Barrow magazine Volume 25, Issue 1, 2013 by Barrow Neurological Foundation

A magazine for the friends of Barrow Neurological Institute of St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center

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Vol. 25, Iss. 1, 2013

barrow

Sweet dreams

New procedure lets patients sleep through deep brain stimulation surgery

Barrow Grand Ball

Women’s Board raises more than $2 million at annual gala

Opening thoughts The Barrow Center for Neuromodulation is quickly becoming a leader in this emerging field of medicine, and our current issue of Barrow gives two fine examples of why that is so. First we examine a new procedure for patients with Parkinson's disease or essential tremor— asleep deep brain stimulation surgery (DBS), a type of neuromodulation. Before this operation was developed, patients had to remain awake throughout DBS surgery. As you can imagine, the new procedure is of enormous benefit to patients, but, as you will learn, it has advantages to surgeons, too. Barrow is the second neuroscience center in the nation to perform asleep DBS. DBS shows promise in treating neurological problems beyond movement disorders, and the Barrow Center for Neuromodulation is conducting research into the possibility of using DBS to treat severe depression and other psychiatric diseases. In our second article, you'll learn how Leslie Baxter, PhD, is assisting those efforts by using functional MRI to map the brain. Her work seeks to identify the specific areas of abnormal activity in the brain involved in depression and other illnesses. These important advances depend upon the generosity and commitment of our friends and supporters, many of whom are profiled in these pages. To each and every one—and to all not mentioned herein—we extend our deepest appreciation for you efforts. Together we are pushing the boundaries of neuroscience.

Sincerely,

Robert F. Spetzler, MD Director, Barrow Neurological Institute

Diane Abraham Interim CEO, Barrow Neurological Foundation

P.S. Please consider making a gift to Barrow Neurological Institute by using the enclosed giving envelope. We are grateful for your ongoing support.

On our cover: Barrow neurosurgeons were the second in the United States to perform asleep deep brain stimulation surgery.

A magazine for the friends of Barrow Neurological Institute of St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center

•

Vol. 25, Issue 1, 2013

barrow

Contents

Sweet dreams: Parkinson’s, essential tremor patients can now sleep through deep brain stimulation surgery

Neural navigations: Human Brain Imaging Lab helps map the mind

Team Barrow: Cyclists are pedaling across U.S. to honor patients, raise funds for Barrow

2013 Barrow Grand Ball: Annual black-tie gala raises more than $2 million for Barrow

Celebrity Fight Night XIX: 2013 star-studded extravaganza raises $7.2 million for charity

Lou Grubb Friends Fore Golf: Annual event raises $400,000 for Barrow and St. Joseph’s

Barrow Foundation UK

Barrow Nurse Symposium: More than 250 nurses attend annual educational event

St. Joseph’s Amazing: Stories from the files of Barrow Neurological Institute

Big shoes to fill: Shelley Kick, PhD, retires after impressive career at Barrow

Why I give: Pat Goldman

Benefactor Briefs

News

Written in the stars: Raffle grand prize winner says boss foretold big win

What you leave behind

Photograph courtesy of Seattle Mariners How to Reach Us | Barrow is published twice a year. We welcome your comments, suggestions and requests to be added to or deleted from our mailing list. Call 602-406-1041, email Catherine.Menor@DignityHealth.org or mail to Barrow, Office of Philanthropy, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, 350 W. Thomas Rd., Phoenix, AZ, 85013. Please include your name, address, email address and phone number in all correspondence. Visit us online at SupportBarrow.org.

Editor: Catherine Menor Catherine.Menor@DignityHealth.org Art director/designer: Justin Detwiler Contributing writers: Lindsey Burke, Diane Boudreau, Sally Clasen, Melissa Morrison, Sarah Padilla Printer: Panoramic Press

Photography: Brad Armstrong; Gary Armstrong, D Squared Productions, Murphy/Scully Photography, Michael Eimer Robert F. Spetzler, MD, Director Barrow Neurological Institute® Diane Abraham, Interim CEO Barrow Neurological Foundation

by Sarah McGrain Padilla

Sweet dreams

Parkinson’s, essential tremor patients at Barrow can now sleep through deep brain stimulation surgery

Tommy Zulegar shows where his neurostimulator was implanted. At 37, he was the youngest patient at Barrow to have deep brain stimulation surgery.

■ Although still in its infancy, the Barrow Center for Neuromodulation is quickly proving itself a leader in this exciting field—particularly when it comes to deep brain stimulation (DBS). Not only is Barrow performing more DBS surgeries than anywhere else in the country, it is also one of only a handful of facilities to offer a safer, faster and more accurate procedure for patients with Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor.

