Sharon and Saul Soltero, of Columbus, have always believed in serving others by giving back, raising their two daughters, Amanda and Savannah, with a firm understanding of how important it is to do what you can to help others. But their reason for getting involved with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, Nebraska/Western Iowa Chapter (CCF), one of the 22 Community Health Charities of Nebraska (CHC-NE) member charities, was very much a personal one when Amanda became engaged to Jake Diekman. Jake is one of the 700,000 people in the United States affected by ulcerative colitis, and he is the first person to play major league baseball without a colon.
UNK Student Raises Awareness for Type 1 Diabetes
Kameran Ulferts graduated from Fullerton High School in 2014 and is currently a senior at the University of Nebraska- Kearney pursuing a K-12 art education degree. “Since the beginning of my collegiate experience at UNK, I have deeply immersed myself into the culture and the community atmosphere of the University and the city of Kearney,” she said. On campus, she is a member of Gamma Phi Beta and the National Art Education Association student chapter. She is also co-founder and vice president of the College Diabetes Network. She works at the Crossroads Center Rescue Mission, the homeless shelter in Kearney as a guest advocate; as a teaching artist at Corky Creations; and teaches home-schooled art lessons once a week. Apart from the Kearney community, Kameran has also worked as a camp counselor in the summer for Camp Floyd Rogers in Gretna, Neb., a camp for diabetic children, for three years. She does all of this while checking her blood sugar and managing her type one diabetes, as well as advocating for a cure with JDRF International – Heartland Chapter, one of the 22 Community Health Charities of Nebraska member charities.
Veterans with ALS Supported by ALS Association
Did you know that military veterans are more likely to be diagnosed with ALS? Because of dollars given to the ALS Association Mid-America Chapter through Community Health Charities of Nebraska, veterans who have been diagnosed with ALS and their families have access to the support they need. Here’s how.
Veteran Receives Support from Alzheimer's Association Nebraska Chapter
This November, we recognize heroes like William “Bill” Myers in honor of both Veteran's Day and National Family Caregiver Month. Bill enlisted in the U.S. Navy in June 1966, right after graduating from high school. He served on the Battleship USS New Jersey, the most decorated warship in US Naval history, from early 1968 to his separation in December 1969. “We spent 8 months off the coast of Vietnam during this period,” he said.
Nebraska Hospice & Palliative Care Association Supports Veterans
One out of four dying Americans is a veteran. Because of dollars given to Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care Association (NHPCA) through Community Heath Charities of Nebraska, these veterans and their families have the best care possible when facing end-of-life issues. Learn more about these vital end-of-life services.
LLS Supports Local Families Affected by Blood Cancers
Did you know that every three minutes, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with a blood cancer? September is blood cancer awareness month, during which the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society – Nebraska Chapter (LLS), one of Community Health Charities of Nebraska’s (CHC-NE) 22 member charities, raises awareness of the disease for the people that are affected by blood cancer, people like 3-year-old Gavin Norton and his family.
“On the night of Feb. 16, 2015, our 7-month-old son Gavin was not eating, and he became so lethargic he went limp. He turned as pale as a ghost,” Gavin’s mom, Tiffany Norton, said. “We ran him to the ER at Children's Hospital. Within three hours he was admitted up to the floor, where a doctor came in and told us that they believe he has leukemia.”
The doctor found that Gavin had multiple abnormalities on his lab work. His hemoglobin was around 2, when it should be 12. They started a blood transfusion, and over the next two days, Gavin would get four. Gavin also had surgery to place a central line where he could receive medicines, like chemotherapy, and get blood drawn. During the same surgery, the oncologist did a bone marrow biopsy that proved he had a type of leukemia known as AML, or acute myeloid leukemia.
“I was terribly shocked when Tiffany called and told me they had been at Children’s and that Gavin had been diagnosed with leukemia,” said Diana McDonald, Gavin’s grandma, of Grand Island.
Two days later, he started his first of six rounds of chemotherapy, Tiffany said. “Each round would last about a week and every month he would start a new round. His immune system would decrease to nothing each time and the fear of infection put us in a reclusive state. We adjusted to a new home in the hospital and became very close with all the wonderful doctors and nurses who took care of Gavin.”
Diana was able to cut back on her work schedule and drive from Grand Island to Omaha every Thursday to help relieve Tiffany and Nick, who stayed at the hospital with Gavin during the week. “They didn’t want to leave Gavin alone and because of his treatment, he couldn’t leave the hospital because of his immune system. So I could help with Gavin for the kids’ sake to give them some normalcy,” Diana said.
The next 10 months were the hardest our family has ever been through, Tiffany said. “We spent close to 200 days and nights in the hospital over those 10 months. But we were strong and did not back down. Our son is the strongest person I know and fought every day for life. Every year we celebrate the strength and courage he has shown.”
Although the survival rate for AML is only 50%, Gavin was one of the blessed ones that made it through the treatment. “With a survival rate of only 50%, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society invests so much money in the way to find a cure so that one day the survival rate will be 100%, so that all kids with AML will make it through and grow up,” Tiffany said.
The family is involved in the LLS Light the Night Walk, which this year will be held on Oct. 21, 2017, at Stinson Park at Aksarben Village in Omaha. “Once it hits your home, you are more willing to donate and see the good the research does,” Diana said. “You don’t realize how important those dollars and organizations are until you have that knowledge and realize how much they do help.”
