Tag Archives: awareness

Leukemia Awareness

What Is Leukemia?

Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells, which help fight infection. It is caused by the uncontrolled growth of these cells. Leukemia starts in the bone marrow,

which is the spongy part inside the bones where blood cells are made. The cancer cells spread to the blood that circulates in the arteries and veins.

What Are the Key Statistics About Leukemia?

The American Cancer Society estimates that 54,270 people will be diagnosed with leukemia this year.
About 24,450 people are expected to die from leukemia in the year 2015.
Leukemia is commonly thought of as a childhood disease, yet it is diagnosed 10 times more often in adults

What Are the Types of Leukemia?

Based on the time it takes one to develop the disease, leukemia has two forms,acute and chronic leukemia.
Acute leukemia begins over a short period of time. In acute leukemia, there is a fast growth of immature cells in the bone marrow and peripheral blood.
Chronic leukemia develops over a longer period of time. Compared to acute leukemia, it has more mature cells in the bone marrow and peripheral blood.
Based on the type of blood cells, leukemia is divided into lymphocytic and myelogenous leukemia.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Leukemia?

There are no exact signs and symptoms of leukemia.
General symptoms include fatigue, or lack of energy, and flu-like symptoms including fever.
A loss of appetite may also occur.
Shortness of breath when active and a pale color of the skin and mucous membranes (this includes the lining of the inside of the nose and mouth). These symptoms are related to anemia, which is a decrease in the red blood cells that carry oxygen.
Easy bruising and bleeding due to a drop in the platelet count. Platelets are part of the blood cells that help form blood clots.Poor wound healing and infections.
This is because many of the white cells are immature and therefore not able to do their job.

What Are the Causes of Leukemia?

The exact cause of leukemia is not known.
In very rare cases, chemotherapy or radiation therapy used to treat one cancer leads to leukemia.
There are no known ways to prevent leukemia.

World Alzheimer’s Day

Leave a reply

World Alzheimer’s Day, September 21st of each year, is a day on which Alzheimer’s organizations around the world concentrate their efforts on raising awareness about Alzheimer’s and dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, a group of disorders that impairs mental functioning.

Every 68 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s disease. At current rates, experts believe the number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s will quadruple to as many as 16 million by the year 2050.

Alzheimer’s disease is often called a family disease, because the chronic stress of watching a loved one slowly decline affects everyone. 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and the only cause of death among the top 10 in the United States that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed. With the increases in life spans and baby boomers coming of age, support for Alzheimer’s research is more critical to our families than ever.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Leave a reply

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Did you know?:

1 in every 285 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer
In the U.S., one out of every five children with cancer will not survive
The vast majority of kids who do survive will suffer long-term side effects
14,583 kids will be diagnosed with cancer this month alone

And every single one of them is hoping that the next treatment is the one that will save their life.

For more information you can visit St. Jude’s Website

Things You Should Know Before Renting a Wheelchair Accessible Van

Leave a reply

Whether your own wheelchair accessible vehicle is undergoing repairs or modifications or you’re testing the adaptive automobile waters before taking the plunge with the purchase of one, renting a Wheelchair Accessible Van is an affordable, convenient and comfortable way of improving your mobility.

If you’re looking to rent this type of vehicle, these are some good tips to keep in mind.

How Much Does It Cost To Rent A Handicap Van?
If you’re all about saving your pennies, there are many ways to reduce the cost of renting a wheelchair accessible van. Here are just a few:

Avoid renting an accessible vehicle airport. Enjoy lower taxes and minimal fees by going to a dealer or rental agency outside the airport grounds.
Reserve online whenever possible to take advantage of special offers.
Fill up the tank before returning the vehicle. More often than not, this will be less expensive than paying the fill-up fee or pre-paying for gas at the rental agency.
Don’t double up on insurance. If your personal auto insurance already covers you for rentals, make sure you don’t sign up for redundant coverage.

Where to Go
Many mobility dealers maintain a fleet of accessible cars or conversion vans for rental purposes. Identify and contact the location nearest you to find out if they have handicap vehicles available to meet your needs. There are also a number of companies that specialize in accessible rental vehicles.

When to Rent
A wheelchair accessible van or car can transform the lives of people with disabilities or temporary mobility impairment. Renting a wheelchair accessible vehicle can be particularly helpful when:

Your current wheelchair accessible vehicle requires repairs or maintenance over a period of multiple days.
You’re going on a road trip or long ride – a rented wheelchair accessible vehicle can make these much more comfortable. Even if you own a wheelchair accessible vehicle, you might still consider renting a vehicle in order to avoid putting the mileage and wear on your own van.
A loved one or family member with a disability visits. If you don’t own an accessible vehicle, renting a wheelchair accessible vehicle can facilitate transporting your friends and family.

Rye’s Syndrome Awareness

Leave a reply

Reye’s Syndrome, a deadly disease, strikes swiftly and can attack any child, teen, or adult without warning. All body organs are affected with the liver and brain suffering most seriously. While the cause and cure remain unknown, research has established a link between Reye’s Syndrome and the use of aspirin and other salicylate containing medications, over the counter products, and topical use products.

Reye’s Syndrome is a two-phase illness because it is almost always associated with a previous viral infection such as influenza (flu), cold, or chicken pox. Scientists do know that Reye’s Syndrome is not contagious and the cause is unknown. Reye’s Syndrome is often misdiagnosed as encephalitis, meningitis, diabetes, drug overdose, poisoning, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or psychiatric illness.

Reye’s Syndrome tends to appear with greatest frequency during January, February, and March when influenza is most common. Cases are reported in every month of the year. An epidemic of flu or chicken pox is commonly followed by an increase in the number of cases of Reye’s Syndrome.

When Reye’s Syndrome develops, it typically occurs when a person is beginning to recover from a viral illness.

Abnormal accumulations of fat begin to develop in the liver and other organs of the body, along with a severe increase of pressure in the brain. Unless diagnosed and treated successfully, death is common, often within a few days, and even a few hours. A person’s life depends upon early diagnosis. Statistics indicate an excellent chance of recovery when Reye’s Syndrome is diagnosed and treated in its earliest stages. The later the diagnosis and treatment, the more severely reduced are the chances for successful recovery and survival.