Stroke & Depression: A Woman's Story of Overcoming D V 1 iUl * a i uni L-/\ rAKMtR THE CHRONICLE A recent study has found that depres sion prevents stroke survivors from return ing to work almost as often as disability. The study, published in "Stroke: The Journal of the American Heart Assocation," found, "Of those working six months after stroke, 33 percent had post-stroke depres sion, compared with 45 percent of those who were not working." Lucy Thompson didn't need a journal to tell her depression can accompany stroke. She learned that lesson the hard way. "The depression is terrible," said the 61 -year-old mother of four. "You battle depression every single day that you live. You go through hurt and pain and you have to learn how to deal with it." Formerly an LPN, Thompson spent much of her career caring for patients who could not care for themselves. She never thought she would someday be one of them. "I wasn't paying attention to my signs and symptoms," she confessed. "You don't think about being a victim ... because you're a nurse." The year was 1997. Thompson was making her daily rounds at the Oak Summit Nursing Home, never suspecting that they would be her last. A persistent headache had plagued her for several days, and she says she began to feel peculiar. "When 1 came out of one patient's room, the room sort of went sideways," she recalled. Attributing the strange occurrence to fatigue as she was nearing the end of her 12-hour shift, Thompson continued work ing. "I started down the hall ... with my insulins in my hands, thinking about my patients, not thinking about me," she relat ed. "One of the aides said, 'Somebody hglp Ms. Thompson!' I didn't realize I was falling; 1 couldn't feel my feet, I couldn't feel my hands." Already suffering from the disorienta tion of her impending stroke, Thompson went home to take a nap. When she awoke, there was no denying that something was seriously wrong. She called her daughter Phoco by Layla Farmer Lucy Thompson suffered a stroke in 1997. and the two rushed to the ER. "When we got to the emergency room, I was full blown," she stated. "All of a sud den, I had become confused and disorient ed, 1 didn't know where I was ... my speech was slurred ... 1 wasn't comprehending what was going on." As the minutes wore by, Thompson became increasingly agitated. She tried to talk to her daughter but her words came out a garbled mess. Q "I started crying for no reason," she said. "I didn't know what an MRI was and I'm a nurse." Thompson would later discover she had suffered a brain stem stroke. "They said those are the kind of strokes that you don't return from," she remarked. "I am a walking miracle." Though she says she now appreciates every moment she spends on this earth, Thompson's road to recovery was far from smooth. She suffered from paralysis on the left side of her body, and says she sank into a deep depression. "It was a miserable life and I would get mad and just throw things," she said. "I was such a shell of the person I once was ... I secluded myself at home for about three months - 1 wouldn't go anywhere, I would n't say anything." A subsequent stroke and the tragic death of her son in a car accident compounded Thompson's stuggle, but she continued her dogged pursuit of mental and physical well being. "I've atjvays been a fighter," she com mented. "I've never been one to give up easily." Today, Thompson is an active American Stroke Association volunteer. She travels around the sjat?, sharing her story of strength and survival with others and work ing to raise awareness about the risk factors and warning signs of stroke. She credits her spirituality and the support of her fami ly for carrying her through to a brighter day. "I look back on it, and I thank God that I went through it with Him - He brought me through," she declared. "I have a lot of work to do; I'm not ready to go yet, and I feel like He's not finished with me yet." Grier from page AID , black action films such as "Foxy Brown" (1974), "Sheba, Baby" (1975), "Fridafy Foster" (1975) and "Greased Lightning" (1975). Then in 1997, she was tapped by Quentin Tarantino to por tray the title character in his movie "Jackie Brown." Considered by many to be the best, work of her career, the role earned her a Golden Globe and a SAG award norti ination. She was also nomi nated for an Emmy in 2000. Since 2004, Grier has appeared as a regular on Showtime 's "The L Word." Previous RiverRun Master of Cinema recipients include Cliff Robertson (2005) and Ned Beatty (2006). Tickets for "A Conversation with Pam Grier" are $15 each and are available, along with all other 2008 Festival tickets, at the Stevens