My Boone Health Fall 2011

Table Of Contents Page 15

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Boone Hospital Center’s mission is to improve the health of the people and communities we serve.

Dan Rothery President

Angy Littrell Director

Ben Cornelius Communications and Marketing Manager

Jacob Luecke Media Relations Specialist

Shannon Whitney Communications Coordinator Photos By:

Dave Hoffmaster L.G. Patterson

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Please submit comments or feedback to bcc1170@bjc.org or call 573.815.3392

1600 East Broadway Columbia, Mo 65201 573-815-8000

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5 .................................................................... A Note From BHC President Dan Rothery 6 .............................................................................................................. Your Boone Stories 8 ............................................................................................................... Hospital Headlines 10........................................................................ Debi Hake: Her Own Race For A Cure 14.................................................................................................. New Lab, Better Results 15...........................................................................................................A Place For Fine Art 16.......................................................................................A Towering View Of Columbia 18........................................................................................................... Stopping The Cycle 19.........................................................................................................Girl In The Magazine 21 ..........................................................................................Fighting Obesity In Children 22 ...................................................................................................... Getting A Lift With O2 24 .............................................................................................Sending Support To Joplin 26 ................................................................................................................ A Higher Calling 29 ........................................................................................ A Healthy Life With Diabetes 30 ...................................................................................................... Opening Ceremonies BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER September 2011

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Note From Dan

Susan G. Komen Race Is A Powerful Illustration Of Community And Personal Health Battles Dear Neighbor,

D Dan Rothery President Boone Hospital Center

epending on how we look at it, the idea of health can have different meanings.

When we speak of the general health of our community, it’s a broad, unemotional topic. It’s a discussion of statistics and trends we can analyze and then work to improve.

The other side of health is much different. This is when we have to confront a health problem ourselves or with a close loved one. These experiences are intensely personal and full of emotion.

Breast cancer is one of the health issues that affect so many of us on this personal level. We know that about one in eight women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer during her life. That amounts to more than 200,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer each year.

With such a high rate of occurrence, most of us have some experience with breast cancer — whether we’ve had it ourselves or have supported someone we love during a breast cancer battle. When you flip to page 10, you’ll read about Debi Hake, of Columbia, and her inspiring triumph over cancer.

These personal experiences are something we see each day at Boone Hospital’s Harris Breast Center. Helping individuals and their families is why we strongly support the mid-Missouri Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

The Race for the Cure is an amazing event illustrating both sides of the concept of health. At a broad level, it is a community-wide effort to try to reduce and eliminate breast cancer. But when you are there as a participant, it’s also very personal and emotional.

So as individuals and collectively, I encourage everyone to join Boone Hospital for this year’s Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on Sept. 18.

Let’s help make a difference — for the people fighting their personal battles with breast cancer and for the overall wellbeing of our community.

Daniel J. Rothery

BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER September 2011

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Your Boone Stories

Visit BooneStories.com To Read More — And Share Your Own Boone Story After Water Breaks, Mother Celebrates Two Birthdays

By Christie Rohde, Columbia

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was scheduled for an induction on May 3, 2011. My doctor kept telling me if I make it to that date, I would be induced.

I was OK with either as long as he didn’t come on my older son’s second birthday (May 1).

The party was close to getting under way when I went to the bathroom and realized my water was breaking. I thought maybe it wasn’t but soon it was clear that it was happening at the very day/time I didn’t want it to happen.

Guests were still arriving as the party wasn’t for another 15 minutes. I grabbed my sister and told her what was happening as she went and calmly told my husband.

I called L&D and spoke to the nurse

on call who tried to comfort me from tears of frustration for ruining my son’s second birthday party. She calmly asked specifics of what I was experiencing and then told me that I would probably have another hour or two before I needed to head in if I wanted to go through with a quick birthday party.

She was excellent. She knew it was just what I needed to hear.

I was devastated this was all happening right then. She told me what changes to be aware of that would prompt me to get to the hospital ASAP. I hung up with her, told my husband we were doing this party and he looked at me like I was crazy and said no we are going to the hospital.

I told him no, the nurse said we had time, and so we had a rushed party, without all the

guests here, then we departed to the hospital.

Shauna was my nurse when I checked in about 2 p.m. She was excellent. They were expecting me when I came in and she was so encouraging and pointing out all the positives of my boys having the same birthday — one cake, one celebration, etc.

She had told me my doctor was not on call but when she called the on-call doctor, he recognized my name and said he was certain my doctor wanted to deliver this baby so he called her and sure enough, my doctor Sarah Franken came in to deliver my baby.

Shauna’s shift ended at 7 p.m. and at 6:45 she came in and said we need to have this baby in 15 minutes. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen but having a caring, friendly nurse by my side, I was comfortable with what was to come.

Bridget was my nurse that took over at 7, and any time you have a great experience with a nurse like Shauna, you worry the next won’t compare.

This was not the case here. Bridget was funny, friendly and outgoing. She made me feel comfortable and was very attentive to my needs.

My beautiful son was born at 8:37 p.m.

After three minutes, yes three minutes, and 1.5 pushes he was out.

The entire staff that cared for me during my stay, from the person I spoke with in L&D that day to all the excellent nurses — Shauna, Bridget, Hilary, and Angela.

They were all true professionals and I’m thankful I had such great care!

A Lifetime Of Care — Family Turns To Boone At Every Stage

By Kena Forbis, Hallsville

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ince the birth of my mother’s five children, beginning in 1945, until the “elder” hospital care she is receiving this present day, Boone Hospital has been our family’s hospital of choice.

Boone Hospital staff, whether it be the doctors, maintenance, nurses, techs, ER crew or cafeteria help, have always provided excellent care most conducive to the total healing process or end of life care.

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All staff members are courteous, respectful and compassionate experts in their fields.

Over the years, if we have ever had concerns with care, we were given the opportunity to express our concerns, and received immediate feedback and satisfying responses regarding our concerns.

We cannot imagine anyone in our family or our friends being treated anywhere else!

Share your story, BooneStories.com

Mother Of Twin Preemies: Boone “made that scary time easier to go through.”

Compassion For Patients — And Their Loved Ones

By Melissa Stanton, Marshall

By Susan Holloway, Jefferson City

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n November 2010, I was admitted to the hospital because I was in preterm labor.

I was pregnant with twins and they were born at 34 weeks. They were admitted to the NICU and they spent three weeks there.

The nurses in the NICU were so great and patient with us. When I was feeling down, the nurses would always pick me up with their smiles and encouraging words.

There is no other place I would have wanted my boys to be born, they were so well taken care of.

Thank you to all who were in the NICU taking care of our beautiful boys, you made that scary time easier to go through.

