pattishocksblog

Breast Cancer Awareness: One woman's journey from diagnosis to recovery

2011-11-01T00:53:00.000-07:00

It is the final day of October and the final day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but doctors say the disease that affects about 1 in 8 women needs to be on people's minds year round.

With no cure for the disease doctors say the earlier breast cancer is detected the better.

"It's a bump in the road I guess is how I look at it," Patti Wik of Menomonie said.

A bump in the road is how 46-year-old Patti Wik refers to the breast cancer she's battled.

"It's always hard to hear that word, but I've never thought of myself as having cancer," she said.

Patti's family has a history of cancer. That's why she's been getting yearly mammograms since about age 30. A risk assessment put her chances of having breast cancer at 25%. Because of that, Patti's doctor at Mayo Clinic Health System wanted her to do more tests, beyond a mammogram.

"He suggested that I go with a molecular breast scan as the first initial one to see if that showed up anything," Wik explained.

Two abnormal areas were found in Patti's breast. Both were cancerous.

"Both of the abnormalities were small and they probably would not have been detected on mammogram or clinically for at least another year," Mayo Clinic Health System Eau Claire Radiologist Dr. Jodie Van Wyhe explained.

Radiologist Dr. Jodie Van Wyhe says early detection is important.

"There's no way to prevent breast cancer so the only way to limit the treatment and to increase the life expectancy for women who get breast cancer is to find it when it's smaller."

Van Wyhe says mammograms, molecular breast imaging and MRI's help women find abnormalities earlier than self exams often do.

"Some women think that if they do their self exam every month that they can skip their mammogram and we don't recommend that," Van Wyhe said.

Patti says she's had a positive outlook throughout her battle. Her final surgery is this December.

The mom of two is not letting this "bump in the road" stop her from living the life she loves.

"I always thought I might have to deal with it just because of the family history so it didn't shock me when they told me that it was positive. But I knew that it was very early diagnosis," she said.

Dr. Van Wyhe recommends women get a mammogram yearly and do self exams monthly.

Source http://www.weau.com/home/headlines/Breast_Cancer_Awareness_One_womans_journey_from_diagnosis_to_recovery_132966368.html

Baguette vending machine to feed cravings

2011-08-09T22:53:00.000-07:00

France is the home of the baguette, that savoury, crisp staple of a fabled gastronomy. But just try getting a fresh one in the evening, or on a holiday, or even in August, when many of the country's 33,000 bakeries are closed.

Jean-Louis Hecht thinks he has the answer.

The baker from north-east France has rolled out a 24-hour automated baguette dispenser, promising warm bread for hungry night owls, shift workers or anyone else who didn't have time to pick one up during their bakery's opening hours.

"This is the bakery of tomorrow," said Hecht, who foresees expansion in Paris, around Europe and even the US.

"If other bakers don't want to enter the niche, they're going to get decimated."

For now, though, that's a lot of talk.

He's only operating two machines - one in Paris, another in the town of Hombourg-Haut in north-eastern France - each next to his own bake shops.

The vending machines take partly pre-cooked loaves, bake them up and deliver them steaming within seconds to customers, all for 1 euro ($1.39).

Despite the expansion of fast-food chains, millions of French remain true to their beloved baguette: it's the biggest breakfast basic - most often with butter and jam - and the preferred accompaniment for lunch, dinner and cheese.

Yet customer convenience here often takes a back seat to lifestyle rhythms. Many stores in small towns and even lower-traffic areas of Paris close for lunchtime. In August, many businesses - including bakeries - shut down for part or all of the summer holiday month.

Late-night supermarkets are rare, even in Paris. And they're generally seen as a source of low-grade, desperation bread, not the artisanal product of a certified baker.

Hecht wants his automated baguette machine to fill the gaps.

His first try two years ago ran into repeated technical troubles. Now, with the help of a Portuguese engineer and improved technology, Hecht has developed a new-generation machine that started operating in Hombourg-Haut in January.

It sold 1600 baguettes in its debut month, and nearly 4500 in July. If that rate continued, the 50,000 machine would be paid for within a year, Hecht said.

Source http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/lifestyle/a/-/lifestyle/9998847/baguette-vending-machine-to-feed-cravings/

U.N.L.V. Eliminates Meetings and Events Program

2011-03-31T21:34:00.000-07:00

The meetings and events major at U.N.L.V. is being discontinued due to budget cuts in the state of Nevada.