Community Health Charities of Nebraska Celebrates 2016-2017 Annual Meeting
Community Health Charities of Nebraska celebrated its annual meeting on Aug. 24, 2017, at Champions Run, sponsored by Children’s Hospital and Medical Center. Erik and Heather Younger, Ambassadors for both the March of Dimes, Nebraska & Western Iowa Market and the Nebraska Community Blood Bank, shared their family’s story as the keynote speaker. CHC-NE also announced campaign results for the 2016-2017 year, raising $1,896,822.
Medical Research Update: CRISPR
CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat) has the potential to end life-threatening diseases like cystic fibrosis, breast and ovarian cancer and inherited Alzheimer’s Disease. But there’s a catch: This same technology could be used to create "designer babies," which is why gene editing is the subject of ethical conversations as well as scientific ones.
Stories of Caring: Cory's Story
Cory Frish’s eyes light up when he talks about Nebraska football. His home is decorated with Huskers décor, with a Huskers windmill out front, and he proudly wears a Huskers sweatshirt. He says that he is an easy person to buy gifts for because he enjoys most things that demonstrate this Huskers spirit. His loyalty to the Nebraska team means more to him than football. It’s about what it means to feel a part of the community rather than out there all alone.
Q&A: Brain Injury Alliance of Nebraska's Concussion Discussions
According to a 2015 Harris poll, 90 percent of Americans cannot correctly define a concussion, and most did not know the symptoms of a concussion. “Statistics like that are putting our children at risk as they return to the field and the classroom,” said Dr. Kody Moffatt, pediatrician and sports medicine specialist, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, Omaha.
To help educate people about concussion symptoms, the long-term effects of concussions and the resources available through Brain Injury Alliance of Nebraska, the organization started hosting “Concussion Discussions” across the state. We sat down with Cathy A. Wyatt, Community Outreach Director at Brain Injury Alliance of Nebraska, to learn more about these concussion discussions and how donor dollars to CHC-NE are used by Brain Injury Alliance of Nebraska.
How To: Keep Kids with T1D Safe at School
The first day of a new school year is always an exciting time – returning friends, new teachers and back-to-school shopping! But along with the excitement, feelings of stress and apprehension also creep in. This is especially true for parents and caregivers of children living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) as they prepare for another school year.
Autism Action Partnership's Circle of Friends Program Promotes Inclusiveness
Autism Action Partnership (AAP) hosts its “Circle of Friends” project in 25 schools across Nebraska. This program pairs students with autism with neurotypical children and, together, they plan activities and events to promote inclusiveness in their schools. Here’s a note from the Circle of Friends counselor in Norris.
Medical Research Update: Truvada
By now, you may have heard of Truvada, or PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis.) In the iPrEx Study, which was the first randomized controlled trial of Truvada, Truvada for PrEP helped reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection by 44%.
How To: A Guide to Dealing with the Loss of Your Spouse
Your spouse is your lover, best friend, confidant, and shoulder to lean on, and now that they have passed away, you are left wondering which way to turn next. While there isn’t a set of rules to get you through this time, there are several tips to make the journey a little easier as you navigate this new world.
Donor Dollars Help Send Children to Summer Camp
This summer, children will be attending summer camps put on by five of Community Health Charities of Nebraska’s charities. These camps give them the traditional summer camp experience while also allowing them to meet and spend time with other kids who share the same medical needs and experiences they do.
Medical Research Update: ALS Treatment Approved
Three Member Charities Receive Grants from Curt Gordon Memorial CHC-NE Foundation
Community Health Charities of Nebraska (CHC-NE) is proud to announce that three of its 22 member charities received the inaugural grants from the Curt Gordon Memorial CHC-NE Foundation. These funds were awarded above and beyond the quarterly distributions that these charities are receiving from CHC-NE, which are provided by donors through the annual statewide campaign.
Medical Research Update: NIH Funding
One of the priorities of the new Administration in Washington, D.C., has been cutting budgets, including the largest funder of health disease research in the world, the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Trump Administration proposed cutting the NIH budget by about $1 billion in 2017. Instead, Congress passed (and the President signed May 5) a $2 billion increase in NIH funding for 2017. But the new “skinny budget” proposal for 2018 would make the earlier proposed cut even more drastic, reducing the current NIH budget by $5.8 billion.
CHC-NE Announces West Central Campaign Chair
Community Health Charities of Nebraska (CHC-NE) has announced the 2017-2018 Partnership Campaign for Health Chair for the West Central Nebraska region. Roxann Holliday, Hastings College, will lead efforts to achieve this year’s regional goal of raising $165,000 for 22 health charities through the donor-focused nonprofit organization, said Kari Hooker-Leep, CHC-NE Regional Director.
Support Groups Helping People with Chronic Illness Statewide
For many, the diagnosis of a chronic illness can be isolating, even with support from family and friends. Some people still feel that no one can relate to what they are going through unless they have experienced the same diagnosis. In their desperation, there is somewhere they can turn to for this kind of support. The funds for this support comes from donor contributions given to Community Health Charities of Nebraska during annual workplace campaigns. Our member charities can connect people with support groups where they can learn more about their diagnosis and talk to others who are experiencing similar problems.