Asleep DBS surgery If the thought of having brain surgery while wide awake terrifies you, you’re not alone. The fact that DBS has traditionally been performed while patients are awake has kept some away. But last year, Barrow became the second facility in the U.S. to offer asleep DBS, allowing patients to essentially “sleep” through the procedure while under general

Barrow Magazine Asleep deep brain stimulation surgery

anesthesia. While both procedures have the same outcome—a pacemaker-like device in the chest sends electric impulses via wires to two electrodes in the brain—the difference is in the technology. Asleep DBS uses a high-resolution intraoperative CT scanner that allows the surgical team to verify that they have hit specific targets in the brain. In the awake procedure, the neurosurgeon and neurologist work together to do recordings of individual cells and measure their responses, taking significantly longer. Francisco Ponce, MD, director of the Barrow Center for Neuromodulation, says that the asleep procedure offers many benefits. “Asleep DBS improves the patient experience because they can literally sleep through the procedure,” says Dr. Ponce. “Not only that, the surgery is much shorter and more accurate. It’s also safer because we have better control over the patient’s

Deep brain stimulation Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is sometimes referred to as a pacemaker for the brain. Two fine electrodes are inserted through the patient’s skull into very specific areas of the brain, and a pacemaker-like device, or neurostimulator, is implanted in the patient’s chest. This device sends electric signals to the electrodes via two wires. These electric impulses can either inhibit or excite certain regions of the brain. In patients with Parkinson’s disease, for example, select nerve cells are shut down, inhibiting the physical symptoms—such as tremor and stiffness —that often characterize the disease. The two-part surgery requires surprisingly little downtime. The first surgery consists of the electrodes and wires being implanted and requires an overnight hospital stay. When done awake, this portion may take four to six hours; when done asleep, it lasts only about 75 minutes. The second surgery takes place seven to 10 days later. In this procedure, the surgeon installs the neurostimulator in the chest and attaches it to the wires leading to the electrodes. The surgery is short—about 45 minutes—and patients go home the same day. The final step—turning on and programming the device—is done by a neurologist at several follow-up appointments. The customized settings may be adjusted as the patient’s condition and medications change over time.

Asleep deep brain stimulation surgery Barrow Magazine

blood pressure, breathing and other vitals.” Dr. Ponce adds that the best candidates for asleep DBS are those with Parkinson’s disease who have responded to medication, but have serious or intolerable side effects, or patients with essential tremor who do not respond to medication. Phoenix native Tommy Zulegar fit the bill. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age 34, he tried various therapies. “For a few years I went from one medication to another, most of which were worse than the Parkinson’s itself. At one point I had lost 30 pounds because the medication I was on made me sick every time I took it,” says Zulegar. “DBS was no longer a scary proposition. In fact, after researching the pro-

Arshia Sadreddin, MD

cedure, it began to look more and more promising.” At the advice of his neurologist at Barrow’s Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center, Arshia Sadreddin, MD, Zulegar elected to undergo asleep DBS. In October 2012, at just 37 years old, he became the youngest patient ever to have the procedure done at Barrow. “Asleep DBS is a real breakthrough for those who are anxious about having awake brain surgery, and for patients like Tommy who are young, healthy and have less chance of side effects from general anesthesia. This can allow more patients the opportunity to benefit from improved quality of life that they would

not have enjoyed previously on medication alone,” says Dr. Sadreddin. Zulegar says that his world changed the morning his DBS device was first turned on. “It was like someone was flipping a light switch on and off in my brain.”

One-stop shop for DBS With more and more success stories like Zulegar’s, it’s no wonder that Barrow is seeing an increase in patients interested in the procedure. In fact, Barrow performed more DBS surgeries in the past year—117—than anywhere else in the country. About half of those were asleep DBS. To help streamline the experience, last summer Barrow implemented a

Francisco Ponce, MD

dedicated DBS Clinic at the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center. The weekly clinic is a comprehensive resource for patients, offering education, medical evaluation, psychological assessment, imaging, surgery and post-surgical monitoring in one convenient location. Patients consult with a multidisciplinary team that includes a patient educator, neurologist, neurosurgeon and neuropsychologist, among others. The clinic has made the entire DBS journey faster. Before, it might have taken patients up to a year to complete the evaluation process; now it takes only four to six weeks. “We have dramatically reduced the

Barrow Magazine Asleep deep brain stimulation surgery

waiting and evaluation time for patients,” says Rohit Dhall, MD, who heads the clinic. “In the past, waiting for evaluation and approval for this treatment could be frustrating for patients. So, we have added new resources to the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center and established this clinic. It has already become very popular with people from all over Arizona, and as far away as Illinois, Wyoming and Michigan.”

