'This just is not me' — Long COVID upends daily life for Nebraska City woman
Published in Lincoln Journal Star 07/10/2022
She used to be spontaneous, outgoing and happy. She loved to bake her famous apple pies, jot down her thoughts in a blog and spend time with friends and family.
Now, nothing is the same.
Charity Reeves, a middle school teacher from Nebraska City, thought she would recover quickly after testing positive for COVID-19 in October.
She didn’t. In fact, she actually got worse.
Reeves, 47, suffers from post-COVID syndrome, also known as long COVID, which appears about four weeks after a positive COVID-19 test.
'Not just a disease of smokers' — Lung cancer ranks as deadliest in Southeast Nebraska
Published in Lincoln Journal Star 08/28/2022
More people in Southeast Nebraska die of lung cancer than any other type of cancer, and the reason for its high mortality rate may be simple.
While Nebraska has an average rate of screening for the disease, most cases of lung cancer are caught in later stages, according to Dr. Ryan Martin, a pulmonologist at Bryan Health.
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"If people follow the recommendations, they get a colonoscopy beginning at the age 45. They detect huge proportions of colon cancers early and people can get resection before they have metastasized," Martin said.
Southeast Nebraska medical experts see optimism in heart disease, cancer deaths rates
Published in Lincoln Journal Star 08/28/2022
Every year, cancer and heart disease account for just more than half of all deaths in the U.S., according to data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That's true in Southeast Nebraska as well, but there are a few differences locally.
In both categories, the average rate in Southeast Nebraska over the past 20 years is lower than the national rate in terms of deaths per 100,000 people. The difference is significant (19% lower locally) in the case of heart disease, which includes atherosclerosis — the build up of fats, cholesterol and other substances in the artery walls — as well as heart attacks, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation and flutter.
Controversial Lincoln Spider-Man sculpture destroyed
Published in Lincoln Journal Star 06/23/2022
Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, Carnage and Venom were no match for Spider-Man. What finally brought his demise? A fallen tree branch.
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The red and black Spider-Man-inspired sculpture that sparked controversy in 2019 when it was mistaken for devil horns lost its final battle after a tree fell on top of it during a storm last week.
The 6-by-6-foot fiberglass sculpture, which depicted Spider-Man's hands and web-shooters, was created by Ian Anthony Laing as part of Campus Life's serving hands public art campaign. It was later sold to Mark DeMars of California, but the sculpture stayed in Lincoln at his parents' house.
"He bought it and was really enjoying it and now it's been totally demolished by a random act of God," said Matt Schulte, executive director of Campus Life. "It just kind of creates a sinking feeling, but it also brings back good, positive memories of what the project was."
'We're living the American Dream': West Mill Flowers to offer 'you pick'
Published in Lincoln Journal Star 07/03/2022
The aroma of lilies, delphinium, snapdragons and lisianthus fills the shop as customers chatter and roosters crow outside Friday.
The flowers, sitting in buckets of water on the counter, had been plucked from the small field around the corner that morning.
Some of them will be bundled and sold throughout the day, while most will be loaded into an old school bus and taken to the Haymarket Farmers Market on Saturday.
Becca Monroe, the owner of West Mill Flowers, started growing and selling flowers in 2017 after the idea came to her while catching grasshoppers with her two children.
Lincoln dentist hopes to inspire future women to pursue profession
Published in Lincoln Journal Star 06/26/2022
There was never any question whether Dr. Susan Christensen would be a dentist — she was raised to be one.
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Counting numbers and the ABC’s weren't the only things she learned early on in life. Christensen's mother, who worked as a dental hygienist, taught her how to sew, cross stitch and write upside down and backwards — all fine motor skills that her mother said would help her become a great dentist.
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"I felt like I was kind of groomed for it," she said.
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Now with more than 40 years of experience, Christensen works to instill the same lifelong passion for dentistry in other women.
Lincoln families worry as nationwide baby formula shortage continues
Published in Lincoln Journal Star 05/14/2022
She just wants to feed her baby, but each day is proving to be more difficult than the last.
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The impacts of the nationwide baby formula shortage have hit Jordan Baade — and millions of mothers across the country — hard.
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Baade's 9-month-old daughter suffers from severe MSPI, which is an intolerance to proteins in milk and soy, and has an allergy to corn. So she can only have a hypoallergenic formula called NeoCate.
Now, Baade can't find it in Nebraska stores anywhere.
Paying it forward: Valparaiso family helps Lincoln man get much needed service dog
Published in Lincoln Journal Star 08/16/2022
Two Nebraskans — complete strangers, separated by decades in age and several miles geographically — had just one thing in common: they both needed service dogs.
Coincidentally, one was struggling to raise the final $3,000 for his dog, while the other exceeded her fundraising by $3,000.
The families of Luke Craig, 41, and Gracie Wolfe, 3, eventually found each other and they will soon have their desperately needed dogs.
