OUR “SPECIAL” CHILDREN

This month’s issue hits very close to home for several reasons. First, because Brittany Buell, the mother of Jaxon Buell, who is the beautiful baby boy you see on our cover, worked at Akers Media during her pregnancy with Jaxon. As if it were yesterday, I can recall every detail of the day Brittany learned her pregnancy was in danger and her hopes for a healthy baby were shattered.

Brittany came into my office teary-eyed, scared, and confused to tell me what the doctors had shared with her about her baby. Originally they thought he had spina bifida and a long list of other complications. No one was sure at that point. However, as I sat listening to Brittany, one thing was very clear to me, and that was Brittany’s faith. Brittany and her husband Brandon were convinced God blessed them with this child and no matter what his challenges were, they would love him and care for him through it all. And over the past year and a half, they have done just that.

As Brittany shared her fears with me, I completely related to what she was going through because I, too, am the mother of a child with special needs. My son Matthew, born in 1990, was born with multiple physical complications. First, he had a web of skin that grew over his airway during gestation. Furthermore, he was born with two kidneys fused together on one side of his body. After Matthew was born, I was only able to hold him for about two minutes before he was taken away from me and rushed to Shands in Gainesville.

Matthew spent the first six months of his life enduring multiple surgeries, including one in which we almost lost him, and procedures that ultimately severely damaged his vocal cords. Finally, after six months, the doctors realized Matthew’s best chance to survive was to perform a procedure that would open up his airway by inserting a tracheostomy tube for him to breath. Matthew was released from the hospital and able to come home for the first time at seven months. Then after four years of having his trach and needing special care, doctors performed an experimental surgery to repair his airway. They were able to remove his trach, and he was finally capable of breathing on his own.

Because of my experience with my son, I know firsthand the emotional and physical challenges families with special-needs children endure. I am excited Healthy Living magazine is a source for these families to share their stories, and it is my hope this issue will reach someone at the beginning of their special-needs journey. Our goal is for these stories to provide hope, encouragement, and reassurance and give these families the strength to push through difficult times.

It is my belief that if God leads you to it, he will lead you through it.

Merry Christmas,

Kendra Akers

Comments or questions for our publisher?

Our goal is to provide you with the best quality publication, so your feedback is vital.

KENDRA AKERS publisher/editor-in-chief kendra@akersmediagroup.com

DOUG AKERS vice president doug@akersmediagroup.com

JAMIE EZRA MARK chief creative officer jamie@akersmediagroup.com

EDITORIAL // DESIGN // PHOTOGRAPHY

JAMES COMBS staff writer james@akersmediagroup.com

JOHN SOTOMAYOR staff writer john@akersmediagroup.com

LEIGH NEELY staff writer/copy editor leigh@akersmediagroup.com

MICHELLE CLARK staff writer michelle@akersmediagroup.com

SHEMIR WILES staff writer shemir@akersmediagroup.com

JOE DELEON creative director joe@akersmediagroup.com

STEVEN J. CODRARO senior art director steve@akersmediagroup.com

JOSH CLARK senior designer josh@akersmediagroup.com

MICHAEL GAULIN production director michael@akersmediagroup.com

FRED LOPEZ chief photographer fred@akersmediagroup.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS//PHOTOGRAPHERS

BRENDA ANDERSON RICK BOSSHARDT, M.D., FACS MARYANNE HOLDEN DR. JREFFERY GLOVER FRED HILTON

KIM BADEN-KRISTENSEN SCOTT PERKINS DAVE RAMSEY PASTOR ALLEN SPEEGLE

SALES // MARKETING

TIM MCRAE vice president of sales and marketing tim@akersmediagroup.com

MIKE STEGALL senior account representative mike@akersmediagroup.com

MELANIE MELVIN director of client services melanie@akerscreative.com

HEIDI RESSLER account representative heidi@akersmediagroup.com

LYNNE KELLEY account representative lynne@akersmediagroup.com

ADMINISTRATION

DEB MATLOCK office manager deb@akerscreative.com

AUBREY AKERS office assistant aubrey@akersmediagroup.com

DISTRIBUTION

SCOTT HEGG distribution manager scott.hegg@akersmediagroup.com

RICK

Rick Bosshardt, M.D., graduated from the University of Miami School of Medicine in 1978. He founded Bosshardt & Marzek Plastic Surgery Associates, Lake County’s first practice to provide full-time cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery services, in 1989.

MARYANN HOLDEN

Maryann has spent more than 25 years working as a nurse inside nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. After witnessing firsthand the results of poor health choices people make throughout their lives, she decided to help others learn how to create a lifestyle toward optimal health and wellness. After graduating from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City, she began teaching clients to improve their health through nutrition and lifestyle modalities that reduce or eliminate the need for many of their prescription drugs.

Dr. Glover opened Leesburgbased Glover Chiropractic Clinic in November 2012. Rather than relying on surgery, medication, or injections, he utilizes drug-free, non-surgical approaches to treat a number of chronic and/or debilitating conditions. He is a lifelong Lake County resident and 1999 graduate of Leesburg High School.

Fred spent 36 years as the chief public relations officer/ spokesman for James Madison University in Virginia and 10 years prior as a reporter and editor for The Roanoke Times in Roanoke, Virginia. He is now happily retired in The Villages with his interior designer wife Leta, their Cadillac Escalade golf cart, and their dog Paris. (Yes, that makes her Paris Hilton).

ANNA GUNTER, RD, LD/N

Anna Gunter, is a registered dietitian and American College of Sports Medicine Certified Health Fitness Specialist. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in food science and human nutrition from the University of Florida and a Master of Science degree in nutrition and physical performance from Saint Louis University. Anna has served as outpatient dietitian at Florida Hospital Waterman since 2012 but recently accepted a job in the same capacity at the LRMC Wellness Center.

“It’s a dream job because my goal has always been to work as an outpatient dietitian,” she said. “I love doing outpatient weight-management counseling and diabetes counseling.”

For Anna, a native of New Smyrna Beach, helping people reach their goal weight is a fulfilling career.

SCOTT PERKINS

Scott is author of the book

DAVE RAMSEY

Kim Baden founded the Danish brain training company, Brain+, with the vision of creating the most effective and engaging brain training tools from cutting-edge neuroscientific insights. The content in this article is part of the extensive BrainCoach feature in the app, Brain+ Brain Training for iPad and iPhone. Follow Kim on Twitter - @KimBadenK | www. brain-plus.com

“Discovering Your Root: Developing Your Identity in Christ.” As owner of Perkins Communications, he has spent the past 14 years working alongside church leaders in a variety of contexts—helping them launch new churches and revitalize dying churches. He is trained and certified by Creative Results Management, an organization that trains coaches for church planters and missionaries around the world. He is also a member of the International Coach Federation, the standard bearer and largest certifier of coaches in the world.

Dave is a personal money management expert, a national radio personality, and bestselling author of “The Total Money Makeover.“ Ramsey earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance and Real Estate from the University of Tennessee. A frequent speaker around the country at large-scale live events, he has a nationally syndicated talk show, “The Dave Ramsey Show.“

Pastor Allen Speegle

Allen Speegle served as senior pastor of Family Bible Church in Eustis for more than 20 years. During that time, his church became wildly popular and grew to approximately 1,000 members. Pastor Speegle and his wife, Janice, have made appearances on Family Feud and also starred in a TLC reality show called “Preaching Alabama.” They now lead Movement Church, which is located in Madison, Alabama.

“People often come into my office in tears because they’ve tried different diets without any success. I love providing them with hope then watching them succeed.”