Zeke Mahkovtz was born Dec. 18, 2023, and lived for 18 minutes, surrounded by his parents and siblings who showered him with love. Diagnosed with Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type II, Zeke’s life was brief, but his impact was profound. For his…
At 48, Breanna Flanagan considered herself in the best physical shape of her life. The Riverton mail carrier was busy with the things that mattered most to her: her wife, four daughters and 1-year-old grandson. Her youngest daughter is just…
When Kari McClain looks in the mirror, she still sees reminders of what she’s been through. But today, at 50, the Decatur native is cancer-free, feeling good and enjoying life with her husband, three grown sons and nearly 2-year-old granddaughter.…
Many Memorial colleagues will tell you their co-workers are like family. For Mark Yording, a physical therapist at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital who just celebrated a 50-year work anniversary, that’s also literally true. Two of his daughters work in his department.…
When patients walk into nurse practitioner Andrea Hinton Bond’s office at Memorial Wellness Center for the first time, she wants them to know she’s been in their shoes. “I tell them, ‘Just so you know, I’ve been through this,’” she…
Have you ever received a survey after a visit to a Memorial Health hospital or a Memorial Care clinic and wondered if anyone actually reads it? We do. Your feedback helps us improve care for patients across central Illinois, whether…
Harvest season brings long days, unpredictable weather and financial uncertainty. While many farm families look forward to seeing the results of months of hard work, the demands of the season can also take a toll on mental health. Farmers face…
A few years ago, Donald Dotson and his wife, Dana Ray-Dotson, MD, started noticing changes in his sleep routine. He was getting up more often during the night to use the restroom. His urine flow had changed. Nothing seemed urgent,…
A late summer heatwave was the backdrop of a frightening incident in a parking lot at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital on Aug. 31. It was around noon when a mom buckled her baby into a car seat after an appointment and…
Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States, and there are an estimated 1.5 million suicide attempts yearly. But suicide is preventable. World Suicide Prevention Day, on Sept. 10, helps raise awareness by talking about suicide…