Disease

SMITHSBURG - When 26,000 people in Washington County gave blood samples for health research in 1974, project organizer Dr. George W. Comstock was the first donor. He also was first in 1989, when 33,000 more samples were gathered. The projects, known as CLUE I and CLUE II, helped track the causes of cancer, strokes and heart disease. The projects are going strong, still contributing to health studies. At 91, Comstock is active, too. He teaches periodically at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

katec@herald-mail.com Doug Warner's diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is a bitter irony, says Jan Warner of Hagerstown, who was married to him for more than two decades. Doug Warner is a retired psychologist. For 35 years he used his mind to help people live healthy and productive lives, Jan says. The diagnosis was not easy to get. Doug Warner knew parts of psychological tests by memory. He still correctly uses words such as antediluvian and megalomaniacal, Jan Warner says.

What is Alzheimer's disease? Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurological disorder marked by abnormal clumps and irregular knots of brain cells. These mangled cells overtake healthy brain tissue, gradually destroying the ability to reason, remember, imagine and learn, according to the Alzheimer's Association. "It is a very unnerving, scary, frustrating situation to be in," said Barbara Pilgram, executive director of the Alzheimer's Association of Western Maryland.

Ben Nelson of Hagerstown was at the city's public square Wednesday afternoon gathering fliers and brochures for information about Alzheimer's disease. He said his stepfather's mother has the disease. "This is the wrong way for her to go out," he said. "She was always serving other people. " The Alzheimer's Association set up a tent on the square at the intersection of South Potomac and East Washington streets to raise awareness about the disease. Nelson, 28, said he wanted to understand more about it. "More research on this disease can only be a good thing," he said.

gregs@herald-mail.com Gary Hawbaker says what happened to him on Dec. 29, 2002, was like an ice storm bringing down a power grid. Hawbaker, 55, is returning today as Hagerstown's fire chief after more than a year of battling an obscure nerve disease that almost completely paralyzed him. It can be fatal. "This is my love," Hawbaker said in an interview Tuesday. "There's two things that kept me going through this. One was my family. The other was getting back to the job I love.

The National Park Service is developing a plan to respond to the potential threat of chronic wasting disease to white-tailed deer, according to a park service press release. The purpose of the plan is to develop a range of strategies for the detection of and initial response to the disease in white-tailed deer at Antietam and Monocacy national battlefields. The disease has not been detected in Maryland but has been detected in West Virginia within a 60-mile radius of several national parks, according to the release.

Greencastle, Pa., man accepts disease as part of life After his bypass surgery in November 1999, Jay Hess did more than rehabilitate his heart. He started taking care of his blood. Hess, 73, of Greencastle, Pa., was diagnosed more than 20 years ago with diabetes, the disease that killed his mother. While in cardiac rehabilitation, he was introduced to a diabetes educator at Waynesboro Hospital in Waynesboro, Pa. Then he started taking better control of his diabetes.

Both the pain and the strength were palpable as people who have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis gathered Saturday morning with family and friends for the Walk to d'Feet ALS at Fairgrounds Park. Robin Stahley, 46, of Hagerstown, was diagnosed with ALS in 2002. Stahley said she has lost a lot to the neurological disease, including a 20-year career as a safety director in health care. Today, Stahley, who has a husband and a 15-year-old son, uses leg braces and a feeding tube. She is able to get around some with the aid of a cane, but also uses a wheelchair.

Allyson Semler is surrounded by angels - her parents, grandparents and doctors. Now, members of the Maugansville Ruritan can be added to the list. The Maugansville Ruritan Club is donating all of the proceeds from its Annual Community Auction to help pay for Allyson's mounting medical bills. The 11-month old daughter of Jamie Lynn Connor, 25, and Aaron Semler, 23, of Hagerstown, was diagnosed with Moyamoya disease, a rare, progressive disorder that causes obstruction of major blood vessels around the base of the brain.

HALFWAY - Complete strangers come up to Ronnie Hardy in the grocery store and ask him, "What's wrong with you?" or "Do you have the measles?" Once, a doctor - without looking up to see Hardy's face - went to shake Hardy's hand and when he looked up and saw the red spots on the Halfway man's face, the doctor pulled away, Hardy recalls. The red spots are not from measles, and Hardy is not contagious. Hardy says he answers people's questions about his appearance, but he doesn't like to, because he feels awkward.

It has taken 18 years of being misdiagnosed, but local resident and business-owner Marsha Knicley, 64, of Hagerstown, can finally say she has Lyme disease . Those who know Knicley they would describe her as a smart and savvy businesswoman with a big personality and a big heart. Knicley has owned Sagittarius Salon & Spa in Hagerstown for 40 years. Yet behind the hairspray and glamor is a woman fighting to survive a debilitating disease. Lyme disease was first discovered in Lyme , Conn., in 1975, and it was there it found its name.

