A Nurse's Journey

The day of reckoning is in

Lillie — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:24:29 +0000

Sitting stone faced as is his now familiar look, the now felon, Dr. Conrad Murray, was sentenced to four years in jail for the death of Michael Jackson. The judge had leeway and could have sentenced Murray to house arrest. But he stated that Conrad showed no remorse and was still was a danger to the public.

Murray was also ordered to pay court costs and also to pay the family restitution. The amount will be set later, but since Murray was in financial trouble when he took the job of caring for Jackson, there will probably be no money coming to the family.

Will any of this bring Jackson back or ease the pain of his children or his many fans? NO

I do hope this will make the next greedy doctor think twice before making the same stupid mistakes and causing some other family the unending pain the Jackson family must now face. Especially Jackson’s kids.

Conrad will have four years to figure out what he will do with the rest of his life. His doctor’s license will soon be gone and for the rest of his life he will be known as the man who killed Michael Jackson.

Where can you go from there???

The saga continues

Lillie — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 05:13:02 +0000

The verdict in the trial in the death of Michael Jackson has been in a little more than a few weeks old and now there is new drama. For now Dr. Conrad Murray is on suicide watch!

I watched, with a large portion of the world, the trial of Conrad Murray, the personal physician of Michael Jackson. The prosecution built an unshakable case which lead to the only logical concussion, guilty! Murray breached the medical conduct of care and put into motion the runaway train that killed Jackson.

Along with listening to all the facts surrounding the death of Jackson, I watched the demeanor of Murray. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. Even as stoic as he was, I felt as he listened. it finally hit home just how badly he had messed up.

The really telling moment was after the verdict and once the judge refused him bail, it all came down on Murray. His life as he once knew it was over. Really over. He is now a convicted felon and will soon lose his prized doctor’s license. Everything he had worked so hard for, for so many years has been lost.

I am sure this past week he feels there is no way out. Sitting on the medical ward on a death watch, Conrad’s life is in shambles from which there is no return.

Facebook is not for dummies

Lillie — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 03:59:21 +0000

Growing up and becoming a nurse during an age when there were rules for appropriate behaviors, I often cringe when seeing how people refuse to act in a well thought out manner. This age of social networking has left people thinking any and everything is alright to post for the world to see.

Four student nurses, led by Doyle Brymes, at a Kansas community college, decided it would be a good thing to dress up in labs coats, gloves and masks, and show themselves hunched over a placenta and post it on Facebook for the world to view. Brymes supposedly asked her instructor if it was alright to post the picture. The instructor said “oh you girls“, but never gave a definite answer. Now this makes me sick. Someone has to be able to make decisions and step up to the plate. Why weren’t they told NO in no uncertain terms? The girls were expelled and now have to file a lawsuit to be reinstated to class.

Learning during the dark ages, I feel this the lack of professionalism is due to nurses and other professionals not having the guidance to be told what to do and what not to do. It’s too late to wait until nurses have graduated and have to abide by HIPPA rules. Patient’s privacy must be guarded at all cost.

Harsh as it might seem, I hope they are not reinstated! Go work in a nail salon or a bar where privacy is not expected. If you are reinstated, I hope you have really learned your lesson. Nursing is a a scared art and what you do is not to be put up and shown as entertainment!

The last of the mighty warriors

Lillie — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 10:20:09 +0000

During the football season we get comfortable in front of the television and watch men of mighty proportions lace up their cleats, strap on their shoulder pads, clamping their helmets tightly on their heads, and run out to the field of battle. We watch as they run and knock each other silly. We can almost smell the sweat and hear the bones crunch but we can never know what it takes to do this game after game. Pain and injuries have little effect on some of these mighty giants.

Over the years we have all watched one of the premier players of all time Brett Favre. Farve had played 297 straight games rain, shine, sleet, or snow. Over the years he has played with injuries that would have sidelined a lesser man.

This year has been painful for those who have watched him come back from injuries that many said had ended his career. But no, this 43 year old gladiator rose again to the challenge. Last Sunday no one expected or really wanted him to play. But he girded his loins and came out to the field as only Favre can. He gave it his best try until a concussion again put him on the sidelines.

Brett you have nothing more to prove. I hope you have been smart and your coffers are full so you don’t have to keep coming back to play football. You are loved by your fans and you are a wonder to have played this long in a young man’s game. Go home. Work in the front office but hang up your jock strap. You have earned a rest!!!!