"Even though the M&E major has almost 300 students and is the fastest-growing major in the whole university, it is collateral damage in the move to tighten up and focus on the core mission of the college—to teach hotel management," wrote Patti Shock, Harrah College of Hotel Administration professor and director of distance learning, in an email on Monday.

Some of the meetings courses will remain and be used as electives in the hotel degree, Shock explained.

Also going away are the gaming and culinary majors, along with the entertainment minor and the recreation and leisure degree.

Source http://www.bizbash.com/u_n_l_v_eliminates_meetings_and_events_program/lasvegas/story/20309

Bethel groups performing for educators

2011-03-01T21:48:00.000-08:00

The Newton/North Newton community will be well represented through Bethel College at the annual meeting of the Kansas Music Educators Association this weekend in Wichita.

The Bethel College Concert Choir earned a prime performance spot during one of KMEA's major events, the Friday evening concert.

In addition, an honors jazz band based at Bethel and including several Newton High School and McPherson High School students, the Bethel College Jazz Combo and the men’s a cappella vocal group Open Road will perform at various times Friday and Saturday.

Open Road will be the first Bethel group on stage, at 2:45 p.m. Friday in Century II Room 203. They will sing six numbers, including two that have become unofficial “Bethel anthems”: “Here by the Water,” written by Jim Croegaert and arranged by Bethel graduate and former Open Road member Aaron Linscheid, and an arrangement of “In Lonely Mountain Ways” from the Mennonite and Church of the Brethren hymnal.

Open Road members are Landon Bartel, Newton, Kellen Goertzen, Henderson, Neb., Kevin Leary, North Newton, Jordan Ortman, Freeman, S.D., Joshua Powell, Basehor, Nathan Snyder, Fruita, Colo., Caleb Stephens, Lawrence, Aaron Tschetter, Freeman, S.D., Andrew Voth, Topeka, and Cameron Voth, Goessel.

Next to perform is the Bethel College Jazz Combo, at 4 p.m. Friday in Hyatt Regency Ballrooms F-H. James Pisano, Bethel director of jazz studies and associate professor of music, directs Jazz Combo with a focus on compositions and arrangements by members and improvisation in performance.

Jazz Combo will play four numbers, all written by group members: one by Austin McCabe-Juhnke, North Newton, one by Joel Boettger, Hesston, and two by Benjamin Harder, Hesston.

In addition to McCabe-Juhnke on trumpet, Boettger on saxophone and Harder on trombone, Jazz Combo members are Paul Voran, Newton, saxophone; Bradley McKellip, Newton, guitar; Nathaniel Yoder, Kalona, Iowa, drums; Landon Bartel, Newton, bass; and Ben Stucky, Moon Township, Pa., piano.

The Bethel College Concert Choir sings at 8 p.m. Friday in the Century II Concert Hall.

Four of their seven numbers will feature Bethel College music faculty: Karen Bauman Schlabaugh, chairwoman of Bethel’s music department, on piano for “Gloria” by Randol Allen Bass; James Pisano on soprano saxophone for “Deep River”; Timothy Shade, director of music education and instructor of music at Bethel, on trombone for “John the Revelator”; and Howard Glanton, adjunct instructor of guitar, on guitar for “The Rune of Hospitality” by Alf Houkom.

The 50-voice choir, under the direction of William Eash, professor of music, is preparing for its annual spring break tour, which will take place this year in Washington, Oregon and northern California in mid-March.

Finally, the Mid-Kansas Jazz Ensemble performs at 9:20 a.m. Saturday in Hyatt Regency Ballrooms F-H. This is an auditioned honors group of 15 student musicians from area high schools that is based at Bethel College under the direction of James Pisano.

The group includes three Newton High School seniors — Lindsey Regier on alto saxophone, Tim Regier on trumpet and James Conner on drums — as well as three students from McPherson High School — Terry Vickroy on tenor saxophone, Isaac Hopkins on trumpet and Quinn Bowers on trombone.

All performances are free and open to the public, but audience members need to pick up tickets at the KMEA booth, located in the main lobby between the conference center and Century II.

Source http://www.thekansan.com/community/x1365672197/Bethel-groups-performing-for-educators