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).
Once in awhile, we have the extreme pleasure of taking in a cat who is so instantaneously comfortable with his new surroundings, it is as though he has lived among us his entire life. Here’s a cat who is downright ebullient and gleeful at the mere prospect of coming into contact with a human that it elevates his emotions to another level of happiness—pure, unadulterated bliss!
Such is the case with Theon Greyjoy, a 2-year-old, beautiful boy (born in the summer of 2017) who has been simply bursting at the seams since his arrival in late August of 2019. How did we happen across such greatness? Somehow this gorgeous gray guy (sporting a little white locket) ended up at the Kent County Animal Shelter as a homeless stray, and when he tested positive for Feline Leukemia Virus four weeks after his arrival there, they called us to ask for help with placement.
From the get-go, Theon has delighted all of us with his charming personality and people-pleasing antics, bringing unrivaled joy into our lives:
“Theon is not only gorgeous, but he has proven to be an absolute doll. From the minute he arrived, he’s enjoyed all the luxuries of indoor life, including endless bowls of wet food, comfy beds, and ALL of the attention from the volunteers. He gets along great with the other residents, enjoys playing with the many toys scattered around the shelter, and is known to be a “helper” at the kitchen sink. Considering his young, playful age, he will definitely need a home with kids willing to spend plenty of time playing with him.”
“Theon is a bundle of joy and energy. He’s the type of cat that thrives in our chaotic shelter environment. He loves all of his friends, both feline and human. He is constantly in the middle of everything. He will do awesome in any action-packed home, maybe even one with a dog.”
So, there ya have it: aside from the fact he has the Feleuk virus, Theon Greyjoy is absolute purr-fection. And since positive kitties CAN live long and healthy lives, he is absolutely a fabulous candidate for adoption. A word of advice: don’t let this guy slip on by!
More about Theon Lovejoy:
Domestic Short Hair
Gray & White, Gray/Blue/Silver
Adult
Female
Medium
House-trained
Vaccinations up to date
Neutered
Prefers a home with other cats, children
Want to adopt Theon? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
The sixth season of the Jazz in the Sanctuary concert series will begin on Sunday, Nov. 17, at 3pm. The series combines contemporary jazz performance with the neo-Romanesque beauty and acoustic splendor of Fountain Street Church in downtown Grand Rapids.
For each concert in the series, guest performers join Robin Connell, series host and an accomplished jazz musician herself, onstage for more than an hour of music and light conversation. A large projection screen displays the performers in detail, and Connell often invites audience members to ask questions.
The Nov. 17 concert will feature vocalist Ashley Daneman and her husband, trumpeter Benje Daneman.
Ashley Daneman, originally from Ohio, honed her singing voice in Washington, D.C., and New York City, earning her master’s degree from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. Her original music, which can be heard on Bandcamp and other online platforms, has drawn comparisons to Becca Stevens, Laura Nyro, and even Stephen Sondheim.
Benje Daneman got his professional start in 2007 with the Doc Severinsen Big Band and now performs and records with his band SearchParty. He has co-founded and directed multiple educational programs including the Jazz & Creative Institute (JCI), Kalamazoo Youth Jazz Orchestra, Kalamazoo Trumpet Workshop, and JazzStart Summer Jazz Workshop.
Connell received West Michigan Jazz Society’s 2017 “Musician of the Year” award for her widespread collaboration with area jazz artists and her work on this series. She performs regularly throughout West Michigan, often with her husband, trombonist and educator Paul Brewer. She is currently planning this season’s second Jazz in the Sanctuary event, which will feature pianist Lisa Sung.
General admission to each Jazz in the Sanctuary concert is $15 online or at the door. Students admission is $5 with a valid school ID. Please visit fountainstreet.org/jazz.
Familial hypercholesterolemia can be diagnosed with a simple blood test and a look at family history. Genetic testing can confirm the diagnosis. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
High cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease, but not all forms of it are the same.
An underdiagnosed genetic condition called familial hypercholesterolemia can cause dangerously high levels of cholesterol at an early age.
While scientists have determined familial hypercholesterolemia is caused by genetic mutations that affect the body’s ability to remove LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, they haven’t pinned down all the genes involved for nearly 1 in 3 people who have it.
But that may be beginning to change.
Scientists presented preliminary research at the American Heart Association’s Vascular Discovery conference in Boston this week showing more clues to the genetic roots of familial hypercholesterolemia.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute researchers screened 19,114 genes and identified transgelin as one of the genes of interest. Previous studies have found this gene could be associated in LDL metabolism.
When researchers disabled the gene in cells, some cells tried to compensate.
“The cell tries to make more cholesterol because cholesterol is vital for the cell to survive,” said Diego Lucero, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral fellow at the institute. “Understanding this is important because it might have impacts on the magnitude of the clinical presentation of the disease.”
People with familial hypercholesterolemia are exposed to chronically high levels of LDL from an early age and their risk for premature heart disease is 20 times greater than the general population, according to the Familial Hypercholesterolemia Foundation.
Over time, the condition can lead to atherosclerosis—the buildup of plaque and narrowing of artery walls. As a result, signs of heart disease can show up decades earlier in people with familial hypercholesterolemia compared to the general population.
The condition affects approximately 1 in 250 U.S. adults. Yet, it remains largely underdiagnosed and undertreated.
“Less than 10 percent of those who have (familial hypercholesterolemia) have actually been diagnosed, which leads to a lot of premature morbidity and mortality,” said Dr. Samuel Gidding, chief medical officer for the foundation.
Someone who carries the altered gene has a 50% chance of passing it on to their children.
Yet, the challenge is diagnosing familial hypercholesterolemia.
Health care providers may not understand the difference between general high cholesterol and familial hypercholesterolemia and may not screen high-risk people, said Gidding, who was not involved in the new study.
Familial hypercholesterolemia can be diagnosed with a simple blood test and a reported family history of cardiovascular disease. Doctors look for LDL levels over 190 in adults and over 160 in children, and onset of heart disease before age 60 in men and before 50 in women. Genetic testing can confirm the diagnosis.
Once identified, there are effective ways to treat the condition, Gidding said. Early treatment with medications, as well as maintaining a heart-healthy lifestyle, can lower the risk of premature heart attacks and strokes.
The new research and further work identifying new genes involved in the development of familial hypercholesterolemia could lead to better diagnosis and treatment, Gidding said.
“Anytime an individual gene like this could help explain variations in lipid level, it could be a drug target.”
According to the 2017 U.S. Census Bureau and American Fact Finder, there were approximately 2,582,410 grandparents providing primary care to their grandkids under the age of 18. While this number has held steady in recent years, it is considerably lower than 2,687,216 in 2011 and 2,733,807 in 2013. When a parent is not able to care for their child, grandparents will fill this role to keep the family together.
The parent has a mental illness or is incarcerated.
The grandchild is suffering abuse and neglect at the hands of their biological parents.
The parent is in the military.
Tips for grandparents
AARP offers suggestions for grandparents that are welcoming grandchildren into their home. Due to the nature of addiction, incarceration and the sudden deployment of military, grandparents are typically thrust into the role of the primary caregiver with very little notice. Keeping good notes and staying organized is key to success. Keep birth certificates, social security cards, medical and dental records, attorney or custody papers, as well as other important documents, in a file folder or file cabinet.
Courtesy Michigan State University Extension
AARP recommends making lists of small tasks that could be helpful and sharing with well-minded neighbors, extended family and others. They will want to help. Another suggestion is to divide up tasks and make daily plans of what needs to be accomplished.
Michigan State University Extension recommends beginning conversations with the child’s teacher, building principal, pediatricians, counselor, school social worker and lawyers (if needed) about changes that are occurring in the child’s life. According to “Grandparents Raising Grandchildren” from HelpGuide, grandparents need to acknowledge their feelings. Anger, resentment, stress, worry, guilt and grief are typical feelings that will be triggered when grandparents take on their new role as parent. They can, however, expect to feel joy, love and peace in seeing the child in a stable environment learning, growing, making friends and more.
Grandparents absolutely must find moments to take care of their own spiritual, mental, emotional and physical health. It is difficult to be a caregiver when we are out of energy. They may be financially burdened by this new situation as well. Seeking help from support groups is very beneficial and highly recommended. It is not something that needs to be done alone.
Finally, while this may be difficult for grandparents, children will have mixed feelings as well in their new living arrangements. This is especially true for children who have lost their parents to death. In any situation, they may express feelings of abandonment, sadness, mistrust, confusion, anxiety and may act aggressively or exhibit other inappropriate behavior. Over time, children will begin to settle into the new situation and feel safe to express their feelings. Support the child as they work through the roller coaster of emotions they are experiencing.
MSU Extension recommends supporting children by establishing predictable routines, accepting input on house rules, how they would like to decorate their room, providing private space and offering consistent, unconditional love and attention to help them feel secure.
Have you seen my heart somewhere in your castle of yellow leaves?
A Waltz for Zizi, written by Yoko Kanno
Now Serving
Today’s the day! The Cheesecake Factory at Woodland Mall officially opens today. Started in 1978 in Beverly Hills, the popular restaurant, which has more than 30 different types of cheesecake, has its roots in Michigan. While living in Detroit, Everlyn Overton found a cheesecake recipe in a local newspaper. She made some tweaks and well, you can taste the results at the new restaurant, which also has 250 different entrées on its menu.
Just a ‘Goofus’
It was a single duck that brought a group of Wyoming residents together this summer. Freelance writer Estelle Slootmaker shared the story of Goofus, a Pekin duck, who along with another was left at Wyoming’s Lamar Park. Goofus proved, as Slootmaker put it, “different birds of a feather could flock together.”
Santa is Coming! Order Tickets Now!
The Grand Rapids Public Museum announced its popular Breakfast with Santa will return this year with the event taking place Dec. 14. There will be two sessions, 8:30 a.m. and 10: 30 a.m. with about 100 spots available for each. Tickets are expected to sell fast, so if you are interested make sure to snap them up quickly! For more, click here.
Fun Fact: On the Move
Anyone who has every visited the Niagara Falls probably have seen a boat lodged near the top of the Canadian falls. The boat, called a scow, has been lodged on the falls since 1918 and for more than a hundred years has rested against an outcrop of rock. That is until Halloween night, Oct. 31, when winds from a severe storm caused the scow to “flip on its side and spin around” bringing it closer to the falls. For more about the scow’s movement, click here. For more on the history of the scow, click here.
In 2017, more than 85,000 people were treated in U.S. emergency rooms, doctors’ offices and clinics for injuries related to luggage. Know your limits before you pack that suitcase. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
With holiday travel comes the risk of injury from toting heavy luggage.
