Sienna Plantation News

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A TEEN’S JOURNEY TO JOY pg.06

ALSO INSIDE Five ways to help you enjoy the holiday season pg.09 Sienna thespians heading to iTheatrics pg.10

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D ec e m b e r 2016 The Happy Holiday Issue

CONTENTS FEATURES The Sienna Moms are works of fiction. Resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON! As someone who has passed the halfway mark when it comes to female life expectancy in the United States, I’m not one who normally wishes the days away. I must say, I’m not unhappy to see 2016 come to an end. I almost decided to do a Bah Humbug and forgo the tree and trimmings this year. Then I came to my senses, did a 180 and double downed on Christmas cheer.

Seth Moody’s story, A Teen’s Journey to Joy, was a wonderful reminder that God is still on the throne performing miracles every day. Five Ways to Help You Enjoy the Holiday Season offered a simple, but appreciated, reminder to step back and pace myself. I don’t have to do everything. All I must do is keep my heart and mind open.

Towards that goal, these might be tiny steps, but I’m going to support the kids at Sugar Land’s Inspiration Stage by attending one of their performances in 2017,

maybe even buy season tickets. Their youth and exuberance brings a fresh take to their productions and new insights for old folks like me.

I’ve also marked by calendar to attend Sean Gaskell’s West African kora performance at the Sienna branch library in January. Who knows? I might discover connection to a rhythm in me about which I never knew.

That’s what life is about. Moving forward. Sometimes along familiar, well-worn paths. Other times into scary, unknown places. As long as we don’t turn backwards, all is well.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Kay, Sienna Moms

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A Teen’s Journey To Joy

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Stay Aware Of The Zika Virus

Five Ways To Help You Enjoy The Holiday Season

MONTHLY DEPARTMENTS

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Community Profile

Sienna thespians heading to iTheatrics

Dear Doctor Sponsored By

UT Physicians at Sienna Village

Sienna Plantation News is a Community Magazines LLC publication.

ADVERTISING INFORMATION Contact Denise R Williams, Publisher communitynews@entouch.net www.siennaplantationnews.com (281) 778-9782

COMMUNITY PROFILE

SIENNA THESPIANS HEADING TO iTHEATRICS

Evan Blackwell (Sienna Resident) opens the show with “Right Before Your Eyes!”

L to R: Alexandra Champion, Lillian Hurter (Sienna Resident), Madeline Font

Jackson Champion, Aidan Leake, Sean Bracher (Sienna Resident), Cameron Krouch, & Evan Blackwell( Sienna Resident)

In January, a 37-strong troupe of youth actors ages 11 to 17 from Sugar Land’s Inspiration Stage (iStage) performing arts studio and theatre will compete in iTheatrics’ 2017 Junior Theatre Festival (JTF), the world’s largest celebration of musical theatre for young people, with nearly 5,000 attendees in Atlanta, Georgia.

The fledging, powerhouse arts studio was awarded 2014 excellence in acting recognition for “Godspell,” 2015 excellence in dance appreciation for “Seussical Jr.,” and, in 2016, one of only nine “outstanding” awards bestowed at the annual fete to its 115 participating companies for “The Lion King, Jr.” Company members

also claimed various individual acting awards and special commendations. iStage’s 2017 group of 72 competitive performers, artistic staff, parents, and supporters hope to replicate their previous successes.

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For 2017, iStage Artistic Director / Founder Mandy

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Seymore-Sensat and her enthusiastic iStage troupe take the new Pasek and Paul musical adaptation of British children’s author Roal Dahl’s “James and the Giant Peach” to JTF.

DEAR DOCTOR DEAR DOCTOR:

What should I do to be prepared for cold and flu season?

“Working on this show has been a marvelous experience,” comments Evan Blackwell (Ladahlord), a Ridge Point High School student and Sienna resident whose mellifluous bass voice shockingly sounds more like James Sienna Resident, Ellie Kummer Earl Jones than what you’d expect from a high school freshman. Evan was awarded a 2016 JTF AllStar Cast Award for his portrayal of the murderous Scar in iStages’s “The Lion King Jr” as were cast mates Rayevin Johnson (Rafiki) and Davis Underwood (Simba).