It has taken 18 years of being misdiagnosed, but local resident and business-owner Marsha Knicley, 64, of Hagerstown, can finally say she has Lyme disease. Those who know Knicley they would describe her as a smart and savvy businesswoman with a big personality and a big heart. Knicley has owned Sagittarius Salon & Spa in Hagerstown for 40 years. Yet behind the hairspray and glamor is a woman fighting to survive a debilitating disease. Lyme disease was first discovered in Lyme, Conn., in 1975, and it was there it found its name.

Marcy Fleeharty had no idea her great aunt had multiple sclerosis until only days before Saturday's Walk MS Hagerstown at Antietam National Battlefield. Fleeharty, of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., said she already had decided to take part in Saturday's walk for her friend's mother, who was diagnosed with the chronic, often disabling disease. “Two days ago, talking to my mother, I found out my grandmother's sister had MS. I had no clue,” Fleeharty said. “The fact that the walks are designed to bring awareness works,” Fleeharty said as she and her friend, Lindsay Unger, finished the last several yards of the walk.

On Thursday, March 14, at the Cumberland Woodland Owners Association meeting, Sharon Coons and Nathan Fite, foresters with the Pennsylvania bureau of forestry, will talk about diseases and insect pests threatening Pennsylvania forests. Information for woodland owners on identification and methods for controlling forest insect pests such as Gypsy Moth, Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, Emerald Ash Borer, Tent Caterpillars, Scale Insects, and Weevils will be presented. The meeting will be at 7 p.m., at the Penn State Extension office, 181 Franklin Farm Lane in Chambersburg.

A free community seminar, "Reduce Stress for a Healthy Heart," will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, at the Wilson College Brooks Science Complex Auditorium, 1015 Philadelphia Avenue, Chambersburg. Dr. Arshad Safi, interventional cardiologist with Summit Cardiology, and Dr. Satyajit Mukherjee, psychiatrist with Summit Behavioral Health, will provide information about the link between heart health and stress levels and tips for a healthy heart. Light refreshments will be available.

It's been more than five years since Michael Tomlin was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The diagnosis, made just before his 30th birthday, was two years in coming as other medical conditions were ruled out. Tomlin said it's a hard disease to diagnose as the symptoms are similar to Lyme disease and lupus. He said in 2005 his eyes “started acting up,” then the right side of his body went numb. It took four MRIs before the telltale MS lesions showed up. In some ways, the diagnosis was a positive turning point for Tomlin, 35. Since then, he's lost 50 pounds by eating healthier and making exercise a priority.

Alzheimer's Association offers hope to families To the editor: While not always the first word that comes to mind with Alzheimer's disease, “hopeful” describes encouraging information that continually develops from ongoing clinical trials and research, offering much-needed hope for families living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. There are 5.4 million people nationwide living with Alzheimer's disease and 15 million caregivers. In Washington County, more than 3,000 residents are diagnosed, and a projected jump of 72 percent from 2000 to 2030 will most certainly create community demand for dementia education, a strain on family resources and hope for a better future.

West Virginia University Hospitals-East and the WVU Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center Eastern Division will sponsor a community mini-medical school program on various infectious diseases. The seminar, titled "MRSA and Other Bugs," will be Tuesday, Nov. 20, in the WVU Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center on the City Hospital campus. The discussion will focus on germs, viruses and how to protect yourself from infections.  The recent meningitis outbreak will also be addressed. The featured speaker is Dr. Matthew Simmons, infectious disease specialist and chief infection control officer at City Hospital who is also a clinical assistant professor for the WVU School of Medicine.

Reality doesn't get much harder than being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS. A cruel and steady wasting of neuromuscular functions that paralyzes its victims inch by inch, it's often more kindly referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease - named for the famous Yankee slugger who received his diagnosis in 1939. But there is nothing kind about ALS. There is no meaningful treatment. No cure. No magic pill that will reverse the symptoms. It's a taker - stealing the body's supply of strength and agility, the use of limbs and the ability to speak and swallow.

Enthusiasm and pink were big players Saturday on the campus of Hagerstown Community College. Outside, people strode with spirit and purpose as triumphant music blared across the grounds. Inside, others shimmied and thrust to saucy Latin tunes.                                      The signature pink of breast cancer awareness showed up high in the air on balloons. It waved on tribute flags and decorated the shirts of hundreds. It was the color of a Gumby-like ribbon costume that wrapped around the neck of a woman and extended the length of her body, and it dyed the hair of humans and the fur of dogs.