In 2017, more than 85,000 people were treated in U.S. emergency rooms, doctors’ offices and clinics for injuries related to luggage, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
“Hurting your neck, back, or shoulders can put you out of commission for a long time,” Dr. Charla Fischer, an American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons spokesperson and orthopedic spine surgeon, said in an academy news release.
“You can prevent that by packing lightly, using sturdy luggage with wheels and handles, and using good form when carrying or lifting bags,” she suggested.
Here are some luggage safety tips, courtesy of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Don’t buy luggage that’s too heavy or bulky when empty. Try to place items in a few smaller bags instead of one large one. When lifting luggage, stand alongside it and bend at the knees, lifting the luggage with your leg muscles. Once lifted, hold luggage close to your body.
Don’t twist when lifting and carrying luggage. Point your toes in the direction you’re going and turn your entire body in that direction. Don’t carry bulky luggage for long periods of time. When possible, use the airline’s baggage service when you have heavy luggage.
Carry luggage in both hands, rather than one hand off to the side. This can decrease stress to the spine and reduce the risk of developing elbow problems.
Carry, don’t drag, rolling luggage when climbing stairs.
If you’re using a backpack, it should have two padded and adjustable shoulder straps to equally balance the weight. Pack heavier items low and towards the center.
When using a duffel or shoulder bag, switch sides often.
David Stults stood in front of a packed auditorium at Lowell High School, sharing his medical journey with students.
Even though the cause of his irreversible lung damage is, of all things, microwave popcorn, Stults has learned that vaping can cause similar damage. And he wants students to know it. Before they suffer a similar fate.
Stults, now 59, started feeling short of breath about 10 years ago when he’d go up and down the stairs at his house.
“Your initial thought is, OK, it’s time to push away from snacks and do some exercise, which I began to do,” the Walker, Michigan, resident said. “The symptoms only became worse. I went to my PCP. He listened to my lungs and said, ‘Something doesn’t sound right.’”
The doctor referred him to Michael Harrison, MD, a Spectrum Health pulmonology disease specialist.
In late 2009, lung function tests put Stults in the 70% to 80% range.
“For a healthy 49-year-old man, that was alarming,” Stults said. “Imaging showed some very ugly air trapping. He did all the breathing testing and put me on a pretty aggressive regimen of prednisone and inhalers.”
But time would not be a healer.
By February 2010, his lung function had worsened, dipping to the 60% range.
“It’s heading south quickly,” he said. “I was taking 60 to 80 milligrams of prednisone a day, as well as other inhalers. I started doing breathing treatments a couple of times a day.
Photo by Taylor Ballek, Spectrum Health Beat
“By March or April, I was down to 30%,” he said. “I couldn’t walk up half a flight of stairs without stopping to catch my breath. Any kind of incline was a challenge. Even the gentle incline of the drive walking from the mailbox to my home, I’d have to catch my breath.”
By May, he continued to slide downhill, requiring weekly pulmonology appointments.
Medical mystery
Dr. Harrison suspected Stults may be suffering from an autoimmune issue. A rheumatologist started aggressive treatment with Rituxan, a drug normally used to fight cancer.
“I felt great afterwards,” he said. “I had more energy. I didn’t feel as short of breath.”
The diagnosis came in May 2010: bronchiolitis obiliterans, a severe lung inflammation that is both progressive and irreversible.
Doctors confirmed the diagnosis after three days of intense testing.
He returned home on oxygen.
“They said, ‘You need to go home and get your affairs in order,’” Stults said. “My wife (Barb) and I are both very committed and devoted Christians. We reached out to our family and friends and let them know we were asking for prayer. I can tell you from that day forward, my lung capacity has increased from 41% to 43% and has never gotten worse.”
Still, Stults wondered how he could have contracted this untreatable condition.
Dr. Harrison asked if he had been exposed to insulation, factory or foundry chemicals.
No. Stults had always worked white collar jobs.
He launched a massive internet search on his condition.
“Up popped this article on popcorn lung,” Stults said. “It told the story of these plant workers at various microwave butter-flavored popcorn manufacturers who were dying at this incredibly crazy rate. It was only the employees in these cities, working at these plants. A dozen employees died over six months. It was ridiculous.”
Federal agencies such as OSHA and NIOSH launched an investigation and learned the chemical used to create the butter flavoring, diacetyl, when it’s heated, creates a potentially toxic vapor.
Photo by Taylor Ballek
“My wife and I loved microwave butter-flavored popcorn,” he said. “My secretary at the office would make me a bag every day. I really enjoyed it, almost to an addictive level—opening the bag and sniffing in the fumes. I was breathing in the diacetyl on a daily basis. We had done that for 30 years.”
Stults’ condition may be irreversible and incurable, but he’s trying his best to reverse the actions of students who vape.
“We were talking with some friends of ours who are 20 years younger than we are and they have high school age boys,” Stults said. “She’s kind of the cool mom of Hudsonville. They have a nice home with an indoor basketball court. All of the guys in her son’s class hang out there.
“Because she’s so cool and engaging, the boys started to confess to her that a lot of them were vaping and couldn’t stop,” he said. “They were reaching out to an adult that they trust.”
She did some research and found that diacetyl is one of the many chemicals used to create different flavors in vaping pods.
“She knew my story and called me,” Stults said. “Besides nicotine, which is incredibly addictive, there’s asbestos and formaldehyde. You wouldn’t live with it in the attic and you’re going to suck it into your lungs?”
Snuffing out vaping
According to a series of national surveys recently released by the federal government, about 40% of high school seniors have vaped, double from the year prior.
Stults teamed up with Spectrum Health Medical Group pulmonologist Shelley Schmidt, MD, to set up talks at schools, with the goal of shining a light on the dangers of vaping pod chemicals and nicotine addiction.
“I get at least a phone call a week from a principal saying, We don’t know what to do. It’s out of control,’” Stults said. “Students are addicted. They don’t know how to stop.”
Stults aims to portray the real-life picture of what the chemicals do.
“I tell them, ‘Here’s what you’re setting yourself up for—40% lung capacity,’” he said. “Dr. Schmidt explains addiction and what’s going on in your lungs.”
Stults said they’ve only done a handful of presentations so far, but as principals talk to each other, engagement requests are growing.
“These kids do it walking down the hall in the school,” Stults said. “They do it in the classroom. They sneak it. Other than kind of a fruity smell, there are no fumes.”
Glenn VanOtteren, MD, a Spectrum Health Medical Group pulmonary disease specialist, said popcorn lung is rare but it could become more of an issue as vaping data becomes available.
“With the removal of diacetyl from heated food, we saw it rarely,” Dr. VanOtteren said. “We don’t have data on the rates of vaping-induced lung disease because the use of vaping has accelerated in the last two to three years.”
Dr. VanOtteren said Stults is doing well, despite limitations.
Photo by Taylor Ballek, Spectrum Health Beat
“His lung disease is stable,” Dr. VanOtteren said. “He is short of breath with stairs. He requires daily medicine and has flares of his disease about two times a year when he gets worse and needs additional medications. His lungs can continue to decline because of these flares.”
Dr. VanOtteren said he’s impressed Stults and Dr. Schmidt are sharing lung lessons with students.
“This is such a contemporary and important topic,” he said. “Providing education at this early age is super impactful.”
Many people who visited the former Grand Rapids Public Museum’s home on Jefferson may remember the Moorland Mastodon.
The almost complete mastodon was found on a farm in Moorland, Michigan in 1904. The Kent Scientific Museum of Grand Rapids (now the Grand Rapids Public Museum) acquired the mastodon for $75 with the goal of putting it on display at the museum. According to a 1940 Grand Rapids Herald article, the skeleton measured “18 feet long, 10 feet high and 6 feet wide, with the tusks themselves being nearly 6 feet in length.”
This photo from the Ravenna Times shows what the Moorland Mastodon looked like on display at the former home of the Grand Rapids Public Museum. (Ravenna Area Historical Society)
When the museum moved to its current location, the mastodon was not moved over as it was starting to deteriorate, said GRPM Science Curator Dr. Cory Redman.
Instead, the bones were transferred to the museum’s collections, where it was dismantled so as it could be preserved for future generations to look at and study.
In this segment about the museum’s collections, Redman discusses the importance of the preservation work being done, some of which is to correct past-museum practices, and the techniques being used.
Only about 10 percent of the museum’s collection is on display with the rest housed in the museum’s collections facility. The museum has about 250,000 items in its collection. To see some of those items or to learn more, visit grpmcollections.org.
For people recently diagnosed with dementia, or caretakers, friends, and loved ones of someone with dementia, changes in behavior can be frightening and difficult to deal with. Yet it’s important to understand that the person with dementia is not any less themselves because of their condition. Being able to recognize responsive behaviors and realize what causes them to occur can help bridge the gap between someone with dementia and those around them.
What is Dementia?
Dementia refers to a number of different causes of loss of cognitive functioning, including Alzheimer’s, frontotemporal disorders, Lewy body dementia, and vascular dementia. It is characterized by loss of capacity to remember and reason such that it interferes with a person’s life. Functions such as memory, language skills, hearing, visual perception, focus, and problem solving may gradually become impaired. In some cases, people may lose control of their emotions or display seeming changes in personality.
Despite common perceptions, dementia is not a normal part of aging, and it can be managed with proper memory care. Part of this care is ensuring a secure, stable support network for the diagnosed person, but this can be hard when many dementia behaviors are misunderstood or misinterpreted.
Responsive Behaviors
People with dementia will often display responsive behaviors to stimuli — or lack thereof — for which they do not have a response that is considered “normal” or “acceptable” for others. Yet these behaviors are not intended to upset others, and may be the best way the diagnosed person can convey an idea, wish, or concern. Unfortunately, some common responsive behaviors are misread as rude or inappropriate, creating further communication barriers and potentially, more emotional distress for the person with dementia.
Some common responsive behaviors include screaming, babbling, making strange noises, restlessness, grabbing people, and aimless wandering. It’s important to note that some responsive behaviors, such as swearing, violent contact, and sexual impulses can be distressing to others, and should not be dismissed as normal behavior. However, you should always be mindful of the possible causes of such behavior, and attempt to reach a solution that prevents further harm to either party.
There are a number of factors that could contribute to causing responsive behavior. These include:
Physical:
Is the person hurt, sore, or uncomfortable? Is she hungry or thirsty? What visible changes can you see that could indicate physical distress? Someone who is physically uncomfortable may have less control over her reactions, and resolving the discomfort could help with addressing the behavior.
Emotional:
Have you noticed the person becoming more anxious, teary, or melancholy? Does he seem to be lonely? Has he become suspicious of others, or fearful of something? While shifts in emotion are harder to address than physical needs, distracting the person with dementia could help them regulate negative emotions. Try reminiscing about happy times in earlier life, as long-term memories are more likely to remain readily accessible to those with dementia.