Craig, of Lincoln, has been living with a traumatic brain injury for more than 25 years after a car crash on his way to football practice at Eustis Farnam High School when he was 16 years old.
One fatality reported as latest wildfires threaten Cambridge, nearby area
Published in Lincoln Journal Star 04/23/2022
Only hours after many residents of Cambridge returned to their homes Saturday, they were told to leave once again as fire crews from across the region, with assistance from the Nebraska National Guard, worked to contain a wildfire whipped by howling winds.
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Residents of Cambridge, Bartley, Indianola and Wilsonville, communities in Furnas and Red Willow counties, were first told to evacuate Friday evening after the fire spread north and eventually west over drought-stricken areas.
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The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, which is coordinating the state's response, reported one person had died and at least three firefighters had suffered injuries battling fires.
Gravel roads near Lincoln are a weekend hot spot for cyclists from around the world
Published in Lincoln Journal Star 08/20/2022
Nick Thorp cooled off after cycling for nine hours on Saturday with a champagne shower and a cold glass of beer.
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Consider it the spoils of victory.
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Thorp was one of thousands of cyclists who rolled into Lincoln this weekend from across the world — including people from 49 states, 17 countries and four continents — to compete in the 13th annual Gravel Worlds, a biking race that took participants off the beaten path and onto the back roads surrounding Lincoln.
Last splash: Hundreds of dogs get the final swim at Star City Shores Sunday
Published in Lincoln Journal Star 08/15/2022
Star City Shores wasn't filled with its normal sounds of children shrieking as they went down the slides or splashed around in the water.
Instead, Sunday night's swimmers had four legs, fur, tails and loud barks.
Pups from across the Lincoln area cooled down at the Lincoln pool for the 14th annual dog splash Sunday evening.
Dogs — small and large alike — played fetch in the lap lanes, showed off their favorite tricks in the shallow areas and shook off on the pool deck.
Thousands attend annual Walk for Life in Lincoln
Published in Lincoln Journal Star 01/29/2022
Thousands of Nebraskans against abortion gathered on the steps of the Capitol on Saturday for the 48th annual Walk for Life.
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The event, organized by Nebraska Right to Life, comes just weeks after state Sen. Julie Slama proposed an anti-abortion bill that would make all abortions illegal in Nebraska if physicians can detect a heartbeat. Sen. Megan Hunt has introduced two bills that would expand abortion access in response.
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Slama spoke at the event along with other Nebraska politicians including U.S. Reps. Jeff Fortenberry and Don Bacon, U.S. Sens Deb Fischer and Ben Sasse, Lt. Gov. Mike Foley and several other state senators. The speakers expressed hope that the U.S. Supreme Court will uphold a Mississippi law that would ban abortion after 15 weeks.
Lincoln nursing homes donate teddy bears in memory of resident
Published in Lincoln Journal Star 02/11/2022
Rosalie Tyer always had two things — a smile on her face and a teddy bear beside her.
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She had a love for life, a knack for giving — even if she had little to offer — and a special talent for spreading happiness.
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At age 90, Tyer tested positive for COVID-19 and later died, but her love and affection for others is living on.
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Grieving the loss of a beloved resident, two Lincoln senior living facilities — the Lexington Assisted Living Center and Sumner Place — teamed up to honor Tyer, who collected bears for over 20 years, and keep her love for stuffed animals alive.
Nebraska's first youth poet laureate says writing helps her reflect on experiences
Published in Lincoln Journal Star 03/06/2022
A University of Nebraska-Lincoln student is spreading her passion for poetry as Nebraska's first ever youth poet laureate.
Jingming "Mimi" Yu, 18, first discovered she loved to write poetry in elementary school. Since then, her passion for it has grown into more than just a hobby.
The Lincoln East graduate was chosen to be the first Nebraska youth poet laureate last spring based on her creative success, civic and community engagement, social justice initiatives and leadership.
Family asks Lincoln residents to help honor 4-year-old by spreading kindness
Published in Lincoln Journal Star 02/28/2022
Cruz Manley was a healthy 4-year-old boy who loved life, Jesus and spreading kindness.
In September 2021, Cruz suddenly became sick with what was originally thought to be the stomach flu. When his condition worsened, his parents took him to a hospital.
After running multiple tests, doctors discovered Cruz had a spontaneous brain bleed. He underwent two emergency surgeries, one right after the other.
13 teams participate in annual Polar Plunge
Published in Lincoln Journal Star 02/19/2022
Saturday morning's temperatures in the low 20s didn't stop dozens of brave souls from taking a dip in Holmes Lake.
Special Olympics Nebraska held its annual Polar Plunge to help raise money to support Nebraskans with intellectual disabilities who participate in its programs.
“The plunge is an important part of showing support for the things we do at Special Olympics Nebraska," said President and CEO Carolyn Chamberlin. "It’s just a great opportunity for people to do something unique in the middle of the winter when we’ve all been cooped up."