Center box office (405 W. Fourth St.), on www.riverrunfilm.com and over the phone at 336-721 1945. Obesity from page A7 already! In order to encoi^r age healthy eating and activity in our children, we need to con sider how our parenting can impact these health behaviors. Let's discuss feeding and how to "make" our children eat in healthier ways. You have probably already realized you cannot force a child to eat anything. Try some of the tips below and see if you see some changes. It is important to offer healthy options, but also to eat together as a family at a table with the TV turned off. Establish this ritual early and you will see your family grow healthier - body and soul. Research shows this one step not only improves healthy eating, but strengthens family bonds that guide behav ior choices in children and teenagers. One aspect of feeding chil dren that is important to con sider is Ellyn Satter's Division of Responsibility. Her concept clarifies that parents have the responsibility to "provide structure, support and opportu nities". Our children then "choose how much and whether to eat from what the parents provide." Understanding that we are not in control of every bite that goes into our child's mouth is significant. We are to offer healthy options and the child selects what goes into their body. To say it again, Division of Responsibility means that "the parent is responsible for what, when, where. The child is responsible for how much and whether." When feeding your family, also consider the 8 P's of feed ing children. When parents follow these guidelines, children will adjust their eating habits over time: Patience: Good habits take a while Persistence: Offer foods over and over (sometimes up to 15 times before the child will eat it regularly) Planning: Families are busy- use strategies like meal planning and making a grocery list to be prepared each week (80 percent of families don't know what they are having for dinner at 4 p.m. - that's why its easier to stop for fast food) Peaceful Meals: Meal times should be happy Parents Prove it!: Parents model health eating- if you don't eat it, neither will your children Proper Meals: All meals and snacks at set times, at the table, with the TV off! Don't Push or Prohibit: Pushing food too much causes children |to not want it- pro hibiting too much makes them want it nfore. My child eats well, but I can't get her away from the television or video games to exercise. How can I help her increase her activity level? The same Division of Responsibility applies to encouraging our children to move. Our job as parents is to "provide structure, safety and opportunities. Children choose how much and whether to move and the manner of mov ing." We focus on providing safe options for movement by finding fun.cfamily activities and encouraging active play at home. Satter recommends: Supporting activity is good par enting. Parents' jobs include: ? Develop judgment about normal commotion [Let kids be kids. Tolerate some movement and noise during play. This is the natural work of childhood.] ? Provide safe places for activities the child enjoys ? Find fun and reward ing family activities ? Provide opportunities to experiment with group activ ities such as sports ? Set limits on TV but not on reading, writing, art work, and other sedentary activities ? Remove TV and com puter from the child's room Make children respon sible for dealing with their own boredom. Once we've provided the opportunities for healthy eating choices and provided opportu nities to be active, children will follow through with their responsibility to eat healthier and be more active in their own time. Each child is unique in their food choices and enjoy ment of different activities. Keep up your end of the process and you will see changes. It is important to trust your child to make good choic es and support them when they do so. Consider yourself the coach rather than the judge for this process. Cheer on the pos itive changes you see, rather than criticizing areas needing improvement. For a further discussion of Ellyn Satter's Division of Responsibility with Feeding and with Activity, read Your Child's Weight: Helping Without Harming. For more information on healthy family meals and encouraging activity in children, BestHealth at Hanes Mall offers seminars and cooking classes on these topics. Please refer to their web site www.besthealth.com for a cur rent schedule of opportunities. - Contribution by Dara Garner-Edwards, MSW.LCSW, Brenner FIT Family Counselor For further information, resources in your area, ques tions or comments about this article, call toll-free 1-877 530-1824. Or, for more