Intellectual:
Have you noticed that the person has had more trouble forming sentences, or loses her train of thought halfway through a conversation? Has she had recent issues with memory, or with performing activities of daily living? In many cases, the person with dementia may be aware of their loss of cognitive functioning, an experience that is frightening, frustrating, and embarrassing. Try not to point out areas of difficulty, and use clear instructions and visual cues to help them perform tasks.
Environment:
Environmental factors can play a large part in the comfort of a person with dementia. For example, if the lights are too bright or too dim, the person may be overwhelmed or unable to see clearly, causing distress. Is the area too noisy? Is there enough stimulation to give him something to focus on? Small changes in environment can ensure the person is comfortable with their surroundings.
Social:
Are there hints from the person’s background that may give insight into their responsive behaviors? Because long-term memories are often more accessible than short-term, people with dementia may draw upon scenarios and behaviors that they learned growing up, routines they learned at school or during their professional life, or cultural or religious practices.
Capabilities:
A natural reaction for caretakers of loved ones with dementia is to attempt to do everything for them, but loss of control and self-management can be distressing and even hurtful to the diagnosed person. As a result, responsive behaviors may be a reaction to underestimating (or overestimating) a person’s ability to perform certain activities of daily living. Enabling them to perform self-care tasks for themselves may help slow loss of function and manage responsive behaviors.
Actions of Others:
Is there anything that you or others are doing that could upset the person with dementia? While asking them to remember something or explaining why a behavior is inappropriate may seem harmless, and indeed necessary to a caregiver or friend, the person may interpret such statements as disappointment, anger, or frustration. Be understanding, offer an apology, and distract them with a new topic of conversation or something to do with their hands.
The most important thing to remember when working towards understanding dementia behaviors is that responsive behaviors are purposeful. While it may seem that the diagnosed person is lashing out or performing behaviors unconsciously, they are actually reacting to a circumstance in a way that seems natural to them. Part of providing memory care — whether formal or informal — is the ability to recognize and work through these responsive behaviors, creating better communication between the person with dementia and their caregivers.
Lamar Park’s lake has been my family’s happy place a long time. My dad caught turtles there in the 1930s and was the lifeguard in the 1940s. My parents began taking me there in the late 1950s. I remember seeing African American children for the first time at its beach, specifically a little girl my age with rich dark skin and lovely pink palms. My mom simply stated, “We are all the same on the inside.”
In the 1960s, I learned to swim in that lake on chilly 7 a.m. summer mornings and, during even chillier winters, raced and beat the boys ice skating. I found out about kissing there in 1970s. In the 1980s, I brought my own kids there to swim. The last time we went, my son Andy dove underwater and came up with a ten-dollar bill. So many good times!
Lamar Park neighbors were able to capture Goofus’ buddy, Sir Lancelot. (Photo by Daniela Georgescu)
These days, I love walking around the lake that’s now home to so many interesting wildlife creatures. Huge, rust-colored carp, silver trout, quick diving turtles, and the flocks of geese and ducks. This past summer, one duck in particular caught my eye — a huge, white, domestic Pekin duck who was quite at home with a flock of much smaller, wild, brown mallards. I named him Goofus, though later I found out “he” was probably a “she.” Other friends of this little lake we’re enamored with Goofus, as well. One called her “Goofy,” another “Donald.” Donna Batdorf called her “Guinevere.” No doubt others had their own name for this somewhat laughable, but fabulous femme fatale.
Why do I say fatale? Well, for one, Goofus and another Pekin duck did not come to Lamar Lake on their own accord. Some cruel human ditched the ducks, even though they couldn’t fly (wings clipped) and would no doubt die of cold as soon as the next winter blew in. Humans with a more compassionate nature were able to rescue Goofus’ partner. But Goofus was too smart for them.
Goofus and Sir Lancelot (Photo by Daniela Georgescu)
Batdorf posted about the duck’s plight on Facebook. She shares, “… a girl named Rachel stepped forward to help. Rachel has other ducks in a pond on her property and feeds them and makes sure that they’re healthy all winter long by providing shelter. She lives over Allendale way, but came over to Lamar Park and was able immediately to capture the first duck, a male. I hadn’t named him yet, but now I’m going to, and let’s say he was Sir Lancelot, since she was Guinevere. Rachel took Lancelot home and he immediately blended in with her flock. She came back several times alone and sometimes we’d meet and tried to capture Guinevere. We tried various food techniques, and we tried even putting a large pen on the shore to lead her into and then we were going to shut the door real fast. We tried luring her with the previous duck that she knew, but nothing worked.”
Many other folks tried on many other occasions. Each time, Goofus escaped. Lamar neighbor, Marcy Kale, had plans to winter Goofus at her house, if caught. As the attempts continued to fail, another Lamar neighbor, Renee Kooiman posted on Nextdoor, “She’s very wary now and her girl squad of mallards flank her!”
Ah yes, her Mallard family. Goofus taught me that birds of different feathers flock together. These ducks of color welcomed Goofus into their family with open wings. She swam with the flock, slept with the flock, and squawked with flock — although her goofy, loud duck honk was a good deal louder. We humans think we are the superior species. Ha!
I cried the day I learned that Goofus died. I’m not sure how this big, silly bird got a hold of my heart, but she sure did. Unaware that Lamar neighbors were trying to rescue her, I had put in my own message to Wildlife Rehab Center. But before any of us had a chance to spare Goofus from life alone after the mallards migrated and the sure death a cold winter would bring, a not-so-woke human ran her down and killed her in the road. Goofus and her friends were on their way to eat some seed at a neighbor’s feeder. Honestly, who would not see a bright white duck the size of a toddler child crossing the residential, park-side street (speed limit 25)?
That’s when I found out about Goofus’ human admirers on Nextdoor. Somehow, I felt comforted knowing that they shared my grief. In that brief online encounter, I had a flock. I hope one of these days, as I walk around the lake, I might run into one or two of them. Who knows, even if we aren’t of the same feather, we could have a very nice chat about a very impressive Pekin duck named Goofus, er … uh … Guinevere — no, Donald. Or was it Goofy?
With more than 11 million U.S. children living gin food insecure homes, hunger is no longer just a city concern.
“People don’t understand or realize that poverty does not have a zip code anymore,” said Cheryl Hondred, founder and CEO of Hand2Hand, a local organization that partners with area churches and schools to provide weekend food to area children. “Actually urbanization has caused people to move into the rural areas, suburbs, so every single school now has students who go home over the weekend, that 68-hour gap in the week, with limited food resources.”
Cheryl Hondred, founder and executive director of Hand2Hand
The need for food resources continues to grow, according to Hondred. Hand2Hand works with 111 area churches to help about 6,356 children in 192 schools. Through the program, there are about 5,200 volunteers.
“We are in the places you wouldn’t expect, Rockford, Caledonia, Jenison, Grandville, Hudsonville, Wyoming, Byron Center,” Hondred said, adding that more schools wish to have Hand2Hand in their school.
Hand2Hand’s model is to partner with a local school to provide the weekend food to the students. Hondred said. Hand2Hand works with the church to train members, set up food pantries and organizer foods.
So the biggest challenge for Hand2Hand has been to find churches to partner with to provide the nutritious food to students for the weekends.
Currently the organization is hosting an initiative in school districts of Kentwood, Godwin Heights, and Godfrey-Lee where Hand2Hand is offering seed money to churches to purchase pantry items, shelving, bins and additional food items if the church would be willing to help with a school in one of those districts.
For more about the Hand2Hand program, click on the link above featuring WKTV’s Donna Kidner-Smith talking to Hondred about the program or visit h2hkids.org.
A Harvard University scholar and narrative historian, who presents accounts from a time in American history and gives context to today, will give the lecture for the Grand Valley State University Fall Arts Celebration.
Jill Lepore, described as the preeminent narrative historian of her generation, will deliver her talk, “American History from Beginning to End,” November 5 at 6 p.m. at the Eberhard Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. A 5 p.m. public reception will precede the lecture.
Lepore is the David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and also a staff writer at The New Yorker. Her most recent book is “This America: The Case for the Nation.”
She asserts that the United States is an experiment founded on three “truths”: political equality, natural rights and the sovereignty of the people. Nora Salas, assistant professor of history, said Lepore compels audiences to question if America’s mission has succeeded or failed in the past and what the resulting effect on the present day has been.
“Lepore’s work speaks to the significance of history for the health of our democracy and political institutions,” Salas said. “We hope the audience will gain an appreciation for the complexity of American history. As Lepore writes, “A good history should raise questions.”
All Fall Arts Celebration events are free and open to the public. For more information visit gvsu.edu/fallarts.
Wyoming resident Beth Kiurski at her second marathon in Germany. It was during training for this marathon that Kiuski was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. (Supplied)
This weekend more than 50,000 runners from around the world will be converging on New York City for the largest marathon in the world, the New York City Marathon. On Friday, Wyoming resident Beth Kiurski will be heading out to join the crowd.
Kiurski is part of a group of 30 runners who make up the estimated 9,000 charity runners attending this year’s race. She will be running for the Beyond Type 1, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those live with Type 1 diabetes, a condition that Kiurski herself was diagnosed with about 16 months ago. Type 1 Diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes, is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin, which the body needs to allow sugar to enter cells to produce energy.
“I remember the exact spot on the freeway when I got the call,” she said about when she received the news on June 4, 2018. “The nurse called and she said my blood sugar is 800. I said ‘Is this bad?’ and she responded, ‘Oh honey, you are diabetic.’”
Looking back, Kiurski said she noticed signs such as running had become “so much harder,” the excessive amount of water she was drinking (more than 100 ounces outside of other beverages), and her fiancé noticed she was losing weight.
“I kept saying it was because I was running so hard,” she said.
None of it was due to the running, but to the Type 1 diabetes.
“That night [of the diagnosis] I learned how hard it was going to be right away as they gave us a prescription for insulin and when we stopped to get it filled. It was $700,” Kiurski said. “They don’t ease you into diabetes.”
As Kiurski learned how to manage her Type 1 diagnosis she found herself becoming restrictive on her diet, reducing it to certain items such as lettuce, spinach, cheese, and sunflower seeds.
“I just decided to eat certain items because that would mean I would not have to have insulin and I just was not comfortable with stopping everything so I could give myself a shot,” said Kiurski, who is a teacher at Holland’s Black River Public School.
Beth Kiurski on a recent hiking trip. (Supplied)
A scheduled backpacking trip had Kiurski researching how people with Type 1 diabetes handle these types of adventures. She discovered the Dexcom CGM System, which provides continuous glucose monitoring systems for diabetes management. The Dexcom CGM System consists of three parts: a small sensor that measure glucose levels just underneath the skin, a transmitter that fits onto the sensor and sends data wirelessly to a display device, and a small receiver or compatible smart device that displays real-time glucose information.
