The Homewood Star | April 2011 |
www.TheHomewoodStar.com
neighborly news & entertainment for Homewood
Volume 1 | Issue 1 | April 2011
Name the catepillar pg 7
Children’s Dance Foundation pg 6
Lovoy’s pg 8
Standing strong: Siblings battle rare disease By Rick Watson Matt Suther of Homewood had lost his job with a local maintenance company last July when he and his wife, Chelsea, discovered that their 6-year-old son Gage had contracted an upper respiratory infection. When doctors drew blood, Gage’s platelets came back at 50. Normal readings fall between 144 and 400. The physician said the low readings could be the result of the infection, but when Gage returned a few weeks later, the readings were still at 50. This resulted in a trip to the hematology clinic at Children’s Hospital of Alabama and within a few weeks the diagnosis was in — Gage had Fanconi anemia, a rare and dangerous disease. Shortly after Gage was diagnosed, they learned that their other child, Stella, who is 5, also has the disorder. Often abbreviated to FA, Fanconi anemia is an inherited genetic recessive disorder that leads to bone marrow failure, making it extremely likely that children will contract leukemia and cancer. “We were devastated,” Chelsea said. “Some people say they feel like they were punched in the stomach when they hear news like this, but it felt more like I’d been stabbed in my soul. All I ever wanted was
April Features • Editor’s note
2
• Mayor’s Minute
4
• Children’s Dance Foundation 6 8 • Restaurant Spotlight • Homewood Star Fashion
Building underway on The Hill
10
• Homewood Shining Star
11
• Spring Home Tips
12
• Homewood Sports
14
• Lauren Denton
16
• School House
17
• Calendar of Events
18
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See Siblings, PAGE 11
Plan to improve West Oxmoor Intersection By Rick Watson
9
• Entrepreneur Spotlight
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Gage Suther, 5, and his sister, Stella, 6, have been diagnosed with Fanconi anemia. Their family, Homewood residents, needs support to afford travel for treatment. Photo by Shay Allen.
to have children, and to have both of them affected by FA, I can’t think of anything more devastating.” Although Stella is not yet in bone marrow failure, Gage is, and the family is preparing for Gage to undergo a bone marrow transplant. According to the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund, the average life expectancy for a patient with FA is 24.7 years, although there are now patients living into their thirties and beyond. Patients who have had a successful bone marrow transplant and been cured of the blood problem associated with FA still must have regular examinations to detect cancer, the foundation said. During a recent interview, Chelsea quickly wiped away the tears when Gage came into the room. Her blue eyes sparkled and her face lit up as she said, “Hey Buddy, what have you got there?” Gage offered up his Mario game with which he was playing. “He’s all about Mario and music,” Chelsea said with a smile. She won’t discuss the painful topics as long as the children are within earshot. Regardless of what the data on FA patients show, Chelsea and Matt refuse to let go of the belief that their
Rendering of The Hill, a new apartment community planned for downtown Homewood.
By Anna Cate Little Ground is breaking on phase two of the Hallman Hill project, which will introduce an upscale apartment community — known as “The Hill” — to Homewood. “The Hill will be appealing to postcollege individuals that want a nice place to live in a great location that’s fun with a lot of activities but who aren’t quite ready to buy a house,” said Jim Dixon, president of Arlington Properties. The Homewood Gardens apartments on Oxmoor Road are being torn down to make way for the 122-apartment development. Work is estimated to take about 15 months. Dixon said the complex will feature “high-quality, modern homes with high-end kitchens and open floor plans.” Also included in the residents’
c i r b a F e f i L f o
amenity package will be a large clubhouse that holds a fitness center with modern equipment and classes; a cyber café with full kitchen, TVs and Wi-Fi throughout; and an outdoor area with pool, kitchen, television and comfortable seating to host events and parties. The apartments will mostly be one and two bedrooms with only nine threebedroom homes offered. Most of the tenant parking will be gated to set it apart from surrounding retail traffic. The aim is to target a younger crowd who will not only enjoy a luxury living community but also the multitude of shopping, food and entertainment establishments within walking distance. When addressing the concern that
The mixing bowl where Interstates 65, 20 and 59 merge has long been called “malfunction junction,” but Homewood has a challenging intersection of its own: West Oxmoor Road at I-65 is often known as “the turkey’s foot” — and a few other choice names we can’t print in a family newspaper. The problem is that when travelers exit from I-65 south onto Oxmoor Road and head west, the road becomes confusing and sometimes dangerous. The intersection has been on the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) list for improvement for years, but a lack of funding kept the project on the back burner. Recently the city obtained a commitment from the federal government to match funds to pay 80 percent of the tab for the project, leaving the city to come up with the remaining 20 percent. The total price tag will depend on the total scope of the project, but the last estimate available to the city was for $5 million — making
See The Hill, PAGE 16
See Intersection, PAGE 19
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