When Grand Rapids Civic Theatre unveiled their lineup for the upcoming 2018/2019 season, there was a notable absence in the ensemble. One of their shows was deemed a “surprise musical” due to the production’s licensing agreement with Civic Theatre. Several suspenseful months later, our guessing games can, at last, be put to rest…
Grand Rapids Civic Theatre proudly invites you to save the date for Mamma Mia!, coming February 22.
More than 54 million people all around the world have fallen in in love with the characters, the story and the music that make Mamma Mia! the ultimate feel-good show! A mother. A daughter. Three possible dads. And a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget!
Featuring Abba favorites, like Dancing Queen, Knowing Me, Knowing You, Take a Chance On Me, and the title hit, Mamma Mia, Executive and Artistic Director Bruce Tinker noted, “We were very fortunate to secure the rights to this show – but only if we agreed to withhold revealing the title until a later date this season. The chance to produce one of the most successful and entertaining musicals of recent history was too important to pass up”.
Writer Catherine Johnson’s sunny and funny tale unfolds on a Greek island paradise. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago. The timeless songs and storytelling of Swedish pop group ABBA propel this enchanting tale of love, laughter, and friendship, creating an unforgettable show. A large cast non-stop laughs, and explosive dance numbers combine to make Mamma Mia! a guaranteed smash hit.
The show will run Feb. 22 – March 17. For ticket information or the complete Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s 2018-2019 season, visit grct.org.
By Chris Rivera, LMSW, CAADC, Outpatient Therapist, Leonard Street Counseling Center
Interview your potential therapist:
This might sound kind of silly, but the reality is that like most things in life there are good and bad options whenever we are looking for someone to provide us with any type of care. I would encourage anyone who is interested in trying therapy for the first time to call around to different therapy offices and maybe even check them out online to see if you can get more information on them. This is an easy first step that will help you filter through different candidates and should help you pick one that you believe might best suit your needs. Finding a credible therapist shouldn’t be too difficult if you take this approach. Just make sure that the therapist is licensed, credentialed and that they are open to sharing about their professional background, treatment style and areas of expertise.
Areas of expertise:
Now for the most part, the average therapist should be able to help you with just about anything that you want to bring to the table. However, like in other medical professions there are therapists that have different specialties. Are you looking for family therapy? Marriage counseling? Need help choosing your next career move? Whatever the case may be, it is useful to look for a therapist that has expertise and experience in your area of need.
Authenticity:
Genuineness in a therapist is a must. In my experience, the cornerstone of therapy is authenticity. From your first few sessions you ought to feel that the therapist is genuinely interested in assisting you, and their passion for helping others should shine through in their approach and in the way they engage you. Authenticity is engagement. Regardless of years of experience and style of therapy, the single most important factor in choosing the right therapist for you is level of comfort and sense of connectedness. Trust your gut on this one. Lastly, word of mouth is always a good way to start and may make this process much easier for you!
Recently, WKTV hosted a volunteer picnic for the many people who contribute their time and efforts in creating program for the WKTV station along with writing for the WKTV Journal.
The picnic was at Johnson Park and had a little twisted with food provided by Charcoal Grill Brazilian Steak House out of Holland. Charcoal Grill offers authentic Brazilian food with servers carving up the meats right at the table. The three-hour event included a time to recognize the many accomplishments of all of WKTV volunteers.
The Volunteer of the Year Award went to Charlie Kormanik who has worked on a number of projects including the WKTV’s spring broadcasting of the FIRST Robotics Competition. WKTV Board member and contributor Mike Bacon received the Community Service Programming Award and WKTV Board member and contributor Judy Bergsma received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Recognized for 15 years of service were Jim Dohm for helping to wire the WKTV building and the show Catholic Forum; Dan Kuipers for Bethany URC, and Todd Lewis for the Grand Rapids Theatre documentary and various other work. Recognized for 20 years was Mike Endres for EP Adventures and the Ghosts of Grand Rapids documentary; Rose Hammond for the Idlewild documentary; and Phyllis Koslow for her work with the Grand Rapids Symphonic Band and Symphonette shows. Recognized for 25 years of service was Kim Johnson for her work on a number of projects such as the the Dynamic Praise Program, WKTV specials, Memorial Tributes, the End of Year Memorials, and Princess Diana.
Just some the people who attended the WKTV Volunteer Appreciation Picnic. All photos are by Pat Mulder.
Also recognized were:
Those who volunteered 25 hours or less
Brittany Berens – WKTV Sports
Maddison Berone – WKTV Sports
Judy Bergsma – WKTV Board Member
Ryan Burkholder – I.T.
Mike Endres – EP Adventures
Kim Johnson – Dynamic Praise/Memorial Tributes
Katelyn Kohane – WKTV News
Pat Moll – WKTV News Photographer
Edward Nelson – W.T.H.
Chris Rush – Senior Exercise
Bob Serulla – Golden Gloves/Metro Cruise
Matt Small – WKTV Sports
Emily Southerton – Catholic Forum
Erica Southerton – Catholic Forum
Paul Southerton – Catholic Forum
Doug Styles – Rowland – Stop of Faith
Anne Van Dreumel – Metro Cruise and Schubert Male Chorus
Mike Van Druemel – WKTV
Dick Visser – WKTV Board Member
Matt Whitney – WKTV
Those who had volunteered 26 – 50 hours
Carrie Bradstreet – You’ve Got to Be Kidding Me America
Jim Dohm – Catholic Forum/Fools for Christ
Randy Galaszewski – You’ve Got to Be Kidding Me America
Chris Huntoon – WKTV
Mark Lange – WKTV
Sunshine Myers – The Projectionist
James Smither – GVSU Veteran’s Oral History Project
Sue Southerton – Catholic Forum
Larry Swanson – You’re Got to Be Kidding Me America
Patty Williams – Bluegrass On Stage & Sounds of Summer
Pat Williams – Volunteer
Those who have volunteered 51 – 75 hours
Kriss Boom Boom – W.T.H.
Rose Hammond – Idlewild Documentary
Sophia Maslowski – You’ve Got to Be Kidding Me America
Consumer credit is an important, but confusing topic. Before we can discuss the impact of poor credit, let us first define a few terms:
Credit: According to the dictionary, credit is “money that a bank or business will allow a person to use and then pay back in the future”.
Credit Report: Per the Federal Trade Commission, “Your credit report contains information about where you live, how you pay your bills, and whether you’ve been sued or arrested, or have filed for bankruptcy. Credit reporting companies sell the information in your report to creditors, insurers, employers and other businesses that use it to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment or renting a home.”
Credit Score: According to the Federal Trade Commission, a credit score is model that creditors use “to determine if you’d be a good risk for credit cards, auto loans and mortgages”.
When consumers make financial decisions that lead to negative or derogatory statements on their credit report such as late payments, numerous applications for credit, collections, bankruptcies, etc., this can bring down their credit score. This can result in poor credit. Potential consequences of poor credit include:
The inability to rent an apartment. This can be very challenging, especially since the lack of affordable housing is quickly becoming a national issue.
The inability to get a job. This can make paying back creditors even more of a challenge.
The cost of insurance premiums. Insurance companies will review your credit to determine your insurance premium.
The cost of additional credit. Plainly said, if a person has good credit, they are much more likely to receive favorable credit terms when choosing to take on additional forms of credit such as an auto loan or mortgage (i.e. lower interest rates). When a person has poor credit, they are viewed as a higher risk of non-repayment or default and this typically results in less favorable credit terms (i.e. high interest rates).
For additional money management resources, visit Michigan State University Extension. Michigan State University Extension offers financial literacy and homeownership workshops throughout the year to help you become financially healthy. For more information of classes in your area, please visit either the MSU Extension events page or MI Money Health website. Additionally, you can take the Financial Health Survey at MI Money Health to access if you are financially healthy and discover more ways you can improve your financial health.
Shining a light on the outcast, the excluded, and the other, the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival (NDSF) Touring Company partners for the third year with the Krasl Art Center to present an exciting new production of Shakespeare’s classic slapstick comedy The Merchant of Venice on Friday, July 27 at 7pm.
Director Jemma Alix Levy helms this year’s Touring Company production. Levy is the Founding Artistic Director of Muse of Fire Theatre Company, which just finished its seventh season in Evanston, IL, where she spends her summers. She has directed multiple Shakespeare productions for Muse of Fire and other companies, including Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, Julius Caesar, and Henry V, as well for other schools and theatres including The Taming of the Shrew and The Two Gentlemen of Verona (American Shakespeare Center), and Macbeth (Quill Theatre). She is currently an Associate Professor of Theatre at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA.
Join the NDSF Touring Company in its signature ensemble style under the open sky, and explore the plight of the mistreated “other” in a time when Shakespeare’s comic and dramatic dilemmas are as relevant as ever. Director Levy’s new staging of The Merchant of Venice engages audiences through both hilarious comedy and a villain who elicits great sympathy.
Visit shakespeare.nd.edu to learn more about the Touring Company and other exciting NDSF programs.
NEW LOCATION THIS YEAR! The Krasl Art Center will be holding this year’s Shakespeare performance in the Benton Harbor Arts District at the corner of 5th Street and Territorial Road (at the shipping container) due to Sculpting Community construction taking place on the KAC’s grounds. To learn more about Sculpting Community, visit https://krasl.org/art/sculpture-map/sculpting-community/ or to make a donation, visit https://public.krasl.org/web/donate.
This performance is FREE and open to the public; bring the whole family, pack your own chairs, and experience The Merchant of Venice like never before.
Soft drinks and water for sale during the event, cash only.
By Lisa Boss, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch
Winner of the 2012 National Book Award, Erdrich’s novel works as a mystery, a thriller, and a psychological study.
Out in North Dakota in the ’80s, a terrible crime has been committed against the wife of a tribal judge, but she is either unable or unwilling to name her attacker. The husband and her only child are determined to obtain justice, but are blocked at every turn by arcane jurisdictional issues involving non-Indians committing crimes on tribal lands.
Unlike much of Erdrich’s earlier, postmodern works, combining anachronistic events and multiple perspectives, this follows a linear path with a single narrator. Joe is a man now, and has followed his father’s path into law; and he is looking back, telling the story as it was seen and felt by him when he was just 13. Joe is one of Erdrich’s most engaging protagonists; striking that unusual chord — the sound of a character coming to life.
The author flawlessly weaves the threads of the reservation community into her plot, as many locals provide a crucial piece of the puzzle. I chose the library’s audio version, and the excellent reader, combined with Erdrich’s prose, make for an unforgettable read. I felt like I was listening to a Shakespearean play– beautiful language, lingering images, and hilarious bawdy humor interspersed throughout, (most coming from the geriatric relatives).
The loss of innocence is a universal theme, suffered by all, and Erdrich brings a new poignancy to these wounds. Her books always involve the clash of nations, the loss of connections, the devastation of a people’s culture, and the whirlwind that follows. Against these epic traumas, Erdrich brings out her people’s love of family, their strength, and the power to endure.