Seniors you just gotta love em

Lillie — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 04:55:33 +0000

Seniors have survive life though sickness, poverty, depressions, recessions, wars, and a myriad of life’s troubles. This has left them will the strength and will to fight back. Someone should have told this to soon to be felon Kevin Funderburk.

This cowardly young man went to the door of a 71 year old female and cried out his problems of homelessness, being cold, and being hungry. She let him in and he repaid her kindness by trying to rape and rob her. Boy was that the wrong thing to do!

She brought out her no doubt caste iron skillet, and beat him like a dirty rug! When the police came to save her, they found Funderburk unconscious and lying in his own vomit. Taken to the hospital, he now sports a neck brace, had to have his scalp STAPLED, and has a number of charges facing him, including Attempted Rape, Aggravated Battery, Criminal Restraint, and Criminal Property Damage. His bail was set at $55,000.00 dollars. The brave woman, who was not named, was injured but God bless her spirit!

Hear this all would be attackers. We senior citizens will fight back. We have not lived this long to just give up and be beaten by some little punk. To Kevin Funderburk, I would LOVE to hear how you explain this to your cell, jail, and prison mates!

Kevin Funderburk

There were some sour notes

Lillie — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 21:28:11 +0000

My only brother is almost six years my junior so I thought of him as my living baby doll while growing up. By the time I left home we had not formed a grown up relationship. This was to come later. Whenever we have time to talk I love to hear about his years on the road as a musician playing the college circuit as the leader of the Mighty Majors. A band made up of music majors from North Carolina A&T college. Like most people my idea of the music business was one of a fun life style. Little did I know of the hard times my brother went through in the late sixties and seventies traveling the southern roads to go from gig to gig.

I never knew that my brother put his life on the line to pursue his love for music. You have to remember that this was the time when a group of young Black well dressed men in nice cars were a magnet from people who thought they had the right to abuse people of a different color.

Finding a place to eat was always a problem in small towns. My brother told me of a time when his band stopped to get food and whiled the others waited to be served he observed the cook spit in the food. George did not say anything until the food was bagged and brought up to the counter. He told the owner he was not taking the order. She became upset until she was told the reason why. She fired the cook on the spot. “Mister” she said “the only color I worry about is the green of your money!” Getting in their cars they were followed down the road by the cook and his redneck friends. The band brought out some 38 caliber protection to safely finish their trip. This was the sign of the time.

Young artists of today know nothing of what has got them to the place where they, with the right amount of money, can walk into the biggest and swankiest hotels and eateries. Dues was paid. Enjoy what you have but give thanks to those before you who paved the way.

Is there no answer for bullying?

Lillie — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 08:31:15 +0000

I no longer have young children nor do I have grand children, but my heart is breaking over the recent rash of deaths from kids being bullied. One of the most recent deaths was a eighteen year old young man minding his business, while leaving a party he was jumped by a pack of sick teens who stomped this slight built youth to death.

Bobby Tillman, an eighteen year old student on his way to college, was the only son of a single mother Monique Rivarde. Rivarde is focusing her grief into the crusade to stop teens from bulling each other so that her son’s death will not be in vain.

This was pack mentality of Quantex Mallory 18, Horace Coleman 19, Emmanuel Boykin 18, and Traces Franklin 19, who stomped this child so hard that a bone was broken and punctured his heart. I am not sure what they were thinking but they now have time to ponder their cowardly act as they sit in a Douglasville jail charged with murder. I am sure they did not think about the fact that they are all adults and may face capital murder charges which could mean death!

Rivarde has set up a foundation in her son’s name and now spends time speaking out against bullying. She does not need to carry this burden alone. Any adult that touches a young person should lend a hand by reaching out to our youth. No mother should lose her child to this type of senseless death. And no mother should have to visit her child in jail and possible on death row for this kind of crime

GET INVOLVED!

A society of intolerance

Lillie — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 22:29:04 +0000

Our society has become a bastion of intolerance and self righteousness. If you are not one of what these people feel is the norm you are free targets to be bullied and made to suffer. One of the latest to decide what should be acceptable and voice her opinion is Maura Kelly, a journalist of the Marie Clare Website and the magazine of the same name.

What brought out her tirade? A new television program, Mike and Molly, featuring an obese couple that commits the crime of showing affection on their show. They found their way together through Overeaters Anonymous. There is nothing wrong with them being loving and should be allowed. This OUTED ANOREXIC goes on to say that “she is disgusted by obese people just walking across the room.” Are we like Lepers to be put in camps away from the “normal” people?