“Boone, for me and my family, is simply the right choice”

By Juliet Schultz, Hallsville

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y diagnosis in 2007 with MS resulted in my first in hospital experience with Boone Hospital.

My grandson was born here — our choice given my experience with Boone — definitely the right choice.

Because of an emergency situation, I ended up two years ago with appendicitis and was treated at another hospital. The treatment was drawn out. I really felt like a nonperson and after a second episode with the illness, insisted on coming here to Boone where I felt sure I would be treated immediately and with respect to my wishes, not some new method that I felt was being ‘sold’ to me.

Again — right choice.

I had emergency surgery, a relatively short stay and people who really cared.

Boone, for me and my family, is simply the right choice.

“They make you feel important.”

By Tonya Wiseman, Payson, Ill.

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aving had numerous health issues, Boone Hospital has been, by far, the best place.

My dad had a double knee replacement the day before my back surgery and we have both had good experiences. The nursing staff is fun and they all seem to enjoy what they do; it’s not just a job.

After only a one-day stay, they make you feel important and not a burden.

The doctors and nursing staff treated my family wonderful as well. Thanks for all you’ve done!

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y Boone Story is from a slightly different perspective and started almost 17 years ago.

My husband and I had just met and started dating a few months prior, when I received a call that he had most likely suffered another heart attack (his first was two years earlier at the age of 40).

I rushed to Boone where his cardiologist had just performed an angioplasty and announced that they would be doing a fairly new procedure called a “stent” the next morning.

That night, I discovered how caring and compassionate the entire staff at Boone was, not only towards the patient, but also their loved ones.

They knew we were not married, but could tell there was a special bond and allowed me to stay and be there with him that night.

Over the next 17 years (the last 15 of them married!) we’ve gone through 7 stents, a quadruple bypass, and an emergency admission due to a lethal arrhythmia suffered at home resulting in the implantation of a pacemaker defibrillator.

During all of this, my husband has received the best of care from all the caregivers at Boone … and so have I! The doctors and nurses really listen to the patient and their families.

They understand that while there might only be one true ‘patient’ — that person’s loved ones are also scared and hurting and they go above and beyond to make sure everyone is comfortable.

So, for all the wonderful care given to my husband over the years, and the extra blankets or pillows that just “appeared” for me, thank you Boone Hospital!

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Towering Achievement: Boone Marks The Completion Of Largest Ever Expansion

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ith a tradition of service going back 90 years, Boone Hospital Center has begun the next chapter of its history with the opening of the new patient tower.

“Welcome to the future of health care at your Boone Hospital Center,” said hospital President Dan Rothery, as he welcomed staff and guests to the tower during celebrations on June 22.

“This is a new landmark in mid-Missouri,” Rothery said. “It is a landmark that tells everyone that this is a community devoted to caring for one another.”

The eight-story tower has four floors of patient care space, totaling 128 private patient rooms. It also includes the hospital’s new main entrance, a conference center, a healing garden, a spacious family lounge, a mechanical penthouse and two shell floors for future growth.

Steve Lipstein, president and CEO of BJC HealthCare, called the new patient tower a “truly state-of-the-art patient care facility for the people of mid-Missouri.”

During the years of construction, Boone Hospital and its many building partners also achieved a remarkable safety record.

In nearly 560,000 hours worked, only one worker injury was recorded. Officials from OSHA were impressed with the project and now regularly cite Boone Hospital’s new patient tower as a model of safe construction practices.

“I use this project at Boone Hospital Center as an example of how things can be done right,” said Barbara Theriot, OSHA’s area director of the Kansas City area office. “When I am doing outreach or giving a speech, I have a slide on the Boone Hospital Center project and what a success it’s been. People are just amazed.”

The project has also been cited as a positive factor helping mid-Missouri’s economy during the recent recession.

“During the worst economic era since the Great Depression, this hospital launched its most aggressive building project in its history. I’m proud to say that our team completed it on time and under budget,” said Fred Parry, chairman of the Boone Hospital Center Board of Trustees. “This tower kept 1,400 local construction workers on the job as construction was slowing everywhere else in the community.”

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Salisbury Man Is First Patient In New Tower

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n the morning of June 27, Gerry Call was the first patient to move into the new tower. Call said he was “tickled to death” to be the

first to move.

“It isn’t very often an old country boy gets to be the first shot on something this big,” said Call, 55, of Salisbury.

Call was recovering in Boone’s Surgical Intensive Care Unit from triple-bypass surgery. In the new tower, all of the adult intensive care units are combined on the second floor. Even before getting to the room, Call said he appreciated the change of atmosphere as he was wheeled into in the new tower.

“Coming down the hall, I noticed the use of colors has changed quite a bit,” he said. “It gives it a warmer feeling. It makes it more homey.”

Call said the room itself was a big improvement. He said he liked that the room was larger, giving caregivers more space to work in case of an emergency.

“This is really nice. I’ve never been in a hospital that’s been anywhere even close to being like it,” he said. “You don’t even see rooms like this on TV.” Call’s daughter, Ashley Underwood of Cairo, agreed.

“It’s just so much nicer. There are so many more accommodations for the family and the patient,” she said. “It’s just a complete difference.”

The latest news, boone.org

Boone Baby Boom: June Was Busiest Month Ever At The Boone Family Birthplace

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here’s a baby boom at Boone Hospital Center.

Kyler John Hafemeister was born at 10:34 p.m. on June 30. He was the 211th baby born at the Boone Family Birthplace in June, setting a new record for most births ever in one month at the hospital.

Previous records at the Boone Family Birthplace were 210 babies in August 2002, and 209 babies in July 2003.

“June, July and August are typically the busiest months for delivering babies. But even then, it is very uncommon to have a month with more than 200 deliveries,” said Marlee Walz, director of Patient Care Services. “I don’t have an explanation for it. But it was a great team effort by the Boone Family Birthplace staff and we’re so proud of their service during this busiest month ever.”

Kyler is the first child born to Alesha and Eric Hafemeister of Salisbury, Mo. While her due date was July 15, Alesha said she always felt she would give birth on June 30.

“I really did want him to be born on the 30th,” she said. “We don’t have any June babies in our family.”

Of the care she received during her delivery, Alesha said: “It was great. I couldn’t ask for anything better. They were right there whenever we needed anything.”

During the record-breaking month, 53 percent of the babies were female and some of the more popular names were: Corbin/Korbyn, Kaiden/Kayden, Addison, Emma and Harper.

Ready To Roll: Know Your Numbers Unit Begins Service In Mid-Missouri

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he Know Your Numbers Mobile Health Unit has hit the highways and streets of midMissouri. Watch for it in your community as it travels across the region providing health screenings and education. It is an amazing new tool that will help improve the health of people in Boone County and beyond.