Those who like Amy Tan may love Erdrich, and The Round House offers a wealth of discussion points for book clubs.
School may be out for the summer, but the students of Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s School of Theatre Arts are still hard at work breathing new life into a literary classic and a rock n’ roll adaptation.
Join Civic Theatre as they close its 2017/18 season with performances of Little Women and School of Rock, presented by the theatre’s Summer Repertory Theatre Intensive (SRTI) from July 27 – Aug. 5. The SRTI program allows young creatives, ages 13-19, the chance to craft, produce, and perform in a main stage production, coached by theatre professionals. Students are given the opportunity to learn the art of performance through specialized dancing, singing, and acting classes. Those with an interest in the technical aspect of theatre are participating in hands on classes in set and costume design, lights and sound, and backstage crewing. Multiple weeks of work culminate in a showcase of stunning proportions, and this year’s lineup is guaranteed to delight!
Rock and roll lovers will find a kindred spirit in School of Rock’s frontman-turned-teacher Dewey Finn, as he navigates heartbreak, self-discovery, and occasional chaos on his climb back to stardom. Based on the 2003 cult comedy film, this thrilling tale reaches new heights with its musical adaptation, boasting original songs from Andrew Lloyd Weber, performed live by the multi-talented cast
Andrew Johnston is Dewy in Civic Theatre’s production of “School of Rock.”
Sharing the stage with School of Rock is Civic Theatre’s must-see production of Little Women, based on the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott. Journey with four larger-than-life girls, Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth, through the trials of youth and womanhood, as they fight societal dangers with the undying bonds of sisterhood. It’s a story of family values that transcends generations – young and old will adore this show!
Ticket Prices for the show are $10 – $16. For information on Grand Rapids Civic Theatre or to purchase tickets, call 616-222-6650 or visit grct.org.
By Linda Cronk, Michigan State University Extension
Regular exercise and physical activity are vital at any age, including for older adults. The National Institute on Aging says that being active helps older adults:
Keep and improve strength to stay independent
Have more energy to do things
Improve balance
Prevent or delay some diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis
Perk up mood and reduce depression
According to Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions, by Dr. Kate Lorig, to get the greatest benefit from physical activity, older adults need to try four types of exercise: endurance, strength, balance and flexibility exercise.
Endurance activity
Many older adults avoid endurance activity, also called aerobic exercise, because they are unsure about how much is safe for older adults. “The most important thing is that some activity is better than none,” Dr. Lorig said. “If you start off doing what is comfortable and increase your efforts gradually, it is likely that you will build a healthy, lifelong habit.” There are three building blocks for a safe, moderate-intensity goal for endurance activity:
Frequency means how often you exercise. The Center for Disease Control recommends aerobic physical activity in episode of at least 10 minutes and, if possible, spread it out through the week.
Intensity is how much effort you use or how hard you work. Endurance or aerobic exercise is safe at a moderate intensity. You will feel warmer, you breathe deeper and faster, your heart rate will rise moderately and you will still feel like you can continue a while longer.
Time is how long you exercise each time you are active. At least 10 minutes is a good starting place. If that is too challenging, start with a smaller amount of time. You can work up from there, with a moderate intensity goal of 150 minutes per week. You can try to attain your 150 minute goal by exercising 30 minutes five days per week.
Strength training
We need to exercise our muscles in order to maintain our physical strength as we get older. Otherwise, our muscles shrink from lack of use. According to the book Living a Healthy Life With Chronic Conditions, moderate-intensity muscle-strengthening exercise of all major muscle groups should be done at least two days per week.
Flexibility exercises
Being flexible means you can move comfortably in your daily life with a minimum of pain and stiffness. A series of gentle stretching exercises done at least three to four days per week can help you improve and maintain flexibility as you get older.
Balance exercises
Falling is one of the most challenging events for older adults. Injury from falls, such as broken bones, is a common experience for those with balance issues. Strong and coordinated muscles in your core and legs are key for good balance. Certain exercises, including qi gong, tai chi, yoga and others are good for improving and maintaining balance.
You can find a free user-friendly exercise book and DVD through the National Institute on Aging website called Go4Life.
According to Michigan State University Extension, once you start exercising and become more physically active, you will begin to see results quickly. In a few short weeks, you will feel stronger and more energetic, and you will be able to do things easier, faster or longer than before. Your body will get used to a higher level of activity and you can continue to build on those benefits by doing more. Be sure to check with your doctor before you begin an exercise program.
Dan Burrill admitted that at first, he didn’t think he was going to like all this retail and all the traffic.
“I love it,” said the Wyoming City councilmember at a recent groundbreaking ceremony for a new shoping center in the Metro Health Village. “I love the closeness of everything. I love being able to go to Family Fare and pick up a gallon of ice cream every time I get the urge to mix myself a smoothie or a sundae.”
But mostly, Burrill, who lives in the panhandle area, said he enjoys the walkability of the Metro Health Village community.
Walkability has been a key aspect for the development of the Metro Health Village, which is the first LEED certified medical campus in the United States, according to Ryan Granger, project manager for the Wyoming-based Granger Group.
Granger Group Project Manager Ryan Granger during the ground breaking ceremony for the new Village Life Marketplace
Granger credits his dad, Gary Ganger, for having the vision 15 years ago to partner with the hospital to create a healthy, walkable community and Master Planner James Sharba, who is with a Granger subsidiary SpaceWerks, for bringing “a creative approach to master planning to the remainder of the development.
“The intent is to create walkability so we are going to be creating more dense areas essentially to park more people and then create that walkability approach to couple with the health and wellness of the sustainability approach of the development.”
This past Monday, Granger Group broke ground on the first of several new developments over the next 12 months — a new $3.5 million shopping center in the front of the Metro Health Village, near the waterfall entrance off of Health Drive. The center, which faces Byron Center Avenue, is just south from the Granger Group shopping area that has Starbucks and Great Clips. The general contractor is Caledonia’s FCC Construction, which just completed the ReMax offices located across the street of Byron Center Avenue near Monelli’s. Ann Arbor-based OX Studio is the architect.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
The new Village Life Marketplace project, which is expected to take about 10 months to complete, is a mixed use development with 11,000 square feet on both floors. The bottom floor will have several retail tenants that include a national TexMex chain, a sub shop and a place that offers smoothies with the top floor to be the home of the Granger Group corporate offices with an additional 2,500 square feet of available office space.
The development is part of the overall concept of offering healthy lifestyle options and creating a sense of community within the Metro Village Health.
“As we have seen 2008 bring its struggles with the housing crash and the market crash, what we are seeing now is the emergence of micro markets or micro economies.” Granger said. “RiverTown Crossings is a wonderful place for the big box retailers and we also have Tanger Outlets, but what we have here is a very unique approach.
“We are kind of in the middle between Tanger and RiverTown Crossings and what this will bring is an opportunity to bring slightly elevated users maybe retailers or clothiers that are looking for a very niche market.”
Granger estimated that Granger Group has about 16 acres in the Metro Health Village to develop, which, according to press matierals, are designed to inspire healthier lifestyles.
“We are excited to participate in some living options as well that will bring a closer community feel that once they live on campus here they have all their needs meet with a grocery store, with Starbucks, with all these different needs meet through the partnerships we create through retail options,” Granger said.
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet — or few — from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).
Energetic, enthusiastic Elphaba came to us as a shelter transfer (from Harbor Humane Society in West Olive) on May 31st, 2018. Seems that this darling, adorable little lady (she weighs a whole 6 lbs and was born in the spring of 2016) was all set to be adopted when she tested positive for Feline Leukemia. Since she was being housed in a cage in their lobby she received lots of attention, and the staff was heartbroken as they knew they would no longer be able to keep her as part of their adoption program; they reached out to Dr. Jen and she told them we would be able to accommodate her.
As far as her history goes, we know that they took her in on April 23rd, and that she was an OGU (owner give up) who was to have been spayed prior and sported the tattoo to prove it. However, within about 10 days of her arrival at our sanctuary, guess who started exhibiting sings of heat, sticking her derriere up in the air in a very non-ladylike fashion, teasing all of the (neutered) boys with her feminine wiles? So Dr. Jen took her back to surgery to recover a complete ovary, not a remnant of it, that had been left behind when she was spayed. Surgery was a success this time around and she recovered without a hitch.
Prior to that retrieval, Elphaba was quite anxious and ornery, terrified in her new surroundings. Given the fact that she had spent the past month caged, we can see why our free-roaming facility was a bit daunting to her. However after her hormones settled down and she settled in, she became an outgoing, sassy little diva with very big opinions. She is not afraid in the least to smack a cat twice her size right across the face if they get too close for comfort. She also isn’t too keen on being picked up although she loves her humans who dote on her, fulfilling her every whim and desire.
Elphaba would really like to be the only kitty for a family who is looking for a petite little princess who is playful and precious. And—great news—even though she tested NEGATIVE FOR FELINE LEUKEMIA (TWICE) at her recheck exam a month after her arrival, adopting her in to a home of her own in her opinion is the ideal situation, so we are going to do our best to find that place for her and grant her every wish.
More about Elphaba:
Medium
Adult
Female
Domestic Short Hair
House-trained
Vaccinations up to date
Spayed
Not declawed
Not good with other cats
Want to adopt Elphaba? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
Can’t adopt, but still want to help? Find out how you can sponsor a cat!
Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary have a common mission: To take at-risk stray cats off the streets of the Greater Grand Rapids area, provide them with veterinary care and house them in free-roaming, no-kill facilities until dedicated, loving, permanent homes can be found.
After moving to the U.S. from Nigeria, Nkechy Ezeh battled the relentless snows of her adopted Michigan and the seeming coldness of the American don’t-just-drop-in culture. However, a far greater shock awaited her: learning that despite its wealth of knowledge about early childhood development, Americans weren’t applying it to educate the children of our most marginalized families. Listen as an award-winning educator talks about equity in education and her brainchild, the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative.
By Drew Damon, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch
Dave Eggers offers us a very interesting new take on the Dystopia genre with his most recent novel, The Circle. The plot follows Mae Holland, a recently hired employee of the world’s most powerful internet company, The Circle (think Google and fFacebook combined), and their desire to create a more honest and just society. Mae’s experience at the company grows very complicated when the company’s innovations become more intrusive, and mantras such as “Secrets are Lies – Sharing is Caring – Privacy is Theft,” begin to be taken more seriously.
What I enjoyed most about the book, was that I had a very difficult time figuring out if the choices being made by the Circle were beneficial or detrimental to humanity. The entire book revolves around the tension between social justice and human rights, and whether constant access to anyone’s life would be worth it if everyone also had access to yours.
Unfortunately, the book felt like it was written in a bit of a rush, and I can see why some fans of Eggers are disappointed. However, the ideas and concepts he engages with still made it a very compelling read, and I for one couldn’t put it down. He also references Grand Rapids on page 411!
I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the future impact of the internet.
You can preserve cookie dough in the freezer just as you can freshly-baked cookies.
