Central Florida Lifestyle October 2021 MetroWest

MetroWest LIFESTYLE

®

OCTOBER 2021

The Woman Next Door is a Survivor

+HEALTH & WELLNESS ISSUE MEET THIS YEARS

CUTEST TODDLERS

CLEAN BEAUTY

WHAT YOU MUST KNOW

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF DISNEY MAGIC

www.CentralFloridaLifestyle.com

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+ LETTER From the Publisher

Celebrating 228 Months!

Ye​​s, that is correct, no typo – Lifestyle Publications® (Windermere Lifestyle®, Winter Garden Lifestyle®, Winter Park Lifestyle®, Lake Nona Lifestyle®, Horizon West Lifestyle®, MetroWest Lifestyle®, College Park Lifestyle® and Altamonte Lifestyle®) is 19-years-old this month! That is 228 months that we have had the distinct privilege of serving you – our community – through our passion of providing eight hyper-local publications dedicated to what makes Central Florida so great – all of YOU! So, from the bottom of our hearts THANK YOU! Looking back at the last 19 years of past issues, it is so fun to see and reflect how we have grown with the times. Looking at our 2003 editions is like uncovering a time capsule! Much like home styles, hair and fashion, we are constantly reinventing ourselves and how we can best serve our ever-growing communities.

We could not continue to bring you fun, local, meaningful and impactful content focused on the individuals who make our community standout, lifestyle, health and wellness, arts and culture, nonprofits, dining and just about everything that makes Central Florida a lifestyle of its own, without the extreme loyalty of our advertisers and marketing partners! THANK YOU for your continued support.

We encourage you to go to our website centralfloridalifestyle.com, like our Facebook page, join one of our community Facebook groups and share your story ideas with us at Kristi@KarstMediaGroup.com!

Sincerely,

Kristi Karst Gomen Publisher

CEO/PUBLISHER Kristi Gomen Kristi@KarstMediaGroup.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Kaitlyn Fusco Kaitlyn@KarstMediaGroup.com GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Michael Feland Michael Caibio EDITORIAL CONTENT COORDINATOR Gabriella Dedmore INTERN Kendall Beebe WRITERS Tarre Beach, Kendall Beebe, Michael Brehne, Stina D’Uva, Gabriella Dedmore, Kristen Jackson, Don Long, Rich Maladecki ADVERTISTING SALES Lisa Harley LHarley@KarstMediaGroup.com

CONTACT US

FOR ADVERTISING INFO

407-449-2022

www.CentralFloridaLifestyle.com Lifestyle Publications is comprised of multiple editions, each mailed monthly, directly to homes and businesses throughout Central Florida. Lifestyle Publications is published monthly by Karst Media Group. Copyright 2021. All rights reserved. WINDERMERE LIFESTYLE, DR. PHILLIPS LIFESTYLE, METROWEST LIFESTYLE, WINTER GARDEN LIFESTYLE, CELEBRATION LIFESTYLE, DOWNTOWN ORLANDO LIFESTYLE, WINTER PARK LIFESTYLE, COLLEGE PARK LIFESTYLE, LAKE NONA LIFESTYLE, AVALON PARK LIFESTYLE, WATERFORD LAKES LIFESTYLE, OVIEDO LIFESTYLE, WINTER SPRINGS LIFESTYLE and CENTRAL FLORIDA LIFESTYLE are federally registered trademarks. Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents of this magazine or of the trademarks of Lifestyle Publications without written permission of the Publisher is prohibited.

Lifestyle Publications makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of content published. Neither the publishers nor advertisers will be held responsible for any errors found herein, and the publishers accept no liability for the accuracy of statements made by advertisers in ads and/ or in paid promotional features. June 2021.

Proud Member of:

Follow us: • facebook.com/centralfloridalifestyle • instagram.com/yourlifestylemagazine • twitter.com/cflifestylemag A Product of Karst Media

www.CentralFloridaLifestyle.com

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+ WHAT’S Inside

Contents | October 2021 Departments 8

IN THE KITCHEN

10

YOU ASKED, WE ANSWERED

Protecting Your Child’s Inheritance From Probate

12

DANIEL’S CORNER

14

TALK OF THE TOWN

16

TECH TRENDS

34

EXPERT ADVICE

36

EDUCATION STATION

38

HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Features 6

NEMOURS CHILDREN’S HEALTH

17

HEALTH & WELLNESS GUIDE

26

THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR IS A SURVIVOR

Rebellious Kids Deserve Rebellious Healthcare

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40

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Your guide to a healthier and more mindful lifestyle with an inside look at some of the area’s top medical professionals.

In partnership with AdventHealth for Women, we’re recognizing some of the women in our community who are survivors of breast cancer, who have had a recurrence, or who are currently undergoing treatment.

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF MAGIC

To honor Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary, we asked our readers to share their favorite Disney memories over the past five decades

2021 CUTEST TODDLER CONTEST

Get to know the adorable winners of the 2021 Cutest Toddler Contest, sponsored by AdventHealth for Children.

Go online for stories and photos not seen in print.

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Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

The Power of the Performing Arts Conversations for Your Community

5 Wellness Products to Prepare for Fall Are Vaccine Passports “Legal”?

Educating the Whole Child

8 Frightening Films to Send Chills Up Your Spine

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YOUR LOCAL

46

YOUR LOCAL

The West Orange Chamber of Commerce President Shares How Grandchildren Are The Best Medicine

Winter Garden Welcomes New Monarch Butterfly

48

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

49

BETTER BEAUTY

50

SOMEONE YOU SHOULD KNOW

Web Life

Fresh Fall Farer

Clean Beauty for You

Linda “Red” Harrison

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UP TO 8 ATTRACTIONS ONE LOW PRICE! Plus SHOPPING & DINING DISCOUNTS!

Get your PLAY PASS today at ICONParkOrlando.com THE ICON PARK PLAY PASS INCLUDES (1) ADMISSION TO: The Wheel at ICON Park, Madame Tussauds Orlando, SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium, Orlando StarFlyer, Museum of Illusions, Pearl Express Train, 7D Dark Ride & $5 In The Game Play Card.

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At Nemours Children’s, we’re on a journey to discover better ways of approaching children’s health. By putting just as much focus on prevention as we do cures. Working hand in hand with community leaders, educators and policymakers to make every child’s world a place for them to thrive. It’s what happens when you look at healthcare with a child’s imagination.

Beyond the expected. Beyond limits. We believe it will lead to the healthiest generations of children who ever lived.

Well Beyond Medicine

Go well beyond at Nemours.org/Beyond

+ IN THE Kitchen

Fresh Fall Fare This Fall, try adding healthy pumpkin into your everyday recipes for some easy and healthy treats.

By Kendall Beebe

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umpkins are great for carving and making into a pie, but they are also a nutrient-dense food, meaning they are low in calories and full of essential vitamins and minerals. Pumpkins are rich in antipoxidents and especially high in Vitamin A, which means they help keep your immune system strong, are good for your eyesight and helps support healthy skin.

Pumpkin is also full of fiber, which can help curb your appetite, make you feel fuller longer, remove cholesterol from your body, keep blood sugars from spiking and help regulate bowel habits. Other pumpkin nutrients include vitamin C, iron, folate and potassium, which helps to control blood pressure.

With so much goodness packed into a low calorie and delicious food, it’s no wonder why pumpkin is one of our favorite healthy Fall treats!

Here are some of our suggestions for adding pumpkin into your daily intake.

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Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

Pumpkin Puree

You can buy pumpkin puree at your local grocery store or you can make your own. If you make your own, try to use small baking pumpkins. These are generally sweeter and taste better. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and “goop.” For a savory puree season the pumpkin with salt. If you like a little sweeter puree you can use cinnamon. Place the pumpkin cut side down on a baking sheet. Put the pumpkins in the oven and roast the pumpkin until the inside is soft and tender. Scoop out the pumpkin meat and put it in a food processor and blend it together.

Some of our favorite treats to add pumpkin puree to are: n

Oatmeal - Nothing says fall like pumpkin spice. Try adding some puree with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves! n Pancakes - Pumpkin pancakes can be sweet or savory. Top with

butter, maple syrup, cinnamon sugar or parsley and a fried egg. n Pasta Sauce - Pasta + Pumpkin + Ricotta Cheese = A Fall lover’s paradise. Mix your puree with ricotta or mascarpone cheese for a decadent pasta sauce.

Of course we have to mention that when cooking with pumpkins this means PUMPKIN SEEDS!

Mom’s Pumpkin Seeds Recipe:

Separate the pumpkin seeds from the rest of the “goop” and put them in a bowl.

Toss the seeds with melted butter and salt, you can substitute the butter for Avocado Oil. Spread the seeds on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes until golden brown stirring occasionally. Enjoy!

+ YOU ASKED We Answered

Protecting Your Child’s

Inheritance From Probate Learn how to avoid probate, with or without a will, and ensure your assets after death are directly distributed to your family.

Q:

Why bother to prepare a Last Will if the intended beneficiaries are unable to pay

thousands of dollars to lawyers to receive what is theirs upon the person’s death?

By Kristen Jackson, Jackson Law P.A.

A:

When my mom and dad died, their Last Will left my brother and I a 3-bedroom rental property with no mortgage. We decided to sell the property, but found that we couldn’t without filing letters of administration. Being naive teenagers needing income, we were clueless as to where to start only to learn we must hire an attorney to probate the property.

Having no funds to pay the attorney or the mortgage, the property was foreclosed upon, auctioned off to the highest bidder and excess funds were deposited in Florida’s unclaimed property. Five years later, we learned we were entitled to these unclaimed monies but, again, must hire a probate lawyer to recover them. Still without funds to pay for an attorney, the monies remained under the State of Florida’s control. I, too, thought, “why bother to prepare a Last Will if the intended beneficiaries, like my brother and I, are unable to pay thousands of dollars to lawyers to receive what was supposedly my brother’s and mine

upon our parents’ deaths?” Eight years following our parents’ death, we finally retrieved the few remaining funds through probate – about 30% of the market value of the rental property our parents left us. This time, I thought, “probate seems stupid and unfair.”