The unit is operated by Boone Hospital Center’s WELLAWARE program, which provides health and wellness services to the community. The vehicle was funded by donations to the Boone Hospital Foundation.

Continuing Excellence In Stroke Care: Boone Again Earns Gold Seal

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fter undergoing an on-site evaluation and demonstrating compliance with nationally developed standards for stroke care, Boone Hospital Center is proud to announce it has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for certification as a Primary Stroke Center.

Obtaining a Joint Commission Gold Seal means so much to the team of clinicians who work in our emergency center and throughout the hospital diagnosing, treating and rehabilitating patients who have suffered strokes.

The Joint Commission’s Certificate of

Distinction for Primary Stroke Centers recognizes hospitals which demonstrate a commitment to excellence. Achievement of certification signifies that the service a hospital provides includes critical elements to achieve longterm success by improving outcomes. It is the best signal to our community that the care available meets the unique and specialized needs of stroke patients.

“In stroke care, time is brain,” says Jean E. Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q., executive director, Disease- Specific Care Certification, The Joint Commission.

“By achieving certification as a Primary Stroke Center, Boone Hospital Center has

proven that it has the ability to provide effective, timely care to stroke victims and can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients.”

Each year about 795,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke, which is the nation’s third leading cause of death. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every 3.1 minutes. Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, with about 4.7 million stroke survivors alive today.

The Joint Commission’s Primary Stroke Center Certification is based on the recommendations for primary stroke centers published by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association’s statements and guidelines for stroke care.

BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER September 2011

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The week before the triathlon, Debi Hake of Columbia was having second thoughts. It was early May 2011. In just days, Debi faced a quarter-mile swim, 15 miles of biking and three miles of running.

It would be an intense athletic challenge for almost anyone, but even more so for Debi. She had just endured a long, painful battle with breast cancer.

The diagnosis had come almost one year earlier and it was a complete shock. When the lump was discovered, she was married with a 7-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. She ran a successful wedding planning business. And she was just 31

— a startlingly young age for a breast cancer patient.

“At my age, I figured I was too young to even worry about breast cancer,” Debi said. “Getting a mammogram wasn’t even on my radar for another eight years.”

Following the cancer discovery, and in the midst of debilitating chemotherapy, Debi surprised everyone when she announced she was going compete in the TriZou Triathlon that coming spring. She’d never attempted a triathlon before.

So she started training. She found her workouts to be incredibly difficult, but also therapeutic.

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Sept. 18, komenmidmissouri.org

BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER September 2011

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A year after her diagnosis, the race was just days away. With all she had been through, she began to feel doubts about whether she could actually complete the triathlon. She’d already taken quite a beating over the last year.

But as race day approached, Debi decided she needed the triathlon. After everything, she owed it to herself.

“I was determined I was going to do this,” she said. “I didn’t care what anybody else thought, I didn’t care if I came in dead last, I didn’t care what I looked like when I was doing it. It was for me.”

x The lump was discovered during a routine checkup.

Breast cancer is very rare in women in their 30s. Yet Debi’s physician, Michael Burks, M.D., decided the lump deserved a closer look.

The next day, May 11, 2010, Debi went to Boone Hospital Center’s Harris Breast Center. She had a mammogram and an ultrasound, and later that day, a breast biopsy.

Debi said she grew concerned when one test seemed to lead to another.

Although the biopsy results wouldn’t come back with confirmation for two days, the diagnosis was already clear to the doctors who saw Debi’s breast scans. It was cancer.

Debi remembers her reaction when she heard the news.

“I was just sitting in the office, not crying, but trying to understand what it meant for me, where I should go from here and how it would affect the rest of my life,” she said. “It was very scary. With two little kids, you want to be there for high school graduations and marriages and everything else. My biggest fear was, ‘How long am I going to have to fight this?’ I didn’t want my kids to have to go through their entire life with a mom who’s always sick.”

Two weeks later, Debi met with Joe Muscato, M.D., a hematologist and oncologist at Missouri Cancer Associates.

Debi’s cancer was classified as stage 1, grade 3 infiltrating ductal carcinoma. It’s a common breast cancer in older women, but not women Debi’s age.

“It was out of the blue, no reason,” Muscato said. “She was 31 years old. This is not someone who ever expects to have breast cancer.”

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Surgery was necessary to remove the cancer. Debi said she felt blessed only a lumpectomy was needed.

Weeks later, Debi began chemotherapy.

Under Dr. Muscato’s care, she would have to undergo four rounds of chemo treatment, spaced three weeks apart. He acknowledged how difficult the treatments would be given all the responsibilities in Debi’s life.

“This is big deal stuff when you have a family and are trying to raise kids,” Muscato said. “To get the best cure rate, you have

to do it with treatment in full doses on schedule. It’s not easy. So that’s the thing you worry about.”

And from the start, the chemo knocked Debi off her feet. She felt very nauseous and couldn’t keep food down. When she would finally start feeling better, it was time again to go back for more chemo and repeat the painful cycle.

As a sick mom, Debi was honest with her children about her cancer and what that meant. She told them it was a serious sickness

Instead of losing her hair from the chemotherapy, Debi and her family held a shaving party and went bald together. but that she was seeing doctors to get better.

She also wanted to show her kids there were some things about cancer she could control. Instead of losing her hair from the chemotherapy, Debi and her family held a shaving party and went bald together.

“I think it was good that my kids saw that cancer didn’t take my hair from me; we took it,” she said. “It was Mom’s decision, not cancer’s.”

x The idea for the triathlon came from Debi’s longtime physical therapist, Jeff Bridges. At first, she said “No, thanks.”

Jeff had suggested it during her chemotherapy. At the time, there were days she could barely get off the couch. A triathlon seemed impossible.

But he was persistent.

“I never had a triathlon on my radar.

It was never even something I thought I could do,” Debi said. “It took a few weeks of him just harassing me. But finally, I said I would try.”

So Debi tentatively set her sights on the TriZou Triathlon held at the University of Missouri. The race would be on May 2, 2011.

Debi was still receiving chemotherapy when she began her training. She sent an email to Dr. Muscato explaining her decision to do the triathlon.

“We read it, and we were like, ‘What?’”

Muscato said. “You see people who say they are going to do something like get healthy or exercise. A triathlon is a bit much. It was quite extraordinary.”

But physical activity is important during chemotherapy, and Dr. Muscato blessed Debi’s plan.

“People do better if they exercise — they feel better, they have less fatigue,” he said.

“It’s hard because they don’t even feel like moving, but getting exercise is actually quite important.”