Properly frozen dough ensures that your dough will make great cookies when the time is right. Simply follow a few steps offered by Michigan State University Extension.
Tips for freezing baked cookies:
Before freezing your baked cookies make sure they are completely cooled.
Wrap your cooled cookies individually in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer bag or an airtight container.
Cookies can also be placed between layers of waxed paper in the container. Make sure the top layer is covered with wax paper, plastic wrap or aluminum foil so that very little air will get to the cookies. The individually wrapped cookies will store longer.
Freeze frosted cookies, uncovered, until they are firm and then pack them in a freezer bag or an airtight container.
Label the freezer bag or container with the date and type of cookies.
Tips for freezing cookie dough:
Drop unbaked cookie dough onto cookie sheets and place in the freezer until frozen.
Transfer the drops of frozen cookie dough into freezer bags or airtight containers.
Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible or if using a storage container make sure the top layer is covered well with wax paper, plastic wrap or aluminum foil so that very little air will get to the cookie dough.
If you choose to freeze the entire amount of dough and then thaw it later, to make into individual cookies, wrap the dough with wax paper or saran wrap and then place it into a freezer bag or airtight container.
Label the freezer bag or container with the type of cookie dough and the date.
Keeping air away from cookie dough or baked cookies helps to prevent freezer burn. Freezer burn is not a food safety risk but it affects the appearance and flavor of cookies and dough. It looks like grayish-brown leathery spots on the frozen food. Freezer burn occurs when air reaches the food surface and dries it out.
The suggested storage time for both cookie dough and baked cookies in your 0 degrees Fahrenheit freezer is no more than six months. Most people have no problem eating their cookies within this time-frame! Freezing cookies and cookie dough is both a money and time saving activity that has very tasty results.
E. Coli, a largely harmless but occasionally dangerous bacteria present in animal and human feces, is found throughout the Plaster Creek watershed. The E. Coli strains present in the watershed from animal waste are likely the product of agricultural runoff. However, when it comes to the E. Coli from human waste, according to professor Kelly DuBois, “it’s really not known where that’s coming from.”
So, does DuBois, a professor of biology, intend to track down the source? “Based on how often they’re finding [E. Coli]—all over the place—it can’t be one source, so we have a really small chance of pinpointing all the sources and shutting them all down,” said DuBois.
Instead, she is working with a group of student researchers to assess if green infrastructure installations could be an environmentally safe solution. In particular, they are looking at the impact of Kreiser pond, a retention basin installed in a residential area of Grand Rapids four or five years ago, “which is essentially a U-shaped little pond,” built to slow rainwater runoff. “We know it slows the flow down, it absolutely works for that,” said DuBois, “but my question was: what is it doing with the microbes in the water?”
A collaborative legacy
While according to DuBois, “it’s been shown in some instances that green infrastructure can be really efficient at removing bacterial contamination,” she hopes to prove that it’s effective in Plaster Creek’s case so that future green infrastructure projects in the watershed can be designed with microbial reduction in mind.
The project is in collaboration with the Plaster Creek Stewards, a group of Calvin faculty, staff, and students who have been working over a decade on the restoration of the Plaster Creek watershed. “It’s a fun group to be a part of,” said DuBois, “because there’s so much collaboration, and everyone comes at it from a little different perspective.”
DuBois was inspired to work with Plaster Creek Stewards after doing research through Calvin’s Clean Water Institute last year. “I was really excited to be a part of [the Clean Water Institute], and that has kind of led to [working with Plaster Creek],” she said, “because I developed that skill set last summer with my student, it was like ‘hey, we can apply these [tools] to Plaster Creek too!”
Pursuing proper stewardship
“As biologists, obviously, creation care is something that’s very important to us,” DuBois said, “I honestly love bench science, but it’s nice to have a project [where] it’s easier for students to see the direct connection with taking care of creation.” She added, “we can see, when we measure stuff in that water, that humans have had a negative impact on this little part of creation, and so it’s very practical to say we want to turn that around now.”
One of the student researchers, Kate DeHeer, a junior majoring in biology and biochemistry, has observed firsthand the positive community impacts of the Steward’s work: “we’ve only been out to the pond twice, but have met around five neighbors interested in our work.” She added, “they all seem to be fond of Kreiser and were happy to have it in their neighborhood.”
According to Tobe Ndika, a junior biology major with a pre-med concentration, “[this research] has made me aware of the need for stewardship towards God’s creation.” He added “I feel called to make the world a better place.”
Construction is expected to begin on the new Ottawa Beach Marina in mid-October, with plans to open spring 2019, but preparations have already begun for next season’s marina customers.
The Ottawa Beach Marina will have 15 seasonal slips, four moorings, and 26 transient slips. As stipulated by a 2005 court agreement, members of the West Michigan Park Association were given the first opportunity to reserve seasonal slips at market rate. At this time, up to seven seasonal slips and two moorings are still available for rent for the 2019 season. Due to the anticipated interest in slips, they will be available via a lottery.
The 26 transient slips will be managed by Ottawa County Parks and fees are recommended to follow the State Fee Schedule C for transient slips in Michigan.
Transient slips will be a great opportunity for visitors in the area to enjoy Holland from the water, especially if they are staying in campgrounds near the Holland State Park or renting cottages near the beach. Residents who may not be interested in paying for a seasonal slip may enjoy having the option to keep their boat in the water during a long weekend or stay-cation. There is not a boat launch on-site; trailer storage will likely be available. More information coming soon.
We intend to start construction immediately after October 15 and have the marina operational by Memorial Day of 2019. If the season is shorter due to construction delays, we will adjust marina rent in weekly increments based on a season running from May 20 through September 17.
We will do all we can to be open by Memorial Day and we will keep in touch with our slip renters as to how the project is proceeding.
Marina details
Docks will be fixed, not floating. Please note that the location of the seasonal slips is east of the private residence (see layout). Seasonal marina patrons will park in the lot and walk via the public walkway to the marina. There is no access along waterfront in front of the private residence.
Slip rates are $100 per foot with an overall rate based on the size of the boat or slip, whichever is larger.
Boats (including platforms and sprits, etc) may extend up to 10% beyond the dock length on the 40’ slips. Smaller boats are welcome in the 40′ slip, but the minimum rate is $4,000 a season.
Moorings are priced at $40/foot; dinghy storage is included.
One parking space per slip will be provided in a dedicated parking lot. The first five spaces in the lot will be public parking for a public kayak launch located on the transient dock. No marina patrons will be allowed to park in public spaces.
A new building will include a small marina office, plus private restrooms and showers for marina patrons. Separate public restrooms will also be available in the building. A “for fee” washer and dryer will be provided, plus vending machines and ice.
Electrical service will be provided on a charge-back basis. Water service will be provided at no additional cost, as will wireless internet. A pump out station will be provided.
Available slip sizes
30’ slip – 0 available (Please note slips were first made available to WMPA as stipulated by a 2005 court agreement; currently 8 of the 15 are reserved at market rate by WMPA. More info can be found below).
40’ slip – 6 available
75’ slip – 1 available
Mooring – 2 available
To enter into the 2019 Marina Slip Lottery, complete the online application by August 2 at 11:59 pm. Drawings will be made on August 3.
Led by Oral Health America, Demand Medicare Dental is a national campaign to improve oral health (and overall health) for older adults by adding a dental care benefit to Medicare.
The Government Matters meeting brings together representatives from the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood, Kent County commissioners, local Michigan state senators and representatives, as well as often representatives of Michigan’s U.S. senators and U.S. congressman who represent the Wyoming and Kentwood area.
Any pet-lover knows it’s tough to walk out the door for vacation when you have to leave your furry friends behind. Luckily, there are plenty of places throughout West Michigan ready to welcome both you and your four-legged friends! We’ve gathered some of our favorite pet-friendly locations to help you plan your next trip for the entire family.
Any pet-lover knows it’s tough to walk out the door for vacation when you have to leave your furry friends behind. Luckily, there are plenty of places throughout West Michigan ready to welcome both you and your four-legged friends! We’ve gathered some of our favorite pet-friendly locations to help you plan your next trip for the entire family.
For a complete listing of pet-friendly properties in West Michigan, click to view our “Travel With Pets” article in the Carefree Travel Guide.
South Pet-Friendly Spots
Round Barn in Baroda is always pet-friendly! Bring your dog along for your visit, whether you’re stopping by for a casual visit or for one of Round Barns’ many events. Their showcase event series, Jammin’ in the Vineyard, features 26 weekends of the best live regional music, paired with world-class wines, hand-crafted spirits, and fresh craft beers.
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute in Hastings has trails that are open for hiking from dawn to dusk. They have over nine miles of trails for you to explore this summer. Pets are allowed on the trails if they are on a leash and cleaned up after, and there is no fee to hike the trails.
Take your dog to a baseball game in Lansing. Select Mondays at Cooley Law School Stadium are Dog Days of Summer, including the upcoming game on Monday, July 23rd.
No need to leave Fido at home during your next Coldwater Country getaway. Several local hotels are pet-friendly, and your dog will love spending time in the great outdoors!
Central Pet-Friendly Spots
The patio at Atwater Brewery in Grand Rapids welcomes pups of all sizes! They’re happy to accommodate your furry friends while you enjoy your meal and a delicious brew.
Muskegon County has several pet-friendly restaurants, hotels, and parks. One of your stops needs to be Pet Safe Bark Park, which was created for specially dogs. The park has separate large and small dog areas, dog agility equipment, doggie drinking fountains, and a grooming area.
Your dog will have everything they need during your visit to Mecosta County. The area has accommodations that welcome the furry guest, grooming for your dog, a bakery serving freshly-made dog treats, and parks for your dog to play at.
Holland is a very pet-friendly town. For those that prefer to travel with their pets, the walkable downtown area is perfect for taking a stroll and grabbing a brew, while enjoying the atmosphere of a bustling downtown on an outdoor patio with your pup. There are also parks and shops downtown that joyfully welcome four-legged friends.
The Grand Haven-Spring Lake Waterfront Holiday Inn is a dog-friendly hotel. They have 10 dedicated pet rooms on the first floor with slider doors for easy access to the outdoors and the Lakeside Trail. Your dog will feel welcome, and they’ll even receive a goodie bag with natural dog treats upon arrival!
North Pet-Friendly Spots
Don’t leave your best friend at home while you have all the fun. The Beaver Island Boat Company, based out of Charlevoix, lets you and your pet journey 32 miles into Lake Michigan to quaint Beaver Island. Hike endless trails, throw a stick off the shore of Donegal Bay, or share an ice cream cone with your furry friend.
It’s hard to enjoy the great outdoors of Ludington when your dog is at home, missing out on all the running and splashing they could be doing. Thankfully, when you stay at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Ludington or the Best Western Lakewinds, your best friend can enjoy all the fun too. Grab their leash and get the whole family ready for a great time in Ludington!