New uses for DBS Deep brain stimulation is not new. Barrow neurosurgeons and neurologists were involved in early clinical trials of the procedure as far back as the late 90s. However, there are many exciting developments on the horizon. Barrow has partnered with the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute to participate in the ADvance Study, the first clinical trial in the country to test the effectiveness of DBS in slowing the progression of mild and early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. The trial is based on a previous Canadian study with promising results. As the study’s subinvestigator, Dr. Ponce implants the devices at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center. The trial will compare the effects of DBS turned on to those observed with the system turned off. “Over the past two decades, these brain pacemakers have revolutionized the treatment of patients with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders,” Dr. Ponce said. “The possibility that DBS may reactivate the memory circuits in Alzheimer’s disease is very exciting, since current medical therapies have limited benefit.” The Barrow Center for Neuromodulation is also exploring the use of DBS for treatment-resistant clinical depression. Other disorders that may benefit from neuromodulation include obsessive compulsive disorder, epilepsy, Tourette syndrome, bipolar disorder, addictions and autism. “Our goal is to give patients the function of their body and mind back and maximize their quality of life,” says Dr. Ponce. ■

by Diane Boudreau

Neural navigations Human Brain Imaging Lab helps map the mind Brain mapping helps surgeons avoid damaging areas that would deeply affect the patient’s quality of life. The technique has enabled operations that would otherwise be impossible.

■ Sadness and happiness don’t live in the same place. These emotions, often presented as opposites, are not simply two sides of the same coin. We use different parts of our brains to experience different emotions. In addition, becoming emotional and then returning to a neutral state occur in different parts of the brain than either the emotion or each other. “It’s kind of like muscles. The muscles used to extend a limb are not the same muscles used to retract that limb,” says Leslie Baxter, PhD, a neuropsychologist who led a study that mapped emotional states. “You can think of the brain in a similar way. It’s an integrated dance.” Dr. Baxter is director of the Human Brain Imaging Lab at Barrow. Like sadness and happiness, she operates in two different realms. She is a clinician who works with patients, and she is a researcher advancing our understanding of the brain. In both roles, she relies on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to help her understand the complex choreography of the brain’s integrated dance. fMRI uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to detect blood flow in the brain. It produces images that show which areas of the brain are being used during a particular activity. The information has applications ranging from diagnosing and treating diseases to increasing our understanding of how we think and feel. “In your normal resting state, you have oxygenated and deoxygenated blood in your vessels. But when you’re asked

to do something, like tap your finger, there’s a huge increase of oxygenated blood in the parts of the brain that are responsible for tapping your finger,” explains Dr. Baxter. Scientists have a rough understanding of which areas of the brain correspond with certain functions, such as vision or motor skills. However, individuals vary—sometimes slightly, sometimes on a larger scale. “Some functions are much more complex than others. When you start going into things like language processing, the biggest variable is handedness,” says Dr. Baxter. “About 60 percent of left-handers are left-hemisphere dominant, just like right-handers. But 40 percent are right-hemisphere dominant.”

Mapping the brain before surgery Diseases and disorders can also affect the brain’s cartography. For example, a tumor or swelling in the brain can push healthy tissue aside. In her clinical work, Dr. Baxter images the brains of patients before they undergo surgery. She maps critical functions such as movement and language, then feeds that information into the surgeon’s neural navigation system. This allows the surgeon to avoid damaging areas that would deeply affect the patient’s quality of life. The technique has enabled operations that would otherwise be impossible. “I would say being a clinician really feeds into my research,” says Dr. Baxter. “The thing that’s really rewarding about my

Human Brain Imaging Lab Barrow Magazine

job is that since I work with patients, I can use that in my research to guide the way I present things to people. That makes it interesting and relevant and makes it feel like I’m utilizing what I see on a day-to-day basis. It takes it out of the ivory tower.” Research in the Human Brain Imaging Lab spans a wide range of topics ranging from the clinically focused, like early detection of Alzheimer’s disease, to the abstract, such as learning how people process stories. All of the studies, however, focus on the brain-behavior relationship: How does what happens in our heads relate to what we do and feel?