As expected, Debi’s first workouts were excruciating.

“It was horrible. It was a lot of tears, a lot of pain and a lot of, ‘I am not going to do

this.’” She said. “I wanted to have a temper tantrum.”

Despite the hurt, Debi continued training. As she did, she gradually progressed through her cancer treatment as well. In August 2010, she finished her chemotherapy and, in September, she began the final leg of her treatment — six weeks of radiation therapy.

As she looked forward to finishing her treatment, she realized her training for the TriZou had become an inspiration.

“That goal is really what got me through it all,” she said.

x Then came race day.

Despite her earlier doubts, Debi said she felt strangely calm on May 2 — nearly a year after her diagnosis — knowing that one of the biggest challenges of her life still stood before her.

It was a cold morning. She checked in for the race, aired her bike tires and then waited with the hundreds of other racers for the first leg to begin. It was the quarter-mile swim, which took place at the MizzouRec building.

Once in the water, Debi found herself swimming fast and passing several other racers. Her time was better than expected as she left the pool.

Next came the 15-mile bike course. It was the portion of the race Debi dreaded the most. Though the ride was tough — especially the hills — she stuck with it. At times she had to get off the bike and push.

But she would get back on, always feeling a new burst of energy to keep moving.

“I felt like the last person out there on the last lap with the bike,” Debi said. “I know I wasn’t, but it sure felt like it.”

When she finished the bike portion, all that was left was three miles of running. Debi started slow and gradually built up to her usual pace. The finish line was almost within reach.

Then, finally, as she ran past the MizzouRec building, the end was right before her eyes.

She crossed the finish line, and it was over.

The race, the months of training and the terrible fight with cancer — all of it was over.

“It was extremely emotional. It was all about finishing it,” Debi said. “I don’t like for things to get the better of me. Even if they get the better of me physically, I’m hellbound they’re not going to get the better of me mentally. Finishing the triathlon marked the end of a really crappy year. I could put it behind me. I was done with that chapter.”

x Days after the triathlon, Debi received news that the cancer treatment was successful — she was cancer-free.

But that didn’t necessarily mean a return to her old life.

She chose not to restart her stressful wedding planning business. Instead, she stays home with her two kids. She also makes and sells children’s toys and clothing through her small business called Addie & Andy. It’s a fun job and a creative outlet.

“I’m doing what makes me happy now,” she said. “It’s less stressful and better for my health.”

Dr. Muscato said it was gratifying to watch how Debi grew during her cancer battle.

“There are some patients who say, ‘I’m going to do something. I’m going to change myself for the better.’ And that’s what happened here,” Muscato said. “I would never want to wish cancer on anybody, but there can be some good things that come out of it. For her, this was an extremely positive change.”

As for other women in their 30s, Dr. Muscato said that breast cancer at that age is quite rare. However, if a woman feels a lump that doesn’t go away after an extended period of time, or if she notices the lump becoming larger, she should have it examined.

From her experiences, Debi’s advice for other cancer patients — and everyone else — is to get exercise and stay strong.

“I can’t stress enough the importance of staying physically active,” she said. “It sounds silly, but I think mentally and emotionally, that did the most for me. I would not be where I am today. I would not be nearly as strong if I hadn’t kept working and kept going.”

And she’s still going — triathlon No. 2 is already on her calendar.

BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER September 2011

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New Lab, Better Results

Technology And Efficiency Mean Faster And More Accurate Patient Diagnoses

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ne of the most impressive new features at Boone Hospital Center’s new patient tower is actually below the surface.

This July, one month after the tower opened to the public, the hospital’s clinical laboratory relocated to the tower’s basement.

The $5.9 million investment outfitted the laboratory with the latest analytic technology and moved the department to a space better suited for its work — and for the future.

“We will be able to do a lot more customized medicine and really help pinpoint diseases,” said Brenda Dolan, laboratory director. “The future is huge, and with this, we are ready.”

The lab plays a key role in medicine and patient care that is often hidden from the public. At Boone Hospital, lab professionals conduct scientific tests on a variety of body tissues and fluids to help physicians diagnose and treat diseases. Boone Hospital’s 74 lab workers conduct more than one million tests each year.

“About 75 percent of all diagnoses are based on lab results,” Dolan said. “If you improve your lab, you improve your hospital.”

The lab comes with several new innovative tools to help lab professionals get better results in less time.

A new pre-analytics machine automates the specimen preparation process and organizes the lab’s large collection of samples — meaning the workers can spend much less time hunting for the right tube.

“This will store it and we can electronically go into the computer and it will tell us exactly where it is,” Dolan said.

For the first time, the lab also includes space for molecular testing, which is the next wave of laboratory technology. Molecular testing involves DNA analysis and brings even greater precision to the lab’s work.

“Molecular testing is our future,” Dolan said. “This is where we will see things move, especially with infectious disease and cancer.”

The lab was also greatly improved simply by the additional space in their new

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location. The department now has 14,000 square feet, compared to 8,000 before.

The space gives lab workers more room to perform tests and allows them to keep supplies close at hand without having to leave to go to a storage room to get what they need.

“We love it,” Dolan said. “It’s like moving into a new house from a little crowded apartment.”

While building a new lab has been a goal at Boone Hospital for some time, the project was sped up when bids for the recent hospital expansion came in lower than expected. This allowed hospital leaders to add the new laboratory to the project and still remain under the $120 million budget.

With the lab added to the plans, the laboratory team spent two and a half years planning for the new space. Architects sought input from every lab employee to ensure workspaces were optimized for the various jobs performed there.

Moving to the new laboratory in late July was also a highly orchestrated effort as the lab continued to provide timely tests and results even during the relocation.

But with the new lab now up and running, Dolan, who has worked in Boone Hospital’s laboratory for 31 years, said the new area is truly a dream come true.

“For this to be a reality is wonderful for us and for our patients,” Dolan said.

By Jacob Luecke

A Place For Fine Art

New Patient Tower Creates A Healing Environment With Artistic Flourishes Untitled photograph by Susan Marske, Nexus sculpture by Larry Young

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hen Boone Hospital Center opened the New Patient Tower this June, it also opened a mini art gallery showcasing local artists.

Each room has a unique piece of art.

Many of the paintings and photographs are centered around nature or culture in midMissouri. Some show birds, flowers or river scenes to add to the peaceful environment.

Patients and their visitors can enjoy the individuality of the hallways and alcoves.

The works were chosen by an art committee including hospital staff and administrators, community artists and board of trustees members. Experts Jennifer Perlow of the Perlow-Stevens Gallery, and Rene Heider, owner of Deck the Walls, acted as consultants as the artwork was chosen.