Pack up the gang and include your pet when traveling to the Petoskey Area. A variety of lodging options await you and your dog. Make sure to take advantage of the dog park and the dog-friendly beaches in the Boyne area! Boyne City even has a taproom where your pet is a welcomed guest. Places to stay with your dog include full-service resorts such as Boyne Mountain and Boyne Highlands, historic inns like the Terrace Inn, and chain facilities including the Comfort Inn and Holiday Inn Express. Locally owned hotels with indoor pools that will welcome you & your pet include Apple Tree Inn, Odawa Casino Resort, and Stafford’s Crooked River Lodge & Suites.
Ruff Life Pet Outfitters in Petoskey was founded in 2012 by Gary Albert, who decided to launch the store because of his passion for the area’s vibrant pet culture, active community, and unique cross section of local, resort, and tourist markets. Ruff Life Pet Outfitter carries the latest products in the pet care industry, offering natural items and unique, high quality affordable pet products. It truly is a pet’s paradise!
Bring your dog with you to historic Sault Ste. Marie. Travel the Soo Locks with your dog as you tour up and down the St. Marys River, or bring them to Tahquamenon Falls State Park. When you’re so far away from home, why not bring the whole family?
Don’t forget to bring your four-legged friends on your next vacation to Charlevoix! Downtown is incredibly pet-friendly, with many stores allowing pets to accompany their owners shopping. Many of the parks are pet accessible, such as the Mt. McSauba Recreation Area. Pet-friendly accommodations include the Inn at Grey Gables and Pointes North Inn.
Indigo Bluffs in Empire is quite pet-friendly, with dog-centric amenities including their doggie-pot stations, fenced in dog-run area, and dog treats at the on-site store.
Waterfire Vineyards in Kewadin offers a pet-friendly apartment for weekend and weekly rentals. This tiny-home inspired retreat is in the heart of Waterfire’s sustainably-farmed vineyards. Spend your vacation with your furry friend where wine is literally just around the corner!
Summer vacation doesn’t have to mean leaving Fido at home. Shanty Creek Resort recommends bringing your precious pup with and stopping at the nearby pet resort. Just a few minutes down the road from Shanty Creek, your dog will stay in luxury at this full-service resort. In addition to being open 24/7, enjoy the in-and-out privileges allowing Fido to join the family on day trips to nearby Torch Lake and other fun area destinations.
ByLisa Boss, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch
A coincidence? I think not. In March, before spring begins in Michigan, I was out admiring some Hen & Chicks succulents out in the rock garden, that I’d only planted last year, delighted with their liveliness when everything else was still asleep.
Then I opened Planthropology later that day, and the book fell open to page 172, where the author discusses Sempervivum (Semper = “always”, vivum = “live”), thus in Latin, “live forever” plant. Yay! The perfect plant for me, who like the reptilian mother, loves to give birth (or plant) all kinds of trees and perennials, only to then walk away and completely forget about them.
Wherever you happen to open this gorgeous book there is something surprising and interesting to read. It’s full of natural history, design, philosophy, myth, and of course plain old growing tips. Reading about Skunk Cabbage alone involves Thoreau, physics, history. It’s one of those odd little facts that Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) is able to metabolize starch to raise the interior temperature of the spathe up to 70 F., which is why you often see a little melted snow patch around them. Well, who knew? This is just a great book, whether or not you plan on taking shovel in hand this year.
And in case you are going to look up the name (as I did)– “Planthropology” is a name that the author made up to reflect a combination of “anthropology” and “plants”. Or, in the author’s own words:
Planthropology= plăn’thrə-pŏl’ə-jē, The study of the origin, the behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural development of plants.
Ken explains further:
“I invented the word Planthropology to tell the stories about the plants we appreciate and even those that people take for granted. I felt that I needed to communicate to both gardeners and non-gardeners just how remarkable plants are. Every plant has a story to tell, and they are often sensational. Stories about plants that were once worth their weight in gold; others that are potential cancer cures; some that were thought to be extinct; and a few plants that gave rise to wars.”
Signed into law in 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, Medicare provides health care coverage to seniors and individuals with disabilities. For most older adults, it is a benefit they have been paying for their entire working lives. Medicare insures older adults have basic healthcare coverage. Many older adults are surprised to discover though, that dental care is not a benefit included in Medicare coverage. There is a campaign underfoot to change this.
The original version of Medicare included oral health, but like all bills, in order to become law Medicare went through several revisions. The thought at the time was that a majority of Americans lost all of their teeth by age 65, so dental care was unimportant. Today, thanks to better oral health and fluoridated water, many of us are holding onto our teeth for our entire lives. The ability to care for our teeth is integral to healthy aging.
Our mouths have a direct impact on our health. Tooth decay or loss directly affects our ability to take in proper nutrition. The ability to eat and swallow are imperative to maintaining good health as we age. Maintaining adequate nutrition is often key to remaining independent.A decline in oral health also affects our self-esteem and willingness to communicate, leading to social isolation and loneliness. Poor oral health can also have a negative impact on our general physical health. Periodontal disease has been shown to affect blood glucose levels in people with diabetes and has recently been associated with cardiovascular disease. Receiving basic oral health services helps prevent these outcomes.
Led by Oral Health America, Demand Medicare Dental is a national campaign to improve oral health (and overall health) for older adults by adding a dental care benefit to Medicare. Right now, they are working in several states and partnering with local organizations to raise awareness of the issue and to encourage legislators to begin having the conversation about including dental benefits in Medicare. Demand Dental Care has recently partnered with Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan and the Tri-County AAA in Lansing to bring their Brush Brigade to local events, asking people interested in this issue to sign their name on a toothbrush, which will be delivered to legislators this fall. It is important for lawmakers to know this issue is important to their constituents.
If you’re interested in learning more about their efforts or volunteering for the campaign, you can visit their website at www.DemandMedicareDental.org. On the website, you can also choose to send your legislator a toothbrush to let them know – “I Have Teeth and I Vote!”
Sentinel tree tag for identification of a tree entered into the Eyes on the Forest program. | Photo by Michigan State University Extension
ByMike Schira, Michigan State University Extension
Supported by expanding international imports into the country, new and potentially devastating tree pests, both insects and disease, are being introduced to our woodland and landscape trees. Many of these new exotic species won’t find suitable host species or conditions and will simply die off, a few will be successful in becoming established.
Newly established exotic species, having been introduced from other regions of the globe, have no natural enemies or pathogens to hold their numbers down. Unchecked, these new pest species can spread rapidly thereby being labeled as invasive with the potential of devastating their host species.
Examples of past impacts are the losses of American chestnut and elm from both our urban landscapes and forest stands. The loss of the American chestnut and elm affected not only the trees, but also the wildlife that was dependent on the trees for food and shelter. The lost trees may have been shading stream and river waterways. The loss of shade is contributing to increased water temperatures, which reduces the available dissolved oxygen and causes a reduction of fish populations.
Currently beach bark disease, emerald ash borer and oak wilt are examples of exotic species that have become established and are working their way through many of our forest stands, leaving dead skeletons of once healthy trees as they move through.
Spotted lanternfly was first detected in Pennsylvania in September 2014. It feeds on a wide range of fruit, ornamental and woody trees.
In an effort to enable early detection of new invasive tree pests, Michigan State University Extension has developed the Eyes on the Forest program. With initial funding from a Michigan Department of Natural Resources grant, this ongoing program is an effort to establish a network of sentinel trees across the state. Volunteer enthusiasts select the sentinel tree of their choosing and report on the trees overall general health using the online Midwest Invasive Species Network.
Hopefully, with a strong enough network of sentinel trees, we can achieve early detection of new tree pests and work to eliminate them before they can become established. For more information on the program, visit the MSU Extension Eyes on the Forest website.
For those who have attended the Wednesday Sid Lenger film programs at Marge’s Donut Den, the story of a Japanese World War II plane headed straight toward the ship Lenger was standing on is probably a familiar one.
“I had the trigger pulled and Goldie just snapped in the box, and boom,” Lenger said. In his film “Sid in WWII on LST 651,” the 99-year-old still gives credit to Goldie for his quick action that saved the entire ship. “He’s the hero,” Lenger states in the film.
“We’ve heard so much about Goldie, but have never meet him,” said Tom Sibley, one of the people who helps Lenger organize his regular film series. Everyone finally got the chance to meet David “Goldie” Goldsboro when the two old friends, through the help of family, came together on Wednesday, July 11, for a screening of Lenger’s World War II film about his time on the LST 651.
“We had just comeback from Florida and he was telling us about the invitation to come to the screening,” said Goldsboro’s son Larry. “I could just tell he wanted to go. He had a tear in his eye when he was talking about it.”
Goldsboro now lives in Brownstown, Ill., almost a six-hour drive from Grand Rapids. It was a trip that the 91-year-old could not make on his own. So his son and wife offered to bring Goldsboro and his wife of 74 years, Geraldine, to Grand Rapids.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs statistics, 558,000 of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II were alive in 2017. The Department estimates that the U.S. loses about 372 WW II veterans per day. Of the 139 who served on the LST 651, Lenger and Goldsboro are two of the remaining four who are still living. So it was a rare treat for those in attendance on Wednesday to meet the men with the event encouraging two other local World War II Navy veterans, Bert Ponstine and Donovan R. Joslin, to attend.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
An LST is a landing ship tank used during World War II to carry tanks, vehicles, cargo, and land troops directly onto the shore with no docks or piers. One of the few surviving ships, the LST 393, is located in Muskegon, and Lenger has been a longtime volunteer for the LST 393 Museum.
“We have kept in touch over the years through reunions,” Goldsboro said. Lenger added that about 15 years ago the reunions ended, but the two have remained in touch with others who have served on the LST 651, which at the end of the war was given to the Japanese according to Goldsboro.
It wasn’t hard to stay in touch since the two returned to their hometowns, Lenger to Wyoming where he graduated from Lee High School in 1937 and eventually would establish Lenger Travel, and Goldsboro to Brownstown, Ill, where he originally enlisted as a senior at the age of 17 with a friend.
“Actually, my friend and I went in together with plans to be buddies,” Goldsboro said. “When we got to the Great Lakes (a naval station in Illinois), we got separated. On the ship, we refueled a lot of other ships, one being a LCS 11 (a littoral combat ship). Sid gave me a picture of that.
James Smither of the GVSU Veterans History Project interviews David “Goldie” Goldsboro and Sid Lenger
“When I got back and was talking to my friend, he told me he was on the LCS 11 and I told him I had a picture of it. So at the time, he was on the LCS 11 and I didn’t know it and I was on the LST 651 and he didn’t know it.”
The LST 651 refueled and moved troops during the last major battle of World War II, the Battle of Okinawa. Lenger and Goldsboro were assigned to man one of the guns, Lenger was the gunman and Goldsboro was the loader.
“We worked as one, we had to,” Lenger said. “Goldie was a farmer so I just knew the (ammunition) would be there.”
