NOW HEAR THIS

Last month, I wrote about a physical miracle that occurred in my life almost thirty years ago that has withstood the test of time. I didn’t have enough room to tell about the latest one that occurred just a few months ago. I have to tell it because if the testimony of my healings can touch the faith of just one person, I believe it can change their life forever.

In 2003, I developed what doctors thought was Meniere’s disease. I had uncontrollable vertigo and was virtually bedridden for almost eight months. It was a rough patch.

My body adjusted over time and I slowly regained my balance enough to function. Every few months or so, I would have another attack and end up in bed or in my easy chair for several days. The attacks became more infrequent and by 2009 when I started working here at Akers Media, even though my balance was affected every day, the attacks of incapacitating vertigo had almost ceased.

That is until March 2012. I came down with the whooping cough. (Yes, it is still around, and yes, you can get it more than once in life.) After I recovered, all I could hear in my left ear was an unbearably loud roaring and I had several vertigo attacks that caused me to miss several days of work.

My hearing was affected profoundly and began to worsen. Sounds such as a motorcycle engine or a child laughing made me feel as if I was being stabbed in my ear with an ice pick. I had to constantly wear an earplug in my ear to block out all, sound and it began to affect my work.

I went to see an audiologist and he fitted me with a hearing aid that helped immensely. It cut out the decibel range that caused the pain and enhanced the hearing range I still had, which was only thirteen decibels in width. The hearing aid itself was a miracle of science and gave me my life back.

In November, I came down with a common cold and within a week, I ended up being hospitalized with the worst vertigo attack of my life. Once again, my hearing was affected, and I could no longer wear my hearing aid. I plugged my ear up once again and decided to have the nerve in my ear destroyed because I could no longer bear the incessant roar I heard twentyfour hours a day, seven days a week.

We visited my in-laws on Thanksgiving and as we went to leave, my father-in-law, Cortas Haire, asked me if he could pray for my ear. I told him he could, and he anointed me with oil and prayed for me. I felt no change and thought no more about it until a few days later when I suddenly noticed the roaring wasn’t as bad. Within a week, the change was amazing. I could hear sounds I hadn’t heard in a very long time.

I rescheduled a visit to my audiologist and he retested my hearing. He said he had not seen such a profound change in a patient’s hearing in thirty-five years. He said the previous testing had proved my hearing loss was profound and in his opinion irreversible. He then said that I now had the hearing of a fifteen-year-old boy and the change was nothing less than miraculous.

Once again, skeptics may say my body simply “fixed’ itself on a molecular level. Well, you are just talking to yourself because I have simply had too many miracles in my life, ones where I know God has touched me, to listen to the words of naysayers. I know what a miracle is; I have had several… and I hope to have many more. And I will because God loves me just as I am; I live my life to glorify Him, and I believe all things are possible to them that believe.

Until next month — hold fast…

Jim Gibson editor

Comments or questions for our editor? Please email jim@akersmediagroup.com.

PATRICIA BURGOS

Environmental Program Manager Lake County Water Authority

RUTH ANN BYRD, LA, CME

Aesthetic Skin Solutions

KATHERINE COOK

Founder of the Leesburg Center for the Arts

ISAAC DEAS

Interfaith Chaplain for Cornerstone Hospice

ROD ERB

Director of Marketing and Business Development, Moore Medical Group

TERRI FECHTEL

Liaison for Suncoast/ Omni Home Health

GREG FRESCOLN

Principal, First Academy-Leesburg

SHERI HUTCHINSON

Public Information Officer, Community Outreach Manager, Lake County Health Department

CAROL MILLWATER

Executive Director, Lake-Sumter Medical Society

MANDY RICHARDSON

Marketing Manager, Mid-Florida Eye Center

ERIC ROUKEY

Physicians Consulting Group

B. E. THOMPSON

Director of Development, Lifestream Behavioral Center

ELLEN WILCOX, GEPC Wilcox Wealth Management

JEFF WITTMAN

Licensed Nutritionist, Owner, Jeff’s Health and Nutrition

“I was in the banking industry for nearly forty years. A lot of constant standing led to very uncomfortable spider veins in both my legs. The pain was horrible, and I felt it looked even worse. Then I came across Comprehensive Vein Centers. PA Tran and his incredible staff were not only knowledgeable but also genuinely concerned about my well-being. I am thrilled to be able to wear shorts again and am very thankful to have found such a wonderful team with which to entrust my health.”

JANICE RYDER VILLAGES RESIDENT

Grin And Bare It

The Greater Clermont Cancer Foundation is proud to present its sixth annual Bras for the Cause and Boxers Too!! event. This fun-filled fashion show and silent auction features whimsically themed and decorated bras and boxers that are designed and donated by members of the community. The event will be held April 20th at Heritage Hills Clubhouse.

Attendees can enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres and bid for the privilege of owning one or more of these custom-decorated garments. The Greater Clermont Cancer Foundation is a local, community-based, nonprofit organization that provides financial aid and other free services to community cancer patients, their families, and caregivers.

