Wellbeing

Flourishing After 55

From Arlington Office of Senior Adult Programs for Aug. 4-14.

The Barrington Community in Fairfax Station, in partnership with the Glitter Matters Foundation, hosted a unity walk and swimathon on July 4 to support Ellie Schleyer. Ellie is a 12-year-old girl from the community that is suffering from an undiagnosed degenerative brain disorder.

Affordable Housing Lack Can Lead to Hunger

ODB director beseeches Fairfax City Council to take action.

During the June 24 swearing-in ceremony of the Fairfax City Council members and mayor, Councilman Jeff Greenfield decried the fact that so many children in the City are hungry. He then promised to create a task force to attack the problem.

Week in Great Falls

Weekly happenings in Great Falls

Rain Can’t Keep These Penguins from the Water

Burke Centre Penguins Swim Team compete after storm.

Storms almost canceled the Burke Centre Penguins’ developmental meet that was scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9. Jim Eckloff, president of the Burke Centre Swim Club, hoped that the Penguins would be able to swim tonight since there may not be another time to make up the scheduled event.

Commentary: Inova Alexandria Hospital Honored in National Surveys

Hot off the presses, the latest “Best Hospital” survey by U.S. News and World Report magazine hit newsstands this month, and I’m proud to announce that Inova Alexandria Hospital is again ranked among the nation’s best for providing highly skilled inpatient care. U.S. News ranked us #6 among hospitals in the Washington metro area, #8 in Virginia and a high-performer in six areas of clinical care (health.usnews.com/best-hospitals).

30 Years Later, Springfield Family Still Thankful to Children’s National

After being a patient at Children’s National as a child, Justin Golart giving back through 5K.

After raising $712,000 last year, Children’s National Health System has set a goal of raising $1 million through the 2nd annual Race for Every Child in September. Ashley Husich, the race manager for the event, said that last year, the inaugural year for the race, surpassed expectations with 3,946 participants, and this year they are hoping to have 5,000.

Dental Associates to Support Give Kids The World

Dental Associates of Northern Virginia, with six locations in Northern Virginia, has partnered with Give Kids The World, and named their joint initiative “Smiles for Hope.” Dental Associates of Northern Virginia will be fundraising for Give Kids The World throughout the year in support of its “Smiles for Hope” initiative.

Between Halves

At present, July 12th, I’m halfway, approximately, between my last CT Scan which showed a previously unseen silver-dollar sized growth in my lower left lung and my next CT Scan scheduled for August 6th, one month earlier than my usual three-month interval in order to make an evaluation sooner rather than later; to determine if this is new growth or nothing more than old growth that is now visible due to the combination of shrinking tumors and dissipating fluid opening up the viewing area, so to speak. Apparently, the chemotherapy drug, Alimta, with which I’ve been infused every three weeks since last September appears to be doing its hoped-for job: shrinkage.

Inova Fairfax Hospital: #1 in D.C. Metro Area

For the third year in a row, Inova Fairfax Medical Campus has been ranked as the #1 Hospital in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area by U.S. News & World Report. Inova Fairfax also jumped in rankings to #2 in the state, and earned national recognition as #33 in the country in Gynecology and #42 in Neonatology. The annual U.S. News Best Hospitals rankings, now in their 25th year, recognize hospitals that excel in treating the most challenging patients. “Three years in a row as #1 is an outstanding accomplishment and we are proud of our hospital’s dedicated physicians and staff who provide the best of care to our patients every day. I’d like to congratulate our staff, particularly within Inova Women’s and Children’s for their impressive and well-deserved national rankings,” said Patrick Christiansen, PhD, chief executive officer, Inova Fairfax Medical Campus.

Free Dental Care

65 Alexandria-area residents received free service on Free Dentistry Day.

Kids Sending Smiles Raise Funds for Local Charity

They’re at it again. Who’s at what? Those girls from Kids Sending Smiles (KSS) – that’s “who.” The “what” is yet another charitable mission completed by this band of energetic and socially conscious Springfield/Lorton area elementary students, who several years ago formed their own 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the goal of “bringing happiness to ourselves and others by helping those in need in the United States and around the world.”

Our Daily Bread Launches School Supply Drive

Fairfax-based nonprofit Our Daily Bread (ODB) is seeking volunteers from the community to donate funds, backpacks and calculators to assist needy children who attend schools in the Fairfax County area as part of its Collect for Kids Back to School Program. For the fourth year, ODB is collaborating with Kids R First, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), the Fairfax County O

Not That I’ll Ever Be Out, But…

“Just when I thought I was out…they pull me back in.” Although this quote is from Michael Corleone from “The Godfather: Part III,” it very much characterizes my daily struggle being a terminal cancer patient; non small cell lung cancer, NSCLC, is like that, almost always. Even though I don’t want to think about the fact that I have cancer, or not let it affect my judgment on life – or perspective; or let it impede my path to a happier existence, more often than not, it does.

The Connection