the breast, prostate, skin and lung.

The nonprofit hospital recently expanded its cancer services with the opening of a new oncology practice headed by Marcus Newberry III, MD, as well as an outpatient infusion center. Beaufort Memorial Oncology Specialists and Beaufort Memorial Chemotherapy & Infusion Services are on the main hospital campus.

FALL 2016 53

FOUNDATION-BUILDING

Author Allan Winneker and his wife, Betty, are major supporters of Beaufort Memorial Hospital.

FOLLOWING THEIR PASSIONSTogether with his wife, Betty, author Allan Winneker pursues his love of both writing and Beaufort Memorial

It was the natural beauty of the Lowcountry and the promise of plenty of time

on the golf course that drew Allan and Betty Winneker to Callawassie Island when they retired. They’ve been resi-dents there for 17 years now, more than twice as long as anywhere else they’ve lived in their 50 years of marriage. In that

FALL 201654

WEBSITE

Get Involved! To learn more about the Beaufort Memorial Hospital Foundation and how you can participate in improving the health of the community, visit beaufortmemorial.org/bmh-foundation. You can also contact the Foundation directly at 843-522-5774 or bmhfoundation@bmhsc.org.

time, they’ve assumed an active role in the life of the island and followed their dual passions for Allan’s writing and giv-ing back to the community.

Allan had always wanted to write. But a stint in the Navy Reserve and a busy 38-year career in marketing man-agement kept the couple constantly on the move. There was never time to so

Foundation, demonstrating their support for Beaufort Memorial while strengthen-ing their own retirement strategy.

Allan is proud to have been a part of the Foundation and of all that Beaufort Memorial stands for today. “We have really wonderful physicians here,” he says. “And our friends have been very pleased with their care at Beaufort Memorial. Everyone I know who has had to use our emergency room is just amazed at the facility.”

It’s the personal touch that makes Beaufort Memorial a special place, Betty adds: “People just rave about the nurses and staff. They’ve really received the most wonderful care and consideration from everyone who works here.”

Allan also gives credit to his fellow Foundation trustees. “The Foundation Board members are really outstanding people whose common linkage is that they want the best for our community,” he says. “It was such a privilege to get to know them.”

“The Winnekers truly have become friends—family, really—of the hospital,” says Alice Moss, executive director of the BMH Foundation. “Allan’s time on the board has ended, but we know he and Betty are always just a phone call away. They have set a great example of support and advocacy for Beaufort Memorial. We will always be grateful to them.” n

much as jot ideas down on paper. Soon after he retired, though, Betty gave him a copy of Stephen King’s On Writing as inspiration, and the books poured forth in rapid succession after that. In Two Islands: Terror in the Lowcountry, his third of four novels, he draws on both his love of Beaufort and his early experience in the military to create a real page-turner.

Busy as they were, the Winnekers longed to find a way to meaningfully contribute to the larger community. They had researched Beaufort Memorial before their move and knew that the nonprofit community hospital was tech-nologically advanced and dedicated to meeting community needs. They imme-diately began donating to the BMH Foundation and, within a couple of years, supporting the Valentine Ball and other hospital celebrations.

In 2006, Allan agreed to serve on the BMH Foundation Board, embarking on what would become a nine-year com-mitment. During his board tenure, he and Betty hosted events on Callawassie to highlight the hospital’s wide range of services. Allan saw firsthand how com-munity donations helped the hospital make important strides forward, includ-ing with the renovation and expansion of its emergency department and intensive care unit. The couple set up a deferred charitable gift annuity through the

FALL 2016 55

FOUNDATION-BUILDING

GIVE

Pat Foulger Quality ScholarshipYou can help endow a new scholarship to fund nurses’ and doctors’ quality-enhancement initiatives at BMH. The scholarship is named for Pat Foulger, who served as VP for quality at BMH for 17 years. Visit beaufortmemorial.org/bmh-foundation or call 843-522-5774.

It’s often said that nurses are the heart of healthcare. We know that the more than

400 nurses at Beaufort Memorial are both the heart and the backbone of all we do to care for patients every day.