As stupid and unfair as probate may seem, it isn’t. Parents with Wills could avoid probate altogether if they simply listen to their lawyer’s explanation about how to protect assets from probate. Some parents believe lawyers are simply unnecessary and prepare “self-help” Wills, but more often than not, they prepare them incorrectly or not according to Florida law. Only about 42% of all adults in the U.S. ever prepare Wills and less than half of them follow their lawyer’s directions and don’t adequately research financial impacts to beneficiaries from improperly prepared self-help documents.

There are so many ways that parents can protect their assets from probate and ensure, once deceased, their children can inherit the family wealth without any need for lawyers or losing greater than half of the family wealth because beneficiaries have insufficient funds to pay for probate. Consider

some of the following ways to avoid probate with or without a will.

Banks have a procedure to protect accounts from probate called Payable Upon Death Accounts (POD), also known as Transfer on Death Accounts (TOD), that pass these accounts directly to designated beneficiaries and avoid probate. Family homes and timeshares can be protected by means of an Enhanced Life Estate that passes such real estate directly to beneficiaries with no need for probate. Insurance and investment accounts also provide the ability of Beneficiary Designations and are Payable Upon Death directly to the named beneficiaries without the need for probate.

Children in the US lose billions annually because parents don’t research preventative measures that avoid probate nor listen carefully to their attorneys. Do the right thing, and protect your child’s inheritance by contacting an estate planning attorney like Jackson Law PA with its Passion of Protecting Your Assets and Beneficiaries from spending funds they may not have for attorneys, unnecessary court costs for probate and losing substantive family fortunes.

Kristen Jackson is the founding partner of Jackson Law P.A. (407-363-9020). She is experienced in estate planning, real estate law, business and contract law. Her firm has earned an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell signifying the highest level of professional excellence as obtained through opinions from members of the bar and judiciary. For more information, visit www.JacksonFloridaRealtor.com

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Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

+ DANIEL’S Corner

The Power of the Performing Arts Three new W. Daniel Mills apprentices find healing, inspiration and community in theater.

By Tarre Beach

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he W. Daniel Mills Apprenticeship Program, through the generosity of the Mills family, has awarded 30 Central Florida high school students paid internships with the Garden Theatre this year. A few student apprentices share what theater means to them.

Dealing with Loss

Larissa Foxx, a senior at Montverde Academy, was Daniel Mills’ girlfriend. She says losing Daniel unexpectedly last year was deeply painful. However, now she is even more motivated to continue her journey in theater because she now knows personally how the performing arts can help heal.

“Theater is a space where people can receive a message of love. I feel working in the theater honors Daniel in a positive way,” Foxx says.

Foxx is currently the apprentice director under the guidance of director Beth Marshall for Looped, which plays at the Garden Theatre from October 8 to 24. Fox says the production is very intimate with only three characters and a theme of uncovering the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.

After graduation Foxx plans to continue her education in performance art/theater therapy. She says she is drawn to this type of work because it can help people.

“I see theater as magical and as a way to heal. And whether you are dealing with loss or something else, who doesn’t need a little magic sometimes?” Foxx says.

A Career That Inspires

Nicolas Querino is an Olympia High School senior whose wants to pursue acting. His mother, a nurse, was skeptical about a career in performance at first, but now

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Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

supports him. “Once she saw me act, I think she saw what it means. She believes in me,” Querino says.

He also has a plan B and looks to double major in education and acting. In some ways acting and teaching are similar, Querino says. For students to better embrace material such as history, social studies, and science, teachers might perform what they are teaching. And the opposite is often true, too; great acting can teach. No matter his major, Querino hopes to help others through art in some way.

“Look at how much we’ve needed inspiration in the last year. Being able to inspire others as a career would be such a gift,” Querino says.

Together Again

Ethan Kaufman has been in theater since 9th grade.

He says one of the things that attracted him to lighting design was how lighting could be a subtle or bold tool to help guide the audience on their journey through a play.

Although not an athlete himself, Kaufman likens theater to sports because it takes a team of people working together to be successful. “There’s no I in team, well there isn’t one in theater either,” he says. “We all make it happen.

Without the director, we have no leadership. Without lighting we have no way to see the story. Without set design or costumes you can’t be transported in time and space. Without the actors you can’t relate to the story yourself.”

Kaufman’s sees the performing arts as a way for people to come together and not just the production crew and actors, but the community too.

“I think that’s the beautiful thing about theater, you can walk in separate and alone, then walk out afterwards bonded and together. This year we need more togetherness.”

+ TALK of the Town

Conversations for Your Community A monthly look at what's happening in the Orlando area, along with fun facts and important reminders.

Develop a quartering routine (the first weeks of January, April, July and October) of changing your HVAC Air Filters.

By Rich Maladecki

Try this “Old Fashion Idea” to enhance friendships and relationships: Set a goal of writing and mailing (yes, using snail mail!), one sincere letter or meaningful card per month! Imagine the impact this thoughtful gesture may have.

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Per many researchers, one of the most important personal lifestyle habits to do each day or each week is: “Do Items that You Enjoy”. So, today focus on experiences that please and adds to a positive and reflective outlook.

Exercising regularly can be challenging with our hectic and complex lives, but exercising with friends or family members may contribute to developing that needed routine.

Let’s experiment and try this new healthier food option: The Impossible Burger, a plant-based alternative to traditional meat-based burgers. Too many of our neighbors have praised this option as delicious and mouthwatering.

Have you considered purchasing a wireless home thermometer?

This may be a wise tool for your family’s First Aid kit.

Remember: always consider the healthy option of taking the stairs. This is good for your heart and to relieve stress.

Don’t forget to smile!

Research indicates that individuals who regularly smile can elevate moods and simultaneously relax the body, leading to positive attitudes and meaningful lives.

Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

+ TECH Trends

5 Wellness Products to Prepare for Fall

These products will help your mind, body and soul get ready to refresh and recharge so you can be on top this fall.

By Kendall Beebe

Sensate

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hether you are on-the-go or working from home, as we prepare for the holiday season, it is important to stay mindful and take time for your self-health and wellness.. When your favorite fall latte just will not do the trick, try one of these gadgets to help keep you feeling your best.

Cabeau Incredi-Belt

Perfect for people who spend a good time sitting or those who just need some pain relief, the Cabeau Incredi-Belt is here to help. It is designed to improve posture and reduce lower back pain by providing targeted support. It is versatile and can be worn wherever you go because it is waterresistant, ultra-lightweight and has a slim profile.

Available at cabeau.com, $29.99

A device that pairs with your phone to help you ease into a relaxed state is what we all need to recharge our mental health. The Sensate uses infrasonic sound waves to send mellow frequencies throughout the body.

It is a wearable and audio app that is placed on the chest to target the nervous system and guide you to a relaxed state. It allows you to dive into an alleviated state at any time of day and can be used with headphones!

Available at getsensate.com, $249

Aletha Health’s Hip Hook

This tool is made to help relieve pain and tension from the comfort of your home! The Hip Hook only takes a couple of minutes a day and can lead to long-lasting pain relief for your lower back, hips, tailbone, knees and feet. The Hip Hook is designed by a physical therapist and is easy to add to your workout, wherever it may be!

Available at alethahealth.com, $149

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Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

Stealth Clearspecs

Sick of foggy glasses? Look no further, Clearspecs are designed by Showerspecs with an anti-fog glass to ensure you always see clear. With their double coated anti-fog lenses, wipes and sprays are no longer needed. Clearspecs come in +1.5, +2.0, +2.5 and +3.0 with many different styles and colors to choose from.

Available at clearspecsreaders.com, $65

An ideal addition for your athome gym or on those days you don’t have time to get a full workout in, Stealth is here for you. The Stealth core trainer combines planking and video games to create a workout sure to keep you in the zone. While you plank your way through mini games you will be toning 29 muscle groups to give you a full workout even when you only have five minutes to spare.

Available at trystealth.com & Amazon, $99

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2021 CENTRAL FLORIDA

Health & Wellness LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE GUIDE ®

www.CentralFloridaLifestyle.com

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ASSOCIATES IN DERMATOLOGY As president and medical director of Associates in Dermatology, a leading dermatology practice serving Central Florida communities for over 30 years, Dr. Michael Steppie and his talented team proudly deliver high-quality care to patients across 17 convenient locations.

As a Mohs micrographic skin cancer surgeon, Dr. Steppie has been involved in many research endeavors. He is also a member of the National Psoriasis Foundation and the American Contact Dermatitis Society.

Besides being a widely recognized leader in skin cancer treatment, Associates in Dermatology also treats a variety of dermatological conditions such as acne, eczema and diseases of the hair and nails.

Services such as permanent hair removal, sclerotherapy, laser skin resurfacing and medical strength TCA chemical peels are offered as well.

Associates in Dermatology accepts most health plans, and the professional staff of skilled and dedicated physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, paramedical

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Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

clinical estheticians and support team members take great pride in exceeding patient expectations.

Associates in Dermatology has received numerous patients awards and was voted one of Orlando’s best dermatology practices. Call us today to schedule your appointment.

Dr. Michael Steppie ASSOCIATES IN DERMATOLOGY 17 locations including Altamonte Springs, Apopka, Dr. Phillips, East Orlando, Ocoee and Winter Garden 800.827.SKIN (7546) DermOrlando.com

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REMAGIN For over ten years, the teams at Orlando Eye Institute and Parbhu Oculofacial Plastic Surgery have proudly treated the residents of Dr. Phillips and Windermere, serving your eye and oculofacialplastic needs with compassion, respect and professionalism. As they have grown, thanks to the support of their patients and their community, they have been able to integrate cutting-edge technologies into the practice and broaden the scope of what they can provide. This was the concept in fusing the two practices and changing the name to Remagin. While their commitment to your care remains the same, they can now provide a wider array of treatments, all under one roof, without the restrictions or barriers of conventional thinking. Instead, they want you to concentrate on the things that make you happy and let them help you get there!