infor mation about the Maya Angelou Research Center on Minority Health, visit www.wfubmc edu/minoritvheal th. Mount from page X7 assess the NIH effort to reduce and ulti mately eliminate health disparities. Mount is also a faculty affiliate in the Hypertension and Vascular Research Center at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and has an associate appointment in pathology in the Department of Comparative Medicine. Mount received his bachelor's degree from Alabama State University, Montgonfcry, Ala., and his master's and doctoral degree^ in psy chology from Argosy University, Atlanta. Prior to completing his pre- and postdoc toral work at the University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo., Mount received neuropsycho logical training at Atlanta's Shepherd Center rehabilitation hospital and at the Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology Program at Emory University. A rendering of the HanesBrand Theatre. Submitted image Sawtooth from page A10 impressive and effective team.^Tfttre is no doubt in my mind that we will achieve our goals and that this campaign will be considered a major milestone in the arts and cul- , tural history of Winston- I Salem and Forsyth County." Janie and J.D. Wilson, of Excalibur Enterprises and civic leaders, are serving as co-chairs of the campaign. Honorary Co-Chairs are Bud Baker and Zanne Baker, Mayor Pro Tempore Vivian BurkeT Copey Hanes~and Earline 'King. Nearly 100 business people and civic and political leaders comprise the Campaign Cabinet. Aurelia Gray Eller and Redge Hanes are Co-Chairs of the Honorary Cabinet. Hanesbrands CEO Richard A. Noll presented a $2 million ceremonial check at the kick off event on behalf of the company's 3,400 employees in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. "Hanesbrands is proud to support the performing arts in our community. Our company is a major charitable gives in the community, and our employees have a long history of supporting Arts Council programs," Noll said. "We are delighted to be able to add to our employees' generosity by making this pledge for the construction of the new the atre." Noll pointed out that from 1911 to 1926, the Sawtooth building was the site of a Hanes Hosiery mill. Hanesbrands Theatre is expected to open in 2010, a century after the Sawtooth building opened as a men's sock production plant. "Hanesbrands Theatre will help keep Winston-Salem and Forsyth County as a national leader in the arts," Noll said "We're pleased that our gift will make it possible for the I Sawtooth Building to undergo a transformation that will -extend its usefulness and con tributions to the community for another century and beyond." The main entrance to the Downtown Center for the Arts "will be relocated to the Spruce Street side of the building. A drive with covered portico will be located directly across the street from a parking area with about 150 spaces recent ly acquired by The Arts Council The west front of the new Downtown Center for the Arts will be covered with a dramat ic glass "skin" that will con tain stairwells, elevators and walkways. Space in the Sawtooth Building previously used for restaurants will be converted to a pottery and sculpting studio for Sawtooth School, and galleries and pub lic areas will be greatly enhanced and expanded. Mayor Allen Joines described the campaign as "a major step forward for The City of the Arts." Joines said, "As we work to promote Winston-Salem as a premier destination for arts and cultur al activities, having an arts center in the midst of our revi talized downtowh will be a tremendous boost. The cam paign includes funds for an aggressive branding and mar keting program that will bene fit not only the arts communi ty, but the entire economy of our area." 'Romantic (Nights The Winston-Salem Symphony ROBERT MOODY, Music Director PRESENTS c Romantic Nights Guest Artist ^ Carlos Rodriguez, Piano v It's spring and romance is in the air! To Celebrate, the Winston-Salem Symphony presents a concert for lovers and lovers of romantic music, Enjoy this passionate performance with someone you love! Danielpour Toward the Splendid City Falla Nights in the Garden of Spoi^ Rachmaninoff Symphony no. 2 in E minor, op. 27 APRIL 12, 13, & 15, 2008 at the Stevens Center of the NC School of the Arts Saturday 7:30 p.m. Kicked-Back Classics Series Sunday 3:00 p.m., Tuesday 7:30 p.m. Classics Series Tickets from $15 to $50 For more information, call 336-464-0145 w-r, io-4? or visit www.wssymphony.org. WM'HtniA WKA1 TH MUUUKMKNT jSSrju}. mS WFDD GEE3D A udi muLLen y COUNCIL rsL'Jtsi ??

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