Disease

Most days, Alli Rogers is in pain. This is the reality of the young woman's life as she battles a rare disease - one for which there is no cure. She has been in and out of hospitals, has had three surgeries, with the most recent requiring three blood transfusions. She has had a partially collapsed lung and kidney failure. And when she's not undergoing treatment, she has a regimen of daily medications. Despite these challenges, the 24-year-old doesn't allow herself to feel defeated.

Officials investigating a disease that kills bats have noticed a severe decline in a bat population in an abandoned cement mine in Washington County. The number of bats in the mine is the lowest since monitoring of the problem began in 1998, according to the National Park Service. White-nose syndrome - named for a white fungus that forms on the faces of infected bats  - was observed in the old cement mine during bat surveys conducted in March, according to a news release from the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park.

Sylvia Marie DeBaugh, 67, of Martinsburg, W.Va., died Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011, at her residence after a courageous battle with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, while under the care of Hospice. The family will receive friends Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Brown Funeral Home. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated Wednesday at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church with Monsignor Patrick Fryer as celebrant.   

An effort to replace the 500 units of blood given to a Charles Town woman over her lifetime already is showing promise that it will succeed, the woman's husband said Wednesday. Lee Snyder, whose wife, Cynthia, died July 6 at the age of 58 after a lifelong battle with Diamond Blackfan Anemia (DBA), said a blood drive held in her name in mid-November bought in more than 50 units of blood. Cynthia Snyder was diagnosed with the rare disease when she was 6 weeks old. DBA, named for the physicians who described it in 1938, is the failure of bone marrow to produce red blood cells.

Doll Amsley remembers her 16-month-old great-niece blowing her kisses the last time she saw the girl alive. Alyssa Troia succumbed Oct. 30 to the genetic disease she battled throughout her young life. It's the same disorder diagnosed in her older brother, Corbin. Amsley organized a bingo Sunday at the Mercersburg Sportsmen's Club to benefit her niece's family. As they arrived for the event, family and friends offered encouragement to Alyssa's mother. “If you met her, she'd have your heart in the first five seconds.

"The Cholesterol Story: Are You Fighting Heart Disease?," will be presented at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, at Hagerstown Seventh-day Adventist Church, east of Hagerstown. The program will discuss ways to naturally stamp out circulatory diseases. For more information, call 301-733-4411.

 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 the effects of diseases on the kidneys. The seminar, titled, "Kidney Disease: What Is It? What Can I Do?," is Tuesday, Oct. 18 in the WVU Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center on the City Hospital campus. The featured speaker is Dr. Paul Welch, board certified nephrologist and internist on staff at City Hospital and Jefferson Memorial Hospital.

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.

The Alzheimer's Association presents "Alzheimer's Action Day on the Square" from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, on Public Square in Hagerstown. A community outreach table will be on the square and anyone touched by Alzheimer's disease is can stop by to learn more about Alzheimer's Association programs and services. For information about Alzheimer's disease or related dementias, call 800-272-3900 or go to alz.org/maryland .

Phil Cosentino never has been one to sit back and watch life go by. Instead, he lives it to the fullest. He's a runner who participates in everything from trail races to half marathons. He loves to ski and has logged more than 30 scuba dives. And, although he's an attorney by profession, he's a bit of a landscaper - the dirtier the project the better. To most people, including Cosentino, he seemed the picture of good health. "I have always been very active.