Drs. Parbhu and Raja are both board-certified physicians and believe in providing direct care to their patients. They perform all procedures and surgeries and provide all perioperative care to patients. All injectable and laser treatments are also performed by Dr. Parbhu. Recent additions include light adjustable lens technology for cataract surgery, corneal cross linking for keratoconus, nonsurgical lower facial rejuvenation, medical grade facials, and Dr. Parbhu’s own medical grade skincare line.

While the doctors have always been about improving the quality of their patients’ lives, they now have a much clearer vision of how to do so. This allows them to optimize vision, decrease spectacle and eye drop use, bring comfort and instill confidence in your appearance — all in a safe and welcoming environment that their patients have come to expect. Refine. Refocus. Remagin.

Deepak Raja, MD and Keshini Parbhu, MD REMAGIN (FORMERLY ORLANDO EYE INSTITUTE AND PARBHU OCULOFACIAL PLASTIC SURGERY) 4750 The Grove Drive, Suite 230 Windermere, FL 34786 407-704-3937 www.Remagin.com shop.remagin.com

www.CentralFloridaLifestyle.com

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Building Families One Healthy Baby at a Time

At Reproductive Medicine Associates of Florida, Dr. George Patounakis and his team help couples fulfill their dreams of being a parent.

C

reating a family is a dream for many, but that dream isn’t always easily achieved. In fact, one in eight people struggle with infertility.

The RMA Network has been at the forefront of research, innovation, and patient-focused fertility treatments for over two decades.

Since 1999, Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey, the network flagship practice, has helped thousands of hopeful patients from around the U.S. and the world become parents.

Dr. George Patounakis, who began seeing patients at Reproductive Medicine Associates of Florida in Lake Mary in December 2017, provides personalized patient care based on a proven method from RMANJ, where success rates are well-above the national average among all age

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groups. This success is based on a three-prong approach: science, success and support.

“We’re truly committed to helping the patient build their family one healthy baby at a time,” Dr. Patounakis says. “We also work with families of all types to help them fulfill their dreams of being a parent.”

How it Works

RMAFL thrives on its patientfocused care philosophy that incorporates the latest scientific research and breakthroughs as well as industry-leading expertise to provide patients with the most positive experiences possible. Each patient receives an individualized treatment plan geared toward providing the best possible chances of starting their own family.

Dr. Patounakis is extremely

hands on throughout the process.

Every time the patient visits the office, they see him. He performs ultrasounds in the mornings and stops to chat during blood work appointments. Most importantly, he is always accessible should they need anything along the way.

“We’re not just about using standardized protocols,” Dr. Patounakis says. “We will tailor each plan to each patient, and not just the clinical aspect but also in the lab.”

Right there on the premises, technicians can fertilize eggs, culture embryos and perform biopsies to ensure they are genetically normal. Using the genetic results, they are then able to select one single embryo that has the highest chances of leading to the desired result: a live birth.

“Overall, we are both high tech and high touch,” Dr. Patounakis says.

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MEET THE DOCTOR George Patounakis, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.O.G., is the lead physician of Reproductive Medicine Associates of Florida. After earning his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctorate in electrical engineering, Dr. Patounakis’ passion shifted to health.

Success is the Priority

Using the model developed by RMANJ, Dr. Patounakis dedicates himself to patient success. While RMAFL consistently pursues the desired outcome of each patient, the facility is willing to share in the risk of failure.

“We feel so strongly about helping people build their families that we have a shared risk program that takes out the financial risk of going through treatment but not getting the desired result of a live birth,” Dr. Patounakis says.

Care Share is a fertility care refund program that provides hopeful parents with reassurance and avoids the financial risk should they require alternative means of family building.

A Circle of Support

Along with his staff, Dr. Patounakis understands that there is not one single answer to every infertility case, so patients can expect an unparalleled personal degree of attention and care throughout their treatment. They can also expect a full range of emotional support.

“One of the deterrents to being successful is that people get emotionally burnt out,” Dr. Patounakis says.

“A large part of my job and the job of my staff is to make sure that we provide emotional support to give them the energy to keep moving forward.”

In addition, a private Facebook group called FertiliFriends is a resource

that was created by RMA patients for patients from everywhere and any center. Members include individuals who are struggling with infertility as well as former patients who have gone through fertility treatments successfully.

Helping Patients Become Parents

Dr. Patounakis and his entire staff are focused on one goal: helping infertility patients become parents in the Greater Orlando area and across Florida. “As a father of two girls, I know how much that means and I’m driven by that purpose every single day,” he says.

If you’re ready to take the next step in starting your own family, call Reproductive Medicine Associates of Florida to schedule a new patient appointment.

REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE ASSOCIATES OF FLORIDA

He went on to earn his M.D. from Rutgers — Robert Wood Johnson Medical School before completing his internship and residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Dr. Patounakis pursued his fellowship training in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. While there, his research focused on cholesterol transport in steroidogenic cells using live-cell microscopy, IVF outcome predictors and genetic influences on infertility.

In addition to being the medical director for RMAFL, Dr. Patounakis is an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology with the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. His research interests include statistical IVF cycle modeling, fertility preservation and diminished ovarian reserve. He also serves as an ad hoc reviewer for Fertility & Sterility and the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics.

400 Colonial Center Parkway, Suite 150 Lake Mary, FL 32746 407.804.9670 RMA-FL.com www.CentralFloridaLifestyle.com

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BONZANICH PHOTOGRAPHY

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WHY REGENERATIVE MEDICINE?

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ouldn’t it feel amazing to be able to get back to that activity your pain has stopped you from?

Maybe it’s a sport you discontinued. Or maybe you just want to be able to enjoy playing with your kids again. At Regenerative Sport, Spine, and Spa, we know you want to live a life free of pain. In order to do that, you need an effective way to overcome your back and joint pain.

You are often told your pains are just something you have to cope with using medicine and/or steroid injections until you can no longer tolerate them and then it’s time for surgery.

The problem is surgery requires lots of time for recovery and medicines have potential for addiction, which makes you feel frustrated and lost for answers.

This frustration comes due to the limited amount of options that we have had for our joint and back pain. Does this feel familiar? You go to your family doctor who usually prescribes you some medicine to help with your pain or inflammation.

If that doesn’t help, you are sent to an orthopedic specialist. This specialist will then order physical therapy, continue medications and possibly recommend a shot or series of shots. Once you have gone through this process, about 80% of the time you will feel better for the short term, but long term, the symptoms may return. The other 20% percent do not feel better even for the short term and may be recommended for surgery. Or our personal favorite, “You’re not old enough to have this surgery now. I would wait as long as possible before having it. We can help you manage the pain in the interim.”

Doesn’t really sound like a great plan does it?

Do any of you want to be on medications long term? They 22

Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

tend to work less the longer you are on them. And let’s be honest, most of you do not want to have surgery unless it is absolutely necessary. So, what do we do now? Just live with it? Change everything about our lives? That is unfortunately what many of you do, while continuing the cycle of taking medicine and having periodic injections to cope.

Quick Fact: 1 in 4 people will need a second back surgery within 4 years of the initial back surgery.

We believe life is too short to live with pain. You should be using the body’s natural healing power through Stem Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine!

We understand the limitations pain places on your life and we care about helping you heal naturally and live your life, which is why Dr. Cherukupally has specialty training in Regenerative Medicine, non surgical back and joint care, and has performed over 17,000 non surgical procedures over a 15 year career on people just like you.

In the last few years, Regenerative medicine has started to make a real difference in the world of joint and back pain.

With Stem Cells and Regenerative Cells, we can help promote repair of herniated discs, as well as cartilage tears in small and large joints. These Regenerative cells can also help reduce inflammation that is typically the primary cause of significant pain.

“The benefits that I have seen from these treatments in the last few years has been life changing. People can get back to their lives with minimal down time, minimal recovery time and return to activities they thought were never possible again.”

– Dr. Cherukupally, MD

• • • • • • Promotional Feature • • • • • • Quick Fact: Studies have shown that knee replacement doesn’t increase activity levels in 40% of people and those individuals still have significant pain after surgery.

Here’s what to do about it: 1. Call and schedule your consultation and the 1 on 1 time with a doctor you deserve 2. Have the procedure in house, no hospitals.

3. Get back to life without pain, naturally. Don’t settle for short term relief, be long term greedy with your health!

Schedule your consultation with us and begin your journey back to a pain free life.

Q+A WITH JAY

A REGENERATIVE MEDICINE SUCCESS STORY Check out one of our clients, Jay Brummett, and his success story.

1. What issues were you having before coming to Regen?

In 1996, while playing in a beach volleyball tournament, a player ran full speed into me and put his knee into my head while I was lying face down in the sand. I suffered 2 herniated discs, and the natural curve in my neck was gone. Suffering from this injury prohibited me from normal everyday activities such as sleeping on a pillow, being in a car for any extended period, looking down at a computer or iPhone, or time on an airplane. These activities would cause me so much pain that I would need to lie down with a foam roller under my neck, a cold compress over my eyes, and possibly take hydrocodone to relieve the pain. If those options were not available, I would lose my vision, starting with small dots in my eyes that would begin to multiply and swirl around.

2. What was your life like before coming to our office? Limitations? What were these limitations preventing you from doing? My days were limited to small time windows, often as little as 4 hours. Also, I had to sleep A LOT more. This was mostly to get my neck on a foam roller so I could get some relief and get the curve back in my neck temporarily.