As one of those people she would be disgusted by, it brought back slights from strangers as well as supposed friends. I still remember the sting from a remark of a “friend” who asked after I told her my pen pal was being shipped to Greenland, “if this was the place where they shipped men who liked big women!”

This woman went on to state how fat people could not be healthy. I beg to differ with her. As a young person, my blood pressure and strength was outstanding. I marched in the band work 8 to 16 hours with energy to still go out dancing. My only life lone health problem was anemia which has nothing to do with weight.

Being overweight for the most part can be from eating disorders and other having hormonal problems. Whatever the problem, does this women whose, livelihood comes from women’s pockets, in this country where the average woman is a 14/16, biting the hand that feeds her?

The back lash has been swift and strong. A too late apology was sent out but I hope that every woman who is overweight or has a friend, mother, sister, or daughter that is overweight, cancels their subscription. We need not spend our money at a place that devalues us because of our size.

Woman rise up and be heard. No respect means going somewhere else to spend our money. I would like to lastly ask this question. Exactly WHERE WERE HER EDITORS before this went out to the public?

An you thought Scrooge was bad

Lillie — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 03:57:24 +0000

Who ever said that no good deed goes unpunished was oh so right. When a group of Washington high school football officials decided to donate their pay checks to the Susan G. Koman foundation for breast cancer research and to use pink whistles at the next game, little did they know that they would be fined for not being in proper attire because they did not ask permission first.

Breast cancer, which is the second largest killer of women, means that few of us have not been touched by this disease. You would think that they would have been commended for this act o charity, but NO the Chairperson of the Washington Officials Association, Todd Stordahl, feels he must discipline them to give the right message to student players. I guess the wrong message would be you can’t do anything good unless you first get permission. If the two game suspensions go through the refs will not be able to officiate the season top games and that will also mean they will loose two additional paychecks.

How the heck can this man be so shortsighted that he could do this to people trying to do a good thing? If we are to beat breast cancer we need to keep research going. We are winning but we are not there yet.

Bulling has risen to a new high

Lillie — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 06:44:34 +0000

Bulling is defined as: “the act of mentally or physically harming another” has risen to and all time high with a new and deadly twist. All of us have run into the schoolyard bully who promised to break our faces but folded when we stood up for ourselves. But we now have new kinds of bullies roaming our society. These new bullies are out to cause maximum damage to their victim and their faces have changed.

Girls who once taunted other girls who looked at their boyfriend are now killing them. A young woman in Florida is now spending over twenty years in jail for killing an eighteen year old rival. Both girls had been going back and forth with threats. It finally spilled over into murder. The young man at the center of all this has gone on with his life.

The news recently brought to light the fact that a talented young Rutgers student, Tyler Clementi, was bullied by two students that outed his sexuality by filming him and another male student kissing. The young man was unable to stand the possible reaction of other students so he killed himself.

One of the worst case of bullying came to light when adults, who should know better, choose to taunt a seven year old girl who is dying from a hereditary disease. This child has already lost her mother to the disease. They rode by her house yelling out that she should die and even rode by with a coffin in their truck. The reason for this is that they weren’t invited to her party. How can any sane person think this is OK?

Why has bullying climbed to such a high place in our society? I think it has to do with what we have come to accept as acceptable behavior.

One role model for this is Simon Cowell of American Idol, who has made it an art form. Live and on television he berates young Idol hopefuls. He sits there with a sneer on his face as he dashes their hopes and for this he has made millions! Then there is the Survivors. This television program shows the art of bullying and back biting to reach your goals.

Then we have social networking which has made it easy for people to be anonymous and dish out cruel remarks that have led to the death of several young people. I signed onto Myspace hoping to talk to other medical people. While there a young woman asked, as a new diabetic, how to handle her sweet tooth. I tried to answer her as I would if I was in a hospital setting and as one who shared the same problem. Wrong thing to do. I was jumped on and accused of handling her with kid gloves. I was then accused of not being a real nurse. I know that if these people were in my presence they would not have had the gumption to tell me these things. But sitting in the comfort of their homes allowed them to act like anonymous cowards.

As much fun as social networking is it needs to be handled with some caution. Young people need to know that they should not let bullies get away with their cowardly acts. They should be reported to people who can help them.

We adults should reach out and give a smile or an encouraging word to a youth that might be being bullied. It is not only about sexuality! It could be about weight or lack of weight. Race, creed or any thing else that might make a young person different from the in crowd.

Get involved! Save our young people because they are our future.