The two would be in the Pacific near Japan when the United States dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but neither realized how quickly it would bring the war to an end with Imperial Japan surrendering on Aug. 15, 1945. In fact, the LST 651 would be docked near the USS Missouri and Goldsboro said he made his way over to the ship via the gang planks to watch the signing.
But the single event that still stands out for both men was that Japanese suicide plane heading toward the ship.
“Goldie said he could see the whites of his eyes,” Lenger said of the pilot.
“I could, too,” Goldsboro said. “How he missed us, well, the good Lord had something to do with it.”
I recently attended a meeting in the greater Grand Rapids area where the discussion centered on how we can benefit Michigan and its communities. In typical brainstorm fashion, our large group was divided into smaller tables to discuss and generate ideas which would be reported out to the larger group.
After one group’s suggestion that we help communities recruit individuals, an audience member respectfully suggested, “Why grow?” When the response was “to keep our communities from stagnating,” the audience member persisted that growth is bad, causing unnecessary congestion and build out, and that we should learn to live with what we have. Polite as the discussion was, I resisted the urge to jump up and debate the topic that day.
So there is no misunderstanding, growth is a good thing, if done right. There are countless examples from the old days, and unfortunately present day too, of poorly managed growth in urban sprawl, over taxing of utilities, etc. That is bad growth.
Communities are just like people, they are either green and growing or ripe and rotting, nothing stays the same. Each of us tries to grow personally, professionally and keep in shape, as a result we are better than we were before. In fact, we can choose to continually grow and improve. Yes, we all know that one guy from high school that 20 years later is still sitting on the couch re-living the same game-winning-touchdown-pass he caught. That is an example of no growth. Communities are the same, they can’t sit around remembering the good ol’ days. Instead, they need to look forward and position themselves for a positive, productive future.
If you’ve been paying attention, Michigan has been hemorrhaging for 10 years when three major companies ended 400,000+ manufacturing jobs. This created a ripple effect and tailspin of people leaving our state, taking their skilled talents and families with them. Although Michigan has done many things right and we are gaining back ground, we still need talent. We need people to move back to Michigan bringing their skills and talents, but also their families, ideas and civic involvement. It is this growth that Michigan and our communities desperately need in order to be a vibrant state.
Here’s the fun part. Yes, we have to encourage and embrace growth in order to be better, but we must be smart about it. As communities and as a state we need to decide what type of growth works, where best to encourage it and what happens when it comes. In other words, we must do some advanced planning so that the growth we so desperately need is organized, positive and helps us get to where we want to go.
And here’s the really fun part, there are loads of people and resources out there that can help. From your local economic development organization, in our case the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance, to the MSU Extension, regional planning agencies such as Networks Northwest or the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments to the Michigan Municipal League and others.
Michigan has a bright future, and I hope growth will be part of it!
Michigan State University Extension has had a unique relationship with the regional economic development organization Northern Lakes Economic Alliance (NLEA) for more than 20 years. Recognizing the strength of combining resources, this partnership focuses on economic development, entrepreneurship growth and community infrastructure throughout a four-county region in the northwest Lower Peninsula, specifically Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan and Emmet counties. As a result, the NLEA utilizes resources offered through MSU Extension as it provides leadership to statewide programs sponsored by MSU Extension.
By Sue Thoms, Spectrum Health Beat, photos by Chris Clark
Cuddling her favorite stuffed dog as she tucked down into a hospital bed, Acacia Walter-Rooks dreamed of life with a healthy kidney.
“I’m excited to eat more foods and go to school and see my friends,” she said.
At the top of the list for this 14-year-old: French fries and macaroni and cheese.
The busy life of a teenage athlete seemed within reach—if her body accepted the donated kidney, and if disease did not attack the new organ.
Two big ifs.
Acacia had already surmounted one big hurdle: She had a living kidney donor who was a good match.
The next day, she would undergo surgery at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital to receive a kidney from Beth Hill, a 46-year-old mother of four young children.
And Hill was not the only one who offered.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
Acacia’s parents, Brie Walter-Rooks and Ryan Rooks, marveled as dozens of friends, neighbors and co-workers volunteered as donors when they learned a rare disease destroyed Acacia’s kidneys. Some potential donors didn’t even know the family well.
Transplant coordinators halted the application list at 30, just so they could process the offers on hand.
The generosity buoyed the family at a difficult time.
“My hope is that Acacia will always remember how loved and cared for she was by her community, and people’s desire to love and care for her so her life can be full and whole,” Ryan said.
For Hill, a friend from church, being chosen as the best match was an honor.
“I feel very blessed to be able to do that,” she said.
‘Always in motion’
Before kidney disease struck, Acacia exuded good health. She played soccer, made the cut on a select volleyball team, and did gymnastics for fun. She and friends from East Grand Rapids Middle School rode bikes, hung out in Gaslight Village and went to movies.
It became clear we needed to take the next big step.
Brie Walter-Rooks Acacia’s mom
“She was just a really active kid,” Brie said. “Always in motion.”
Brie and Ryan adopted Acacia when she was 3 weeks old. They also have a 15-year-old daughter, Mica. The two girls, just a year apart in age, “are totally different and extremely close,” Brie said.
Acacia showed the first signs of kidney disease in July 2013, at age 11. She had puffy eyes, swollen ankles and a bloated stomach. Her face and neck swelled.
They learned she had a rare kidney disease called focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, which scars and damages the kidney’s filtering units.
Genetic testing showed Acacia has a genetic mutation in the APOL1 gene that is sometimes found in people of African descent. The mutation boosts protection from African sleeping sickness, but also carries a sevenfold risk of kidney disease.
Acacia had an exceptionally aggressive form of the disease, one that can rapidly lead to end-stage kidney failure. Doctors said she would likely need a transplant in two to six months.
But she went 30 months before she reached that point. Even with kidneys functioning at 30 percent, Acacia played sports full-speed and hiked in the mountains on family backpacking trips.
In January, however, her kidney function dropped below 20 percent, and her blood pressure rose. Her doctor said she should stop playing sports.
“It became clear we needed to take the next big step,” Brie said.
On Feb. 11, a surgeon removed Acacia’s failing kidneys.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
She began receiving dialysis three times a week. The treatments did the blood-cleaning work of her kidneys, but they left her nauseated and tired. She had to stay home from school.
As Acacia underwent final tests before the transplant, her parents also faced the possibility that the new kidney would not be the fix they sought. Thirty percent of those with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis get the disease back within minutes to hours after transplant.
Before the operation, Brie said she and Ryan were concerned, but they chose not to dwell on possible downsides.
“You realize there is a higher probability that she will be healthy,” Ryan said. “And you go with that.”
‘Called to do this’
Hill remembers the day at Genesis Methodist Church when Brie talked about her daughter’s kidney disease and how she would need a transplant one day.
“It was heart-wrenching,” she said.
Over the next few weeks, Hill thought several times about donating a kidney. She thought about what she would want for her four young children if they were sick. She ultimately decided she could, and should, offer to help.
“I felt called to do this,” she said. “I believe in following those urges.”
Talking with her oldest daughter, 6-year-old Emersyn, Hill explained that she had two kidneys but only needed one.
“We have to help where we can,” she told her.
And Emersyn said, “It’s like having two chances.”
At first, Hill wanted to keep a low profile about her decision to donate. She eventually agreed to discuss it publicly to raise awareness about those waiting for kidney transplants.
“So many people are suffering,” she said.
All those who volunteered to give a kidney to Acacia “are just regular people,” she said. “We all have our own lives and jobs and things that need to be taken care of. Other regular people can help, too.”
Transplant day
The morning of the transplant, the festive crowd gathered in the pre-op area. Acacia curled up under a blue fleece blanket, clutching her stuffed dog, while Mom and Dad talked, smiled and hugged her.
I’m very glad I did it. A little bit of pain is worth it.
Beth Hill Kidney donor
Julia Steinke, MD, Acacia’s pediatric nephrologist, appeared at Acacia’s bedside.
“This is the best day ever,” Dr. Steinke said.
Nearby, Beth Hill lay in another bed, while her spouse, Lisa, held her hand. Their pastor, the Rev. DeAnn Dobbs, moved from bed to bed, leading them all in prayer.
Hill went to the operating room first. As her bed rolled by, she and Acacia raised their hands to each other―a long-distance high five.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
In side-by-side operating rooms, one team worked to detach Hill’s left kidney while another team prepared Acacia for the transplant. Surgeon Stanley Sherman, MD, carried the kidney from one room to the other in a basin filled with a slushy saline mixture.
Acacia’s parents sat in a waiting room, hoping for updates.
Clinical transplant coordinator Eric Beuker soon entered with good news: The kidney was in place and already working.
“We have liquid gold,” he said.
In the hours and days following transplant, the news got even better. Acacia’s new kidney continued to function well, and her kidney disease did not reappear.
“From a well-being standpoint, she is really doing better than expected,” Dr. Steinke said.
Acacia will need medication for the rest of her life to prevent rejection of the new organ. But she will no longer have restrictions on her diet. And she will be able to spike volleyballs over the net again.
Two days after transplant, Acacia took her first walk. With baby steps, she covered 80 feet down the hall at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. She sunk back into the recliner in her room, and her parents and therapists applauded.
Acacia, exhausted, had a request: French fries and an Oreo-vanilla milkshake.
Live-saving
In Hill’s room at Butterworth Hospital, her four kids clustered around her. Kathryn, 2, sat on her lap, and Brendan, 3, asked when she would come home.
Caught off guard by the pain on the second night post-transplant, she’d pulled through with adjustments in medication.
“I’m very glad I did it,” she said. “A little bit of pain is worth it.”
Donors go through extensive medical evaluations to make sure patients will function well with one kidney, Dr. Steinke said. Surgery is done laparoscopically, so recovery is quicker than it was in the past. Still, it can take four to six weeks for a donor to recover, as the body adjusts to a 50 percent drop in kidney function.
A living donor benefits more than just the recipient. Thirteen children are waiting for kidney transplants at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. When a living donor volunteers, it means the line shortens for those waiting for a kidney from a deceased donor.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
Dr. Steinke marvels at the commitment of donors like Hill. While some know the recipient well, others volunteer to give to a stranger.
“That is just an amazing, selfless act that I always am so humbled by,” she said.
For kids like Acacia, a functioning kidney means a chance at a full life and a healthy childhood and teen years.
“It’s a life-saving procedure,” Dr. Steinke said. “She will be able to follow whatever dream she wants.”
If you are considering becoming a living kidney donor, call the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital pediatric kidney transplant team at 616.391.2802.
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet — or few — from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).
Charismatic Charly (born in May of 2015) came to us from Focus on Ferals (FOF) in May of 2018 since he was feline leukemia-positive. However, it is part of Dr. Jen’s intake process, even with shelter transfers, to retest any cat coming in prior to placement at our sanctuary, so she was pleasantly surprised that Charly tested negative for the virus (twice, with two separate samples submitted).