“No one wants to stop and check their sugar in front of everybody” said Kiurski, who has a Dexcom G6. “It tells me when I going low so I know to eat something. In fact, I have an Applewatch, so I can just look at my watch and no one knows that I am checking my sugar.”
Within months after being diagnosed, Kiurski was asking for a Dexcom and an insulin pump.
“It’s a little unusual in that most people get those in a year,” she said. “There are number of reasons why, such as insurance, but they also want you to know how to do it by hand in case the technology does not work.”
About a year and half later, Kiurski has discovered she does not have to stop running — or living — because she has Type 1 diabetes, something she hopes others will learn from her story.
“People with diabetes don’t have to be limited because of the disease,” Kiurski said. “As a teacher, you don’t want anyone to be based on their ability or their disability. You see everyday that there are different challenges and different struggles and people can do what they want to do.
“In the end, it’s what you bring to the table.”
Or in Kiurski’s case, to the road. As she prepares to take to the New York City streets for the 26.22-mile marathon on Nov. 3, Kiurski revealed that along with demonstrating that people can live with Type 1 diabetes and raising money for Beyond Type 1, she does have a personal marathon goal as well.
“For my first marathon, my goal was between 4 and 4:20 [hours] and I did it in 4:24,” she said. “My second one, which during training I was diagnosed, I did it in 4:40. I am hoping to do this one in 4 or 4:20,” and with a laugh, “but I heard the hills in New York can be tough.”
Odds are you know the feeling: You wake up from a nap and your arm is asleep. Or your foot’s gone numb.
As you move it around, it starts to prickle and tingle. Gradually it wakes up, and a minute or two later you’re back to normal.
What’s this uncanny sensation all about? Is it normal or something to be concerned about?
The short answer is: It depends.
If it’s fleeting and infrequent
The medical term for this feeling of numbness or tingling is paresthesia, and its cause is the compression of a nerve, according to Paul Twydell, DO, a fellowship-trained neuromuscular medicine specialist with Spectrum Health Medical Group.
Paresthesia typically happens if you lie on a nerve while asleep or hold the same position for too long while sitting—like when you’re driving or reading.
If the feeling goes away quickly, this phenomenon is called transient paresthesia, and it’s typically nothing to worry about.
People will wake up with tingling in their hands and think they have a circulation problem, Dr. Twydell said, but that’s not the case.
“It’s just that a nerve is being compressed in the wrist or elbow. And the reason it happens at night is we often sleep with our wrist or elbow flexed or underneath us, or in a strange position.”
A nerve is a bundle of “wires” surrounded by a layer of insulation called myelin, Dr. Twydell explained. Myelin helps speed the movement of electricity along the nerve.
“When that myelin is compressed, that means the messages aren’t getting through very well,” he said. “A lot of times it’s when the compression is released that (the tingling) happens”—as communication is being restored along the nerve.
The nerves most prone to compression are found in the wrist, elbow, knee and upper arm.
If it’s persistent or abnormal
So when might numbness or tingling be a cause for concern? Dr.
Twydell recommends that people talk to their doctor if they experience
any of the following:
Persistent numbness or tingling in the hands. This is often a sign of carpal tunnel syndrome, which is treatable—the sooner the better to avoid severe damage and the need for surgery.
Tingling in the feet, especially at night. This might be an early sign of a degenerative nerve disease called peripheral neuropathy,
which is most often caused by diabetes or heredity. Neuropathy isn’t
reversible, but it can sometimes be slowed down, Dr. Twydell said.
Weakness of a limb in conjunction with numbness. This can be a sign of more severe damage to a nerve.
Numbness or tingling that ascends up the legs or into the abdomen.
This can be a sign of spinal cord inflammation or compression.
Numbness involving half of the body or face. This can be an indicator of stroke, which requires emergency care. Call 911.
If you have persistent symptoms of numbness or tingling, your doctor may order a test of the nerves called electromyography, or EMG. This nerve study can help pinpoint the source of a problem and help guide treatment.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common problem investigated by Spectrum Health Medical Group Neurology in the EMG lab, Dr. Twydell said.
Tips for good nerve health
Your best bet is to avoid activities that cause prolonged nerve
compression, Dr. Twydell said. Change positions frequently. Get up and
walk around throughout your workday.
“If nerves are compressed over and over again, you can have more persistent symptoms that can eventually lead to weakness or disability,” he said.
Here are Dr. Twydell’s tips for preventing that numb or tingling feeling in your extremities:
Wear wrist splints at night to ease problems with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Avoid lying on your elbow while sleeping, and try wearing an elbow pad to bed to keep the elbow straight.
Don’t cross your legs, with one knee draped over the other. That can compress the fibular nerve, which can lead to foot drop, a cause of tripping.
Avoid the habit of sleeping with your arm stretched out or
underneath your partner. Over time this can damage the radial nerve,
leading to wrist drop.
Avoid leaning on your elbows for extended periods. Try adding gel pads to the armrests of chairs, wheelchairs or cars.
If you do a lot of computer work, use a gel wrist rest. Avoid
holding the wrists in either a flexed or an extended position, which can
damage the median nerve.
Eat a well-balanced, low-carb diet. This is especially important for people with diabetes, who are more prone to neuropathies.
Avoid alcohol in excess, which can cause neuropathy.
Avoid taking zinc and vitamin B6 in excess, which can cause nerve problems.
Dr. Twydell admits that some of these tips are easier said than done.
For example, it’s hard to change the way you sleep, he said. Yet,
people who sleep in a way that compresses the ulnar nerve in their elbow
“can cause some pretty significant weakness in the hand.”
And if you’re one of those people who rarely experiences numb or prickly limbs, consider yourself lucky. Some people are more prone to nerve compression than others, Dr. Twydell 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).
Drop-dead gorgeous Devereaux (ooh, so fancy!) came to us back in the summer of 2016 laden with intestinal parasites and looking for indoor housing. She quickly earned the title of ‘diva’, demanding constant attention and affection (the volunteers were happy to accommodate), and made her presence known to all who came to gaze upon her.
In January of the following year a love-connection was made, and Dev was adopted and taken into a home she could claim all for her own, which could not have been more perfect for this pretty princess. Jan and Dev lived quite harmoniously together for about a year and a half, but then our gorgeous girl developed some unbecoming litter box habits.
Over the next year, she was a frequent clinic visitor, Dr. Jen had many conversations about how to try to curb Miss Piddlepuss’s behavioral urination issues. Sadly everything we tried was ineffective in the long run, although multiple, hopeful respites were seen in between, Dev simply could not get her act together permanently.
So, three years after her initial arrival into our program, darling Devereaux (born in late 2013) once again graced us with her presence. Let’s just say that her return was anything but simple and serene; in fact, she had to spend several days at the clinic simply chilling in her cage in order for she and Dr. Jen to come to an agreement about handling her. With the help of a pheromone calming collar, Dev and Dr. Jen were soon seeing eye to eye, and then it was make-or-break time—to head on down to Crash’s and get acquainted and immersed into a multi-cat lifestyle once again.
As you can imagine she has had quite a bit to say about things, and we have made the following observations:
“Devereaux definitely thinks she is a princess. She hates the other cats with a passion but is doing okay since she has learned to avoid them. She likes attention, but only on her terms. As long as she has a cozy bed to snuggle down into she is very content. She needs to be an only cat—no dogs or kids. Don’t get me wrong, as she’s a very nice girl who deserves another chance, but with someone who understands she is a wee bit temperamental and is patient with her.
“There have been no reports of inappropriate litter box habits since she has been back (her bio was written about 2 months after her re-arrival).”
We completely understand that finding the perfect home for her is going to be a tall order to fill, as Jan was single, it was just the two of them and Dev still couldn’t behave. We’ve considered making her a permanent resident, but she hasn’t had a single accident outside of the box since she returned, so she deserves a second chance.
Why her manners have surfaced now is beyond us—maybe it is the fact we have boxes in every room, or perhaps she is being diligent in the hopes of being sprung from this ‘prison’ of sorts—but whatever the case is, we are happy that she is following the rules.
We are working on her entitled attitude, so we honestly do see a great deal of untapped potential waiting to emerge.
More about Devereaux:
Domestic Medium Hair
Tortoiseshell
Adult
Female
Large
House-trained
Vaccinations up to date
Spayed
Prefers a home without other cats, dogs, children
Want to adopt Devereaux? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
For the sake of illustration, let’s pretend a man’s picture of good health falls someplace on a horizontal line.
On one end, you’ve got the late John Candy; on the other, you’ve got the very much alive Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
For the average guy, there’s probably going to be a comfortable middle somewhere along that vast spectrum.
You may, for instance, be content with a body type more akin to the one Leonardo DiCaprio had on display one recent summer when he was photographed vacationing someplace warm and expensive.
Always the picture of prepossessing boyishness, the Oscar winner looked, in this instance, more like a cuddly dad from Des Moines and less like a toned Titan of Tinseltown.
And if the Internet’s collective brilliance has the last word on the matter, that’s perfectly OK.
Sometime in recent years, folks began dubbing this look the “dad bod.”
Countless celebrities have been photographed unabashedly displaying their dad bods—an online search bears infinite entertaining results—and millions of fathers have been consigned to this body type ever since the developed world became less agrarian and more sedentary.
One college newspaper writer gained some notoriety for suggesting that the dad bod maintains, perhaps, a certain kind of appeal.
It’s a fleshy-but-not-obese physique that suggests, “Let’s skip the gym this weekend, because I’m down for DiGiorno and a Game of Thrones binge.”
Who could say no to that?
But here on the cusp of another summer, an important question lingers: Apart from the cringe-worthy moniker, is the dad bod an acceptable standard of health? Not aesthetically, but medically?
It all depends on you.
If you’ve got a body like Leo, Seth Rogan or Adam Sandler, a discerning doctor is likely to be less concerned with how you look today and more concerned with how you looked five years ago.
To assess a guy’s overall level of fitness, you have to account for
how his body has changed from past to present, Dr. Holman said.
“You can’t just assume from one single picture what their lifestyle is,” he said.
You need context.
Explained Holman: “So, if Leonardo had a six pack and all of a sudden he’s looking like that?”
Not so good.
“But somebody who looks like that—who had a BMI that was 50, and obviously over the last year they’ve made some pretty big changes?”
Pretty good.
Body Mass Index, or BMI, is a decent indicator of a person’s fitness.
“First thing is, we’d see where your BMI is,” Dr. Holman said. “We shoot for a BMI of between 20 and 25.”
Many online sites will calculate your BMI, which is your weight, in kilograms, divided by the square of height in meters. (A 6-foot-1 man who weighs 215 pounds, for instance, has a BMI of about 29—slightly over the recommended cutoff of 25.)