Revenge a dish best served cold

Lillie — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 02:36:28 +0000

There us an old saying that is being dished out to the San Diego Chargers by running back LaDainian Tomlinson. After nine years of productive service as a records breaking player and a face of the Chargers as a fine young man, he was traded to the New York Jets.

Tomlinson was drafted in 2000 with the fifth overall pick. He had been selected five times to the Pro Bowl and six times as an All Pro. Around town his winning smile could be seen at many charitable activities. And he was never involved in any negative behavior. As an LT fan, I had looked foreword to seeing him become to the Chargers what Tony Gwynn is to the Padres.

Since being traded Tomlinson has played like a man possessed. He is showing the Chargers what they are missing BIG TIME! During the previous weeks he has scored touchdowns and got yards that could have helped if he had been with the Chargers. The way he is running now, he could have helped them get more wins instead of looking like the hapless players they have become. To make the trading of LT look even worse the Chargers are losing in the red zone which is LT’s specialty.

The Chargers brought in some new young legs but the game is not won on brute strength alone. It takes some sage experience to outfox the enemy. And oh yes to keep loud mouth Phil Rivers off his backside.

Rivers, who made some unsportsmanlike remarks when LT was traded, just might be wishing for him now. But then Rivers thinks he can win games all by himself.

I know that trading is part of the game but when you give away a future Hall of Famer and then go on to lose games where their talent was sorely needed, I don’t feel sorry for them. And as a fan, I am sick and tired of these foolish decision.

Burn baby burn

Lillie — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 04:03:52 +0000

Nero fiddled while Rome burned but a rural Tennessee fire department let a family’s home burn while they watched because a 75 dollar fee had not been paid.

Gene Cranick’s grandson was burning trash when the fire got out of hand. He dialed 911 and was told he was on THE LIST to not get service. The fire department responded but watched to make sure the fire did not spread to others properties. Lost in the fire was the entire home and all its contents but the worst was the lost of four dogs and three cats.

The fire chief and other city officials are feeling the heat, pun intended, with the nationwide news coverage and are crying “we are not monsters.” Well my question is why not?

Oh yes big mouth Glen Beck put in his two cents in and seemed to uphold their decision to let this family’s home burn. This is a man who makes 32 million dollars a year so if his home burns he can rebuild. Is this what our country is coming to? Each man for himself?

While the home burned, and the fire fighters watched, neighbors came out and offered to pay fee as did the owner who states he had forgotten to pay the fee. He had paid his other taxes for the year.

I am shaking in my boots because in small towns like this will Black people’s homes be allowed to burn down because they ”may not have paid their fees?” Public servants should not have the right to pick and choose who they service.

This type of inhumanity to others is taking this country down a path that can only make us a weaker country. We can’t destroy our neighbors without destroying ourselves. And that should never be forgotten

Heroes don’t all wear capes

Lillie — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 17:09:06 +0000

California is the land of sun, blue skies, and citizens with surf boards under their arms while juggling lattes. Now this admittedly laid back environment is the home of some not so ordinary citizens. In the last few days people going about their everyday activities have proven to be cape-less heroes.

An unemployed gentleman, Victor Perez, having seen an Amber Alert took notice of a car with the missing child in it. He chased down the car and ran it off the road rescuing the young girl. This man did not think of his own safety. He just did what was right. The fact that he is unemployed has not gone unnoticed by people who are now offering jobs to this fine man. Further south in San Diego another hero was unknowingly waiting to spring into action.

When you send your child off to school you expect them to come home with nothing mote than a skinned knee from falling down while playing at recess. The scene could have been oh so much different if I crazy gun toting jackalantern carrying man had his way. This maniac jumped out of his car and started shooting at a schoolyard full of children.

Carlos Partida, a nearby construction worker, dealt out some F150 justice by knocking him down with the behemoth machine and then with the help of his buddies held him for the cops.

This is written with a little tongue and cheek but I think we should thank people like these men who put aside their own personal safety and helped save those innocent children. Remember all heroes don’t wear capes.

Gay bashing must stop

Lillie — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:08:23 +0000

No matter what your thoughts are about people being gay, if you are really a human being, you must disagree with gay bashing. Recently there is a rise in teen suicide due to people bulling them. These teens who are trying to come to term with their sexuality are made to feel they have nowhere to turn for support. The recent death of a male student, Tyler Clementi at Rutgers, has brought this issue into the forefront.

Celebrities are now lending their voices to support teens to let them know that things do get better if you can just hang in there. Such openly gay celebs as Ellen DeGeneres and Neil Patrick Harris are speaking out.