Heider and the committee spent hours scouring tons of art to hand pick the best for the walls of the hospital. She said they took into account the finishes, colors and fabrics used in the design to find complementary pieces. The aim was to create a calm, healing environment for the patients.

“People like to take mini-vacations in artwork. It reminds them of their childhood or places they’ve been in mid-Missouri,” Heider said. “We wanted to give patients that vacation.”

Almost 60 local artists and 41 Boone Hospital Center photography contest winners are featured throughout the new tower.

“We wanted all the pieces to be positive and uplifting for the healing environment,” Heider said. By Shannon Whitney

Watercolor “Creeks at Twin Lakes”

by Jerry Thompson BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER September 2011

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A Towering View Of

Painting by David Spear graces entrance to new patient tower

The entire painting took almost 1000 hours to complete over the span of 5 months.

It shows roughly 9 square miles.

The hospital was a challenge to paint because it was being built at the same time and constantly changing.

Spear took pictures from an airplane to use to sketch.

Columbia Spear says in one week during production, he spent between 40 and 50 hours painting only trees.

Spear’s own studio is not visible in the painting. It is hidden by the Regency Hotel.

Boone Hosptial Center COLUMBIA SUNSET

by David Spear

T

he signature piece in the new patient tower is a painting by Columbia artist David Spear. The work, “Columbia Sunset” is an elevated, westward-looking view of Columbia’s landmarks. The massive, 12-foot by 6-foot painting will be the first thing visitors see as they walk into the tower from a new pedestrian bridge.

“

This painting is really important to me.

Not only because it shows a different perspective of Columbia in a certain space and time, but because all three of my kids were born here and it’s just nice to leave something - a positive influence.

-David Spear

”

Spear worked on Columbia Sunset in his studio from February to June 2011.

Spear has 3 Boone Babies.

The sister painting, “Columbia Rising,” is displayed in the lobby of Outpatient Services and shows Columbia looking from West to East.

Stopping The Cycle Clinic Helps Man Reduce Pain, Regain His Life

Thanks to his therapy at the Boone Hospital Center Pain Management Clinic, Frank Tutera depends on his bike to get around Columbia.

I

n 2010, Frank Tutera moved from Florida to his home state of Missouri and decided some things needed to change. After living in the sunshine state for 27 years and working for a hurricane shutter business and then an oil company, it was time to return to the Midwest.

After Tutera’s wife passed away in 2010, he took up an offer from a high school friend to move to Columbia. He said he was excited to get out of the heat and be closer to his family in St. Louis and Kansas City.

Tutera had been in a few car accidents, played football and rugby and had a hurricane shutter fall on him. Starting in 1997, he began suffering from chronic back pain. He visited doctors who started him on a slippery slope of painkillers.

He says the medication he used to 18

September 2011 BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER

treat the back pain had terrible effects on his body. He said, “I was limited at the beginning. I had pain and I just didn’t feel right. You’re nauseated in your stomach and your focus on anything is limited.”

He knew he didn’t want to live life dependent on the medications and vowed to make that change shortly after his move to Missouri. Two months later, he found Boone Hospital’s Pain Management Clinic.

He worked with Dr. Brad Noble to turn things around.

Previously, he tried to cut back on his own, but he said, “I knew that I needed someone to help me along who was willing to listen to me and work with me, which they did.”

It wasn’t an easy few months, but with the support of the Boone team, Tutera made progress. At first he had trouble

sleeping. He communicated his problem and Dr. Noble prescribed him a nonnarcotic sleep aid.

“As long as I can sleep, I can function.

If I can’t sleep, I’m miserable,” said Tutera.

“I’ve always been a strong-willed type of person and I’ve dealt with a lot. I say, ‘You put yourself here, you have to get yourself out.’ And I did it. I pat myself on the shoulder for that.”

Now, at 62, Tutera is taking low doses of two painkillers and feeling like himself again. He rides his bike as his primary means of transportation around town.

“I thank them for helping me get to the point I am now,” said Tutera. “They were all very friendly. Everything they did, they always explained it ahead of time, that’s what I like. I don’t like surprises. They were firm on sticking to their guns and that’s what I needed.” By Shannon Whitney

Learn more www.boone.org/weightloss

Girl In The Magazine National Weight Loss Campaign Features Boone Patient’s Success

H

ula-hooping on an old lady’s lawn in California for a Hollywood camera crew — Wendi Wood never imagined she’d be doing this.

But now, the whole country can see the result.

The photos are part of a national Allergan Lap-Band ad campaign and Wendi’s ad was included in several popular magazines: Every Day With Rachael Ray, Good Housekeeping, Better Homes and Gardens, Real Simple and Oprah’s O Magazine.

“It’s one of those things that’s just too good to be true,” said Wendi, a teacher from Clarence, Mo. “I never thought I’d be that girl to be in a magazine.”

Looking back, it’s amazing how far Wendi has come in her transformation.

While she was fit and healthy as a teenage cheerleader, Wendi said she added about 50 pounds for each of the three children she carried in adulthood.

As she reached her mid-30s, Wendi said that when she looked in the mirror, she felt like the person looking back at her was not the Wendi she knew. She began avoiding getting her picture taken and stopped going out of the house as much.

“I used to make excuses not to do things, not to go places because I was embarrassed,” she said. “I was just ashamed of myself that I had gotten this far and had let myself go.”

She tried dieting many times, but the weight always came back. Eventually she turned to Boone Weight Loss Surgery.

On Nov. 19, 2008, Wendi came to Boone Hospital and had a gastric band placed. She said the procedure was quick and easy — she was out of the hospital that same morning.

Since the surgery, Wendi has lost 156 pounds. Her swimsuit is down to a size 8, compared to a size 24 just a few years ago.

Last year, she was featured in Boone Hospital’s local marketing for the weight loss surgery program. Then, in January, a marketing company contacted her about

Allergan’s national Lap-Band campaign.

She was asked to submit photos and a video of herself.

She made the cut and in early February she was flown to California with her husband for the shoot.

During the trip, Wendi said she was treated like a star. She was driven around in limos and stayed at a luxury hotel near the Santa Monica pier. She said her jaw was practically on the floor the entire trip.

“The guy who did my wardrobe had done a Will Ferrell movie the week before. The girl

who did my makeup does the Oprah show,” she said. “It was just a state of disbelief. It was the experience of a lifetime.”

Even today, when she sees her photo in the Lap-Band ad, Wendi said, “still, I don’t really believe that it’s real.”

Thinking back to years ago, and the progress she’s made since then, she said she gives credit to surgeon James Pitt, DO, at Columbia Surgical Associates and the Boone Weight Loss Surgery program.