Charly came into FOF in February of 2017, a Cedar Springs stray with a gimpy left front leg and a variety of gashes and wounds on his face from fighting (he was intact). Although his skin lesions healed well, he never lost that limp and diagnostics weren’t performed until Dr. Jen took him in; physical exam and x-rays showed that he had suffered significant trauma to his left carpus (wrist) to the point that the ligaments were damaged and his paw hyperextends. Charly therefore has a bit of hitch in his giddy-up, but it doesn’t stop him from enjoying his life to the fullest by any means!
Most of the time he has manners and behaves, but since we welcomed several recently neutered tom cats to Sid’s around the same time, he sometimes acts like the sheriff in town—which doesn’t always go over too well. He isn’t the aggressor in these situations but mainly appears to be trying to keep the peace by inserting himself into the mix. When he isn’t involved in patrolling the perimeter you can find him curled up snoozing away in a kitty teepee or open cage, proving that even busy guys need their down time.
Once he is well rested he is extremely energetic, so we feel placing him into a home with kids to wrestle and play with would be ideal. He has also shown us his sweeter side by sidling up next to and snuggling close to some of our shy females, so a home with another cat to chum around with would make him a very happy partner! And just look at that face! It is so stinkin’ adorable—how can you resist?!
More about Charly:
Large
Tabby and Domestic Short Hair
Adult
Male
Tabby (Brown/Chocolate)
House-trained
Vaccinations up to date
Neutered
Not declawed
Good in a home with other cats and kids
Want to adopt Charly? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
Can’t adopt, but still want to help? Find out how you can sponsor a cat!
Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary have a common mission: To take at-risk stray cats off the streets of the Greater Grand Rapids area, provide them with veterinary care and house them in free-roaming, no-kill facilities until dedicated, loving, permanent homes can be found.
Being born in the former Soviet Union of Jewish ancestry did not make life easy for families like the Kabachenkos. Add to that the world’s largest nuclear meltdown, and the situation is ripe for an entire family to flee their native Ukraine to seek asylum in the United States. Growing up between two cultures, young Max wasn’t sure where he belonged. And then in 2001, the Twin Towers came down, and an immigrant teen was clear what he had to do: enlist in the U.S. Army and stand up for his adopted country. Max Kabachenko talks with Alan about culture, belonging, and the price of citizenship.
There were two stories of people diagnosed with brown recluse bites in the media recently, “Muskegon woman hospitalized after brown recluse spider bite” from Detroit Free Press and “Rising temps may mean more brown recluse spiders” from Wood TV. One person was reported to have been bitten up in Leelanau County, the other in Nunica, Michigan, in Ottawa County. Both bites were reported to have occurred outside. The offending spider was not collected and identified in either case. The attending physicians based their diagnosis on the appearance of the bite.
Last year, a woman sent me a spider she captured in the act of biting her. The bite festered and she went to the emergency room at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The attending physician diagnosed the bite as that of a brown recluse spider. The spider the lady sent me was a yellow sac spider, Cheiracanthium spp.and (Miturgidae).
It is very difficult to diagnose the perpetrator of a bite based on the appearance of a bite. I am not saying it’s impossible that both of these people were bitten by a brown recluse spider, but it is very unlikely.
Even though Michigan is not in the accepted native range of the brown recluse, it has been found in 10 Michigan counties. Prior to 2017, it had been found in Genesee, Hillsdale, Lenawee, Ingham and Kent counties. The Kent County find came from a home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where the residents had just returned from a trip to Missouri, where the spider is common. Recluse spiders are known to hitchhike in boxes, suitcases and articles of commerce.
In the spring of 2017, a brown recluse spider was found in an unheated garage in Genesee County and in a building on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor (see the 2017 Michigan State University Extension article, “Update on brown recluse spiders in Michigan”). The owner of the garage indicated she had not traveled out of Michigan prior to finding the spiders. Large universities like Michigan have large transient populations of students and visitors from all over the country, so it is not too surprising for a recluse or two to show up there.
In the past 14 months, over 700 Michiganders have sent me photographs of spiders thought to be recluse spiders they had encountered in their homes and yards. Some people just sent stories about bites thought to be recluse bites. Some of these stories were profoundly heart-wrenching.
Of these 700 spider photos, only seven turned out to be of brown recluse spiders. Five of these represented new county records for the recluse in Michigan. The new county records were for Livingston, Oakland, Shiawassee and Wayne counties. There have been multiple finds in Genesee, Washtenaw and Lenawee counties.
Here is a map of Michigan showing the counties where the recluse spider has been found. The counties shown in blue are where the brown recluse had been found prior to 2017. Red counties are where it was found in 2017.
One of these recluse populations, located in a single family residence in Tecumseh, Michigan, in Lenawee County, has been eradicated. This was a true reproducing population of brown recluse spiders consisting of numerous individuals of all life stages including eggs, juveniles and adults. After several attempts using conventional insecticide sprays failed to rid the spiders from their home, the homeowners took out a second mortgage and hired a crew to encase the home in plastic sheeting and pump it full of Vikane gas. They felt they had no other choice to protect their small children.
Photo courtesy Michigan State University Extension
No one in this family was ever bitten by the spiders over the several years they had shared their home with them. They sent me this photo of their home while it was prepped for the fumigation.
So what does this all mean? It means there are rare, isolated populations of brown recluse spiders living in Michigan. It means that the vast majority of Michiganders will never come within a half-mile of a brown recluse spider. None of the brown recluse spiders that have been found in Michigan walked here from Arkansas or even southern Ohio for that matter; they were brought or carried here in suitcases, boxes or some other cartage.
I think it is too early to suggest they represent the beginning of a great northern migration of the brown recluse. There has been only one report of a recluse spider from Wisconsin and that was in 2016. There have been no reports of recluse spiders marauding through the northern parts of Ohio, Indiana or Illinois, so try to relax and enjoy your summer. Please. If you think you found a recluse, send me the spider or a photo of the spider to bugman@msu.edu. I will either put your mind to ease or ruin your summer.
There are about 37,000 species of spiders worldwide with about 3,800 species in North America. Michigan is home to just 500 or so native species of spiders, only three of these native species (not including the brown recluse) are medically important. These are the northern black widow, yellow sac spider and, to a lesser degree, the northern cobweb spider. Yellow sac spiders are very common in and around homes. All Michigan spiders are predators that use venom to subdue their prey. Most will try to bite if threatened. None will aggressively chase you down the hall to bite you, although some consider the yellow sac spider to be a recreational biter—that is, they will bite you just for the hang of it.
Michigan spiders range in size from under 1/8 inch in the Linyphiidae (sheetweb and dwarf spiders) to almost an inch long in the Lycosidae (wolf spiders). Though tiny, researchers have estimated there are 25 metric million tons of spiders on the earth right now.
Spiders do possess a super power too. The silk spiders spin to build their webs and dangle from your ceiling is one of the strongest materials known. Not all spiders construct webs of silk to capture their prey. Some simply run their prey down and overwhelm it. Others are ambush hunters that lie in wait for their prey to walk by then pounce on it.
More than 90 percent of the spider’s diet is made up of insects and they chow through as much as 800 million tons of prey every year. In doing so, spiders play an essential role in keeping natural ecosystems in balance. However, for many, the very word “spider” conjures terrifying or repulsive images, and I’m now going to share with you some of those images (at the end of this article).
Back to Michigan spiders. The 700 photos or specimens of spiders sent to me last year that were not recluse spiders include most, if not all, of the common spiders found around Michigan homes. The nursery web spider and the dark fishing spiders are most likely to be confused with a brown recluse.
This table is a list of spiders Michiganders think might be a brown recluse, ordered by rank in terms of the number of photographs sent to me last year. It is not surprising that most of these are nomadic hunting spiders that do not spin webs to capture their prey.
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park will bloom of a rare Amorphophallus titanum, commonly known as a corpse flower, a bloom 18 years in the making.
GRandJazzFest seeks volunteers for August event
GRandJazzFest presented by the DTE Energy Foundation seeks volunteers to help at the festival Aug. 18 and 19 at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids.
The 72nd District House of Representative seat covers the cities of Kentwood and Wayland, along with a portion of Cutlerville and the community of Dorr. For a district map, click here.
There are two candidates, a one-term incumbent and a challenger, seeking the Republican Party nomination in the Aug. 7 primary. The winner will then face Democratic candidate Ron Rraayer and Libertarian candidate Jamie Lewis at the general election Nov. 6.
Note: Primary candidates are show in alphabetical order. Only seats with primary opposition were invited to participate in We The People at this time.
Name: Jennifer Antel
Party: Primary candidate, Republican
Occupation: Mayor pro tem for the City of Wayland, coach, substitute teacher and business owner.
Why did you decide to run for the 72th District House of Representatives seat?
I was tired of everyone bickering in Lansing and not, seemingly, working together to get things done. And I thought my different leadership style could make a difference.
If elected, what issues do you want to focus on?
Broadening our education, specifically for high school students, including high tech and skilled trades at the high school level. And also early elementary education in math and English.
Name: Steve Johnson
Party: Incumbent primary candidate, Republican
Occupation: State Representative, 72nd District
Why did you decide to run for the 72th District House of Representatives seat?
I’ve been in this job for two years now. I’ve given some strong, conservative leadership so far and I believe, hopefully, in another two years I can get some conservative legislation across the finish line that I have gotten started.
If elected, what issues do you want to focus on?
No. 1 is defending people’s right to life, No. 2 is enacting lower taxes for everyone, and No. 3 is working to fix our broken auto no fault insurance system, allowing rate relief for everyone.
77th District House of Representatives
The 77th District House of Representative seat covers the City of Wyoming, Byron Township and a portion of Cutlerville. For a district map, click here.
There are two candidates seeking the Republican Party nomination and two candidates seeking the Democractic Party nomination. The winners for each party will then face each other along with Libertarian candidate Patty Malowney at the general election Nov. 6.
Note: Primary candidates are show in alphabetical order. Only seats with primary opposition were invited to participate in We The People at this time.
Name: Tommy Brann
Party: Incumbent, Republican
Occupation: Owner of Brann’s Steakhouse & Grille on Division Avenue
Why did you decide to run for the 77thDistrict House of Representatives seat?
Because I am good at the job. I own a small business and every night, I comeback and work at that business and through that I bring the issues that I learned about and discuss at that business back to Lansing, which is not something many of my colleagues are able to do.
If elected, what issues do you want to focus on?
I have an animal cruelty bill that I have been working on. Also, I want to continue the work on homelessness by getting that $2 additional per bed for the shelters. Michigan is one of the lowest in the country, $16 per bed when the average is $26, in contributing to shelters. This additional money would help with new bedding and operations. We have more than 60,000 homeless people, so it is a big problem. I also want to bring the concept of free enterprise into the schools to give students more career choices.
Name: Jordan T. Oesch
Party: Incumbent, Republican
Occupation: Business services
Why did you decide to run for the 77thDistrict House of Representatives seat?
I decided to run because I love the area and it just motivated me. It is why I want to fight to bring more economic opportunities back to West Michigan. I will work tirelessly to ensure that every effort is made to bring our state up around West Michigan.