But BMI is not the Holy Grail.
“Depending on your BMI, another indicator could be your waist circumference,” Dr. Holman said.
A man of average height should have a waist circumference of less than 40 inches. Anything over that, Dr. Holman said, and it’s an indication of a possible risk for metabolic syndrome.
You could make the argument that a dad bod that’s heavy in the middle is simply cuddlier and more lovable, but that’d be the only argument you’ve got.
Excess fat around the waist indicates a higher risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes, Dr. Holman said.
“Obviously that extra fat around the abdomen … if celebrities or media are promoting that, that’s a little concerning,” he said.
Genetics, circumstance
Substantial physical change may prove frustratingly elusive for some fellas, but that’s only because their genes are tight—so tight, they’re never letting go.
“To be honest with you, there are genetics behind weight,” Dr. Holman said.
“You don’t really have control over that,” he said. “Focus on what you have control over. What do you put in your mouth every day? What do you do every day?”
If you’re eating healthy and you’re exercising, there’s a fair chance, bad genes or good, your body will reap the benefits.
And, dad bod or not, be leery of any message that says beer and pizza are acceptable regular components of any diet.
“When people start saying that’s cool, maybe we’ve gone too much the other way,” Dr. Holman said.
Here he’s alluding to those opposing ends on that John Candy-Dwayne Johnson spectrum. There really is a happy middle. (You can have a piece of pizza and a beer once in a while; just don’t make them fixtures of your diet.)
“When everyone needed a six-pack, some people gave up trying for that,” he said. “Hopefully they would, in the media, kind of promote more healthy living instead of focusing on what the picture of the abs looks like.”
Write your history—and your child’s
There’s a good reason they call it the “dad bod.”
Once men and women procreate, those little people called children commandeer every aspect of their lives, leaving precious few moments for time-intensive exercise regimens.
“There is that weight gain that dads get,” Dr. Holman said. “It often goes along with moms gaining weight, too. You become more focused on caring for your kids than yourself sometimes.”
Dr. Holman’s advice to patients, and parents: Focus less on looks and more on healthy activities and healthy meals.
And promote the same things in your kids.
Because apart from genetics, how you look today has something to do with how you grew up.
“A lot of weight depends on what you were early on,” Dr. Holman said. “Your body kind of sets a standard weight by the time you’re a teenager.”
If a poor diet and sedentary lifestyle were hallmarks of your childhood, your journey to health in adulthood may be fraught with more pain and slower gains.
If, however, you were active as a kid—youth sports, a love of outdoors and the like—you may find it easier to bounce back as an adult, even in your later years.
“Some people feel like it’s always going to be hard work to get under that weight that your body has set as its baseline weight,” Dr. Holman said. “It’s not that you can’t overcome it. It’s just that it gets a little bit harder to overcome.”
Mind your body
So, really, do looks matter? To a degree, yes. More accurately, what matters is the measurement of your looks. Your BMI and waist circumference will play roles in what your doctor has to say about your health and fitness needs.
But your health history—your weight today versus a year ago, or two years ago—is just as important. You should celebrate steps toward better health, no matter how small, and also recognize when your health is slipping.
“If the BMI is above 30, usually I will order a blood test,” Dr. Holman said. “A common blood test checks cholesterol, diabetes and thyroid.”
That’s the introductory assessment.
“That shows how urgent it is for them to make some lifestyle changes,” he said.
If your BMI is 30 but your cholesterol level is great and you’re not diabetic, “it’s not nearly as urgent as someone whose BMI is 30 but they’re starting to get pre-diabetes,” he said.
A normal blood sugar level is typically lower than 100. Anything greater than 125 is considered diabetes. Pre-diabetes is the range in the middle.
“There’s that gray zone between 100 and 125,” Dr. Holman said, “when people can make a huge lifestyle change and prevent getting diabetes.”
And who knows—you might also prevent the complete onset of a dad bod.
A blood test may seem like a simple thing, but it can do so much.
It can diagnose disease, reveal how well your organs work and whether a course of treatment is effective or not, experts say.
Some blood tests require patients to fast before the blood is drawn. It’s crucial that you avoid eating before such tests, which require blood that is clear of nutrients, such as fats and sugars.
Glucose and lipid testing are the most common types of fasting blood tests, said Carole Andrews of Penn State Health in Hershey, Pa., where she’s a supervisor in the department of pathology and laboratory medicine.
“The amount of fats and glucose (sugars) will increase in the blood if a person has recently eaten,” Andrews explained in a Penn State news release. “This will affect the results of these specific tests.”
You may also wonder why technicians take so many blood samples.
Vials used to collect samples may contain additives that keep blood from clotting before the lab can test it. Tubes are color-coded according to the type of test. For example, a purple-colored vial is used for a blood count and a green-colored vial may be used for a chemistry profile, Andrews said.
How much blood is collected depends on the number and type of tests ordered by your doctor.
And there’s no need for concern if multiple vials of blood are taken. Most people have between 4,500 to 5,700 milliliters of blood.
“Even if you had 10 tubes of blood taken, that’s less than 60 milliliters,” Andrews said. “It’s not going to make an impact because your body is designed to replace what is lost.”
You can make the process easier by drinking plenty of fluids beforehand, she suggested. This will make it easier for the technician to poke into a vein.
“Also, it is easier if the patient is relaxed and comes in with a good attitude,” Andrews said. “If they tense up too much, it can make the venipuncture difficult.”
Michigan truck driver Charles Hogan happened to snap this photo while traveling through Holland last week. The picture was taken Oct. 22 in the morning as the thunderstorms moved through West Michigan.
Do you have a picture you would like to be considered for Photo of the Week? Email it to joanne@wktv.org.
It wasn’t until artist Leyna Luttrull researched and then painted ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) that she fully understood what her daughter was going through.
“I didn’t think she really had it,” Luttrull said as she stood next to a series of paintings that depict mental health diagnosis — bipolar disorder, ADHD, substance abuse disorder, and borderline personality. The paintings were part of Luttrull’s 2018 ArtPrize installation “Disease Does Not Discriminate (Work in Progress)”. “I thought she was just acting out. I had to research it and learn about it. That’s when I truly understood that my daughter really did have ADHD. She was struggling. It wasn’t just acting it out. She wasn’t making it up. She was really suffering from this.”
It was through that 2018 ArtPrize series that Luttrull said she has found art creates a platform for people to openly discuss the disorders and diseases they have personally faced or have faced with loved ones. It is the reason Luttrull decided to partner with the non-profit mental health organization i understand and the local art group Experience Live Art to create the 2020 ArtPrize piece “We UnderSTAND Together.”
Unveiled at the Sept. 10 Pink Heart Day — a family-friendly event that raises awareness about suicide and prevention along with working to erase the stigma of depression and other mental health disorders — the ArtPrize piece brings together the community to paint tiles that Luttrull will then assemble into a giant butterfly.”
“With this piece we are trying to bring awareness of what people face in mental health and the stigmas that are attached to them,” Luttrull said. “So we are hoping by allowing people to express themselves through these tiles we can create a greater picture of how working together as a collective can overcome the stigmas of mental health.”
The goal is to collect about 2,000 tiles with organizers planning to attend various events throughout Grand Rapids to provide opportunities for community members to paint a tile or two. The community also will be invited to help break objects that will be used in the piece as well.
A rending of what the “We UnderSTAND Together” piece will look like when completed. (Supplied)
Vonnie Woodrick, founder of i understand, said the butterfly was chosen because it is a symbol of change.
“That we can be in a dark place but through time and transformation, we can have the ability to emerge into something beautiful,” she said.
Artist Leyna Luttrull at the Sept. 10 Pink Heart Day. (Photo by WKTV)
Along with hosting support groups and providing educational materials about suicide, i understand is working to eliminate the stigma of suicide by changing the definition of the word from “intentionally taking one’s own life” to “suicide’s role as a terminal side effect of mental illness and wanting one’s physical or emotional pain to end.”
Woodrick said she hopes that the 2020 ArtPrize project will help the public understand that everyone has some sort of pain.
“We want to be able to support each other through that pain no matter what it is, whether it is a mental health illness, whether it is cancer, whether it’s physical, whether it’s bullying,” she said.
The “We UnderSTAND Together” project will be visiting various local events to give the public an opportunity to paint tiles. (Photo by WKTV)
Steve Tibbe, one of the founders of Experience Live Art, said his organization looks to host platforms that help to promote local artists and increase exposure for healthy ways for creative outlets. The “We UnderSTAND Together” project fit those goals.
“This particular project focuses on bringing the community together and letting people connect with each other more than they think,” Tibbe said. “I think there is a lot of stuff through social media and just the technology today that we just feel connected but we are actually less connected. So people struggle with expressing themselves and their true feelings and just the ups and downs of life.”
Tibbe said he hopes the piece will be displayed in a prominent Grand Rapids location for ArtPrize 2020 so people can take selfies with the piece and use it let others know that they are not alone and they do understand what that person is experiencing.
Named one of Yahoo Music’s “Top ten bands to watch,” The Accidentals, a Michigan-based band with a unique style of music, will play in concert on the Tibbits stage on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 7pm.
Traverse City’s female-fronted, multi-instrumentalist power trio The Accidentals (Sav Buist, Katie Larson, and Michael Dause) have been called “Defiant, young-powerful, and undaunted,” by Texas Lifestyle Magazine. Quickly growing regional attention, The Accidentals bring an eclectic blend of Indie, folk, pop, and rock that melds their orchestral roots with classical, jazz, bluegrass, country, and alt-rock influences. This genre-hopping trio puts on an interactive show that has been wowing audiences across the globe.
This regional phenomenon is rising in popularity with a just-released self-titled LIVE album and tour of the UK. They are currently scoring an indie film, teaching workshops across the country, playing with symphonies, and recording their much anticipated Vessel Album to be released in 2020.
Savannah Buist (Sav) was born in Nashville, TN and her love of music began on a tour bus with her multi-instrumentalist father and R&B vocalist mother when she was three months old. At 11, she picked up violin and dove headfirst into improvisational folk and jazz, reggae, funk, and rock. By sixteen, she’d become a versatile session player, composer, arranger, and performer. Later she followed in her father’s footsteps by becoming proficient in a wide range of instruments. Sav has been described by IPR as “one of the most compelling songwriters of our day.
Katie Larson grew up in Northern Michigan. Her musical family encouraged a range of eclectic influences, and in 2006 she started playing cello in her elementary school’s music program. Now she is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and composer, who participates in film, design, art, and culinary adventures. Katie graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy in 2014, and has since been a full-time studio session player, songwriter, and touring musician. In 2017 she started cataloging her stories about the food she finds on the road in a visual food blog.