“I would have never imagined that all this could happen,” she said. By Jacob Luecke BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER September 2011

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More about WELLAWARE, www.boone.org/wellaware

Fighting Obesity In Children Adults Play An Important Role In Helping Children Get A Healthy Start

By Jennifer Polniak, clinical dietician

D

id you know that about 17 percent of children and adolescents between the ages of 2 and 19 years are obese?

Since 1980, obesity among children and adolescents has almost tripled.

The reasons for this increase in obesity among young people are manifold. In a nutshell, obesity occurs when more calories are coming in than are being spent. It’s not that simple, though.

Childhood obesity is the result of several factors, including food choices, physical activity, genetics, family and socal influences.

Whichever causes lead to childhood obesity, the problem can lead to frightening health risks now and into adulthood.

Obese children are more likely to have: • High blood pressure and high cholesterol, which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

• Increased risk of impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

• Breathing problems, such as sleep apnea, and asthma.

• Joint problems and musculoskeletal discomfort.

• Fatty liver disease, gallstones, and gastro-esophageal reflux (i.e., heartburn).

• Obese children and adolescents have a greater risk of social and psychological problems, such as discrimination and poor self-esteem, which can continue into adulthood.

These same children are more likely to become obese adults. Adult obesity is associated with a number of serious health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers.

So what can be done to help make sure our young people get off to a healthy start in life?

Lunch Box Ideas for Kids • Sandwich shapes: A regular sandwich can be made into fun shapes with cookie cutters such as stars, letters or animals.

• Serve veggies to eat raw with a dip: Cucumber slices, celery, carrots and snow peas all pack well with a small cup of low fat ranch dressing • Skip the sandwich: But still aim for a lunch that includes protein, fruits and vegetables at the least. Cheese sticks with whole grain crackers, cherry tomatoes, and orange slices makes a colorful and balanced lunch that’s easy to eat.

There are a number of changes that need to take place in our communities, schools and nationwide. But there are also some important steps parents can take at home: • Buy fresh fruits and vegetables — take your child to the store and let him or her choose which fresh choices they’d like to eat.

• Buy fewer soft drinks, high fat and high calorie snacks.

• Make sure your child eats breakfast every day.

• Eat fast food less often.

• Plan healthy meals together as a family.

• Watch portion sizes — start with

small servings and let your child as for more if they are still hungry.

It’s also important that kids get daily physical activity. Adults can also set a good example by being active themselves. Sports teams and classes are also good options to get kids off the couch and away from computers and video games.

For more help ask your health care provider. A weight control program, like Boone Hospital’s new Head To Toe program, may be a good way to help your whole family adopt healthy eating and physical activity habits that you can keep up for the rest of your lives.

BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER September 2011

21

Getting A Lift With O2 Hospital Program Gives New Clinicians A Chance To Breathe During First Year

W

hen Jessica Wahle graduated from nursing school in May of 2010, she found it wasn’t easy to make the switch from the classroom to working in an actual hospital.

“It is a really big transition to make.

In our school clinicals, we had one or two patients and someone was there to hold your hand through all of it,” she said. “So it was a big change to come in and be oriented, have your own patients and need to learn time management.”

Wahle also faced an additional hurdle as she was hired to work in Boone Hospital’s Spine Center, an area with specialized nursing processes to learn.

But soon Wahle found support through a program — called O2 — aimed at helping new Boone Hospital caregivers learn the ropes and become comfortable in their jobs.

Through O2, caregivers who are fresh from college get a chance to socialize, receive individual support from experienced clinicians and just have fun during their first year at Boone Hospital.

“The object of the program is to have a good work-life balance,” said Kim Farris, a nurse recruiter who helped found the program in 2005. “That’s why we call it O2 — it encourages them to take time to breathe.”

The yearlong program includes a welcoming celebration for new employees, ongoing training and activities and a dinner when the year comes to a close.

Outside of these planned programs, clinical educators make regular rounds through the hospital and reach out to the new caregivers to make sure they have a chance to ask questions or just talk about anything that has come up.

If a new caregiver is called to help during a particularly challenging medical event, such as a cardiac arrest, the educators follow up afterward to make sure any questions or concerns are answered.

“We go in and debrief them and make sure we are just available and offering 22

September 2011 BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER

support,” said Kathy Leuckel, a clinical educator.

Leuckel began working as a critical care nurse in 1991, and later got her master’s degree in nursing education. She said she remembers what it’s like to come straight out of school and try to get up to speed on a hospital unit.

“I’ve been where they are,” she said. “If there would have been something like this when I graduated from school, it would have been great.”

Leuckel said she feels lucky to get to work with the talented young caregivers that Boone Hospital attracts.

“The nurses and caregivers we get here are interested in learning, they are engaged in the process, they come ready to do whatever it is we suggest they do,” she said. “We have a great group to start with.”

When Boone Hospital began offering the program six years ago, the intent

was to help reduce turnover among overwhelmed first-year caregivers, a nationwide problem that many hospitals faced. In the first year of O2, Boone saw that retention rate improve by 50 percent.

Today, with a slower national economy, turnover is generally lower everywhere. Yet the hospital still sees strong value ensuring new caregivers are getting the support they need and are being welcomed into the Boone family.

Wahle, who just completed her first year as a nurse at Boone, said O2 helped her get off to a strong start.

“I really love the people who are involved in the O2 program. They care so much about us, and they are trying to make sure that we are comfortable with what we’re doing,” she said. “It’s just good to have that support and to know that someone is behind you making sure you will succeed that first year.” By Jacob Luecke

Sending Support To Joplin Whether Up Close Or From Far Away, Boone Staff Reaches Out To Tornado Victims

“T

here wasn’t any place you could go down there that didn’t knock you.

I mean, it’s your worst nightmare a thousand times over. I can’t even describe it.”

Mary Wright, an ICU nurse at Boone Hospital Center, describes the two days she spent in Joplin after the tornado that hit that city on May 22. Wright, her daughter, Nicola, and Karma Joos, another ICU nurse, drove down to volunteer on June 16 and 17. They had no idea what to expect, but they were determined to help.

When they arrived in Joplin, both nurses went straight to work at Freeman Hospital, which is about a mile down the road from St. John’s Regional Medical Center, the hospital that was badly damaged in the tornado. At 7 a.m., they began the first of two 12-hour shifts.

We pulled lines, we helped with

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September 2011 BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER

insertion on lines. We helped with admits,” Wright said.

The volunteers did run into a technical problem: charting.

“With regards to taking patients on our own — we couldn’t do it because we couldn’t operate the charting system,” Wright said.