DEAR READER: From now until March is the season for cold, flu and common respiratory illnesses including influenza, parainfluenza, adenovirus, rhinovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The illnesses are spread through droplets generated by sneezing, coughing, talking and contact.

What can you do to lower your risk of getting sick?

• • • • •

Visit at inspirationstage.com on the web or inspirationstage on Facebook for more information.

Vaccination Handwashing Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing Get plenty of rest Exercise

• Eat a healthy, balanced diet

ENJOY MUSIC OF THE WEST AFRICAN KORA

It’s not too late to vaccinate.

Flu season typically peaks between now and February. If you have not been vaccinated this season, get vaccinated now. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends an annual flu vaccine for everyone six months and older. If you have an infant who is at a higher risk of contracting RSV, speak to your pediatrician about a medicine that can help protect your baby.

If you feel like you have a cold or the flu.

Use over-the-counter cold medications to relieve cold symptoms including sore throat, runny nose, congestion and cough. Flu symptoms are similar, but include fever, headache and muscle soreness. Make an appointment with your primary care provider who may prescribe antiviral medications.

UT Physicians at Sienna Village has expanded its primary care with a new pediatrician.

Dr. Joshua Essel has joined the team and is committed to providing high quality care in Missouri City. To make an appointment for a flu vaccine or sick visit at the UT Physicians at Sienna Village location, call 713-486-1200.

Fort Bend County Libraries will host a performance and talk on the “Music and History of the West African Kora” on Tuesday, January 10, beginning at 7:00 pm, in the Meeting Room of the Sienna Branch Library, located at 8411 Sienna Springs Blvd in Missouri City.

For more information, visit us at UTPhysicians.com and facebook.com/UTPhysicians.

Sean Gaskell will give an educational demonstration of the kora, an ancient 21-stringed harp from West Africa. His performance will feature traditional songs, as well as some of his own personal compositions. Between songs, he will explain how the kora is built, who plays it, its cultural significance, the types of events where it is played, and more.

The kora is native to the Mande peoples who live within the countries of Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau. The music is traditionally played by oral and musical historians known as Griots. The kora is a melodic and seemingly peaceful instrument, which is somewhat contrary to its musical repertoire. Many songs tell ancient stories of war and hardship, while others praise people of high political status.

Although the kora is only 300 years old, some commonly played songs can be traced back 800 years.

A featured performer at numerous festivals in the U.S., Gambia, and Senegal, Gaskell has studied extensively under the instruction of kora teachers Malamini Jobarteh and Moriba Kuyateh of Brikama, The Gambia, and with Kane Mathis of Brooklyn, NY. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Sienna Branch Library at 281-238-2900 or the library system’s Public Information Office at 281-633-4734.

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A TEEN’S JOURNEY TO JOY

The Moody family celebrates a turning point in healing by taking a trip to Colorado in 2014.

How does a self-proclaimed depressed and bitter teenager find seling course in the Houston area. Through it, God did a healing work in her own self-acceptance, healing — even joy? A Sienna Plantation resi- heart, so she pressed Seth and his brother to sign up. dent explains his journey to healing...

“Pain was buried deep inside me,” said Seth, “and as God was clearing out the anger “I was in a pit — in a lot of pain,” said Seth Moody, a high school senior whose physical and emotional burdens put a barrier between him and most people, even those closest to him. “I’d been believing it was impossible to have joy on this earth.”

Seth’s family moved from Mobile, Alabama, to Singapore for three years and back again before relocating to Houston in 2012. Seth’s dad, Michael, received a recommendation from his boss that Sienna Plantation was a desirable place to put down roots, and so they did. Seth was 13 years old when the family began attending Grace Church, the forerunner of the Sienna Campus of Houston’s First Baptist.

and emptiness, He was showing me how to fill it by understanding and loving people. I needed to learn to forgive.”

In 2015, Seth received an invitation to go to New York City to attend Rushmore, a spring mission trip open to 10th–12th grade students and invited friends from all five campuses of Houston’s First Baptist Church. “I was cynical about mission trips,” said Seth. “You really can’t have a heart-to-heart with anyone, I thought, so I believed the trips were pretty meaningless.”