What has caused the new rash of this hate crime is unknown. But a gang called the Latin King Goonies brutalized three men in a New York boro where gays have lived openly in an accepting neighborhood for years. Eight men have been arrested and await arraignment. This city is in shock over this type of behavior. This is a melting pot where many ethnic and cultural groups live side by side in peace. If there is ever a case where the hate crime laws should come into play this is it. Hate crimes are defined as: perpetrators who target victims because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, or political affiliation.

Well theses men were beaten, sodomized, and tortured for hours. This is a hate crime at its worst. These crimes are federal and the whole weight of the federal government should come down on them. Gay bashing must stop and stop now. No civilized society should allow this to continue!

American dream gone horribly wrong

Lillie — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 09:09:45 +0000

As a product of the 40’s and 50’s, the mantra was work hard and you could achieve the dream of a good job and a home of your own. Well I went to work and got education as a professional nurse. I spent over forty years at my craft. I married and my then husband bought a home. Well we had arrived. We could afford the things we needed and lots of those things we wanted. Even after getting a divorce, my kids and I lived in a rented three bed room home until we could again get our own home. Yes this single mom, from the woods of North Carolina, was able to buy herself a house that was one she had envied while in her first home with my ex. He would not step up and take a chance at a better abode.

Having bought this house at a later age, I am still paying for it in my retirement years. Making the mortgage is hard but we are holding on. Some people have not been so lucky and have lost their homes.

Banks are getting back homes because people can no longer make the payments due to lost jobs and a myriad of other reasons. The banks are not willing to help and Obama’s program which is supposed to help, has so many qualifying rules you probably won’t make it. Plus they make you jump through so many hoops you feel like the worst failure and give up trying to work with the lender.

So where does this leave people? Well a new phenomenon has come into the picture. People losing their homes are now taking out their frustration by destroying the homes they once loved. A San Diego Policeman and his wife have been accused of tearing up their foreclosed home. There are pictures of them in the act!

This is understandable but did they think of the consequences? Maybe not or they thought like so many others before them that nothing would be done. I don’t think any of the others were caught with their hands in the cookie jar like this couple was. Now besides losing their home there will probably be criminal charges and the husband will most likely lose his job.

I feel sorry and repulsed by their action. Having your dream go up in smoke is devastating. But acting like the criminal you are sworn to catch is just as appalling!

Ghost ridding the whip

Lillie — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:30:30 +0000

In my nurse’s journey I have reached some extreme highs and lows. The highs have come from watching a patient overcome a difficult health challenge which even the doctors gave little hope. The lows have come when a patient comes into the hospital with injuries that were self inflicted through stupidity. The latest trend of people performing dangerous stunts while friend’s videotape them is getting out of hand. It is being fueled by such things as Youtube and Most Shocking Videos on television. Even with a disclaimer, Criss Angel Mind Freak, adds to the mix.

When does common sense kick in or are some people born without one ounce of self preservation? College students are lighting themselves on fire by filling their mouths with alcohol and the lighting it! Some have forgot to spit out the flammable brews causing serious burns. Not looking into the future, this can cause major problems later in life due to scarred lungs.

Ghost ridding the whip put a grown woman in the hospital with serious head injuries yesterday. You would think at thirty one this woman would have known better. She got on top of a driverless car while her friends taped her. I have to state that the three had been drinking. And if this is how they acted in high school, it explains why they did not know about Newton rule of motion. When the car stopped, because it hit another car, the woman’s body continued to go forward into a head plant in the cement.

I am not sure if this is a California trend or not but life is so fragile why put yourself into this kind of peril. I would like to take some of these people for a tour into an intensive care unit and then to a rehab center so they can see what happens to people who do these foolish tricks.

We are winning

Lillie — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 06:18:43 +0000

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. This is the time of year when women are asked and encouraged to go get their mammograms. But better yet, they should get theirs while taking someone they love with them. All around the country there are activities to bring to the forefront the need to save lives.

Each year many women are diagnosed with breast cancer but through early detection lives are being saved. You should be getting mammograms after the age of 40. No need to wait until 50 as was once thought.

In the 2009, 192,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer is the second largest killer of women. Men can also get this disease. We should also take monthly self examinations to check for changes in the shape, size, or skin texture of our breasts. And also to check to see if there is a mass. Most masses are founded to be benign. You are the first line of defense against breast cancer.

Cities around the country are doing such innovative things to bring breast cancer awareness to the public like luncheons and 5k runs. Some companies like QVC, which has been a strong supporter, has special shoes on sell during the month of October.