Training the volunteer nurses would take nurses away from the patients and many of the nurses, like Wright and Joos, were only there for a short time. Instead, the volunteers found their own niche.

“We really got a chance to talk with the patients,” Wright said. “I think the nurses were relieved we were able to spend time with them, because they couldn’t.”

As the staff nurses took care of the charting and distribution of drugs, the volunteers could give patients more individual attention and care.

“We let the nurses do the stuff they knew how to do. We said, ‘Let us be your

hands and feet,’” Joos said.

Wright talked about how she listened as patients told their heart-wrenching stories of loss with bravery and hope. The patients thanked the volunteers over and over again.

“One of the gentlemen had moved from Oklahoma to Joplin because the threat of tornados was less,” Wright said.

“This was his second one in Joplin and he lost his house this time.”

The nurses at Freeman hospital had been working extra shifts since the tornado. Most of them had never seen patients after such a massive disaster. Joos said the company of volunteer nurses was good for them in more ways than one.

“The nurses were still needing to share with someone who would understand,” Joos said. “We were good sounding boards for them.”

After 12 hours in the hospital, the nurses went for a drive around Joplin.

Donations for the Joplin recovery effort can be made at www.uwheartmo.org

“There was one house we stopped at, there was no walls in the house but there was shelves in the kitchen with cans of corn and cereal boxes still standing,” Wright said. “The walls were gone. There were places, while we were driving along the street, where we saw Christmas wrapping, bags, a toy here. All you could do was just cry. There was just so much devastation.”

After another long day in the hospital, Joos, Wright and her daughter headed back to Columbia. Working alongside nurses under stress and pressure taught the the importance of giving patients attention, even during a crisis.

Boone Hospital and the BJC system coordinated with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the Missouri Hospital Association to send relief to Joplin.

Boone Hospital also donated 75 tetanus vaccinations. Staff members at Boone Hospital also made donations to the recovery using a special payroll deduction program.

Returning Home Justin Largent flips through the images on his laptop screen. He’s giving a photo tour of his hometown: Joplin.

He points out streets he knows, the schools he attended and neighborhoods his father helped design. There are more than 200 photos, but they almost all look the same — tattered trees, piles of rubble, destroyed vehicles and twisted metal. It’s a scene that stretches as far as the horizon.

“I can’t even recognize some of these places,” Largent said, as he scanned the images. “And this is the city where I grew up.”

Largent took the photos on Tuesday, May 24, just two days after the devastating tornado struck Joplin.

He first heard about the tornado when a friend he grew up with called him Sunday evening.

“He said, ‘Have you talked to your mom and dad? There’s been a tornado,’” said Largent, who lives near Hartsburg and is a senior analyst at Boone Hospital

Center for the BJC Information Services Integration and Infrastructure Group.

He called his parents, Richard and Barbara Largent, who were fine.

The tornado had passed just a few blocks from their house. A popular YouTube video of the storm “Destructive Joplin, Missouri EF-5 Tornado” was taken on the street where his parents live.

They had taken cover in a bathroom as the tornado passed nearby. “Mom described it as, ‘Standing next to Niagara falls with this strange hum to it.’ It was really something they’d never experienced,” he said.

Thankfully, all of Largent’s family and friends in the area survived the tornado.

On Monday, the day after the tornado hit, Largent traveled to Joplin to pick up his parents and 86-year-old grandmother, Lucille Largent.

He stayed overnight in Joplin and toured the destruction on Tuesday with his camera. He said seeing St. John’s Regional Medical Center firsthand was an emotional experience.

“To see the utter devastation in that area was enough to choke me up,” he said. “There aren’t any words for how to

describe the scene.”

Largent’s mother is an obstetrics nurse at St. John’s and Largent himself worked there during high school and college in the nutrition and EKG offices.

He remembers having tornado warnings during his time at St. John’s.

Working inside such a large, seeminglyindestructible building, he remembers not taking the warnings very seriously.

“But I certainly see tornados in a different light now,” he said.

Largent said the devastation was hard on his dad, who had served as Joplin’s city planner for 40 years. He saw much of his life’s work blown away in the storm.

“Dad had helped those buildings go in. He signed their permits, wrote the ordinances and helped with grants and economic incentives,” he said. “To see everything just gone was almost more than he could take.”

Back at Boone Hospital, with the photos of the destruction on his laptop, Largent said the people in Joplin are strong, yet they have a long road ahead.

He said he was amazed by the response and support for Joplin from around the state. By Shannon Whitney and Jacob Luecke BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER September 2011

25

A Higher Calling Young Mennonite Women Travel From Afar To Volunteer At Boone

S

taff and guests at Boone Hospital Center love seeing the sweet smiles of volunteers around the hospital. Some of our favorites wear plain dresses and small black bonnets, called prayer coverings as a sign of submission to the Lord. These Mennonite women come from all over the U.S. and Canada to volunteer in mid-Missouri.

Amanda Unruh, 27, came from Arkansas three months ago to the Columbia, Mo. unit of Christian Public Service to volunteer in hospitals for six months. The Christian Public Service, or CPS, is sponsored by the Mennonite Church to give young people a chance to give their time for the Lord.

“I came just to give some time instead of doing my own thing, you know,” says 26

September 2011 BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER

Amanda on why she chose to serve. “To come here and give to the community, it’s a good reward.”

Everyone is required to volunteer five days a week. The unit here in Columbia is a specific hospital ministry. The volunteers serve Boone Hospital Center, University Hospital, the Women’s and Children’s Hospital and Rainbow House.

“We like coming to Boone, here. We get around the hospital a lot more, in the rooms and we get to interact with the patients,” Amanda says. ‘We really enjoy that.”

Megan Ensz, 19, came from her family’s ranch in New Mexico. She wanted to strengthen her faith through the six-month service commitment.

The women split up the mail and the deliveries.

Amanda’s route begins in the South Tower. She says it took her about a month to learn her way around the hospital and now that the tower is open and the numbering has changed, she’s still relearning.

Each visit begins with a knock on the door or a soft “knock-knock” call as Amanda enters a patient room.

“Someone sent you flowers!” Amanda excitedly tells new mother Colleen Underwood.

“Wow! Thank you! I wonder who they’re from,” Colleen answers. Her husband accepts the delivery and opens the card. “Thank you for bringing them here!”

The recipients and the volunteer deliverers have matching grins as Amanda says, “Have a nice day.”

For information on volunteering at Boone Hospital visit www.boone.org

An exchange that seems so simple, means so much to the patients receiving the flowers or cards as well as to the volunteers.