Sienna Campus Student Minister Jordan Floro continued pouring love and acceptance into Seth’s life, and he agreed to attend Rushmore this year. All the care that God and church members had been pouring into Seth’s heart manifested in love and concern for others.

Dana Moody, Seth’s mother, began seeing indications of emotional dysfunction in Seth while living overseas. Withdrawn, fearful and consumed with anxiety, Seth received clinical diagnoses that included Tourette syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety. Other family members were also exhibiting signs of dis- “Seth had a different level of maturity than I had seen the previous year,” said tress. After returning to the States, a broken relationship between Seth and his Floro. “He had a seriousness about the trip — he even power washed the drivenext-in-line brother was the last straw in a family dynamic that seemed to be spi- ways of just about everyone at Sienna to earn money for the trip. Once he was raling out of control. at Rushmore, he jumped in to serve — and to lead. He wasn’t seeking attention; his focus was on others.”

Dana stepped out in faith to find an intensive, months-long prayer ministry-coun6

Michael and Seth Moody on a mission trip to Ohio with the Sienna Campus of Houston’s First.

The Rushmore trip proved to be a spiritual turning point for Seth as forgiveness and a love for people were taking root in his heart. “I realized that we don’t necessarily have to have a heartto-heart with someone to minister to them; we can just open the door,” said Seth. “Handing out coffee and donuts or casually striking up a conversation is opening doors.”

Seth Moody, 18, a high school senior and dual credit student at Houston Community College, suffered with Tourette syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety. He leaned strongly into God and found healing — and even joy.

Seth and his dad took a mission trip to Ohio together the following summer with others from the Sienna Campus of Houston’s First. “I was able to understand my dad’s heart on this trip,” said Seth. “We were already close, but the bond got deeper.”

Dana marvels at all that has happened over the past year. “Seth has been going hard after God, and his body responded,” she said. “The neurologist took him off all of his medication in June.”

“I’ve had a journey of healing,” said Seth, who says the greatest thing about the Rushmore and Ohio mission trips was finding God’s joy. “The joy that God gives doesn’t depend on circumstances — like if I’m feeling depressed or under pressure.

An interaction with a man on a New God promised that He will never leave us, and knowing that has opened my heart.”

York subway stirred confidence and For more information about Student Ministry at the Sienna Campus of Houston’s fanned a flame in Seth’s heart. It First Baptist Church, contact Jordan.Floro@HoustonsFirst.org. For service times was a confirmation that he could do and information go to HoustonsFirst.org. the same kind of ministry at home.

“There was no ‘Jesus’ talk with him,” said Seth. “But God spoke to my heart afterward and He said I had shown His love to the man. It made me want to love people more.”

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Sun, Whoa-oh!

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FIVE WAYS TO HELP YOU ENJOY THE HOLIDAY SEASON

Does the phrase “relaxing holiday season” seem far out of reach? If it does, you’re not alone. There’s plenty to do during the holidays: there are gifts to buy, parties to host, work to finish and travel plans to make. With a hectic schedule, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. This year, pace yourself and take a step back. After all, this is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, so don’t forget that you deserve a gift too.

Here are five ideas to help you relax and get into the holiday spirit in no time.

A day at the spa. A little rest and relaxation can be just the pick-me-up you need to conquer the rest of your holiday to-do list, so plan a spa day for yourself. Take the day off so you don’t feel rushed and spend it being pampered. You’ve worked hard all year, and a relaxing massage or facial is just too good to pass up.

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you learn a new language or pick up at that instrument you’ve always wanted to play. Get a jump start by enrolling in a class over the holiday season to learn something new.

Shaking up your routine and mastering a new skill is one of the best gifts to give yourself, and feeling like you’ve already gotten a jump on 2017 is just a bonus.

The holiday season is full of hustle and bustle, but if you remember to treat yourself every now and then, the season will ultimately be more enjoyable and relaxing for you and those you love most. To learn more about the LG SideKick or LG OLED B6 TV, visit www.lg.com.