3. Before coming to see Dr. Cherukupally, what were the other options you were told to have done, and what have you had done? Chiropractor • Deep Tissue Massage • Acupuncture • Physical therapy • Self-massage, using every contraption you can find • Spiritual healing • Opioids • Cortisone shots • Spinal fusion (No thanks) • Botox 4. What was your main concern about having Stem Cell Therapy and what put your fears to rest? I didn’t realize it was even an option until I met Dr. Cherukupally.

5. What results have you gotten from having Stem Cell Therapy? It has only been 6 weeks since my procedure, and the right side of my neck and shoulder is COMPLETELY healed. The left side still has a little tension, but it is already MUCH better. We just did PRP (platelet rich plasma) last week, and I am already starting to feel results. Stem Cell Therapy has already been a LIFE CHANGING event. I am confident that this will be a ‘non-issue’ by the 6-month mark.

6. What are the benefits you’ve experienced as a result of your procedure? At the 4 week mark, my wife and I flew cross country. I was able to watch my iPad, looking down at it for the duration of the flights. This is something I have not been able to do for a very long time. We drove 14 hours in the snow from Seattle to Idaho, then 3 more hours’ in the car to Salt Lake City. Next, we flew from Salt Lake to Chicago, Chicago to Orlando, and then drove home. NO headaches, and NO medication was needed. That would have NOT BEEN imaginable before the procedure. I am also getting about 4 hours a day back, since I don’t need to sleep nearly as much. And this is the first time in 25 years I am contemplating sleeping on a pillow!

7. What surprised you the most or made you the happiest about your results thus far? The incredible skill, caring and bedside manner of the entire staff at Dr. C’s office, as well as the “miraculous” results after TWENTY-FIVE years of pain!

8. Why would you recommend this to someone who might be on the fence? Worst case is you pay for the procedure and nothing happens. But I am convinced that even in the worst case you will get relief. I would have paid 10 times the amount and sold everything I own for this result. What price would you pay to have your quality of life back?

9. If you were to recommend Stem Cell Therapy to your best friend, what would you say? No if’s, as I already have recommended it to many friends. It’s the smartest thing I have ever done and worth every bit of the cost.

10. What was your overall experience at Regenerative Sport, Spine, and Spa? Incredible. Not just the medical results, but the care and caring of the staff has been off the chart. The team at Regen were very helpful, answered all of our questions, explained everything fully, and were very patient. We felt so comfortable from the moment we first called the clinic, and both agreed we finally felt that we found someone to talk to and that we could work with. Highly recommend!

To learn more, please visit info@regens3.com or contact one of our team members at 407-730-5600.

www.CentralFloridaLifestyle.com

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• • • • • • Promotional Feature • • • • • •

PHAN-TASTIC SMILES Dr. Cuong T. Phan, known in Central Florida as “The Man Behind Beautiful Smiles,” is the recipient of the prestigious Mastership Award, the highest Academy of General Dentistry honor available. It’s one of the most respected designations within the dental profession. Less than 2% of general dentists throughout the United States and Canada have earned this title (MAGD).

Dr. Phan has been practicing dentistry for over 20 years. Humbled to be distinguished by the AGD, Dr. Phan says it was his patients who inspired him to work toward his goal. “I strive to become a better dentist every day to provide the best care for my patient’s dental health,” he says.

Dr. Phan has always gone above and beyond the ADA and CDC guidelines for the safety of his patients, staff and families. Additional measures that have recently been taken include wearing N95 masks, installing UV-C air purification systems and using ultraviolet disinfecting wands in addition to disinfectant sprays, wipes and touchfree protocols throughout the Phan-tastic Smiles office.

These are just a few examples of Dr. Phan’s commitment to his patients and staff.

Dr. Phan’s patients are top priority! He is constantly educating himself on the latest cutting edge of dental technology. He offers same-day porcelain crowns, veneers 24

Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

and laser dentistry to provide patients a gentle and more comfortable experience.

Compassion, education and skills are what make Dr. Phan the caring dentist he is. He and his team are very thankful for the loyalty their patients have shown over the years.

Currently, Dr. Phan serves as a Florida Dental Examiner for the Commission on Dental Competency Assessments (CDCA).

Get to know Dr. Phan and his friendly team at your next appointment. Call the office to schedule an appointment.

New patients can take advantage of a $99 special that includes a new patient exam, x-rays and the initial cleaning.

Cuong T. Phan, DMD, FAGD, MAGD PHAN-TASTIC SMILES Family • Cosmetic • Implant Dentistry 407.282.7498 www.PhanTasticSmile com

Nationally Accredited Breast Cancer Care

2,500+ BREAST CANCER PATIENTS TREATED ANNUALLY

6 CANCER INSTITUTE LOCATIONS

At AdventHealth Cancer Institute, our goal is to provide personalized support throughout your health care journey. Our breast health experts are here for you every step of the way, from early detection to survivorship – it’s why we have been recognized as providing the Best Cancer Care in Greater Orlando by U.S. News & World Report.

Early Detection and Prevention Scheduling a mammogram has never been easier. AdventHealth has the largest network of mammography locations in the region, with 3D technology, online scheduling and appointments in 30 minutes to fit your busy schedule.

Comprehensive, Multidisciplinary Care We understand the physical and emotional toll of numerous appointments and days spent in treatment. At our multidisciplinary breast care centers, our team covers all aspects of care planning in a single visit. Here you will find the most innovative treatment options available, including immune system-boosting immunotherapies and one-time procedures like intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT).

14 MAMMOGRAPHY CENTERS

20+ BREAST CANCER SPECIALISTS

9 BREAST CANCER NAVIGATORS

Survivorship Resources Our support doesn’t end once you’ve completed treatment. All patients have access to support groups, dieticians, mental health services, survivorship resources, spa services and wellness programs like HEAL: Breast Cancer.

Your Cancer Care Concierge

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The specially trained registered nurses on our Breast Cancer Nurse Navigation team provide expert personalized care, clinical assistance, and educational, emotional and spiritual support. As part of this complimentary service, we’re here to coordinate your overall care and answer any questions you may have.

3 MULTIDISCIPLINARY BREAST CANCER CARE CENTERS

To learn more or make an appointment, visit LeadingBreastCare.com.

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9/14/2021 2:36:17 PM

The Woman Next Door is a

SURVIVOR

This month, in partnership with AdventHealth for Women, we’re recognizing some of the women in our community who are survivors of breast cancer, who have had a recurrence, or who are currently going through treatment.

To us, all of these women are survivors in their own right. It is the hope of these women that by telling their stories they inspire and educate other women who are facing a breast cancer diagnosis.

By Tarre Beach

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Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

LINDSAY PARKS PHOTOGRAPHY

Nancy Alvarez

Orlando/Thornton Park There’s only one you. While most of us embrace that we are unique individuals, Nancy Alvarez says that could go right out the window the moment something like cancer comes into the picture.

After she was diagnosed with breast cancer, Alvarez, a news anchor for WFTV, the ABC affiliate in Orlando, was tempted to do what any journalist would do; she thought about researching the internet, but knew that wasn’t exactly the best thing for her.

“Someone else’s experience does not reflect yours or what you can expect. Every journey is different,” she says. “Instead of scaring yourself or becoming overwhelmed with information, talk to your own doctor who has the specifics about your health.”

With no symptoms, no lump or any indication there was something wrong, Alvarez’s annual mammogram was very likely the thing that helped save her life. She says she had a big support network that helped her face all the uncertainty she felt right after receiving the news. A friend sent her a text that helped her feel more secure with her decision to have a mastectomy. She hopes the message helps other women: “It is just flesh. It’s not who you are. You are scared of what may be, of what could happen. Women survive. To be brave means you must be scared, and you do it anyway.

Either way you win. Any more time with your children is a victory. You won the day you found out. At this point it’s just semantics. Boobs? No boobs? What matters is you. You are not dying. In fact, you are living more now than you were last week.”

The idea that she could help spread the word about the importance of getting regular mammograms helped Alvarez move forward. “I’m grateful beyond measure,” she says.

Altamonte

As an OB-GYN with AdventHealth Medical Group in Altamonte Springs, Dr. Vonda Ware has had the unenviable task of having to inform patients about tests that suggested they might have cancer. And she has also found out what it’s like to be on the receiving end of that information. She says being a doctor and a patient felt like she knew a lot but also not enough.

KIM BATES PHOTOGRAPHY

Dr. Vonda Ware

“I knew what was being said, and I knew what it meant, but I couldn’t navigate through the feelings and the information quick enough,” Ware says of the moment she was being wheeled into surgery. She didn’t find fault with her medical team. What she found was a renewed sense of compassion for her own patients when she eventually came back to work.

A deeply spiritual woman, Ware says she trusted that God would take care of her during her cancer treatment. After being diagnosed, her regular women’s Bible study group asked if they could pray for her. That was nothing new, but she realized how vulnerable she was and knew she had to let others, not just God, take care of her too.

All in all, Ware says, her experience has been a blessing. Going through cancer made her draw closer to her faith and to her mother. Not that long ago, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. “I got a whole new level of appreciation for my mom. I knew if she could fight breast cancer at 70 years old. I could do it in my 40s.”

Ware says she thinks she has come out the other side a better doctor because she knows exactly what it feels like to be a patient. www.CentralFloridaLifestyle.com

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Brea Weiss Windermere

Six months isn’t a very long time, it just depends on the subject. In six months, Earth travels halfway around the sun. In six months, a leopard can go from conception to giving birth to her cub. Every six months you might get your teeth cleaned, and we change our clocks just as often.

For Brea Weiss, six months was how long it took for her to go from having a “clean” mammogram to being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Weiss had a baseline mammogram when she was thirty years old, due to having fibrocystic breasts, a common condition that can cause dense breast tissue. At age 39, she was used to the routine of annual mammograms. So when the “gnarly” wrinkle and dimpling on her breast first appeared, she was concerned but assumed all would be fine given her mammogram six months prior where nothing was found. “I was just so surprised because it had grown so large so quickly,” Weiss says.