Bethany Wiebe, 22, is one of the volunteers who’s been here since January and left this July. She wanted to make a difference and she felt the CPS volunteer program was a good fit. She worked in housekeeping at a hospital in her hometown, but this experience has shown her a different side of the hospital she explains with a slight Canadian accent.

“I like being with people. I knew it would be fulfilling and I wanted to do something rewarding,” says Bethany.

As they run errands around the hospital, deliver mail and work in the medical library, they spread their cheerfulness to staff and patients and never lose sight of the service they came to do.

“I feel like it’s improved my spiritual life,” Amanda says. “When you don’t have all the stresses of having a job and making money and all that, it’s a lot easier to focus more of your time on God.” Judy Feintuch is the medical librarian and CME coordinator at Boone. She works with the volunteers every Monday in the medical library. She always brings snacks, especially chocolate, to share.

“They’re wonderful! They do whatever needs to be done with a big smile. I just love them,” Judy says.

The volunteers rotate in groups of two.

A pair shares a room and works the same schedule. Two pairs and their host parents live together, eat together and worship together.

“In some ways it’s not that much different and in some ways it is. At home we don’t live in town. It’s a lot faster paced in town here,” say Megan about live in Columbia compared to her home. And living with a bunch of girls who are all around your age, it’s taught me how to get along with others too.”

Everyone takes turns cooking. Megan and Amanda are responsible for breakfast on Monday and dinner on Thursday.

Lately they’ve been making a lot of pasta

They also have time for and Mexican food. Saturdays “To come personal prayer and reflection. are the highlight of the week.

Each Sunday they worship They all drive to Kansas City or here and with the local Mennonite St. Louis for sight-seeing and give to the community. then take turns picking out a They are willing to explain restaurant for dinner. Megan’s community, the simplicity of their lifestyle favorite is Olive Garden and it’s a — they are living as close to Amanda loves any kind of the Bible as they can. This barbecue. They also hang out good means no TV or radio, but with the Mennonite Youth they do use cell phones and Group in Versailles and sing at reward.” computers. Bethany says retirement homes around town.

Amanda Unruh their dress code is simple The group transitions from and modest. They usually sew their own giggling to laughing out loud when they clothes, starting around age 15. talked about the pranks they play at night.

Even if typical 20-somethings usually There is a plastic roach that shows up in don’t sew their own clothes, live without beds, drawers and bathrooms. Bethany seems television or wear prayer coverings, to be the most mischievous of the four. Her it’s easy to see that these Mennonite face lights up when she tells the story of the volunteers have a lot in common with prank she played on her roommate. others their age. They love eating out, “I layered her bed with rice one night. driving, shopping and perfume.

It was so funny, she didn’t want to show They love to scrapbook. They all have that she’d been had. She was really quiet books full of news clippings, tickets, and the lights were out but I could faintly postcards and other memories from their see her pushing the rice to the end of the time in Missouri. Each woman makes a few bed and every once in a while I could hear pages about herself to exchange to share it drop to the floor. And then the next memories with her new friends. When morning it was all in my shoes.” they return home after six months, the At home, the “family” grows spiritually scrapbook will be a reminder of the service as well. and the bonds of friendship built in their Each morning they share daily time volunteering. By Shannon Whitney devotions with their Missouri family.

BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER September 2011

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Learn more, www.boone.org/wellaware

A Healthy Life With Diabetes Classes, Life Changes Help Fulton Woman Tame An Illness

A

nger was the first emotion Mary Ann Herring felt after being diagnosed with type II diabetes.

“I was not happy,” said Herring, 58, of Fulton. “I was so upset, I never thought I’d live again.”

Herring was concerned about how diabetes would change her diet, impact her health and reduce her ability to enjoy retirement after a career as school supervisor at the Missouri School for the Deaf.

“I thought, ‘I have worked too hard to get to where I am to mess up now. I am not going to be stuck on a dialysis machine. I am not going to have a heart attack. I am going to do whatever it takes because I want to live as long as possible and as good as possible,’” Herring said.

Herring’s doctor advised her to learn more about the disease by attending a month-long course offered by Boone Hospital Center’s WELLAWARE Diabetes and Nutrition Clinic. At the clinic, Herring met with a certified diabetes educator and attended a weekly diabetes class for four weeks.

Coordinator Jennifer Anderson said the clinic is set up to offer education and help people manage their diabetes with lifestyle changes. She said the clinic’s classes are valuable both for newly diagnosed diabetes patients and for those who have had the disease for years.

The goal is self management.

“So much of diabetes management is up to you as an individual,” Anderson said.

“We teach people that they are the ones who will be managing their diabetes on a day-to-day basis.”

The classes showed Herring that the best way to manage her diabetes was through permanent lifestyle changes — eating better and exercising regularly.

For Herring, this new way of eating was a challenge. But once she saw how the changes made her feel better, she embraced the new food choices. Today, she limits the processed food she eats and instead cooks mostly from scratch

using fresh vegetables, especially eggplant, collard greens, turnip greens and string beans.

She said what she learned about meal planning in the classes made this different than the diets she had tried in the past.

“I dieted all my life. But the thing about dieting for me was that I didn’t do it the right way. All those times I thought I was eating right, I wasn’t eating right,” she said. “But with this, it’s easy as long as you get the education, go to the class and find out what you should be eating.”

With the changes, Herring has been able to halve her diabetes medication dosage. She has also lost 47 pounds in the two years since she took the class.

Herring’s husband, Randy, adopted the

eating changes along with her, and he has lost 60 pounds.

“Anytime I see anybody, they comment, ‘You look fantastic, how did you do it?’”

Herring said.

In addition to helping manage her diabetes and spurring her weight loss, Herring’s lifestyle changes since taking the class have lowered her cholesterol and triglycerides.

While it may sound strange, Herring said the WELLAWARE Diabetes and Nutrition Clinic has helped her become healthier today with diabetes than she was before she had diabetes.

“I can’t say enough for the diabetes class and realizing that I can control this disease,” she said. “I feel great. I’m happy again.” By Jacob Luecke BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER September 2011

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Opening Ceremonies Crowds Mark The Completion Of The New Patient Tower More photos at facebook.com/boonehospitalcenter In late June, Boone Hospital Center welcomed thousands of people during three days of celebrations marking the opening of the new patient tower. These guests enjoyed music, food, refreshments and tours of patient floors. It was a joyful event and we would like to thank the community for such wonderful support during this successful project.

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September 2011 BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER

Boone Hospital Center 1600 East Broadway Columbia, Mo 65201 573-815-8000

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COLUMBIA, MO PERMIT 286

Mammograms save lives.

Remind a woman you care about to schedule her mammogram during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

To schedule a mammogram, call 573.815.8150 or visit www.boone.org