Sleep Problems Linked to Mental Health

This article is very interesting because it explores the idea that sleep is extremely important and sleep problems are linked to a number of different mental health disorders. This article talks about how for the first time sleep problems are being linked to schizophrenia. There was a sleep study done with 20 people with schizophrenia and 21 healthy people. Every person with schizophrenia experiences sleep disturbances and social isolation. It is very interesting that people with such disorders have a more difficult time sleeping but it also does make sense.

http://www.naturalnews.com/034699_mental_health_sleep_problems_schizophrenia.html

Living a Better Life

Loren Booda is a man who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at the age of 19 years old. Although he has this disease he does not let it get in his way of doing what he wants. He attended an Ivy League school and has volunteered at many different places instead of getting a full time job. Loren believes it is better to volunteer and help others than spend his life working in an office. He also believes if it weren't for his schizophrenia he wouldn't have the opportunities he does now. He has met many new people and has been a part of many new jobs he never would have been able to be a part of if he didn't have this disease. Loren is happy and living his life the way he wants to and isn't letting his schizophrenia get in the way.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/schizophrenia/1229/virginia-man-wont-let-his-mental-illness-define-him.aspx

Another Flesh-Eating Bacteria Victim

 

Lana Kuykendall is another recent victim of this flesh-eating bacteria. She just gave birth to twins and is now trying to recover from this awful bacteria. Luckily this bacteria hasn't gotten to her organs but she is still being hospitalized. It is crazy to me how all of a sudden all of these people are getting this horrible flesh-eating bacteria. I think this is something that needs to be addressed. These poor people have to suffer from something they didn't even know they had. I think doctors need to find a cure for this before it spreads even more.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/20/health/south-carolina-flesh-eating-bacteria/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

New Treatment

Cash Burnaman is a six year old boy who has  a rare genetic disorder which left him developmentally disabled. Nothing has been able to help him with his issues. He has visited many doctors with his parents and no one has been able to help. They finally decided to do something drastic and go to India for some therapy. This therapy has seemed to help Cash. He is now able to walk with the help of orthotics. Some people think this is just false hope but the family is staying positive and are hoping this therapy will be long term. 

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/19/health/embryonic-stem-cell-therapy/index.html?hpt=hp_c3

New Outlook on Life

Matt Nader and Beth Flowers are two people who had to drastically change their lives due to a sudden heart disease. Matt was playing football when he collapsed and woke up in a hospital with a mini internal defibrillator in his chest. He was told he was never allowed to play football again which was heart breaking to him for a few days. After a few days he realized this was nothing and he had to continue living his life and maybe start coaching or do sports broadcasting. Matt realized it wasn't worth dwelling on his heart problems. Beth exercised every day and one day she realized she was out of breath and it turned out her she had a heart problem. She worked 70 hours a week and the stress brought this on. Although she loved her job she knew she had to quit and is now working with her husband and loving it.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/12/01/changes.heart.lifestyle/index.html

There is Hope

According to this article, there is hope for children with Congenital Heart Disease.  Prior to this study kids would have to live with their damaged hearts and undergo many surgeries.  This study shows that it is possible to use stem cells to repair the heart and have these children live a happy and mostly healthy life.  Since heart disease is different in children than in adults the stem cells will not be able to help adults with heart problems.  This study is extremely important for the outcome of these  children's lives. 



http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/215078.php

Pregnancy and OCD

This article brings to light something I never even thought about. Studies have shown that woman's OCD can either worsen or be brought on due to their pregnancy. It's crazy that woman who have never experienced OCD suddenly get it either during or after their pregnancy. This really intrigued me and is something I have never thought about before.  

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,594408,00.html

Living with OCD

This article really opens up my eyes to what life is like living with OCD.  It is a serious disorder which isn't just about having to do things in a certain order, but also causes horrific thoughts and may cause despression.  Kids can show signs of OCD as young as 3 and need to be treated right away.  Therapy is the most effective way to help with OCD.  This is a much more serious disorder than I had orgininally thought and this article shows that there is more to this than just being obsessive.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/11/health/ocd-kids-website/index.html?iref=allsearch

Giving Children a Voice

There are a number of resources out there to help children who cannot communicate get their point across, but nothing has worked as well as the apps created to use on the iPad. Children with autism and other disorders who cannot speak get frustrated and just cry to try to communicate what they want. Now with these new apps they can actually have a voice which is a relief to both the children and their parents. These apps for the iPad are so important because these kids know exactly what they want but just don't know how to formulate the words. These kids now have a voice they have been longing for for so long and it is truly amazing.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/14/tech/gaming-gadgets/ipad-autism/index.html?hpt=he_c2

Support System

24 year old Aimee Copeland suffered a freak accident on May 1 which has led her to be fighting for her life. Aimee fell off a zip line and slashed her left calf open. A few days later she was still in pain which is when she was rushed to the hospital and doctors discovered she has a flesh eating bacteria inside of her wound. She is fighting for her life in a hospital room but she has a huge support system right next to her. Her family and friends are very optimistic about the outcome. Although Aimee has lost her leg, part of her abdomen and will possibly loose her fingers everyone around her has remained positive. This positivity is wearing off on her as well, seeing as she smiled and laughed for the first time the other day. I think it is incredibly important to be surrounded by people like this in your time of need because without them things may be different. Having positive energy surrounding you causes you to fight harder and hopefully make it through this rough time.


http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/15/health/georgia-flesh-eating-bacteria/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

