Earlier in her life, Dolores Shoup didn’t have many opportunities to celebrate her birthday. But that changed when she moved to a group home for people with developmental disabilities in Taylorville 14 years ago. Since then, Dolores has enjoyed celebrating the…
For Dawn Medley, the key to weight loss is more than just good nutrition and plenty of exercise. It also requires confidence, persistence and friendly encouragement. “You’re going to have setbacks,” she said. “But even though you have a setback,…
Debbie Thomas was not going to schedule her yearly mammogram in 2016, but her husband Tim had other ideas. “Every year, I have such a horrible time with mammograms on my right side,” the 61-year-old unit clerk at Taylorville Memorial…
*Little Hats, Big Hearts discontinued for 2020 The American Heart Association has made the difficult decision to end the Little Hats, Big Hearts program this year out of an abundance of caution. The little red hats, knitted and crocheted by…
Annual screening mammograms are the most effective way to diagnose breast cancer. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said only 65 percent of women age 40 and older had a mammogram in the last two years. Screening mammograms…
Sean Lynch didn’t think anything was seriously wrong the afternoon of his massive heart attack. The 50-year-old local radio personality was setting up a pre-party at the Illinois State Fairgrounds for the band Foghat. He started to feel overheated, which…
Jennifer Anderson had a strong support network as she battled breast cancer—friends, family and an unexpected new companion that she calls her “cancer kitty.” In October 2016, she heard faint noises coming from outside her house. Kneeling in her yard…
Late last year, the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology unveiled new guidelines that lowered the definition of high blood pressure. Now, patients with blood pressure readings of 130/80 mm Hg are considered to have hypertension, down from…
It’s hard to believe Linda Klauber suffered a stroke only a few months ago—or that the stroke came right on the heels of a cancer diagnosis. Today, the 73-year-old is in good health and good spirits. “Two of the worst…
The decision to drink and drive was not a smart way to start 2017 for Taylorville teenager Carter Sinkhorn. Early New Year’s morning, Carter, then 17, crashed his truck into a tree, less than a mile from home. Thanks to…