A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree prepares nurses to meet the rigorous demands of nursing today. The BMH Foundation makes available at least 15 scholarships of $1,000 each to our nurses with an associate’s degree in nursing who are pursuing the BSN. “The support of the Foundation was very important to me and was hon-estly the only way I was able to finish my degree,” says Kathy Phillips, who received a scholarship in 2015.

Foundation funds also have been used to help specialty units provide nurses with training and certification. Nurses in the hospital’s Pediatric Unit and in the Emergency Department were among the first beneficiaries.

Nursing excellence is demonstrated through compassion as well as techni-cal skill. Award programs are in place at BMH to recognize nurses who exemplify caring at the highest level. The Vaux

Humanitarian Award was established in the 1980s to honor the memory of long-time hospital board member Ruthven Vaux. The award recipient, often a nurse, receives a plaque and a $750 check at a special ceremony each year.

With Foundation support, the hospi-tal participates in the DAISY program, which honors RNs who also go the extra mile to care for patients and their fami-lies. “The stories these nominations bring

to light are truly heartwarming,” says Karen Carroll, chief nursing officer. “I never fail to cry.” She recalls a nurse who arranged for a stage 4 cancer patient to see his grandson graduate from Parris Island after the man had driven more than 900 miles for the graduation and then collapsed the night before. The nurse used her connections on Parris Island to arrange for VIP seating and accompanied the patient on her day off to make sure that he would be well cared for.

“It’s important to support the people who make Beaufort Memorial such a great hospital, and where better to start than with our nurses?” says Hugh Gouldthorpe, chairman of the BMH Foundation Board. “We are grateful for the community support that allows us to support these nursing education, enrich-ment and recognition programs.” n

SUPPORTING NURSING EXCELLENCEBMH Foundation scholarships support the people who care for patients every day

BMH nurses Marcellene Trask, Roshanda Garrett and Lisa Terwilliger.

FALL 201656

The BMH Foundation gratefully acknowledges the following tribute gifts received February 1, 2016, to May 31, 2016. To make a tribute gift, please call 843-522-5774 or visit the BMH Foundation page at beaufortmemorial.org.

TRIBUTESIN HONOR OFMs. Lainie Andrew

Mr. Mark MagnantDr. Luke Baxley

Mr. and Mrs. John R. PerrillMr. Lawrence L. Bernard

Ms. Mary Beth DaleDr. Edward Blocker

Mr. and Mrs. John ChemsakBMH 4th Floor Team

Mr. Roy T. NygaardBMH Cardiac Rehab

Mr. and Mrs. Tony BrittonBMH Emergency Room Team

Mr. and Mrs. Roy HiltonMr. and Mrs. John HodsonMr. and Mrs. R. Scott Nickel

BMH Joint Replacement CenterMr. and Mrs. Eric BridwellMr. Roy T. NygaardMr. and Mrs. Randall N. Reed

BMH Laboratory Mr. Scott Richberg

BMH Marketing & Communications Department

Mr. and Mrs. Michael SterculaBMH Orthopaedic Team

Mr. and Mrs. John ChemsakBMH Outpatient Surgery Nurses

Mr. and Mrs. Robert SpielmanBMH Registration Staff

Mr. Roy T. NygaardBMH Respiratory Team

Ms. Patricia EthierBMH Staff

Mr. and Mrs. Boulton D. MohrDr. Irina Borissova

Mr. and Mrs. Peter H. SingletonDr. E. Perry Burrus III

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph E. JonesDr. Nicholas P. Dardes

Ms. Carmen DuranceauMr. Charles W. Duke II

Mr. and Mrs. Raymond A. BrownMs. Camille H. Fester

Mr. and Mrs. John ChemsakDr. Kurt M. Gambla

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph E. Jones

Ms. Amy Luce HaneMr. and Mrs. Donald Yale

Dr. H. Kevin JonesMr. and Mrs. Kenneth L. CoskyMr. and Mrs. Warren A. GravesMr. and Mrs. Rod A. GregoryMr. Roy T. Nygaard

Dr. Steven R. KesselLt. Gen. and Mrs. John L. Ballantyne IIIMr. and Mrs. Roger F. CarlsonMr. and Mrs. Cameron F. KittsonMr. and Mrs. Stanley W. Merrill, Jr.Ms. Anita B. Wright

