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Healthy Balance

Patient Stories (Page 15)

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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Protect Infants (And Yourself) From Whooping Cough
Patient Stories 7/27/2012

Whooping cough has been all over the news. So far this year, almost 18,000 cases of this contagious disease, also known as pertussis, have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CNN reports. Nine babies have died from the disease. Why are babies more at risk? Babies…

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Skipping Sunscreen? A Skin Cancer Patient’s Story
Patient Stories 6/12/2012

Did you know? One person dies of melanoma every hour, and it’s the most common form of cancer in adults 25-29 years old. Every spring, we begin seeing the magazine articles and public service announcements reminding us to wear sunscreen to prevent skin cancer. But if you’re a fair-skinned 20-something…

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One UVA Employee’s Kidney Transplant Story
Patient Stories 4/23/2012

Mike Miller was a healthy 23-year-old. He never got sick. But that all changed suddenly when what he thought was a routine illness put him on a decade-long journey that ended with a kidney transplant at UVA. Goodpasture’s Syndrome Miller thought he had a cold. But when he started coughing…

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Organ Donation: The Gift of Life
Patient Stories 4/12/2012

Eighteen people die each day because there aren’t enough organs available for those in need, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [caption id="attachment_3823" align="alignright" width="300"] Laurie Miller of Harrisonburg donated a kidney to a stranger in need.[/caption] Eighteen. And there are more than 100,000 people on…

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Save Your Knees: Pay Attention to the Pain
Patient Stories 3/27/2012

My knees hurt. This is nothing new. After dancing fairly rigorously for 14 years, they started hurting when I was in high school, and I had to quit. Now in my mid-thirties - working at a desk job, wearing heels, running and doing yoga several times a week - it…

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Common Bonds: Mended Little Hearts of Charlottesville Helps Families Affected by Congenital Heart Defects
Patient Stories 3/22/2012

Recreation therapist Laurie Sewell sits cross-legged on the floor of a UVA hospital conference room. She’s demonstrating infant massage techniques on a doll while 2-year-old Haley Poore watches her and plays with a colorful toddler toy. [caption id="attachment_3742" align="alignright" width="300"] Recreational therapist Laurie Sewell (right) and Mended Little Hearts volunteer…

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Antioxidants and Vegan Diets: The Role of a Cancer Center Dietitian
Patient Stories 1/16/2012

Each Monday this month, we’re looking at the UVA Cancer Center’s Integrative Medicine Program. How would you react if you found out the 4.5-centimeter lump on your breast was cancer?  What if you were just 31 years old, otherwise healthy and a busy student working towards a PhD? [caption id="attachment_2979"…

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