PHOTO COURTESY BREA WEISS

Everything went into fast-forward for Weiss. It may have only taken six months for her cancer to grow, but it only took two months for her to receive a diagnosis, have a mastectomy, and begin treatment.

Weiss gives credit to her “rock star physician” at AdventHealth Celebration. Having a doctor who is a leader in their field is important, but one that gets to know their patient is an added benefit. “My breast specialist was so strong, medically, and compassionate. She’s become a dear and treasured friend over the years, and I can’t thank her enough for saving my life,” Weiss says.

Now cancer-free for about seven years—that’s approximately 84 months—Weiss says her cancer changed her fundamentally as a person. She says she doesn’t sweat the small stuff and may finally be learning patience.

Tamara Muhlbach Ocoee/Winter Garden

If you think the pandemic has been a gigantic pain in the butt, it’s been even harder for people like Tamara Muhlbach whose original plans after completing chemotherapy was to have a double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. However, that is not what happened. Reconstruction had to be delayed and learning this news was not her “finest hour” she says. Months later, after several more delays and multiple surgeries, she’s happy to report the “ball is through the goal posts” and her surgeries are complete.

Muhlbach found she needed lots of help to get to appointments and just to function.

As one of six sisters, mother to four, and grandmother to six, Muhlbach had a built-in support system. And, she adds, her family members were able to be there for each other too. “It was like each person had an assignment in helping me so that no one person had to bear it all. I’m so fortunate to have such a close-knit family,” Muhlbach says.

Recently, during a family gathering at Cape Canaveral, Muhlbach and her sisters decided that her bald head wasn’t going to stand in the way of their professional family photo shoot. “All my sisters just put on swim caps so I didn’t feel so awkward. It was amazing,” she says.

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Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

JW BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY

Muhlbach says for years after regular mammograms she’d inevitably need to have an ultrasound as well due to having dense breasts. It was inconvenient but she always complied. She’s glad she had an insurance change which prompted her to get her regular screenings scheduled right away. In the end, it meant her cancer HR2 +, an aggressive type of breast cancer, was caught early. “Getting regular screenings saved my life.

Eighteen months later, I am cancer free and living life wholeheartedly,” Muhlbach says.

Linda Chisholm Winter Garden

Linda is the kind of woman who likes to laugh. A lot. She is also the kind of woman who likes to meet life with a healthy dose of sarcasm. When asked about the ceremonial ringing of the bell after completing breast cancer treatment, she said she just “loooooved” the bell and then let out a big guffaw. That’s because Linda is living with metastatic breast cancer (MBC), meaning that her cancer has spread to other areas of her body, and her treatments continue. She is currently facing an uphill battle and instead of focusing her energy too much on ringing that bell, she looks for other ways to celebrate everyday moments.

Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 after a routine mammogram. At first she and her husband Brian cried every day for two weeks. She suggests that if that’s what you need to do, do it. “Get it all out. It’s OK to cry,” she says. “But eventually I had gotten on my own last nerve with all that crying and was ready to stop crying and face it.”

Thankfully, the treatment for her brain lesions appears to have been successful and she’s reveling in that victory. She’s even started thinking about buying her own bell to ring as much as she wants, she says with a hearty laugh.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LINDA CHISHOLM

It was three years ago when her doctors found a spot on her lung and eventually some lesions in her brain. She quickly began chemotherapy and radiation and is currently still having treatment and although it can make her unwell at times, she’s come through all of it a little stronger and with a renewed capacity to forgive.

It was scary at first, but Linda says she finds hope and support by being in contact with other women diagnosed with MBC on Facebook. “I don’t know how people do this on their own. I’m just so lucky to have my husband, family and friends along with my team at the infusion center,” Linda says. Having an oncologist she really “clicks with” is also a big help.

BRADY GIN PHOTOGRAPHY

Justine Finocchiaro-Doles Altamonte/Longwood

Justine Finocchiaro-Doles was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at age 18 but it wasn’t until receiving a breast cancer diagnosis almost three decades later that she found her voice. “Back when I was diagnosed with my first cancer, people didn’t talk about having cancer. But after I completed treatment the first time for breast cancer, I found I had so much more self-esteem than I thought I had, and I finally had the courage to speak up.” In fact, that courage and fighting breast cancer two more times, has led Finocchiaro-Doles to start a podcast all about cancer survivors called Just Talk with Justine.

In the process of looking for support, Finocchiaro-Doles found not only a network of friends who could relate to what she was going through, but a new fitness routine too—dragon boat racing. A self-described “non-poster child” for exercising, FinocchiaroDoles says she is so thankful to Warriors on Water, the breast cancer survivor dragon boat racing team she has been a member of since 2014. “I still don’t like exercising, but now I do it because I love this group of women so much,” Finocchiaro-Doles says.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JUSTINE FINOCCHIARO-DOLES

Last year, Finocchiaro-Doles’s husband Bryan got some hard news: He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. “He’s always copying me,” she says with a laugh. Although Finocchiaro-Doles didn’t get to ring the bell after going four rounds with cancer herself, she got to ring the bell with her husband when he completed his chemotherapy, a moment Finocchiaro-Doles deeply cherishes.

Together, Finocchiaro-Doles and her husband own a general contractor business that works exclusively for tradeshows. The pandemic has been a rough ride for their business, but Finocchiaro-Doles says she has also felt a lot of hope in the midst of everything.

“Life is too short to worry. You just gotta pull yourself up and live life to the fullest.”

www.CentralFloridaLifestyle.com

29

Melissa Miller Oviedo

Melissa Miller was given a diagnosis of stage 3 breast cancer while preparing for her wedding. In the process she says she learned how to not worry about the little things anymore. Miller says. “The sink could be full of dishes, or the house a mess. I’ve come to understand that none of that really matters. My priorities changed immediately.”

Miller says that living with breast cancer has brought her a newfound joy for doing DIY projects around the house. “I find it satisfying to get little projects done. Even watering the plants has become a fun chore,” she says. Because Miller’s cancer did not have a complete response to chemotherapy, she’s been accepted in an immunotherapy study.

Immunotherapy treatments for breast cancer are showing promise. The treatment works by boosting the immune system, helping the body fight off cancer. She says, “I won’t sugarcoat it, after [immunotherapy] treatment I feel like an elephant stepped on my pelvis for days. But if it does what it’s supposed to do, sign me up.” Miller says her life did a 360 after her diagnosis. Her advice to other women dealing with breast cancer is to be their own health advocate, ask questions and, most importantly, ask for help, accept it, and don’t go it alone.

BRADY GIN PHOTOGRAPHY

Unfortunately, the pandemic forced Miller to do a few things by herself including being hospitalized twice. Her friends and family were not allowed to visit her at all. But once again, she found a lesson amid these situations. “When I couldn’t see my husband or my friends who have been there for me through all of this,” Miller says, “It made me appreciate them that much more.”

Orlando

Yamile Luna lost her long, beautiful hair, eyebrows and eyelashes due to her cancer treatment. A deeply spiritual woman, she says it took losing those things to truly understand the beauty of her soul, and it was her husband Maxi who she’s known since she was 13, who helped her see it.

JMICHAEL MEDIA

Yamile Luna

“He asked if he could take a picture of me when I was bald and at first I felt so ashamed to be seen like that. Then when I saw how he was looking at me, with such love, I finally got it,” she says “I’m not my hair, my eyebrows, my eyelashes. I am a child of God.” As the vice president of AdventHealth’s (then Florida Hospital) Orlando campus cancer institute, Luna made decisions that would eventually impact her treatment long before she was even diagnosed. “I helped recruit the physician who would end up being my doctor. I was part of the team that made the decision to have a breast cancer coordinator, something that was new at the time,” she says “I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe all of these things are just examples of God’s divine plan for me,” Luna says.

Luna says “being transparent” has given her the ability to openly share her experience with others through public speaking engagements and interviews. The thing she hopes to impart to others dealing with cancer is this: “Every day is a gift. Live life now.

Don’t wait.” Luna isn’t waiting. She’s planning her bi-annual international trip with family. Destination: Africa.

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Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

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When Luna was first going through treatment there were times when she would come home from work exhausted. Then she finally came to the conclusion that while working was her passion, she wanted to give her family her good hours rather than what was left at the end of the day. So, she took a leave of absence.

Nationally Accredited Breast Cancer Care So You Can Stay Well Ahead

AdventHealth is revolutionizing breast cancer care with state-of-the-art technology and treatment, groundbreaking research and multidisciplinary care centers that cover all aspects of care planning in a single visit. Our breast health experts are here for you every step of the way, from early detection to survivorship — it’s why we have been recognized as providing the Best Cancer Care in Greater Orlando by U.S. News & World Report.

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Schedule an appointment and learn more at LeadingBreastCare.com. www.CentralFloridaLifestyle.com

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To honor Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, we’ve asked our readers to share their favorite Disney memories over the past five decades.

T

he famous Walt Disney once said, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them,” and he did just that. On October 1, 1971, the Happiest Place on Earth – Walt Disney World Resort – opened our hearts and imagination to the world of magic, fantasy and the power of believing in your dreams.

Since then, the vacation destination has expanded from its first park,

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Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

Magic Kingdom, to include EPCOT, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, as well as multiple themed hotels, water parks and Disney Springs. But more than just the brick-and-mortar growth we’ve seen over the past five decades, Disney has become a filmmaking giant and a leader in digital streaming services.

Walt Disney World Resort has really woven itself into the very fabric of what makes Central Florida the

Most Special Community on Earth.

The resort’s four parks are planning an 18-month celebration called “The World’s Most Magical Celebration,” which begins October 1. Want to know what to expect? Check out disneyworld.disney.go.com/50thanniversary.