For more information about the event, please call 352.435.3202. ■

An eye for innovation

Area residents who suffer from retinal diseases can now undergo advanced vitreoretinal surgery in a local outpatient setting thanks to Mid Florida Eye Center’s new retinal surgery system, the CONSTELLATION Vision System.

This new technology enables Dr. Ray Maizel, the practice’s retinal eye specialist, to treat macular diseases, retinal detachment, and diabetic retinopathy. The procedures are performed at Mid Florida Eye Center’s surgery center located in The Villages.

“With the CONSTELLATION Vision System, I can work closer to the retina than ever before,” says Dr. Maizel. “It’s a real breakthrough in vitreoretinal surgery and the latest in retinal disease treatment.”

He also says patients benefit from a “faster visual recovery and healing and improved patient comfort — without the need for stitches.”

The company’s surgery center in The Villages is the only outpatient surgery center in Lake and Sumter counties to offer this advanced retinal surgery system on-site. ■

Quality care

Lake County-based Primary Care Alliance has been selected as one of 106 new Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in Medicare, ensuring as many as four million Medicare beneficiaries across the United States now have access to highquality, coordinated care.

Doctors and healthcare providers can establish Accountable Care Organizations in order to work together to provide higherquality care to their patients. Since passage of the Affordable Care Act, more than 250 Accountable Care Organizations have been established. Accountable Care Organizations share with Medicare any savings generated from lowering the growth in healthcare costs, while meeting standards for quality of care.

“Accountable Care Organizations save money for Medicare and deliver higher-quality care to people with Medicare,” says Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of health and human services. “Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more doctors and hospitals are working together to give people with Medicare the highquality care they expect and deserve.” ■

Combat stress

Disobedient children. Moody spouses. Demanding bosses. Endless bills.

These are just several things that can trigger unwanted stress. And stress can take over our lives by causing everything from debilitating headaches to emotional imbalance. Since April is National Stress Month, we are sharing some tips provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help combat stress.

• Develop a vision for personal and professional growth.

• Spend time with a friend or loved one.

• Take a walk.

• Read a book.

• Go for a run.

• Have a cup of tea.

• Play a sport.

• Meditate.

• Engage in yoga. ■

IV Sedation “Pain-Free Dentistry”

From a simple cleaning to complete full mouth reconstruction, Dr. Vaziri can use IV sedation to put his patients to sleep, thus turning a stressful or lengthy appointment into a pleasant and comfortable experience.

Implants

Conventional and Mini Implants.

Cosmetic Teeth Whitening, Cosmetic Bonding, and Veneers.

Immediate Dentures

Dentures and Partials delivered immediately after extractions.

General Dentures, Root Canals, Extractions, Same-Day Relines and Repairs, Crown and Bridge, Cleanings, and Fillings.

Staying fit

The wellness center at Leesburg Regional Medical Center is recognizing the unique needs of older adults by partnering with the nationally recognized Healthways’ SilverSneakers Fitness Program.

SilverSneakers is the nation’s leading exercise program designed exclusively for older adults and is available at little or no additional cost through many Medicare health plans, Medicare supplement carriers, and group retiree plans. Members of the SilverSneakers network receive access to a variety of participating locations throughout the country, including LRMC.

“Research points to the significant health benefits of regular exercise for older adults,” says John Bowers, manager of the wellness center. “In addition to helping our wellness center members stay physically healthy, SilverSneakers motivates participants to remain active by offering great opportunities for socializing and meeting new friends.” ■

Make strides in the fight against cancer

Relay for Life is an eighteen-hour event that raises funds to fight cancer and create awareness about the deadly disease. Participants take turns walking around a track throughout the night. Proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society. The 2013 Relay for Life events in Lake and Sumter counties are as follows:

• The Villages of Hope (April 5th–6th)

• Leesburg (April 6th–7th)

• West Lake (April 13th–14th)

• North Lake (April 19th–20th)

• Cagan Crossings (April 20th–21st)

• Mount Dora (April 20th–21st)

• South Lake (April 26th–27th)

• Sumter County (April 26th–27th)

• Eustis/Tavares (May 4th–5th)

• Sorrento (May 18th–19th)

• Lady Lake (May 24th–25th).

For more information, please call 352.326.9599. ■

A vision for the future

In January, New Vision for Independence launched the first local comprehensive program for visually impaired and blind high school students to prepare them for life after high school and successful entry into college or the workforce.

This pilot transition program features at least fourteen service hours per month, building skills such as money management, safe cooking techniques, self-advocacy, job readiness, and much more. The program is free to eligible students in Lake and Sumter counties.

“Due to strong community partnerships, we have been able to construct this program from the ground up,” says Chantel Buck, New Vision’s executive director. “The needs of high school students in Lake and Sumter counties are unique, and we are excited to expand our agency to offer these vital services.”

New Vision for Independence serves local residents who have low vision or blindness. ■