Dr. Demetrajane KokinakisMrs. Susan Davidson

Dr. Henry Lucius Laffi tte, Jr.Mrs. Nina McKee

Lowcountry Medical GroupMs. Mary Boatwright

Dr. Peter N. ManosMs. Patricia Ethier

Ms. Alice B. MossMr. and Mrs. Larry Laughlin

Dr. H. Timberlake PearceMr. and Mrs. Harry O. Scarfe

Dr. Louis PlzakMr. and Mrs. Frank H. KeanMr. and Mrs. Neil A. Ofsthun

Ms. Monica RichmondMr. Roy T. Nygaard

Mr. Marvin RowleyAnonymous

Dr. Ralph SalzerMr. and Mrs. Stephen BruneczMs. Donna DownesMr. and Mrs. Randall N. Reed

Dr. Stephen R. SiscoMr. Roy T. Nygaard

Dr. Leland C. Stoddard, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Eric Bridwell

Dr. James Chadwick ToberMr. and Mrs. Harold J. Ericksen

Dr. Claude TolbertMs. Luetta Legree

Dr. Samuel Clark TraskMr. and Mrs. Warren R. Kinsman

Ms. Stephanie WilsonMr. and Mrs. Don G. Campbell

IN MEMORY OFMr. William Ashby

Mrs. Olive WarrenfeltzMr. William F. Cochrane

Mrs. Lois B. CochraneMr. Marvin H. Dukes

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph C. HardenDr. Adolphus Dunn

Mrs. Mary Lou GerosMs. Ida Floyd

Mrs. Olive WarrenfeltzMr. Paul H. Gadsden

Mr. and Mrs. William J. MelvilleMr. Charles W. Garrett, Jr.

Mr. Clinton B. Campbell and Mrs. Karen M. Peluso

Mr. William D. GerosMrs. Mary Lou Geros

Mrs. Roberta GundersonMr. Christopher Gunderson

Ms. Irene KendaMr. and Mrs. James Morrissey, Jr.

Mr. Julian LevinMs. Fredrica M. Cooper

Mr. Frank R. McCoy, Jr.Ms. Deborah McCoy

Ms. Dottie NowellMrs. Olive Warrenfeltz

Mr. Sumner PingreeMr. and Mrs. Joseph C. Harden

Mrs. Nancy RobinsonMr. Clinton B. Campbell and

Mrs. Karen M. PelusoMr. Noel Seeburg

Ms. Roxanne CheneyMr. and Mrs. W. Brantley Harvey, Jr. Ms. Alice B. Moss

R. E. ToomeyRick Toomey and Linda Hawes

Mr. Charles VerdeMs. Regina Verde

Mrs. Terese G. WoodMr. Richard Wood and

Mrs. Deborah Garnick

To learn more about Beaufort Memorial visit beaufortmemorial.org.

Call (843) 770-0404 to schedule an appointment.300 Midtown Drive, Beaufort

Accepting most major medical health insurance plans, including commercial insurance, Medicare and Tricare

BEAUFORT MEMORIAL PHYSICIAN PARTNERS IS A MULTISPECIALTY PHYSICIAN GROUP DEDICATED TO PUTTING PATIENTS’ NEEDS FIRST.

(BACK ROW) Carl Derrick III, M.D.; Nicholas Dardes, D.O.; Dan Smith, D.O.(FRONT ROW) Veronica Smalheiser, ANP-BC; Robert Parrick, D.O.; Jenny Martin, NP-C; Craig Floyd, M.D.; Erin Scott, ANP-BC

At Lowcountry Medical Group, our board-certified internists Drs. Nicholas Dardes, F. Carl Derrick III and Robert Parrick and family medicine specialists Drs. Craig Floyd and Dan Smith — along with their team of certified nurse practitioners Jennifer Martin, Erin Scott and Veronica Smalheiser — are currently accepting new patients.

Committed to providing excellence in care for the past 19 years, Beaufort Memorial Lowcountry Medical Group offers a full range of general adult outpatient medical services, from diagnosis and treatment to case management and total coordination of care across the life spectrum. In addition to primary care physicians and nurse practitioners, the practice also includes specialists in gastroenterology, gynecology, cardiology and neurology.