To help get you in a celebratory mood, check out some of our readers’ favorite Disney memories!

Photo credit: user submitted photos via Facebook

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www.CentralFloridaLifestyle.com

• • • • • • Promotional Feature • • • • • •

+ EXPERT ADVICE Law |

Are Vaccine Passports “Legal”?

Here is a look at some of the legal and ethical concerns regarding vaccine passports

By Michael B. Brehne, Law Offices of Michael B. Brehne, P.A

A

ll aboard! Well, all aboard if you have a vaccine passport.

Welcome in! Well, only if you have a vaccine passport. These are a few greetings we’re starting to hear and many are left wondering if/how the government or private corporations can legally require a vaccine passport for customers, and how the Constitution of the United States’ plays a role.

Does the requirement for a vaccine passport interfere with constitutionally guaranteed rights of our citizenry?

Some say yes. Unvaccinated people may be restricted from attending events or church, or even continue to work for their current employer. And, some people believe these potential restrictions infringe upon their rights defined by the Constitution.

Others may argue that in order to keep society safe and healthy, mandatory vaccine passports are necessary to keep COVID from spreading amongst the population. Some believe that the passport restrictions are worthwhile to protect the public at large, because let’s face it, what’s the big deal? It could prevent you from getting COVID or minimize its symptoms, which could prevent your hospitalization or death.

Regardless of your opinions and beliefs, the question transcends science

and falls into societal, legal and political realms, as some cities, states and employers require vaccines (or masks) for their employees and citizens while others do not.

But is it legal?

That has yet to be determined.

However, a quick overview of the constitutional implications might give us some guidance for the future. States certainly have the power to protect the common good. And, the liberty secured by the Constitution does not import an absolute right to be at all times and in all circumstances wholly freed from restraint. But the liberties guaranteed by the Constitution cannot be abridged.

To determine whether vaccine passports are constitutional requires courts to analyze the issue under the test of “Strict Scrutiny.” First, the court would ask if the individual’s fundamental rights were implicated by a government regulation. If it is, the court would then ask whether there was a compelling governmental interest and whether the restriction was narrowly tailored to achieving that interest, using the “least restrictive means” possible.

In May of this year, Governor Ron DeSantis suspended all local government coronavirus emergency

orders when he signed a bill that makes permanent his ban on COVID-19 vaccine passports and limits the authority of cities and counties in future health care crises. A key provision will allow the governor to override local orders during health crises if they are determined to unnecessarily restrict individual rights or liberties. This is an example of the application of the constitutional analysis of strict scrutiny, least restrictive means test.

If the answer to whether vaccine passports are legal was not found in this article, it was intentional. Our state and federal courts will make that determination throughout the country. As you might have guessed, not all states or courts will come to the same conclusion. Ultimately, the Supreme Court of the United States will have to make that determination.

Michael Brehne has dedicated his 24-year career to representing injured people in motorcycle and car accidents, and represents people when their insurance claims have been denied. He has earned a reputation as a tenacious and skilled trial lawyer when representing his clients against large corporate defendants and insurance companies. He is also the author of “Watching Out for Florida Motorcyclists: Legal Rights of Injured Bikers.”

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Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

+ EDUCATION Station

Educating the Whole Child While academic achievement is Windermere Preparatory School’s highest priority, it is complemented and enriched by a multitude of resources and extracurricular activities, such as fine and performing arts, athletics, clubs and community service.

W

indermere Preparatory School (WPS) is a private, pre-kindergarten through grade 12 International Baccalaureate (IB) college preparatory school located on a 48-acre lakeside campus with state-of-the-art facilities. The WPS academic approach is built on complex problem solving and critical thinking, emphasizing intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth.

The school’s academics are complemented and enriched by a multitude of resources and extracurricular activities, such as fine and performing arts, athletics, clubs and community service. It is composed of thinkers, learners, leaders, innovators, artists, student-athletes and a faculty of master teachers. WPS is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Florida Council of Independent Schools, and the Southern Association of Independent Schools.

WPS ignites a student’s passions inside and outside of the classroom, whether it be sports, fine arts, robotics or one of the many other co-curricular programs the school offers. Its faculty strives to teach its students how to

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Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

manage their time between academics and extracurriculars and create time management behavior that will last them a lifetime. In addition, the school’s college counselors meet with students to review and set their college goals.

As part of the Nord Anglia Education of Schools, WPS collaborates with world-leading organizations and experts including Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for its innovative STEAM curricula and The Juilliard School for its Fine Arts Programs offered at all ages. In addition to the WPS academic curriculum, the athletic program has nearly 60 middle and high school teams competing in Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) programs, with student participation over 59% campus-wide.

To complement the WPS academic and athletic programs, the comprehensive fine and performing arts program strives to unleash expression and unlock the passions of all its students. The school’s collaboration with The Juilliard School comes to life in its visual arts, theatre, media arts, music and dance.

Community service is also important and the dedication to service work reflects the deep belief of WPS that students are at their best when helping others. Students learn at an early age that they can have a positive influence on others and the world around them through community service. As an International Baccalaureate World School and one of Nord Anglia Education’s family of international schools, WPS provides students with a global perspective both inside and outside the classroom.

Learn more about WPS and how you can become a part of the WPS family at WindermerePrep.com.

6189 Winter Garden-Vineland Rd. Windermere, FL 34786 407-905-7737 info@windermereprep.com WindermerePrep.com

HOSPITALITY Spotlight +

2021 Patriot Day Remembrance Breakfast

By Robert Agrusa, President and CEO of the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association

On September 10, the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association honored the memories of those who suffered and were lost due to the tragic events of September 11, 2001, at our 2021 Patriot Day Remembrance Breakfast.

CFHLA also had the opportunity to recognize our regional heroes in law enforcement, EMS, Fire Rescue and hospitality security who have gone above and beyond in the line of duty: • Lifetime Achievement Award – Sergeant Don Devlin, Osceola County Sheriff’s Office • Heroism Award in Fire Rescue/EMS – Firefighter Victor Gaytan, Seminole County Fire Department • Heroism Award in Law Enforcement – Officer Christopher Bonner & Canine Officer Daniel Schilling, Ocoee Police Department • Life Saving Award in Fire Rescue / EMS & Law Enforcement – District Chief Walter Lewis, Lieutenant David Bauss, Lieutenant Brad Chancey, Lieutenant Robert Henzmann, Engineer John Berger, Engineer Scott Hammond, Engineer John Ward, Firefighter Kyle Bolton, Firefighter

Doane Clanahan, Firefighter Michael Cobb, Firefighter Daniel Crocker, Firefighter Kyle Kasper, Firefighter Joe Fox, Orlando Fire Department, Officer McKenzie Green, Officer Maranford Johnson, Officer Kevin Lowe and Officer Tyler Smith, Orlando Police Department • Life Saving Award in Law Enforcement – Officer Otto Garcia, Officer Charles Locher and Officer Isaiah Price, Sanford Police Department • Life Saving Award in Hospitality – Ivan Melians, The Las Palmeras by Hilton Grand Vacations • Distinguished Service Award – Deputy Noel De Jesus, Orange County Sheriff’s Office • Patriot Day Award – Urban Search & Rescue Task Force 4 – Includes Orange County Fire Rescue, Orlando Fire Department, Seminole County Fire Department, Lake County Fire Department, and Reedy Creek Fire Department CFHLA would like to thank Presenting Sponsor Radio One / Motorola for their continued partnership and support of this important community event.

PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION OF

GLOBAL LEADERS International Baccalaureate Diploma & Certificate Program Collaborations with MIT, The Juilliard School, and UNICEF 100% College Acceptance Rate Differentiated Curriculum for PreK-3 to Grade 12 Award winning Fine Arts programs Athletic program that offers over 21 different sports for Grade 6 - Grade 12

SCHEDULE A TOUR TODAY! (407) 905-7737 info@windermereprep.com windermereprep.com

www.CentralFloridaLifestyle.com

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+ HOME Entertainment

8

Frightening Films

Sure To Send Chills Up Your Spine

Set the vibe for a spooky movie night with some of our favorite Halloween flicks for everyone in the family.

By Kendall Beebe

I

t’s fall! Get ready for Halloween by lighting your candy corn candles, popping some popcorn and putting on one (or all) of these menacing movies.

Hocus Pocus

A Quiet Place Part II

The story of the Sanderson Sisters comes to life in this family-approved movie of mischief. After Max accidentally frees the Sandersons, he is helped by his sister Dani, and their new friends Allison and a centuries old cat named Binx, to defeat the witchy sisters.

This time the remaining family embarks on a journey to help others after they discover the creatures have a weakness. They must rely on one another and the help of new and old friends.

It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

A story of four unpopular high school girls who form a coven after Sarah Bailey moves to town. They use witchcraft to achieve everything they want, but can they hold on to their newfound power or will they lose it all?

We’re doomed if we missed this wholesome and wacky movie about the beloved Peanuts character Charlie Brown and his friends. Watch how Charlie, Snoopy, Sally, Lucy, Linus and more create their costumes, trick-or-treat and stake out for the mysterious Great Pumpkin.

Coraline

Everything is not always what it seems. That’s what Coraline finds out after traveling to an alternate universe where “Other Mother” and “Other Dad” seem better in every way. Coraline must find her parents and the souls of three lost children in order to return home - or she must stay in the “Other World” - forever!

A Quiet Place

SHH! Don’t make a peep otherwise the creepy creatures from out of this world will hunt you down. At least that’s what the Abbott family must live with after sound hating aliens have taken over. Their oldest child is deaf and

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they use their ability to communicate through sign language to help them. Their greatest strength is the love they have for each other.

Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

The Craft

Thir13en Ghosts

A widowed father and his two children move into an eccentric house they inherited from their eclectic uncle.