Hailing from the suburb of Northville, in Detroit, Michael Dause banged on pots and pans at the early age of one. At the age of four, Dause’s grandfather got him a full-sized drum set and at seven, he began his first lessons. In middle school, Dause taught himself how to play the guitar, and began writing his own songs. Dause joined the Accidentals in 2014 after they met at a Michigan music festival. “They’re fantastic musicians, and I love being able to lock in with them on stage,” Dause said about playing with Larson and Buist.
This one-night engagement will be at Tibbits Opera House, 14 S. Hanchett St. in Coldwater, MI. Tickets range from $15-28 including fees, with a discount for Tibbits members. There is also an “on your feet” section for those who want a livelier concert experience. Tickets are currently on sale and are available at Tibbits.org, at Tibbits administrative offices at 93 W. Chicago St. in Coldwater, or by calling 517.278.6029. This event also features a cash bar.
Editor’s Note: Opera Grand Rapids production “The Mikado” is almost sold out.
Opera Grand Rapids will present Gilbert and Sullivan comedic opera “The Mikado” Nov. 1 and 2 at St. Cecilia Music Center, 24 Ranson Ave. NE. The performances are at 7:30 p.m. both days.
Bass Andrew Potter is in the role of Pooh-Bah, who holds numerous exalted offices, including “First Lord of the Treasury, Lord Chief Justice, Commander-in-Chief, Lord High Admiral … Archbishop … Lord Mayor” and “Lord High Everything Else”.
Where are you originally from? Lynchburg, VA
Who has inspired you/been your greatest influence professionally? Why? Professionally, there are truly too many to mention… so many have been a huge and integral part of my journey. So, the greatest? Not to be cheesy, but I’d have to say my mother. Back when I was first starting and there was no shortage of people telling me to get a “real job.” She was the one that encouraged me to stay the course, and pursue my dream. She taught me to dream, love, be kind, work harder than anyone, and to never quit; and that’s why I’m here.
Who/what brought you into the world of Opera? When I was 9, my father had us all watch the entirety of the Wagner’s Ring Cycle, and I loved it. Many years later, after having gone on to be an instrumentalist, a wonderful voice teacher—Dr. Wayne Kompelien—talked me into “trying out singing.” After a semester of voice, I was officially hooked.
Where do you live now? Lynchburg, VA
What are your hobbies when not performing? I love spending time in the gym, and I also love rock climbing and mountaineering.
What is your favorite Role/Opera/Piece? It’s impossible to choose just one! Wotan in the Ring Cycle; Mefistofele in Boito’s Mefistofele; Blitch in Susannah; John Claggart in Billy Budd, to name a few. My favorite performed role to date has been Mephostpheles in Gounod’s Faust.
What are your favorite things about being a professional musician? Getting to be a part of bringing something timeless and magical to life, and giving that as a gift to others.
Least favorite? Missing things/people due to being on the road (Birthdays, Holidays, etc.).
Where is your favorite place to travel/perform? Why? This is REALLY tough. I’ve been able to visit so many wonderful places. I think, however, I’d have to say Alaska (shoutout to Anchorage Opera). I loved being there in the Spring and being around the mountains, but also a block or two away from the water.
What performances/plans do you have in the next year?: Outside of singing, I’m working on knocking off the highest peaks in each state, so I’d like to bag 3 new ones this year. Career-wise, it’s a busy season ahead, with several exciting role debuts!
Deer hunters aren’t the only ones geared up for action, however.
Michigan hospital emergency staff sees hundreds of hunting-related injuries every year.
While some injuries are minor, Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital averages about 14 hunting-related hospitalizations a year.
The 2018-19 season landed 20 patients in the hospital due to injuries sustained from falling out of tree stands. One of those had a spinal cord injury, 11 had vertebral fractures, and one suffered a pelvic fracture.
2009-18 hunting accident statistics
Total of 128 admissions due to fall from a tree stand
No deaths
11 spinal cord injuries
Multiple vertebral, pelvic, arm and leg fractures
These stats don’t include all the people who go to the emergency room for injuries that aren’t serious enough for overnight—or much longer—stays in the hospital or in rehabilitation units.
Alistair Chapman, MD, a Spectrum Health Medical Group critical care surgeon, helped lead a study into falls from tree stands and their impact on trauma centers. He knows first-hand how dangerous the season can be for hunters, especially for those who are overweight or fall from a height of 20 feet or more.
“Tree stand falls cause significant injury,” he said.
Emergency department doctors and trauma surgeons are particularly concerned about the increase in life-changing traumas such as spine fractures, brain injuries and paralysis from these falls.
“The infrequent use of safety harnesses is alarming,” Dr. Chapman said, sharing that less than 3% of the injured hunters in their study used a harness. In a couple of cases, the harnesses broke.
What gives? In 1997, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources changed hunting rules to allow firearm hunters to hunt from raised platforms. Since that time, the accident rate has climbed.
“The majority of deer hunters in Michigan are firearm hunters, so an increase in injuries was expected,” said Bruce Murray, MD, a Spectrum Health emergency medicine specialist.
An avid hunter himself, Dr. Murray added: “What’s unfortunate is that these are injuries that, in most cases, could be prevented.”
Records show that fall victims with arm and leg fractures account for the most injuries. Spine injuries comes in at a close second. Chest wall trauma is the third-leading cause of injury.
A broken limb may not sound like a big deal—unless you experience one. And Dr. Murray also quickly pointed out that the severity of these injuries is sometimes shocking.
“We see life-altering injuries every year,” he said.
So what can hunters do to avoid injury? Drs. Murray, Chapman and other safety experts have many suggestions.
Hunting safety tips you need to know:
Tree stand safety is as important as gun safety. Follow that same approach to the tree stand as you do your gun.
Never use drugs, alcohol or sedatives while hunting.
Check permanent tree stands each time before use. Replace any worn or weak lumber before it breaks.
Always wear a safety harness or belt while checking or using a stand.
Read, understand and follow the manufacturer’s instructions when installing a ready-made tree stand.
Inspect portable stands for loose nuts and bolts before every single use.
Know what you should do if you slip while using a safety device. Make a plan.
Use a haul line to raise or lower equipment.
Keep firearms unloaded and arrows in a covered quiver when going up or down.
Choose a tree large enough to support your weight.
Never hurry to set up your stand. Take your time to check it over.
Make sure someone knows the location of your tree stand and when you will be there, every time.
Stay awake and alert. Always be aware of your position on the tree stand platform.
Use a short tether between you and the tree when attaching your fall restraint device. This is to keep you in the stand if you slip or fall, not to catch you after you have fallen.
Always carry a cell phone or other device to call for help if you need it. Keep it easily accessible.
The St. Cecilia Music Center Acoustic Cafe Folk Series is usually all about the singer/songwriters, and the list of fine concerts in the series got a bit longer and better recently with the announced return of Grammy award winners Marc Cohn and Shawn Colvin, who is currently revisiting her classic 1989 album Steady On.
Cohn, who delivered a great set at St. Cecilia in 2017, will return on March, 19, 2020. Colvin, who last visited Royce Auditorium in 2016, will visit on May 19.
“Since he was last here … Marc has spent time on the road with legendary Michael McDonald, worked closely with David Crosby and other American music greats,” Cathy Holbrook, St. Cecilia executive director, said in supplied material. “His appearance will also closely follow the release of his collaborative record with gospel legends Blind Boys of Alabama. This will be one of our most exciting concerts featuring a terrifically talented artist and amazing songwriter.”
The two concerts add to an upcoming folk series schedule which includes The Infamous Stringdusters of Thursday, Feb. 6; Rosanne Cash with John Leventhal on Wednesday, Feb. 20; Chris Thile on Tuesday, Feb. 25; and Raul Midón on Thursday, Feb. 27.
Marc Cohn. (Supplied)
While Cohn won a Grammy for his classic ballad “Walking in Memphis” in 1991, he has “solidified his place as one of this generation’s most compelling singer-songwriters, combining the precision of a brilliant tunesmith with the passion of a great soul man,” according to supplied material.
In August of this year, Cohn released a collaborative record with gospel legends Blind Boys of Alabama, Work To Do, comprised of three studio tracks by Cohn and the Blind Boys — two originals, including the title track, and a version of the gospel standard “Walk In Jerusalem” — plus seven intimate live performances recorded at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook, Conn., during a taping of the PBS series “The Kate”.
Shawn Colvin is expected to perform her newly released album Steady On Acoustic in its entirety. Her original 1989 album Steady On was her first Grammy Award winning album. (She has three Grammy’s to her resume.)
Shawn Colvin. (Supplied/Alexandra Valenti)
“I’ve played these songs countless times, primarily as a solo acoustic artist. All in all, this is the incarnation that feels most genuine,” Colvin said in supplied material. “And so, to commemorate this milestone I decided to celebrate Steady On by recording it again, this time using only my voice and my guitar. This represents who I am as an artist and all I ever wanted to be.”
In promotional material, Colvin also talks about bringing 30-year lens to her treasured songs, casting new light on the stories she first told as a young artist.
“I was 32 years old, and the dream of my life had been fulfilled,” Colvin says, “not only because I made an album but mostly because I had written or co-written every song, an accomplishment that was hard won. I was so proud. My feeling was then — and still is— that if I never made another album, Steady On would have been enough.”
More about Marc Cohn can be found on his website marccohnmusic.com .
More about Shawn Colvin can be found at her website at shawncolvin.com .
Marc Cohn, Shawn Colvin and all folk series concert tickets can be purchased by calling St. Cecilia Music Center at 616-459-2224 or visiting the box office at 24 Ransom Ave. NE. Tickets can also be purchased online at scmc-online.org. A post-concert “Meet-the-artist” reception with a cash bar will be offered to all ticket-holders giving the audience the opportunity to possibly meet the artists obtain signed CDs of his many releases.
“What is the essence of life? To serve others and to do good.”*
Aristotle
*Aristotle probably would have said it this way: “Ποια είναι η ουσία της ζωής; Να υπηρετείς άλλους και να κάνεις καλό.” But in Ancient Greek and with waaaaay more accent marks.
Sounds like a dare
Ask Me Anything! is Nov. 2 at Kentwood Library. Learn about your community and your neighbors in a fun, relaxed environment. Visit the branch to “check out” different members of our community for a chance to learn from them and ask them anything. More info here.
In the ‘mark your calendar’ category…
Courtesy Grand Valley State University
Zapatos Rojos | Red Shoes is an itinerant installation originally organized in 2009 by artist and architect Elina Chauvet in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Comprising 33 pairs of red shoes donated by the women of Ciudad Juárez — each pair representing a woman who had disappeared in that community — the piece is designed to draw attention to the fact that women were being killed without any consequences. Nov. 1, 2019-Feb. 28, 2020. Get the details here.