Rough Journey

Kari is the mother of a boy with multiple diagnoses. When her son was born everything was fine, until one day when he was 2 years old and everything changed. Something switched and he became a boy she didn't recognize. This started the long journey of doctor appointments, medications, and diagnoses. No one really knew what was wrong. Later on they found out her son had ADHD and years after that a learning disorder. The road was rough for this family and not everything when according to plan but they survived. They live each day to the fullest and even though some days are better than others they try to keep a positive attitude.
http://www.adhd-bipolar-and-beyond.com/my-story.html

The Truth about ADHD

This article was written by a 12 year old girl Dana, who has Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. She knows she is gifted but she also knows she has a disorder which makes school work harder for her. She gets frustrated at times when she can't express what she is thinking and when that happens she breaks down. I think this article is important because it shows an optimistic outlook on this disorder but is also truthful. Dana explains that she knows what she is good at but also knows what she isn't great at. She knows her weaknesses and is willing to do what she can to improve them.
http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/1045-2.html

Living Life to the Fullest

This is a story written by a girl named Ashley who has Cerebral Palsy. She started writing this in 7th grade and then again when she was 17 and a last time when she was 21. Although she is disabled, she doesn't like to see herself that way. She likes to do as many normal activities as possible. She is involved in her school, her church, went to her high school prom, and got a job. Although her fellow class mates and even teachers made fun of her along the way she didn't let them get her down. She chose to live her life the way she wanted to and not let her disability get in the way. Once she set her mind to something she got it done. She has proven you can live a great life even under undesirable circumstances.

http://www.lehman.cuny.edu/faculty/jfleitas/bandaides/ashley.html

Positive Outlook

Cerebral Palsy is an illness that affects a number of different people around the world and can be mild or sever.  This article is story by a boy named Keith.  He has mild CP but still gets made fun of every day.  He doesn't let these bullies get to him, he fights by in any way he can.  He doesn't let his disability get in the way of his life.  He does everything he wants to and lives life to the fullest.  He had many friends and tries not to let the things others say get to him.  Keith's story is inspiring and should show others they can't give up on anything and can accomplish anything they want to in their life.

http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/brain_nervous/keith_story.html

Football Dreams Become Reality

Eric LeGrand was a football player all his life until one day in 2010 when he became paralyzed during the opening kickoff of a game. He broke 2 vertebrae and other spinal cord injuries. After his injury he didn't give up on his dream of football. He still went out and supported Rutgers’s football team and did whatever he could to help. Eric never dwelled on his situation which is extremely important. If he had let this injury take control of his life he never would be where he is now. This week he got a call and was signed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is overjoyed by this opportunity to play professional football. This kid has been through so much in his life and truly deserves to make his dream a reality.

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/05/02/tampa-bay-buccaneers-sign-paralyzed-rutgers-dt-legrand/

Anyone Can Run

Claire Lomas is a mother who got into a freak accident in 2007, becoming paralyzed from the chest down. Yesterday she finished the London Marathon, 16 days after it had begun. This woman is a fighter. She set her mind to something and she accomplished it as thousands of fans cheered her on. Although the road was rough, she did everything she could to accomplish her goal. What Claire did is incredible and something I don't think many people have the will power to do. She put so much work and effort into finishing this race and she did it. I think her story will inspire others who have become paralyzed to follow their dreams.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/paralyzed-woman-finishes-london-marathon/story?id=16304503

Something Different

This is an article that isn't about someone overcoming something in their life but it is an article I feel is extremely important for people to read.  This article tells the story of a father of a ten year old autistic boy, who decided to put a wire on his son for one school day because he had a gut feeling something wrong was going on.  What he found out is astonishing.  This father found out this special education teacher was calling the kids names, screaming at them, talking about inappropriate topics, and talking about  the kid's parents in front of them.  There is a link in the article which shares the YouTube video the father put together of what he found.  I personally couldn't watch this video because it makes me sick.  It is unbelievable to me that a professional, who chose to go into this line of work would do this to these children.  Clearly there is something wrong here and this father was brave enough to investigate.  This story is sickening to me and I feel needs to be shared.  These kids already have enough going on in their lives, they don't need their own teacher, someone they should be able to trust, bringing them down like that.  Some don't have the ability to speak up for themselves which is the worst part about all of this.  These kids deserve to be treated with respect and their teacher should be the one guiding them through life, and teaching them so they can grow up to be an amazing person.  Those kids deserve the best and deserve to be treated with respect, not talked down to and screamed at.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2012/04/30/life-coaching-few-special-ed-teachers/

Adults with Autism

This is an important article which shows that autism is a lifelong disease, children don't just have it adults do too. These children grow up and once they are older their opportunities dwindle. This article shows that adults with autism can get a job and can grow. These people who work in this cafe have proven they can do this. They have had to overcome a lot in their lifetime but they never let it hold them back. They now hold a steady job, they are loved by both their employees and customers, and go to work with a positive attitude every day.  These people prove that you can do anything you set your mind to.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/01/us/iyw-autism-cafe-blends/index.html?iref=allsearch

Introduction

Many people have obstacles they have had to overcome in their lifetime. These people chose to take a path of happiness and healing rather than dwelling on their situation. Their hard work and positive attitude have carried them through their hard times. Overcoming the Impossible is dedicated to these people who have decided to take the high road, fight through the pain, have a positive outlook, and as a result come out a better person in the end.  These people are fighters and their stories need to be told.