They soon find out they are not the only things living in the house. They must battle paranormal beings and escape the haunted house with the help of a nanny, attorney, ghost activist and psychic.

Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016)

This remake features four quirky ladies and a handsome assistant who start a ghost-catching business in New York City. The hilarious team must overcome doubt as they help to rid the city of evil scientists and ghosts!

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1st Place: Franky

Get to know the adorable winners of the 2021 Cutest Toddler Contest Sponsored by:

Age: 3 years old Parent Names: Derick Agustin & Vanesa Agustin What are some of your Cutest Toddler’s favorite things? Dressing up in superhero costumes, dinosaurs and sharks, arts and crafts and dancing.

What is your Cutest Toddler’s most precious moment? When he became a big brother to Baby Ricky Bicky in June 2020.

What is your favorite story to tell about your Cutest Toddler? When asked what he wanted to be when he grows up by his preschool teacher at Serendipity Learning Center, he very solemnly replied “I want to be a soldier like my Daddy to save people from the bad guys.” (We are a proud military family; my husband is an Air Force Veteran).

What is your Cutest Toddler’s favorite treat?

Watermelon popsicles!

What has been the best part of this contest experience for you and your toddler? The gracious way it brought together our entire family, colleagues and friends across the world for a fun week filled with entertainment, laughs and an amicable competition. Special thanks to the Claveles and Maristas for your continued love and unwavering support. Furthermore, we feel humbled, extremely grateful and forever thankful to AdventHealth Rehab Pediatrics in Winter Park for guiding Franky Koko to health with a speech therapy program tailored to his needs.

BRADY GIN PHOTOGRAPHY

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Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

2nd Place: Abigail

Age: 3 years old Parent Names: Andrea and Adam Poston What are some of your Cutest Toddler’s favorite things? Abby is a social butterfly and loves striking up conversations with everyone she meets. Her other favorite things are playing doctor, her stuffed cat (Catty), and being with her family.

What is your Cutest Toddler’s most precious moment? When Abigail met her baby sister Annabelle for the first time and got to hold her.

She has been taking care of her ever since, changing her diapers, making her smile and occasionally sharing her favorite toys. Abby says her sister is her best friend.

What is your favorite story to tell about your Cutest Toddler? Abigail had been wanting a Peppa Pig house for awhile so we made her a potty chart. If she filled all the squares with stickers from going to the potty, she would get the house as a reward. The day she put the last sticker on we all cheered and Abby elated “I pooped for Peppa!”

What is your Cutest Toddler’s favorite treat?

Whipped cream, yogurt, moon pies from her “Big Daddy,” and rainbow sprinkles on everything.

What has been the best part of this contest experience for you and your toddler? Abigail says her favorite part of winning was taking pictures at the photo shoot with all the pumpkins. I must agree watching her light up and having so much fun while getting her pictures was a memory we will always cherish.

BRADY GIN PHOTOGRAPHY

BRADY GIN PHOTOGRAPHY

www.CentralFloridaLifestyle.com

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3rd Place: Quinn

Age: 3 years old Parent Names: Matt and Rachel DiSalvatore What are some of your Cutest Toddler’s favorite things? Quinn loves bubbles, swimming, the beach, theme parks, and giving cuddles and kisses.

What is your Cutest Toddler’s most precious moment? Quinn came into our room to sleep with us and so I asked him if anything was wrong, he said, “No, I just like you.”

What is your favorite story to tell about your Cutest Toddler? Quinn is a brave boy! He’s already had six stitches and he is not afraid of climbing trees, jumping on the trampoline and doing flips! (Pray for his protection. Haha.)

What is your Cutest Toddler’s favorite treat?

Lollipops and chocolate milk!

What has been the best part of this contest experience for you and your toddler? The best part was the outpouring of love and support we received from our family and friends. Quinn had a bunch of people rooting for him and we are definitely feeling the love. One of our friends even bought him a “you’re #1!” balloon and a Chick-Fil-A gift card. Contests can be frivolous, but the relationships that we have with our friends and family are everything. We are forever thankful to everyone who voted for Quinn! You are in our hearts.

BRADY GIN PHOTOGRAPHY

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Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

Honorable Mentions Shout out to our honorable mentions, and a big thank you to the Museum of Illusions Orlando for providing an incredible photo location for this year’s cutest toddlers.

Museum of Illusions Orlando, located at ICON Park, has more exhibits and illusions than any other edutainment destination in Central Florida!

Margo

Lyanna

Logan

Madsen

Eloise

Delaney

Luke

Sanaa

BRADY GIN PHOTOGRAPHY

AdventHealth for Children is committed to delivering world-class programs, extraordinary patient care and clinical excellence. The Walt Disney Pavilion, its flagship campus in downtown Orlando, is the heart of a children’s care network that includes pediatricians, specialty clinics, pediatric emergency departments and Centra Care Kids. Their nationally recognized team includes 140+ pediatric specialists practicing 35 specialties dedicated to healing children.

www.CentralFloridaLifestyle.com

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+ YOUR Local

Grandchildren are the Best Medicine The West Orange Chamber of Commerce president shares how the birth of her first grandchild made her realize the importance of staying healthy, and how taking advantage of our community’s top medical and health resources can help you be your best self – for you and your family.

By Stina D’Uva, West Orange Chamber of Commerce

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Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

enjoy his favorite hobbies, graduate high school, determine his career path, find his soul mate and so much more in between.

To live long enough to see these milestones and more, I made lots of doctor’s appointments. I scheduled my routine annual mammogram and Pap smear, my ten-year follow-up colonoscopy, bi-annual dental exam, dermatology exam, and routine health exams. Of course, this led to blood tests and suggestions on improving my diet and more exercise. I even had my eyes checked out. I am fortunate to have good insurance coverage that allowed me to make all these appointments so that I can do my best to be around to see Brennan grow up.

I know that during the past year-and-a-half of a pandemic, making and keeping doctors appointments has been difficult. However, it is important that we do. We are fortunate in the West Orange area to have two wonderful awardwinning, state of the art hospital systems; Orlando Health and AdventHealth. Regardless of which system you choose and what doctors you visit, take your health seriously so that you can be around to enjoy the blessings in your life!

PHOTOGRAPHY – BRENNAN ELLIOTT D’UVA WITH “NONNA” D’UVA, 6 MONTHS

B

ack in 2020, while the world was in chaos and there was little good news, I learned that I was going to become a grandmother. In my mind, the world righted itself. Those of you who are mothers know that it is something many of us hope for our children. This past February, my son Paul and his wife Kristen welcomed Brennan Elliott into the world.

I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to meet him, hold him and start spoiling him. The only problem was that they live in Cincinnati. There were a few obstacles in the way of meeting my first grandchild, especially COVID. Before I could see him, my kids told me that I had to get the flu shot and Tdap shot, then quarantine and get a negative COVID test.

I was happy to comply and would have jumped through hoops of fire to hold him.

Once I held him, I knew that my trips to Cincinnati would be more frequent and longer. There is just something about a grandchild that rejuvenates a soul and encourages doing the same for the body. I knew that in order to enjoy him for many years to come, I had to take my health more seriously. I want to live to not only see him grow up, but to see him take his first steps, call me “Nonna,” ride a bike,

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Symptoms may include: • Blurred vision • Headaches • Double vision • Tired eyes • Trouble reading/writing • Poor reading comprehension

Myopia Management These treatments are intended to slow the progression of myopia (nearsightedness).

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+ YOUR Local

Winter Garden Welcomes New Monarch Butterfly Sculpture Winter Garden is pleased to welcome a new monarch butterfly sculpture for all to enjoy.

By Gabriella Dedmore

A

s Orlando welcomes in another beautiful fall, Winter Garden is welcoming in a beautiful new sculpture. The sculpture, a monarch butterfly made of copper, steel, and brass, has been placed near the downtown Plant Street area.

The new monarch butterfly sculpture owes its origins to the Bloom and Grow Garden Society, who presented this sculpture to the City of Winter Garden as a token of their appreciation for 20 years of partnership for their Spring Fever in the Garden festival.

The eight foot by ten foot sculpture, created by artist Don Reynolds, using steel beams and a skin of copper and brass. His other works include a sculpture of a bronze knight on horseback in front of the UCF Bounce House stadium and a large totem sculpture he created for Disney.

The Monarch Project is headed up by Gretchen Boyd, the first president of the Bloom and Grow Garden Society. ”The Monarch butterfly is a symbol of metamorphosis and represents significant change. Bloom and Grow Garden

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Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

Society, the City of Winter Garden, and our festival, Spring Fever in the Garden, have gone through a significant metamorphosis over the past 20 years! The Monarch butterfly also represents the change in our own lives...from birth to our rebirth. This sculpture would not have been possible without the generous support of a member of our garden club and her family in honoring the memory of their mother and father. May we all be like the mighty Monarch and be the change” Boyd said.

The Bloom and Grow Garden Society’s mission statement is: “To stimulate gardening through promotion and sponsorship of community projects and the protection and sustainability of native habitat; to promote and sponsor educational horticulture experiences and civic involvement.”

For more information on how you can become involved with this amazing organization go to www.bloomandgrow.club.

D E V E R E U X A D VA N C E D B E H AV I O R A L H E A LT H F L O R I D A

Behavioral Support Program

Offering Hope for Youth with Autism When Mental Health Challenges Escalate

How You Can Get Involved with Devereux’s Mission Devereux Behavioral Health Florida unlocks and nurtures human potential for people living with emotional, behavioral or cognitive differences. Community support has been the key to providing life-changing services for individuals and families facing challenges from these diagnoses. There are several ways you can get involved.

Refer: If your family is experiencing any of the challenges mentioned in this article, you don’t have to face it alone.

Devereux is recognized nationally for its expert level of care for families just like yours. For immediate help for your family or a family you know, reach out directly to FLBehavioralSupport@devereux.org.