Do some good — here’s how
The SpartanNash Foundation invites store guests to join the fight against hunger during its companywide fundraising effort, Oct. 23 to Nov. 3. The SpartanNash Foundation’s retail scan campaign supports more than 100 local food pantries and food banks, and 100 percent of dollars raised will support food pantry partners in eight states. Learn more here.
Fun fact:
Volunteering keeps you young
Volunteering not only engages your mind and body, but it can actually help you age well and reduce the risk of age-related diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Plenty of research has been done on the importance of socialization to improve the mental and emotional health of seniors. But what can you do when your loved one is in an assisted living community to ensure that they are meeting socialization goals? Here are six ways you can help your family member stay social and engaged while they are in a senior living community.
1. Look for signs of isolation
It can be hard for seniors to admit that they are feeling lonely and want to make new connections. It can also be the case that older adults who are new to senior living communities may want to avoid interacting with others and choose instead to isolate themselves. You can help your loved one avoid this social slump by looking for signs of isolation, including:
Loss of interest in activities that used to excite them
Changes in appetite
Weight loss or gain
Lethargy
Decline in cognitive functions
Self-loathing or a drop in self-worth
If you see some of these signs, it might be a signal that you should start encouraging your loved one to talk with neighbors and interact with staff members more regularly.
2. Recommend exercise
You can help your loved one socialize by encouraging them to exercise and partake in group activities. Not only do these give your family member a chance to interact with others, but exercise can improve self-worth and self-image in seniors. Improving self-image can be a step towards seniors wanting to motivate themselves to socialize more with others.
There are many different exercise and activity groups for seniors, including groups for older adults who have limited mobility. More mobile seniors may enjoy outdoor activities, which are great for meeting others. Sports like golfing and bowling are group activities, and can help seniors make new connections. Even a walk in the park can help seniors get out of their senior living home and in a place where they can socialize with others.
3. Find groups and clubs to join
Another way for seniors to interact with others is to find clubs to join. Clubs and groups are able to provide weekly or monthly times where your loved one has scheduled social interactions. Being part of a club or group can help seniors feel motivated to go out and engage with others.
Clubs can also help seniors meet new people out of their regular network of friends and family. Examples of clubs many seniors enjoy include:
A major barrier for seniors is getting to the places where they have a chance to interact with others. Offering transportation and rides to events for your elderly loved one is a great way to help them socialize.
Having a source of transportation can also help seniors feel more independent. When they have options for socialization beyond what is offered at their senior living home, they can feel more comfortable exploring places and groups that otherwise would be unavailable to them.
5. Encourage new hobbies
Finding new things to do can help seniors want to get out and socialize with more people. A new hobby requires learning and cognitive thinking, which alone is a great exercise for seniors. In addition, seniors may need to gather new information from others with the same hobby, which provides another way for seniors to meet others and socialize.
Most hobbies aren’t limited to specific age groups, which can expand an older adult’s social circle beyond the friends and family they already are familiar with. Having new sources of excitement can also stop a loved one’s descent into social isolation.
6. Explain social apps and technology
Technology provides a great platform for seniors to be able to make new friends, connect, and interact with others. It may be difficult for older adults to understand how to utilize technology and social apps, so you can help out by being patient and clearly explaining technology such as:
Apps like Facebook and Skype can help seniors stay in contact with distant friends—along with seeing what the grandkids are up to in daily life.
Lyft and Uber can help your senior loved one travel around town if you live far away to help provide rides.
Online games like Words with Friends can help seniors meet new people without having to leave home.
While technology is a great way for seniors to connect and stay in touch with people, help them understand internet safety as well. By helping your loved one stay active on social media, you can help them avoid isolation even if you are unable to visit often.
Seniors need socialization for more than just making friends. Socializing can help seniors avoid isolation and depression. Interacting with others can also help seniors maintain their cognitive functions. You can help your loved one stay healthy for longer by encouraging and helping them with their socialization skills.
Every now and then, a news article comes along and tells us about how some strangers have committed fraud or scammed the elderly. Although scams and fraud are common, it is not nearly as common as the exploitation taking place by people who our elderly citizens come to trust. According to the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA) 90 percent of elder financial exploitation is committed by trusted people such as caretakers, family members, neighbors, friends, attorneys, bank employees, doctors, nurses and pastors.
NAPSA statistics also stated one in nine elders have been exploited within the past 12 months while one in 20 said they have perceived mistreatment recently. Sadly, only one out of every 44 cases is ever reported, and of those reported physical abuse and neglect is usually included. Financial abuse has increased dramatically over the past ten years in both number and complexity and has become widespread and deadly. Exploitation has a dramatic effect on the elderly and can lead to a loss of trust, loss of security, depression, the inability to provide long-term care and even the loss of an elder’s primary residence.
Why are the elderly attractive targets? The elderly become easy targets because isolation, loneliness and disabilities lend themselves to the trusting of people who are willing to give them time and attention. Along with this, advanced technology has made managing finances more and more difficult and the elderly are less likely to take action against perpetrators.
Some of the most common exploits by family members are:
Abuse of Power of Attorney – Stealing monies for own use.
Abuse of joint bank accounts – Family members take advantage by using for themselves.
Stealing checks and ATM cards – Withdrawing money from victim’s accounts.
Threatening abandonment or physical abuse – Doing so gives the perpetrator what they desire.
Refusing care or medical services – By refusing care the abuser can keep assets available for their own use.
Some ways to intervene and prevent exploitation are:
Reduce isolation – Frequent visitations can help keep an elderly family member from seeking suspect relationships with untrustworthy individuals.
Close joint bank accounts – Instead, help with writing out checks for bills but keep accounts in the individuals name to prevent others from taking advantage.
Revoke Power of Attorney – If an individual is suspected of abusing the Power of Attorney, have them removed and assign the Power of Attorney to a trusted member of the family.
Restart utilities if they are shut off – Assist in negotiating and paying to have utilities restored.
Find a responsible party to manage funds – If family members cannot be trusted, then find a trusted agency to aid in managing funds.
Report suspected exploitation to proper authorities – Report to multiple agencies including law enforcement. Work with financial institutions to better recognize financial abuse.
Remember to include elderly family members in your family activities; after all, they were never too busy for you when you needed them. For additional information visit: http://www.stopfraud.gov/protect-yourself.html
Michigan State University Extension offers financial management and homeownership education classes. For more information about classes in your area, visit MI Money Health. Also, if you are wondering about your financial health, take a financial health survey from MI Money Health to get your financial health score! It is confidential and your answers never connect back to your name. This survey can help you evaluate your current financial situation, provide ideas on how you may improve your financial health and connect you to resources in your local community.
Good medicine is about getting back to the basics and leading a healthy lifestyle. And there’s no better way to do this than to start your day with a healthy meal.
I know this can be difficult some days, especially if you are in a hurry. If you are like me, you are lucky to get out the door on time to get to work, school, exercise class, or an early-morning meeting.
I want to help you be prepared for whatever may come your way throughout the day.
Even if you make an unhealthy choice (or two) later in the day by eating or drinking something high in sugar and low in nutrition, at least you know you started your day the healthy way. Adding veggies, protein, hydration and nutrition to your breakfast can help you lean more toward a healthy lifestyle.
Smoothies are a good choice for breakfast because you can add so many different (and healthy) ingredients to help you stay full all morning.
It’s important to remember that not all smoothies are the same. Some are full of sugar and lacking in nutrition. My favorite green smoothie is full of nutrients because, remember, our bodies need vitamins (vitamin D, calcium, B vitamins), minerals (iron), protein, fat and carbohydrates every day.
The ingredients in my green smoothie help in several areas of wellness, including heart health, protection from cancer and maintaining strong bones. I have listed the ingredients separately, including an explanation of what each ingredient brings to the smoothie.
I make this smoothie for breakfast most days, not only because it tastes great but also because it can prevent colon cancer.
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death in the United States, and the second most common cancer in women.
This is just one more excellent reason to give this smoothie a try for breakfast tomorrow and every day thereafter.
Colorectal cancer is preventable in most cases by early detection, though you can also improve colorectal health by maintaining a healthy weight and eating a proper diet—rich in fiber and antioxidants (like the ingredients in my green smoothie), low in saturated fats and red meat, and high in vitamins.
“Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.“
Dalai Lama XIV
Say yes to saying no
Just say no
Do your part to keep prescription drugs out of our waterways and out of the hands of kids and teens — Oct. 26th is National Drug Take Back Day, and the cities of Kentwood and Wyoming are taking part. Last fall, Americans turned in nearly 469 tons (more than 937,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at nearly 6,300 sites operated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and almost 5,000 state and local law enforcement partners. The details are right here.
Lucky flag is going home
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) and OBON Society are in the process of returning a rare Japanese “Good Luck Flag” to its rightful family. OBON Society provides reconciliation between American and Japanese families through the return of personal items acquired during World War II. A Grand Rapids resident donated the flag, along with a WWII newsreel and a map of Iwo Jima, to the GRPM in 2015. The items were possessions of the donor’s deceased father, a former American soldier, who collected the flag during the war. Read all about it here.
Say ‘hello’ to ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’
Elton John is coming to the Van Andel Arena on April 23, 2020, and tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, Nov. 1 at 10am local time. But highfalutin American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning Thursday, Oct. 24 at 10am local time through Monday, Oct. 28 at 10pm local time. Tickets and VIP packages can be purchased at EltonJohn.com. Don’t delay! More details here.
Fun fact:
>1,000
Elton John has over 1,000 pairs of shades. Rumor has it that he has to book a separate hotel room to accommodate all of them.
Wyoming quarterback Matthew Berg (11) reacts to a Wolves touchdown in a game at Northview Sept. 6. (Curtis Holt)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
In the third year of Wyoming High School football coach Irvin Sigler’s reboot of the Wolves program, the coach and his team are probably disappointed with their win/loss record in the tough OK Conference Gold.
But the Wolves’s offensive mindset is showing impressive improvement, the team opened their new field in equally impressive fashion, and Sigler’s 2019-20 senior class continues to show the leadership he wants.
Sigler talked to WKTV this week about his Wolves, currently 3-5 (1-4 in conference) with a Friday, Oct. 25, game at East Grand Rapids remaining on the season. And he started with his team’s ability to stay focused and positive after a 1-4 start to the season.
“Our coaching staff and players believe in each other,” Sigler said. “Trust is a critical part of building a team. We have a great time on the practice field and a relentless belief in what we are doing. It’s truly a team effort. Most importantly our players know that they are loved by our coaches.”
That belief in the system led to two impressive wins in weeks 6 and 7 — a 57-51 overtime win at Holland West Ottawa on Nov. 4 and a 47-0 win over Wayland on Nov. 11 as the Wolves opened their newly refurbished field at the high school.