If elected, what issues do you want to focus on?
Taxes and infrastructure. The moderation of infrastructure has a number of benefits to us, bring businesses back and cost savings. That along with everything else that is so important to the people of this area.
The Democratic candidates are Dana Knight and Robert Van Kirk, did not participate in the We the People candidate profiles.
While all the seats for the Kent County Commission are up for election, there are only a few with more than one candidate seeking a specific party’s spot for the general election. In Michigan’s primary, you may only vote for candidates in one party. The primary election is Aug. 7.
8thDistrict Kent County Commissioner
Kent County Commissioner District 8 covers most of the City of Wyoming, from its western border, heading east. For specific borders, visit accesskent.com.
There are only the two Republican candidates on the ballot for the 8thDistrict Kent County Commissioner seat. The candidate who wins the primary will run unopposed in the general election on Nov. 6.
Name: Benjamin K. Franz
Party: Challenger, Republican
Occupation: Leasing agent for Byron Lakes Apartments
Why did you decide to run for the 8thDistrict Kent County Commissioner seat?
I really love this area and where it is headed and I do feel that things are pretty good. Everything is booming and we have had a lot of competent people leading the way. I don’t want to lose that. So, I decided to challenge myself because I really wanted to give back to this place I fell in love with.
If elected, what issues do you want to focus on?
Being that I don’t have a l long resume into this, I want to talk and review meticulously before approval to any issues. I am elected official who actually speaks to the people. So I want to sit and talk to the residents and let the people tell me which issues are important to them.
Name: Harold Voorhees
Party: Incumbent, Republican
Occupation: Cookies Unique, president and owner
Why did you decide to run for re-election for the 8thDistrict Kent County Commissioner seat?
Because I enjoy public service. I also I think I am needed as we transition with new leadership and there is still work to be done.
If re-elected, what issues do you want to focus on?
I will be focusing on the financial area. We have a triple A bond rating and I want to see that the county maintains that. I also know that the people work hard for their tax dollars and I want to assure them that those tax dollars are working for them.
12thDistrict Kent County Commissioner
The 12th District Kent County Commissioner seat covers the western portion of the City of Kentwood and the eastern portion of the City of Wyoming. For specific borders, visit accesskent.com.
With Harold Mast’s announcement that he would not seek re-election, several candidates have put their names on the ballot for the 12thDistrict Kent County Commissioner seat. There are four Democrats seeking the Democratic Party spot. Whoever wins the primary will face Republican Jill Martinez in the general election on Nov. 6.
Name: Katy Steele Barone
Party: Candidate, Democrat
Occupation: An office manager by trade, but I’m not working right now.
Why did you decide to run for the 12thDistrict Kent County Commissioner seat?
To amplify the voices of the working class and to instill confidence and interest (in county government).
If elected, what issues do you want to focus on?
In general, healthcare, immigration, clean water, and infrastructure.
Name: Keith Courtade
Party: Candidate, Democrat
Occupation: Works for GM
Why did you decide to run for the 12thDistrict County Commissioner seat?
I have a real passion for this and I miss not being able to represent and serve the people of Kent County. When I served as a Kent County Commissioner, I was a voice for the working families, the middles class, the poor and senior citizens – all the residents. I brought a commitment to fiscal responsibility, tax fairness and open government.
If elected, what issues do you want to focus on?
I will put jobs first, working to find jobs and retaining laid-off workers; ease family burdens by helping them cope with the demands of caring for family members who are disabled; keep parks affordable by opposing park and recreation fees so no Kent County families would be priced out of county activities; push for local first purchasing to keep our tax dollars with local businesses; and defend the senior millage.
Name: Monica Sparks
Party: Candidate, Democrat
Occupation: Small business owner
Why did you decide to run for the 12thDistrict County Commissioner seat?
So, in March of this year, I was selected as one of the 50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan by the Grand Rapids Business Journal. I know that with influence it is not something you use for yourself but others. I filed in March, like the next day. I decided to run because I want to see that we have continuous services. We need to make sure that such services as mental health continue because a healthy mind leads to a healthy community.
If elected, what issues do you want to focus on?
Mental health services is one along with fair affordable housing. People say there is only so much land, but there are other options such as there are a number of abandoned buildings that we could tap into for fair housing services. Also, having a father who is a Korean war veteran and received the Purple Heart, making sure our veterans are taken care of and receiving the services they need along with services to those with special needs.
Name: Scott Urbanowski
Party: Candidate, Democrat
Occupation: Humoniad Digital, owner
Why did you decide to run for the 12thDistrict Kent County Commissioner seat?
When I heard Harold Mast was retiring, I considered it but it wasn’t until over the holidays that I made the decision to run. I am running for three reasons. The first is to rebuild trust between the public and government. The second, my promise to serve the less fortunate and our veterans, and third is what I can bring to the county commission, that millennial voice. I am a person who has faced economic challenges and am able to give the ordinary resident a voice at the table.
If elected, what issues do you want to focus on?
I have a four-part platform: opportunity for all, giving a voice to the less fortunate; government for all, making it more transparent and open to the residents it serves; health and safety for all, as we deal with PFAS issues and trying to address chemicals left in the ground and preventing things like that from happening; and service to all, working on service to help the underserved and less fortunate by looking at issues such as consolidating 911 into one dispatch and seeing if that will provide the quality of service for all.
Riders enjoying their time horseback riding at the 2017 State 4-H Trail Ride & Family Camp Weekend. All photos by Taylor Fabus, MSU Extension.
ByTaylor Fabus, Michigan State University Extension
If you’re spending time with your horse on the trail, it’s important to do so responsibly. Read on to discover many ways in which you can be sure you ride responsibly.
Travel responsibly
Stay on designated roads, trails and other areas open to horses.
Ride single file to reduce trail damage. Spread out in open country where there are no trails. Spreading out, rather than following each other’s footsteps, disperses impact and avoids creating a new trail.
Be prepared to let other trail enthusiasts know what needs to be done to keep you, the horse and other passersby safe when you meet on the trail.
Be alert and aware of the presence of other trail enthusiasts. If possible, pull to the side of the trail when you hear oncoming off-highway vehicles or bicycles.
Leave gates as you find them. If crossing private property, be sure to ask permission from the landowner.
Do not disturb historical, archeological or paleontological sites.
Avoid “spooking” livestock and wildlife you encounter and keep your distance.
Water animals in areas where stream banks and water access can withstand hard use and are downstream from campsites.
Photo by Taylor Fabus, MSU Extension
Educate yourself
Obtain a map of your destination and determine which areas are open to your type of pack animals.
Make a realistic plan and stick to it. Always tell someone of your travel plans.
Contact the land manager for area restrictions, closures and permit requirements.
Check the weather forecast for your destination. Plan clothing, equipment and supplies accordingly.
By Michelle Hannink, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch
This New York Times bestseller is not another fad diet book. Roizen and Oz use simple language, humor and comical diagrams to help the reader understand the chemical and hormonal biology of food and fat metabolism within the human body. The authors present the “You Plan,” a diet and healthy lifestyle with recipes, and the “You Activity Plan,” an exercise regimen.
The human body has amazing and intricate systems for the processes of hunger, food consumption and satiety. The authors use a competitive sports metaphor for the eating/hunger signals as the offense and the satiety/satisfaction signals as defense. They explain the interaction of the brain, stomach, hormones, muscles, heart, genetics and daily stresses together to influence the waist and body size. The waist size has become more significant to medical practitioners than weight as an indicator of health risks associated with poor diet and lack of exercise.
A particularly interesting chapter explains the relationship of feelings and food. The authors explain the chemical relationship of emotions and stress on the brain chemistry of appetite and eating responses.
Little boxes of illustrations and facts give sideline explanations. Throughout the book, the reader will find practical tips and tidbits to help establish healthy eating habits. For example, eating a cup of soup or handful of nuts shortly before a meal will help appease the appetite and prevent overeating.
The book continues with the “You Turn” chapter, the presentation and encouragement towards a new lifestyle. It is all about gaining knowledge, changing your behaviors regarding eating and health, and gaining a permanent healthy lifestyle. The reader will continue on to the “You Activity Plan,” the 20-minute physical exercise program which does not require a gym membership or expensive equipment. The book is complete with the “You Diet,” the waist management eating plan and recipes.
Runners are among the high-intensity athletes who should be especially cognizant of their exposure to heat on summer days. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
By Jolene Bennett, Spectrum Health Beat
Early last summer, incoming Kent State University freshman Tyler Heintz, 19, fell severely ill during an early-morning football practice.
His breathing grew labored and he began to slip in and out of consciousness. An ambulance rushed him to a hospital, but he later died.
The cause: exertional heat stroke.
This dangerous condition can strike an athlete of any stature, even those who have reached the pinnacle of their sport. In August 2001, 6-foot-4, 335-pound offensive tackle Korey Stringer, of the Minnesota Vikings, died shortly after collapsing during drills on a hot, humid day.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifies groups most at risk of heat stroke, including the very young, the very old, the chronically ill, people who work outdoors and people in low-income households.
It is not uncommon for an athlete to sweat 1 to 2 liters per hour on a hot day. A large football player can lose up to 15 pounds of water in a single practice session.
The problem is most athletes drink far less than they sweat, simply because they underestimate the extent of their sweat loss.
Limitations
With summer underway, athletes young and old are more often found outdoors. It’s an essential time to impress the importance of proper hydration and rest.
Summer training camps for runners, soccer players and football players are proving grounds for excellence, but they can be ground zero for heat stroke trouble.
When athletes—especially runners and football players—participate in vigorous exercise in the warm months, dehydration can turn fatal.
Almost all heat-related deaths occur from May to September, according to the CDC, which also identifies exertional heatstroke as a leading cause of preventable, non-traumatic exertional sudden death for young athletes in the U.S.
Two-a-days, those notoriously difficult practices common to football, can often lead to trouble. Last year, the NCAA Division I Council banned two-a-days in preseason practices.
A 2016 study in the Journal of Athletic Training found that exertional heat exhaustion occurs at an increased rate in the first 14 days of practice, and especially in the first seven days.
About a decade ago, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association issued guidelines for preseason heat acclimatization. The guidelines establish a 14-day plan that helps athletes acclimatize to the heat. It zeroes in on the first three to five days of summer practice as the most important for progressive acclimatization.
On Day 1, for example, athletes shouldn’t participate in more than one practice and they should wear limited gear, as well as limiting the level of exertion and physical contact. For full-contact sports, “100 percent live contact drills should begin no earlier than Day 6.”
Coaches and training staff must carefully consider their approaches to summer practices, scrutinizing duration, intensity, time and place.
On especially hot days, for instance, the practice may need to be limited in length or simply rescheduled to a cooler part of the day.
Keeping watch
Athletes and parents need to be aware of the signs and symptoms of dehydration and heat stroke.