Gain Support: Do you need help with understanding your child’s diagnosis and managing their behaviors? Devereux can provide the tools your family needs. Sign up for training announcements or receive more information by emailing FLBehavioralSupport@devereux.org.

Learn: Interested in learning more about the services Devereux provides for individuals and families in crisis? For more information about Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health Florida, visit www.devereuxFL.org.

Donate: A contribution of $25 provides a virtual consultation session to a family in need. Text “DevereuxFlorida” to 41444 to make a monetary gift.

FLORIDA

+ CALENDAR of Events ALL MONTH LONG

Oct. 29 & 30 Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic

Oct. 16 & 17 Celebration Pumpkin Patch + Fall Festival

10am - 6pm Community Presbyterian Church – Downtown Celebration Pick out the perfect pumpkin and check out the photo ops at this annual pumpkin patch located just steps from Market Street in Downtown Celebration.

New this year, the cafe will have pumpkin lattes, apple cider, homemade treats and more. The weekend fal festivall includes extra fun including games, music, fall food and more. Pumpkins available through Oct. 31.

Oct. 16 & 17 14th Annual Winter Springs Festival of the Arts presented by AdventHealth

10am - 5pm Blumberg Blvd. & N. Tuskawilla Rd. Winter Springs FL 32708 Free Admission 407-278-4871 wsfota.org events@oviedowintersprings.org Enjoy award-winning art, meet the artists, savor delicious food & craft beers, enjoy rockin’ entertainment, and let your kids explore their artistic talents in the kids crafts area!

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Oct. 23 Inaugural Orlando Magic 5k & Kids’ Run presented by AdventHealth

7:30am - 9:30am Amway Center 400 W Church, Orlando, FL 32801 5k run - $43, Kids run - $25, for both in person and virtual participants 407-896-1160 trackshack.com info@trackshack.com After the race, all participants are invited to enjoy “Orlando Magic Fan Fest on Church Street” to experience the same party atmosphere that fans enjoy on game days! It’s fun for all ages, with music, entertainment, activities and more. Includes a ticket to an Orlando Magic game.

A virtual run option is also available.

Oct. 23 Owl Prowl Art & Wine Wander

4pm - 7pm Nehrling Gardens 2267 Hempel Ave, Gotha, FL $35 in advance or $45 day of the event, 21+ 407-445-9977 NehrlingGardens.org info@NehrlingGardens.org Sample beer, wine and nibbles and watch plein air artists at work in the gardens. While wandering through the paths, enjoy live music and visit our Owl Ambassadors with live owls! Funds raised at this event will directly support Nehrling Gardens, a notfor-profit organization.

Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

5:30pm - 9pm The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort 1500 EPCOT Resorts Blvd, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830 $165 per person, children under five are free 407-934-4000 swandolphinfoodandwineclassic.com Set outside (weather permitting) among the scenic ambiance of the resort, this annual foodie event features live music, unlimited food tastings from the resort’s culinary team at over 20 food stations, 100 beverage selections from around the world, and immersive themed areas, such as the beer garden and the bubble lounge. All ages are welcome, children six and up require a ticket.

Oct. 30 Trunk or Treat Car Show

4pm - 8pm Promenade at Sunset Walk 3251 Margaritaville Blvd, Kissimmee, FL 34747 Free Admission/ Free Parking 407-338-4811 sunsetwalk.com 2nd Annual Promenade at Sunset Walk Halloween Kids’ Trick-or-Treating / Car & Truck show. There will be live music, street performers, over two dozen candy locations and 24 unique restaurants and shops. Admission and parking is free and all ages are welcome!

Show cars and trucks will be competing for the Top 3 best Halloween-themed

AROUND THE CORNER Nov. 6 & 7 50th Annual Fall Fiesta in the Park

10am - 5pm Lake Eola Park 512 East Washington Street, Orlando, FL 32801 Free Admission 407-855-0606 fiestainthepark.com Outdoor fun and family activities draw thousands of Central Floridians to Lake Eola for the largest arts & crafts festival event series in Orlando.

Featuring 300+ artists and crafters from all over the US to display and sell their original work.

Nov. 13 Orlando Beer Festival 2pm - 5pm, early access available with VIP ticket Festival Park 2911 E Robinson St, Orlando, FL 32803 Start at $40, $35 for Designated Drivers, 21+. orlandobeerfestival.com Join more than 3,000 of your fellow beer lovers to sample craft and premium beers from local breweries and around the country.

Plus, wine tasting, interactive games, tasty eats and live music! You must be at least 21 to enter -- this is strictly enforced (Sorry, no kids allowed). This event is pet friendly!

+ BETTER Beauty

Clean Beauty for You

With the array of products you use everyday, learn more about what makes a product “clean beauty” and why it’s important.

By Gabriella Dedmore

F

rom skin care products to makeup, many brands boast that they fall under the “clean beauty” umbrella. But what does it truly mean for beauty to be clean?

Many products on the shelves today contain harmful ingredients, such as chemicals, dyes, and perfumes that make the product harmful both to the user and to the planet. Although there is not a definition for clean beauty, products that truly are “clean” are safe for people to use and safe for the environment.

Here is what to look out for when shopping clean:

The product is free of harmful chemicals.

Many products contain chemicals that can be harmful to your body, such as PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) and parabens. According to the American Cancer Society, PTFE could be linked to delayed menstruation and breast and ovarian cancers.

According to the Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, parabens mimic estrogen in the body and are hormone disruptors. As the group explains, “studies have shown that parabens can affect the mechanisms of normal breast cells and potentially influence their abnormal growth, leading to increased risk for breast cancer.”

Parabens are also linked to ecological

harm, as they can kill coral, according to a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives.

Although these ingredients are often included to preserve the product or make a product anti-aging, they can have serious healty effects. When shopping clean, look for products that don’t contain these ingredients for guilt-free use.

The product is free of perfumes and dyes.

Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of a product is the smell and the look. To achieve attractive colors and scents, perfumes and dyes are often used. About 75% of products that list fragrance as an ingredient contain phthalates, which is a hazardous hormone disrupting chemical. According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, phthalates have been associated with a number of serious health problems, including infertility, testicular dysgenesis, obesity, asthma, and allergies, as well as leiomyomas and breast cancer.

Many products will read “unscented” or “fragrance-free” – these are the products you want to reach for.

keeping the earth safe is just as important. Many products contain ingredients such as carcinogens and phthalates, which are not only bad for you, but also bad for the environment.

Products that claim they are organic are usually a safe bet for you and for the planet. Do some research and find out which of your favorite companies have signed the “Compact for Safe Cosmetics” pledge, which promises to phase the 450 chemicals banned by the EU out of their products.

You can find the list of companies that have signed the CSC compact at www.safecosmetics.org.

Look for keywords: vegan, cruelty-free, organic and natural.

When a product is vegan and cruelty free, you can rest easy knowing that the product isn’t tested on animals and does not contain any animal-related ingredients. When checking the ingredient list, take note of the botanical ingredients at the top and the synthetic ingredients near the bottom. They will be in their latin names, so you may have to pull out your phone.

The product is safe for the environment.

As important as it is to keep yourself safe from harmful chemicals,

www.CentralFloridaLifestyle.com

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+ SOMEONE You Should Know

Spotlight On: Linda “Red” Harrison From consultant CEO to award-winning abstract artist, Linda “Red” Harrison has found a way to let her logical self and her creative self flourish.

By Kendall Beebe

I

t’s rare when the left-brain and the right-brain merge in one person with equal force, but that is exactly what has happened in Linda “Red” Harrison’s case.

Harrison earned her bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Central Florida and her MBA from the Florida Institute of Technology. The next 25 years were marked developing solutions in healthcare, logistics, information technology and, finally, forming her own consulting company. However, the pull of creative expression, art and nature were ever present.

Her parents and paternal grandmother were avid amateur artists, working with a variety of mediums. She loved watching her dad draw with charcoals or her mom create ceramics. They encouraged her creativity through summer art classes, designing clothes, studying music and cooking – traditional Louisiana soulful cooking. Harrison has since become an award-winning artist with the art signature of “Red” because, “the color represents strength, passion and spirit – just the elements I want to express in my artwork.”

Today, Harrison divides her time between running her management consulting company and her studio sanctuary.

“Abstract art allows me to freely express my creative spirit with imagination not bound by reality,” Harrison says. “Through the use of color, movement, textures and shapes; my abstracts come to life. I create with brushes, palette knives and often just my fingers using oils and acrylics.

I love the free-flowing movement of abstracts. It is my inner voice talking.”

She expresses her passion through abstract painting by using oils and acrylics. They are a blend of bold color, movement, shapes and textures to bring drama and emotion 50

Central Florida Lifestyle | October 2021

center stage by blending elements of everyday life and nature.

Harrison is inspired by nature’s spiritual energy and her love of music. She says that her art is an adventure, something that is daring, whimsical, passionate and challenging, but always expressive.

“I don’t choose the content, it chooses me. I paint best when I let my hands do the talking,” she says.

For each painting she writes an art story to assist in connecting her audience and collectors with her paintings.

“Art tells a story, but there is often an intriguing tale behind its creation,” Harrison says. “My narratives are woven with facts about music, interesting tidbits about history, accounts of nature’s inspirational spirit, and descriptions of how color influences us; and of course, I share my life experiences that are intertwined in the painting’s essence.”

For those who wish to pursue a career as an artist or simply just want to use art as a creative outlet Harrison wants you to remember to be true to yourself.

“Be yourself, believe in yourself and keep the fun in your creative endeavors,” Harrison says.

Harrison’s artwork can currently be found at these showcases: Boundless Color Exhibit Galeria Restaurant, Orlando, FL - 3 paintings on exhibit through November 1. n Color Without Boundaries Exhibit at CREDO, Orlando FL - 3 paintings on exhibit – through November 19. n

For more information visit StrokesByRed.com.

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