But the team’s scoring outbursts in those two wins were only two signs of the increased offensive prowess of the Wolves. Even in losses, the offense has been scoring points.
As evidence, Wyoming scored 158 points in nine games in 2017-18, Sigler’s first season as head coach, and 132 in 2018-19 — but the Wolves have totaled 279 points in eight games so far this season.
The Wyoming offensive line, from the Wolves game at Northview Sept. 6. (Curtis Holt)
“We’ve got some very skilled guys on our offense,” coach said. “The four Parks have really been a key. We moved DeMari and Marion to running back after some injuries and they blossomed. Monte is an excellent receiver and Deion helps lead our offensive line.
“Mahki Matthews, Payton Lee and Matt Berg have also played very well. The key to everything is our offensive line. Getting Austin Bruce back from an ankle sprain was a big boost.”
De’marion, Diamonte and Dion Parks are seniors, as are Lee and Bruce. DeMari Parks is a junior, as are Matthews and Berg.
Sigler also pointed out several other seniors who have been leaders for the Wolves.
“Logan Cox, Dale Cross and Keeingg Briggs are three guys that come to mind — all have played exceptionally well,” he said. “ Our kicker, Adel Odobasek, has become a great leader in our special teams and has improved greatly.”
But plenty of other underclassmen have played and played well.
Maybe the biggest returner next season, however, will be a return to the Wolves’s new home field — the arrival of which this season was a boost to the team, Sigler said.
“The change in our mindset, with the opportunity to be in the new field, came at a great time,” he said. “While many teams are going through the grind of doing the same thing daily, we had an amazing new facility to jump start our season.”
And he expects that home field advantage, as well as overall program improvement, to carry on in the future.
“We must play our best at home and that is the mindset we are working to build,” Sigler said.
WKTV Journal’s latest newscast includes a feature on a young artist combining fanciful clay figures with high-tech photography — currently on exhibit at Grand Rapids Community College’s Collins Art Gallery through Friday, Oct. 25.
Wyoming resident Jon Lopez has a day job in a bagel shop, but later, in his basement sculpture studio, he transports himself to another world — a world of clay-full characters including thoughtful monkeys, mice on a mission and an octopus named Charlie that he is almost on talking terms with.
WKTV talked with Jon about his medium, taking his creatures on the road, why he photographs and then recycles his clay creations.
For a print story on the artist and his art, visit here .
The GRCC Collins Art Gallery is located on the 4th Floor of Raleigh J. Finkelstein Hall, formerly Main Building, 143 Bostwick Ave NE. Grand Rapids. Gallery hour at Monday to Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information visit GRCC.edu/visualarts .
ReThink West Michigan, a collaborative, regional event hosted by The Right Place, Inc. and Hello West Michigan, was awarded Best in Show by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) at the Council’s 2019 annual conference.
ReThink West Michigan is a casual, professional networking event hosted at multiple locations on Thanksgiving Eve and is intended to attract professionals who have moved away from home and are visiting for the holiday. At this event, several West Michigan companies with current career opportunities share some of the exciting initiatives and projects happening in the region.
The IEDC received over 400 submissions from 12 countries for the 2019 awards, and ReThink West Michigan was selected as the top entry overall, making it a globally recognized best practice in economic development. The event also received a Gold Excellence in Economic Development Award in the Talent Development and Retention category, and The Right Place Instagram channel, West Michigan Life, received a Silver Excellence in Economic Development Award in the Digital Media category.
IEDC’s Excellence in Economic Development Awards recognize the world’s best economic development programs and partnerships, marketing materials, and the year’s most influential leaders. 34 award categories honor organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in urban, suburban, and rural communities. Awards are judged by a diverse panel of economic and community developers from around the world.
“The recipients of IEDC’s Excellence in Economic Development awards represent the very best of economic development and exemplify the ingenuity, integrity, and leadership that our profession strives for each and every day”, said 2019 IEDC Board Chair, Tracye McDaniel. “We’re honored to recognize more than 100 communities for their excellent work, which forges new opportunities for our profession. We look forward to even greater participation from economic developers across the globe in the 2020 awards program.”
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).
Handsome, hunky, HUGE Hodor came to us in a roundabout way on Aug. 22, 2019, but we sure are happy he is with us. The Berrien County Animal Shelter adopted hum out 10 days prior to Morgan, a wonderful gal who was head over heels for him, but when she took him immediately in to her vet for an exam, he tested positive for FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus).
Unable to keep him in her home with her other cat for fear of them not getting along (though not on his part), she contacted the shelter to inquire about returning him. That proved not to be a viable option, as he would most likely be euthanized, and Morgan could not fathom that happening to such an awesome cat. So, she reached out to us, explained the unfortunate situation, and asked if there was any way we could help. Dr. Jen is a sucker for sad stories, especially ones where an injustice would be done to an innocent animal, so even though we were tight on pace at our sanctuary, Dr. Jen had Morgan bring him over.
We couldn’t believe our eyes when we first set my sights on this magnificent, massive mound of cat! He was astoundingly adorable AND proved to be quite the gentle giant, hence his name. Dr. Jen guesstimates that Hodor was born in the summer of 2014, and other than having a mild flea allergy dermatitis, a bilateral ear infection and mild dental tartar, he checked out fine and dandy—and tipped the scales at 15 lbs. Although the good doc would have loved nothing more than for him to hang out with her at the clinic, she knew the volunteers would be instantly smitten, so she sent him down to our sanctuary for some super-sized one-on-one.
From the get-go, Hodor has been the epitome of perfection, in awe of everyone and everything he comes into contact with. We can’t imagine a home he wouldn’t do fabulously well in as he is easy-going, friendly and an all-around naturally nice guy. He fit in so well with the others, it was as though he had lived at Big Sid’s his entire life. He will make an exceptional companion to a family bursting with kids, another cat or even a dog; he hasn’t a mean bone is his big-n-buff body and absolutely adores his roomies—his motto is ‘the more, the merrier’.
In honor of full transparency, we have to put an addendum on to Hodor’s biography, as we have caught him spraying a few vertical surfaces in our free-roaming facility. However, given the fact that our current population is 80% male, and all of our intake since his arrival has been testosterone-laden, we are confident that once he is living it up in a home where there aren’t so many big personalities vying for top spot, this behavior will dissolve into a distant memory. We see this quite often, given the fact that the majority of our Sid’s Kids are boys, but honestly, we only have a few cats we will not adopt out due to aberrant behavior—and believe it or not, those select few are primarily female.
If Dr. Jen didn’t have a house full of her own, Hodor would be at the top of her Wish List for sure. You can’t go wrong with a kitty whose sole purpose is to love and be loved in return, who wants nothing more than to become your constant companion and spend the rest of his days lounging by your side, soaking up all of the attention given to him and repaying it in kind.
More about Hodor:
Domestic Short Hair
Tabby (Tiger-striped), White
Adult
Male
Extra Large
House-trained
Vaccinations up to date
Neutered
Good in a home with other cats, dogs, children
Want to adopt Hodor? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
A 5-cent, hour-long phone call from a pay phone convinced a young Dominican immigrant that West Michigan was a place she could live. Fast-forward several decades, Ana Jose is boldly transforming the local business climate for Latino-owned enterprises one conversation, one seminar at a time. Join us to be inspired by this ever-humble, ever-aspiring young woman!
Elton John, the number-one, top-performing solo male artist, has announced a new concert date at the Van Andel Arena on April 23, 2020, as part of his sold-out Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour after selling out a previous show in Grand Rapids.
The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour kicked off to sold-out crowds in September 2018 and has received rave reviews in every market.
Transporting the audience on a magical journey through Elton’s career, the show features some of his most beloved songs from his legendary catalog including, Bennie and the Jets, Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer, and Philadelphia Freedom. Elton’s music has taken him to many places, opened many doors and inspired many passions in his life. The audience will experience a rare glimpse into Elton’s life and the deeply personal meaning behind some of his greatest hits, with mesmerizing, never-before-seen photos and videos shown throughout the show from his incredible, 50-year career.
Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, Nov. 1 at 10am local time. Tickets and VIP packages can be purchased at EltonJohn.com.
American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning Thursday, Oct. 24 at 10am local time through Monday, Oct. 28 at 10pm local time.
“…The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour is the most bombastic, elaborate, high-tech arena show he’s ever attempted.” – Rolling Stone
A limited number of exclusive VIP packages will also be available starting Thursday, Oct. 24 at 10am local time. These exclusive offers can include premium tickets, on-stage photo opportunities at Elton John’s piano, backstage tours, limited-edition lithographs, custom merchandise and much more.
Pre-sale tickets for the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour event will be available through registration using Ticketmaster Verified Fan, a fan-first technology built to help artists combat ticket bots and get tickets into the hands of fans that intend to go to the event. Verified Fan registration is available now through Friday, Oct. 25 at 10pm local time. Verified TM fan pre-sale will begin Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 10am and run through Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 10pm local time, supplies are limited. For more information and to register in advance, visit EltonJohn.com.
Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, is an incurable eye disease that affects millions of older Americans, but there are a number of things you can do to reduce your risk, a vision expert says.
AMD causes blurred central vision due to damage to the macula—a small area at the back of the eye—and it is most common after age 60, according to the U.S. National Eye Institute.
AMD is also more common in women and whites. At-risk patients should get regular eye exams, advised Dr. Julie Rosenthal, a retina specialist.
She said there are a number of things people can do to help slow or possibly prevent AMD. If you smoke, try to quit. Smoking may double the risk of AMD.
Find out if you have a family history of the disease.
People with a first-degree relative with AMD have a much greater risk of developing it. If you have a family history of the disease, watch for potential symptoms such as difficulty recognizing faces, struggling to adapt to low light and seeing straight lines that appear wavy.
Eat lots of spinach, kale, Swiss chard and other leafy greens, which are high in antioxidant vitamins that help protect against cellular damage from free radicals, which can contribute to eye disease, according to Rosenthal.
If you have a poor diet, consider taking multivitamins. People at risk of advanced AMD should ask their doctor about a specialized blend of supplements called AREDS. This is “not a treatment or cure but can decrease your risk of getting the more severe forms of AMD,” Rosenthal said in a university news release.
When outside, wear sunglasses that provide protection from UV and blue light that can cause retinal damage. Sunglasses with a “UV 400” label are recommended by the American Macular Degeneration Foundation.
Maintain healthy blood pressure and weight. Poor blood circulation due to high blood pressure can restrict blood flow to the eyes, thus contributing to AMD. Losing weight is a proven way to lower blood pressure.
Use a tool called an Amsler grid to check for vision problems related to macular damage.
When staring at the grid, if you notice that the central part of your vision in one eye has become darker or the grid lines are wavy, call your doctor, Rosenthal said. Keep the grid in a place that reminds you to use it daily.
