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Healthy Balance

Patient Stories (Page 14)

A cancer survivor. A heart attack victim. Pediatric patients. Be inspired by medical stories from ordinary people who’ve had extraordinary challenges. Hear about the health problems and transformations of our patients.

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Brugada Syndrome: A Dangerous Family Trait
Patient Stories 7/17/2014

This is the second story in a two-part series about genetic heart rhythm disorders. Yesterday, we told you about how genetic testing gave a family answers after a tragedy. Adrian Chance, 40, has always been the picture of health. He’s a former high school football star and works as a…

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Long QT Syndrome: Family Turns Tragedy Into Triumph
Patient Stories 7/16/2014

Kathy Cundiff loves the waves of the ocean, especially since she was raised on the coast of Virginia. Now that she is a mother of two in Culpeper, she is focused on waves of a different kind — the electrical waves of her heart. Doing so just may have saved her…

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Tennis Elbow: To Operate or Not, That is the Question
Patient Stories 7/2/2014

Angelo Dacus, MD, is upfront with his patient, Lisa Green. [caption id="attachment_8257" align="alignright" width="300"] Dr. Dacus works at the UVA Hand Center, as an expert orthopedic surgeon.[/caption] “Most of the time these can heal with therapy, a splint, rest. “ He nods at her elbow, which she holds, in pain.…

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Poetry Friday: Untitled, by Bonnie Carey
Patient Stories 6/13/2014

Every week we’re publishing the winning poems from April’s medical poetry contest. This week’s poem was a runner-up in Category II: How Sick Did You Get? Untitled By Bonnie Carey The worst ailment that on me befell Was an abdominal cyst that did swell Of alarming surprise Was its Guinness…

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Vim & Vigor: Bradley Cooper, Pediatric Epilepsy & Lowering Stress
Patient Stories 6/2/2014

In 2012’s “Silver Linings Playbook,” Bradley Cooper portrayed the role of a mental health patient diagnosed with bipolar disorder. [caption id="attachment_8389" align="alignright" width="204"] Jennifer Raymond's son died of H1N1 flu complications in 2009. Read Vim & Vigor to find out how she honors his memory.[/caption] Read about Cooper’s experiences and…

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Poetry Contest Winners!
Patient Stories 5/5/2014

For National Poetry Month, we held a poetry contest focusing on medical themes. We received numerous submissions, from hilarious haikus to heartfelt free verse. We all found it very difficult to choose our favorites! Daniel Becker, MD, editor of Hospital Drive, worked with our editorial staff to choose the winners.…

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Caring for a Teen with Cerebral Palsy: A Parent’s Story
Patient Stories 3/28/2014

Helena Frischtak, a third-year medical student working in different clinics and parts of the hospital as part of her training, contributed this post. In the hospital, people come and go. Rooms take on new patients, and doctors take on different rooms. When you start to know a patient better, he…

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