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Great food and great company. Hectic schedules filled with holiday obligations tend to reduce meal times to quick grab-and-go items in between errands. Why not break the cycle and enjoy a nice dinner out with your loved ones. Pick a place that holds memories for your family - it can be as formal or informal as you like - and gather for a relaxing meal together.

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STAY AWARE OF THE ZIKA VIRUS Physicians at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital encourage Fort Bend residents to remain mindful of the Zika virus.

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“While there might be fewer headlines about Zika now, the virus is still very much a concern, especially for individuals who have traveled to the Caribbean or who have sexual partners who may be infected,” said Sarfraz Aly, M.D., an internal medicine/infectious diseases specialist at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital.

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As of early September, more than 2,400 cases of Zika have been reported in the U.S., including 125 cases in Texas. The vast majority of individuals recently affected visited a Zika “hot zone,” where mosquitoes that carry the virus are plentiful and outbreaks have been severe. Only a handful are believed to have contracted the disease here in the U.S. Although the most common form of transmission is via mosquito bite, researchers have identified a number of other ways that the virus can be passed from human to human, including: maternal-fetal transmission; sexual transmission; transmission via blood transfusion; organ transplant; and through exposure during research in the laboratory.

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“Houston is an international city, and we have many residents who frequently travel to locations in South and Central America and the Caribbean where they can be exposed via a mosquito bite, and then return home and infect a partner through unprotected sex,” said Aly. The Centers for Disease Control says an individual who is infected with the Zika virus, or who was potentially exposed to Zika via travel to a hot zone, should abstain from all forms of unprotected sex with a pregnant partner for the duration of the pregnancy.

where the peripheral neural system is affected.

As of today, there is no preventive vaccine available or specific treatment for patients with the virus.

“This is critical because the virus can cause significant birth defects in unborn babies,” The best course of action is prevention, but once a patient is identified as having the virus, doctors typsaid Aly. ically focus on management of symptoms and priAny individual, male or female, who has traveled to a hot zone should wait at least marily suggest plenty of rest and fluids. eight weeks before having unprotected intercourse, even if they have no Zika symptoms. The virus typically has an incubation period of 2-14 days, and some patients Aly advises that, if possible, women and their partners should avoid travel to areas where Zika never display any symptoms and can carry the virus without knowing it. is prevalent. A full list of these sites is available at Sarfraz Aly, M.D., internal medicine/ For men who have a confirmed or suspected case of Zika, the waiting period is six http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/active-countries.html. infectious diseases specialist months before engaging in unprotected sex. For women with a confirmed or susIf you believe you may have been exposed to the Zika virus, contact your primary care pected case, it is eight weeks. physician immediately, or call 281.274.7500 for a physician referral. For more inforOnce infected, the most common symptoms are low-grade fever, maculopapular rash mation on the Zika virus, visit http://www.cdc.gov/zika. For the latest news and infor(flat, red area covered with small bumps), joint pain and conjunctivitis (pink eye). mation on Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, visit our Facebook page, fb.com/ Most people brush it off as a common cold; very rarely do patients end up in the hospi- methodistsugarland. tal. Also very rarely, patients can be affected by Guillain-Barre syndrome – a syndrome 10

FINDING UNCOMMON SOLUTIONS FOR ONE OF THE MOST COMMON CANCERS. At Houston Methodist Sugar Land, we take an aggressive approach to fighting breast cancer. From accelerating high-potential research to creating unique treatments based on a tumor’s genetics, we offer more innovative options to fight breast cancer at every stage.

Our breast cancer specialists are here to help with • Mammography, using the most advanced imaging technology • Specialized programs for high-risk patients and aggressive forms of breast cancer • Surgery and the latest options for breast reconstruction • Support services including patient navigators and spiritual care • Clinical trials and innovative research focused on prevention and survivorship To schedule your mammogram, call 281.242.PINK(7465).

Visit houstonmethodist.org/fightbreastcancer to learn more about our breast cancer services, or call our breast care navigator at 281.276.8989.

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Sugar Land, TX 77479