Keep in mind that thirst is not always the best indicator of dehydration. By the time a person senses thirst, the body may have already lost more than 1 percent of its total water. Athletes, coaches and parents should emphasize the importance of proper hydration before, during and after sporting activities—and then keep watch for any signs of trouble.
Not urinating, or very dark yellow or amber-colored urine
Dry, shriveled skin
Irritability or confusion
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Rapid heartbeat
Rapid breathing
Sunken eyes
Listlessness
Shock (not enough blood flow through the body)
Unconsciousness or delirium
When dehydration goes untreated, the body can no longer maintain homeostasis, which leads to heat stroke. This can cause impaired cardiovascular function and neurological failure.
An athlete experiencing heat stroke may become agitated, confused or unable to maintain balance.
The signs of heat stroke:
High body temperature
Hot, red, dry, or damp skin
Fast, strong pulse
Headache
Dizziness
Nausea
Confusion
Losing consciousness
Heat stroke, also referred to as heatstroke or sun stroke, is a true medical emergency that is often fatal if not properly and promptly treated. Call 911 or go to the emergency room if heat illness is causing vomiting, seizures, or unconsciousness. Locate an urgent care facility near you.
By Amy Hoogstra, MSN, FNP-BC, Nurse Practitioner at Ottawa Hills High School Health Center
Your child’s first vehicle is often a bicycle. Riding a bicycle is an opportunity for your child to develop a sense of accomplishment and balance, but if not ridden safely, it can also pose a risk to your child’s health. Each year “more children ages 5 to 14 are seen in emergency rooms for injuries related to biking than any other sport.”1 Here are some bicycling dos and don’ts to consider the next time your child asks to ride his or her bike:
Dos:
Do teach your child to ride their bike on the right side of the road, with traffic and not against it. Remind them to ride as far to the right as possible.1
Do teach your child to make eye contact with drivers. Before crossing the street, your child should know that approaching drivers are paying attention.1
Do make sure that your child’s helmet fits and that your child knows how to put it on correctly. Use these tips to make sure that your child’s helmet is protecting him or her as it should:1,2
Helmets should sit on top of the head in a level position
Helmets should not rock forward, backward, or side to side
Helmets should always have straps buckled
Your child should be able to see the bottom rim of the helmet when looking up
Straps should form a “V” under your child’s ears when buckled
Your child should feel the helmet hug their head when they open their mouth
Do a safety check before a bike ride. Ensure the reflectors are secure, brakes work properly, gears shift smoothly, and tires are appropriately inflated.1
Do teach your child how to use proper hand signals before allowing them to ride on the street. Hand signaling allows for important communication between cyclists and motorists.1
Do encourage your child to ride predictably by riding in a straight line and avoiding swerving between cars.1
Don’ts:
Don’t allow your child to ride on their own until you have ridden together and you are confident in his/her bicycling skills. 1
Don’t allow your child to wear a helmet designated for another sport (such as football). Bike helmets are made specifically to protect your child from biking-related injuries.3
Don’t purchase your child a bigger bicycle with the hope that your child will grow into it. When sitting on the bicycle seat, your child should be able to put the balls of both feet on the ground while holding the handlebars.3
Don’t allow your child to ride their bike at dusk or after dark. Riding at night requires specific skills and equipment that few young children have.3
Don’t allow your child to wear long or loose clothing while riding their bike.1
If your child is in need of a properly fitting helmet, please call 616.391.7233 to schedule an appointment for a $10 bike helmet. Location: Injury Prevention Program Office, Masonic Center, 233 E. Fulton, Suite 103.
To celebrate her 11th birthday, Lily Brouwer and her family planned a mini-vacation at a beachfront cabin in Grand Haven, Michigan.
She had been battling an upset stomach and intermittent abdominal pain, but determined to have fun, the birthday girl insisted on going.
Frigid Lake Michigan waves rolled in when they arrived that dreary Sunday. They still remember the date: Dec. 30, 2012.
A more chilling fear would sweep over the family.
After loading up with Motrin and going sledding, Lily’s condition worsened. She thought she was seeing blood in her frequent diarrhea.
“I tried to tuck her into bed and prayed for her, but she was up 15 minutes later,” said Michelle Brouwer, Lily’s mom.
Lily’s dad, David, said they knew something wasn’t right, that this was no ordinary stomach virus.
Michelle drove Lily to Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids.
When the clock rolled to midnight on New Year’s Eve, ushering in Lily’s birthday, they were in the emergency room.
“She was lying on my lap, writhing in pain,” Michelle said. “She was in complete misery.”
Doctors told Michelle they were going to observe Lily for six hours. If she could keep fluids down, they could release her.
Instead, they admitted her. She remained there for 21 days.
Tainted food
Michelle’s parents dropped off a birthday gift to Lily at the hospital and then tended to Lily’s siblings—Madeline, Jorja and Liza—so Michelle and David could watch over their daughter.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
For four days, Lily went to the bathroom every 15 minutes. Bloody diarrhea. She vomited frequently. She took morphine every two hours for pain. A steady stream of IV fluids dripped into her young veins.
With doctors trying to pinpoint a cause, anyone who visited the room had to don gowns and gloves.
That Thursday afternoon, a pediatric nephrologist delivered the soul-shaking news: Lily had hemolytic uremic syndrome. The doctor said Lily could lose her kidneys. And her life.
Lily fell into acute kidney failure. She was rushed to the intensive care unit and put on a huge dialysis machine.
According to Alejandro Quiroga, MD, section chief of pediatric nephrology at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, something Lily ate caused this life-threatening condition.
“(Hemolytic uremic syndrome) is a condition where there is a toxin produced by a bacteria in your gut that causes your red blood cells to be destroyed and form small clots in your blood vessels, creating multiple organ damage, but particularly to the kidney,” Dr. Quiroga said.
Lily either ingested undercooked or poorly handled food, Dr. Quiroga said.
“We don’t know from where,” he said. “The health department was notified and they performed an investigation without any yield.”
David and Michelle prayed. And they cried. But they had faith. In God, and in the doctors who cared for their precious daughter.
“There were countless times I feared the loss of Lily’s life and how that would forever change the course of our family,” David said. “But we continued to pray, believe, and put our faith in the amazing team of doctors and nurses responsible for her care.”
Incomprehensible horror
Lily remained in the ICU until Sunday afternoon. While there, she began suffering from hallucinations.
“They had to rush her down for a CT scan,” Michelle said. “It can attack your brain. Every organ can be affected. She saw pretty much every specialist there is. Her heart rhythm was off. She developed pancreatitis. She had a pleural effusion.”
How could this be? Their precious daughter, who had just celebrated her birthday, appeared to be nearing her death day.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
“We had thousands of people from around the world praying for Lily,” Michelle said.
As if life couldn’t get any more terrifying, another dagger struck.
“We got a text from grandma that our baby, Liza, who was 5 at the time, was having vomiting and bloody diarrhea,” Michelle said.
David and Michelle swallowed hard as they reread the text message in disbelief.
“I was horrified,” David said. “After watching Lily for 10 days and knowing what she was going through, it was incomprehensible to think that Liza was going to have to go through that pain as well.”
Michelle returned home to check on Liza.
“I got a call from my husband,” she said. “He didn’t know what to say other than, ‘You need to get down here to the hospital right away.’ The way he said it, I didn’t know if Lily was still going to be there when I got there.”
Lily had difficulty breathing. She was upside down in bed, gasping for air.
The grandparents took Liza to the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital emergency department.
“They were going to transfer Liza to the seventh floor to be right next to Lily,” Michelle said. “But at the same time, Lily was getting worse and they had to transfer her back up to ICU.”
‘I’m afraid I’m going to see Jesus’
Lily told David she couldn’t breathe.
“She said, ‘Daddy, I can’t breathe, I’m afraid I’m going to see Jesus,’” Michelle said. “She told him, ‘I don’t want to see Jesus today.’”
They intubated Lily. She remained on a ventilator for four days.
Meanwhile, the nightmare continued. Liza’s numbers trended in the wrong direction. She also tested positive for hemolytic uremic syndrome, and transferred to the intensive care unit.
“This could be lethal in some cases and Lily and Liza were critically ill and at risk of death or permanent organ damage,” Dr. Quiroga said.
Slowly, the medicine—and the prayers—began to work.
“We tried an off-label medication on them that in our experience and other centers’ case reports have shown improvement in severe cases like them,” Dr. Quiroga said.
A community responds
Michelle and David’s emotions crawled from the valley of death to the mountaintop of hope.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
Lily came home from the hospital on Jan. 18. Liza followed three days later.
Hundreds of people lined the Brouwers’ street, clapping and cheering.
“Lily is a miracle that she’s here and that her kidneys started to turn back on,” Michelle said. “Our God is a big God and he did a miracle. Lily and Liza are amazing. They’re miracles. They’re perfectly healed.”
The girls went home on a special diet and required outpatient dialysis.
Now, they’re both off medication and only need to do urine checks once a year with their pediatrician.
“They are doing great now,” Dr. Quiroga said. “They have normal lives and the prognosis is excellent.”
Michelle said no one would even know the girls were sick if it weren’t for the testimony the family has to share.
The illness may be gone, but the lessons remain for the Brouwers and all who know them.
“This story affected so many people,” David said. “Lily and Liza became symbols in our community for hope, faith and healing. We were shown so much support, love and care. During that time and ever since, we have tried to do the same for others going through horrible times as well. We witnessed a profound miracle and everyone near and far realized it, too.”
Five women put on red caps and gowns, sharing smiles and stories about the past 18 weeks they experienced together. They are the first students to complete and graduate the Sterile Processing Registered Apprenticeship program: Lelah Christiansen, Samantha Gonzales, Gina Mancha, Shanitra Reed and Melonie Rodriguez.
Week-by-week they learned the skills needed for a successful career in the health care industry. And, piece-by-piece they refined the art (and science) of cleaning, sterilizing and assembling surgical parts.
“I’ve always wanted to get back into health care, and this job was the perfect fit for me,” said Samantha Gonzales.
Gonzales was a housekeeper at Holland Hospital when she learned about the program. She applied, knowing the program could give her the ability to advance her career but little else about the job. After starting the apprenticeship, she realized quickly the job matches her skills and abilities well.
“I love interacting with co-workers throughout the hospital and working under pressure. I plan on building a career out of this job,” Gonzales said.
A new future
Gina Mancha was laid off from her career and was too young to retire. This program gave her a new set of skills to start a second career.
“We all took this class for the better, no matter what that is- better job, better schedule, better life,” Mancha said. “We were determined and ambitious.”
Students received instruction from Grand Rapids Community College, as well as hands-on experience at a local hospital: Spectrum Health, Holland Hospital or Mercy Health.
“You just changed the narrative of your life, your childrens’ lives and grandchildrens’ lives,” said Amy Mansfield, dean of GRCC.
Mancha left quickly after the ceremony ended. She had a job to start.
Employment Expertise is provided by West Michigan Works! Learn more about how they can help: visit westmiworks.org or your local Service Center.
Nancy Brozek
