JACKSON, Miss.—It’s supposed to be a Christmas party.
But this Friday’s gathering at Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s Quest program could just as easily be considered Independence Day festivities.
Most of the guests will be brain injury survivors who are celebrating their return to self-sufficiency, said Joyce Leverenz, admissions coordinator for Quest, an outpatient community reintegration program for people with brain injuries.
JACKSON, Miss.—After having surgery to fuse bones in his arthritic right ankle, Jimmy Davis figured he would be laid up about six months.
But he was back on his feet in half the time, aided by a new procedure that provides easy access to one of the body’s best bone “fertilizers”—growth factors from a patient’s own platelets.
JACKSON, Miss.—When he was a long-haul truck driver, Roger Hollenbaugh of Bandera, Texas, used to pass a field of “fainting goats.”
The breed falls over when startled, and Hollenbaugh couldn’t resist honking his horn and laughing as the goats swooned in unison.
Now he wonders if he might be paying some dues for that devilry.
FLOWOOD, Miss.—After spending an hour learning how to chase a puck across the ice, Leon Kennedy of Jackson had just one question for his teachers.
“Can I come back tomorrow?” he asked.
That brought grins from members of Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s sled hockey team, who spent a recent Thursday morning teaching the sport to Leon and his fellow students from Callaway High School’s exceptional education class.
“I like seeing the excitement in their faces,” said Tom Burnley of Jackson, the team’s goalie.
JACKSON, Miss.—New research suggests that people who are older, overweight or taking birth control pills may be at greater risk of deadly blood clots from long airline flights.
Kay Cashion’s first transatlantic flight taught her the folly of spending nine hours glued to a cramped airline seat.
“I had this awful swelling in my feet,” said the teacher at Northwest Rankin High School in Rankin County. “I had to unlace my shoes just to wear them and it took two days for the swelling to go down.”
JACKSON, Miss.—It’s likely the only working ski slope in Mississippi this Christmas.
Skiers ride up the mountain in brightly colored lifts and then glide their way down the slope, weaving through the snow banks, the tall pines and past the occasional wrecked skier. A paraplegic makes his way down in a specially designed sled.
Ready to hit the slopes with them? No problem, if you are about a half an inch tall.
JACKSON, Miss.—If your children have the season’s hottest toys on their gift lists, you’re probably planning a mad dash to the mall.
But before rushing out to buy Hokey Pokey Elmo, GO BOTS or Barbie, take some time to ensure that the requested items are safe and suitable for the recipients, says Lauren Fairburn, coordinator of Think First, Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s statewide injury prevention program,
JACKSON, Miss.—Fewer cases of West Nile virus this year, combined with the coming of cold weather, caused Paul McGinnis to become complacent about the mosquito-borne illness.
Unfortunately, McGinnis, who is on immunosuppressive drugs for a donated kidney, is in a group that can’t afford complacency. Currently recovering from West Nile at Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson, McGinnis urges everyone, especially those with weakened immune systems, to take precautions. “Don’t let your guard down. This disease is no fun,” he said.
JACKSON, Miss.—Ice, snowstorms and freezing temperatures aren’t that common in Mississippi, so many families are left unprepared and in a deadly situation when they do strike.
Dr. Rahul Vohra, medical director at Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson, recommends taking a few simple precautions now to ensure your family is prepared for winter’s weather extremes. He encourages families to have safe emergency heating equipment available, such as enough wood for the fireplace and portable space heaters to keep warm.
JACKSON, Miss.—Larry Kulcke wasn’t feeling great on a recent Sunday. Instead of directing the 120-member choir at Colonial Heights Baptist Church in Jackson, as he’s done for the last 17 years, he was sitting in a hospital bed with more than a few unanswered questions about his health.
He agreed when his wife, Tavie, suggested they take a stroll through the halls of Methodist Rehabilitation Center. Instead of going to the first floor atrium, she convinced him to go to the fourth floor.