As women we take care of everyone else so this is a no brainer. Take care of yourself so you can be there to take care of others. Get your mammogram and take a friend.

Another needless death

Lillie — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 21:59:29 +0000

When a parents sends their child away to college for the first time it is a scary thing. This week a parent’s worst nightmare was recognized when a freshman student, Tyler Clementi, was video taped having an intimate interlude with another male student. It was sent out for the world to see. The culprits who did this were Dhrum Ravi and Molly Wei. Tyler later committed suicide by jumping off the Washington Bridge. Rutgers, the school of the three students, is in turmoil. Other students are outraged and suffering from remorse because of this young man’s death and their failure to give support to this young talented violinist.

I would like to hear what excuses these invaders’ of this young man’s privacy can come up with. Being Gay is no one business except the two people evolved. So why hurt someone in such a mean spirited way?

I am sure that neither student realized that their invasion of this young man’s privacy could bring them a five year prison sentence which I hope will be carried out.

Its time that we send a message to others that this new form of bullying and hurting other through mass media has got to stop! I hope the parents sue Ravi and Wei for wrongful death. Will this bring back their son? NO! But it will send a strong message to others.

I feel so sorry that this young man did not have the strength to go on and I know that the parents will never get over the death of their child. They are all in my prayers.

Don’t tune this message out!

Lillie — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 18:15:34 +0000

The television has become a constant backdrop to our busy lives. Most of us have learned to only snap to attention when key words alert us to information we want to watch. This year like so many others, public service messages are encouraging us to get our flu shots. But this year there has been an added alert for the need to get a Pertussis or better known as a Whooping Cough shot.

Seasonal flu, or like last years H1N1 flu, can leave you sick and confined to bed or trying to tough it out while spreading it to others. The flu can leave you with fever, chills, coughing, a runny or stuffy nose, fatigue, aches and pains, and headaches.
The problem can become much worse if you have a chronic illness like diabetes, asthma. or a compromised immune system.

Getting a flu shot has become easier to come by this year. Many organizations are running flu clinics to get large numbers of people to come out and be protected. Neighborhood stores like Walgreen, CVS, and others, have set up centers where you can just walk in and get inoculated. Don’t tune out this message. Go get your flu shot!

The new illness breakout is Whooping Cough. This ancient illness is back and in full force. Don’t mistake this for the flu or a cold even though some of the symptoms are similar but last much longer. After the first few days when the symptoms seem like a cold or the flu, the person seems well except for a cough that can persist, often taking away the person breathe. They then have the sharp intake of breath which give the disease its name. Young children are targeted by this illness but it is often passed on by older family members who have out grown their immunity from injection given long ago.

The prevention for further outbreak of this disease is easy get your shot. Don’t tune out the alerts they just may save a life.

Thanks for the memories

Lillie — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 21:39:52 +0000

As this magical season comes to and end all the naysayers have to bite their collective tongues. No one but no one gave the San Diego Padres the chance of a snow ball in hell to make a showing in their building year.
Magic still happens. These dedicated young athletes came out swinging and fought their way to number one in their division. And there they set for a very long time.

How could this happen? They aren’t the power hitters of other teams but what they did have was solid playing of the game. Errors were few and far between. Highlight catches in the outfield left fans breathless. But what surprised the fans was the bullpen. Here were the pitchers that could carry a game if they could get just a few runs.

Latos, Richardson , Leblanc, and Garland worked the early innings. Then in the late innings, Frearia, a young, strong pitcher, would often hold them for the gab.

The gab is the fearsome trio of Gregerson, Adam, and Bell. If allowed most team would like to take their ball and go home rather than face these three. They have made the game fun to watch. I truly loved to see Heath Bell bring heat to the plate.

Looking back we can see where the team found strength when we received Miguel Tejada. He has added some hitting power to the roster and working in front of our true power house, Adrian Gonzales, things in deed picked up. When you talk about players who contribute to our team’s winning, there is five foot seven inch David Eckstein. Small in statue but a giant player we would be a lesser team without him. If there is a great play look for Eckstein to be in the middle of it.

Our catchers are both topnotch but Yorbie Torrealba is a real professional. Signing pitches or visiting the mound, he oozes confidence. He can also hit.

There are other players that have helped the team get where they are now. I just wanted to speak of the ones I love to watch. Thanks for this season of believing and the magic that made the game so much fun to watch.

With six more games to go I can’t wait for next year. This has in deed been a year of fun.