Among the chaos

The holidays are over. It’s back to work and the usual grind. January and February are hectic months for me. After Christmas, I start planning birthday parties for my stepdaughter, Aubrey, my husband, Doug, and my little one, Conner—all at about the same time. Also, since we close our offices from Christmas Eve until the day after the new year, instantly, chaos begins.

Instead of getting panicked and stressed as I usually do, this year I took a different approach—taking things one day at a time. I vowed I wouldn’t get stressed about what needs to be done because life is too precious and too short not to appreciate every day.

I changed my perspective because just before the holidays, I almost lost a person very dear to my heart. She felt sluggish and not quite right, so her husband took her to the doctor. Tests confirmed she had a 99 percent blockage in her heart. If she had not seen the doctor, she wouldn’t be with us today. Thank God for cardiologists and for her family being so in tune to her health they acted quickly.

One morning, I was drinking coffee and surfing the web as I do most days, and I came across a letter from a young lady, 26 I believe, with terminal cancer. She wrote an open letter to every healthy person not facing a terminal illness. She shared her perspective on life and what she felt was important. She shared all the things she wanted to do that she could not do—for one, having children and a family.

She lost her battle with cancer, but her letter made a profound impact on me. Her message was to enjoy every day you are given and appreciate all the love and blessings you have because you never know when it will end.

After reading her letter and almost losing someone I deeply love, I look at every day with new appreciation. So what if it gets chaotic planning birthdays for those I love? I am blessed to plan those parties. So what if the demands at work are overwhelming. I can work, I am passionate about my career, and doing what I love. When all is said and done, and we look back at our lives, we won’t remember the chaos, we’ll remember the love we shared.

Remember that when you feel the demands of your life are taking over. Stop for a minute and think, you are blessed, you are loved, and you are alive to enjoy it.

Until next month,

—Kendra Akers

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Opens

VITAS Healthcare is now accepting patients in Lake and Sumter counties in need of hospice care. “We are ready to expand access to hospice and palliative care services for the Lake-Sumter community, so patients and caregivers have the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual support they need at the endof-life,” says Jillian Madsen, RN, general manager for VITAS Healthcare in Lake and Sumter counties. VITAS offers hospice care at the convenience of the family or physician, care is provided at home, in a nursing home or assisted living community, team members will be dispatched at any time needed, and inpatient care is available for aggressive management of acute symptoms that can’t be done at home. It also has Lavender Touch (a gentle hand massage performed by trained volunteers); Music Memories with a certified music therapist; Paw Pals with therapy animals; Life Bio, a written, audio, or video biography of a patient, and an award-winning veterans program. The first of two offices is located at 127 N. Bay St., Suite. 200, Eustis. A second office will open in Sumter County in 2019.

Stop By The Store For A Checkup

Walk-in clinics are convenient and easily accessible, but with the rising costs of health care, many pharmacies have begun providing in-store services. By the end of 2017, there were more than 2,800 retail clinics, a big rise from 1,900 in 2014. The MinuteClinic at CVS Pharmacy in The Villages is at 5208 E. County Road 466; 352.751.4700. Hours are Monday to Friday 8:30am-6:30pm; Saturday 9am-5:30pm; and Sunday 10am-5:30pm. Closing times may vary depending on patient numbers. If you have any questions about MinuteClinic, call 1-866.389.2727.

Fhw Gets An A

Florida Hospital Waterman in Tavares is the only hospital in Lake County and Central Florida to receive nine consecutive A grades from the Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit health care ratings organization. According to the new Leapfrog hospital safety grades, FHW was one of 832 hospitals awarded an A for its commitment to keeping patients safe and meeting the highest safety standards.

“Florida Hospital Waterman has consistently proven that our patients’ safety is our top priority,” Abel Biri, president and chief executive officer, says in a hospital news release. “We are proud of the honor and our track record. The nine consecutive A grades we have received since spring 2013 prove that our team is dedicated to providing safe, quality, and compassionate care in a patient-centered environment.”

Walk This Way

In the midst of the construction for the new emergency department at Leesburg Regional Medical Center, a temporary walkway was built to enable patients and family members easy and quick access to the ED. The ED is still accessible through the front entrance, but this walkway provides a quicker way. The $29 million expansion of the ED is slated to be finished this spring and will nearly double the size of the current emergency room. In addition to adding 24 patient beds and a fast-track unit that can accommodate pediatric patients, three to four trauma-size rooms for critical care, a larger waiting room, and an atrium-like lobby also will be added. “This project will significantly increase our ability to build on our promise to the community to provide high-quality care and service in a modern environment that promotes healing and restoration,” Don Henderson, president and CEO of Central Florida Health, LRMC’s parent company, says in a news release. “We are thankful to the communities we serve for their continued support.”

No Worries Eating

The American Diabetes Association has a new cookbook, “Complete Month of Meals,” which makes it much easier to follow a healthy eating plan if you’re diabetic. The front of the book provides strategic information on the best foods to eat, and the back is filled with easy-to-use recipes you can mix and match to meet your cravings and your calorie content. What makes these recipes easy to use is breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes are not only labeled, the pages also are divided so you can decide what you want and have all three recipes right in front of you! Healthly Living is giving away a FREE copy of “Complete Month of Meals.” Check this link giveaway.lakehealthyliving.com beginning Feb. 1 to enter.

DON’T HANG OUT WITH SHINGLES

Adults over age 60 are more likely to get shingles, which is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. It’s painful and can cause posthearpetic neuralgia, a complication of shingles. The good news is you can protect yourself from shingles by simply getting a shingles vaccine from your doctor or at your pharmacy. Don’t think you might be the one to avoid it—almost one out of three people get it in their lifetime, meaning nearly 1 million Americans a year get it, with half these cases being people over age 60.