Using DBS to treat depression For example, Dr. Baxter is working with scientists in Barrow’s Center for Neuromodulation to study deep brain stimulation (DBS) for treating severe depression. DBS involves implanting a pacemaker-like device that sends electrical impulses to specific areas of the brain. Barrow is at the forefront of DBS treatment, led by neurosurgeon Francisco Ponce, MD, along with Abraham Leiberman, MD, and the neurology team in the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center. The technique has been used successfully in treating Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Baxter says that some psychiatric illnesses, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette’s syndrome and depression, involve disruptions in brain activity similar to that seen in Parkinson’s. Some studies have shown that DBS can benefit people with severe depression, for whom all other kinds of treatments have failed. Although medication is less invasive than brain surgery, many patients with severe depression don’t respond well to the available drugs. Some others suffer from debilitating side effects. “DBS has an effect at a really specific area, and it’s completely reversible, because you can turn it off. So it’s true that somebody’s having surgery, but it’s a really easily tolerated surgery. And it’s very targeted to exactly where we think the problem is,” says Dr. Baxter. Targeting the therapy is where Dr. Baxter’s lab comes in. She and her colleagues are using fMRI to pinpoint the precise area of abnormal activity in patients to provide the greatest possible benefit. She hopes that the work will offer an effective treatment option for severe depression and other psychiatric illnesses in the future. “The advantage to being at Barrow is you can explore these ideas years before they’re ready for prime time. DBS for Parkinson’s disease is well established, but for depression, there are only a few centers doing this kind of thing. We’re

Barrow Magazine Human Brain Imaging Lab

“The advantage to being at Barrow is you can explore these ideas years before they’re ready for prime time. DBS for Parkinson’s disease is well established, but for depression, there are only a few centers doing this kind of thing.” Leslie Baxter, PhD working on the front end of neuroimaging. But we’re also thinking about other disorders that would be high-reward if it works—things like autism.”

Research into stress reduction Sometimes a disease doesn’t affect the brain physiologically, but psychologically. A cancer diagnosis can be one of the most stressful events to happen in a person’s life. Patients must navigate confusing medical information and options, undergo treatments that can be painful and draining, and manage the financial toll that such a disease can impose. Since January, Dr. Baxter has collaborated with a group of researchers to provide an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program to women who are in remission from cancer. She is working with Dana Chase, a gynecological oncologist from St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center; Teri Pipe, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Innovation at Arizona State University; and Cheryl Conrad, a psychology professor at ASU. “This is what we call the Dream Team, because it’s a group of women researchers. It’s through combining our inter-

Leslie Baxter, PhD

ests that we’re pursuing this project,” says Dr. Baxter. The team will look at the patients’ stress hormones and fMRI scans before and after they participate in the MBSR program. The images will show if the stress-reduction methods produce neural changes. “We can use our findings not only to address the MBSR approach to treating depression, but also to better understand people who need something more,” Dr. Baxter says. “A sign of depression is that you’re having a hard time modulating your emotional reactions. What parts of the brain are being used in people who are actually succeeding and utilizing this to change their emotional regulation and their stress levels?”

Pinpointing where emotions occur The study is closely related to Dr. Baxter’s recent research on emotional modulation, which showed that happiness and sadness—and the process

of getting to and from these emotions— occur in different parts of the brain. To study this, Dr. Baxter showed emotionally charged images to people in an fMRI scanner. She asked them to press a button when they felt particular emotions. “The typical way these data are analyzed is to compare when you feel neutral versus when you feel sad,” Dr. Baxter says. “But as you are attaining or acquiring an emotional state, there’s a different part of the brain that’s involved. That might be a more salient place to be looking for changes to happen. Because it could be that as a depressed person you’re feeling sadness as we all do, but you are dysregulated in how you attain or come out of sadness.” Dr. Baxter says she’s particularly proud of the emotion study because she hasn’t seen any other researchers doing similar work. “It’s thinking a little bit out of the box,” she says. “The whole goal of coming up with this task was to learn how we can individually map people so that

we can get better information to guide surgery. My clinical background really enabled me to think about this study a little differently.” ■

Pleasant and sad feelings: When people are asked to enter into a new state in response to pleasant (purple) or sad (green) stimuli, different patterns of activation emerge. Emotions are complex, and there is a large neural network associated with even simple emotions like sadness.

Shifting emotions: The frontal lobe is important for regulating behavior. Different regions within the frontal lobe are involved with shifting in and out of moods

Human Brain Imaging Lab Barrow Magazine

In remembrance ■ Patrick Madigan, 57, long-time St. Joseph’s Foundation leader and benefactor, passed away on April 19 from complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Patrick was diagnosed with ALS in the late 1990s when he was a sales manager for Merrill Lynch in Manhattan, New York. He, his wife, Anne, and their four children moved to Phoenix in 1997, and he retired from Merrill Lynch in 2000. Patrick joined the Board of Directors of St. Joseph’s Foundation in 1999 and served nine years on the board, including two years as chairman. When he retired from the board with emeritus status in 2008, Sister Madonna Marie Bolton presented him a proclamation on behalf of the board. It read in part: Whereas, in 1999, Patrick Madigan was appointed to the St. Joseph’s Foundation where he served three terms. Patrick embodies the values of the Sisters of Mercy—dignity, justice, collaboration, excellence and stewardship. Whereas, Patrick Madigan’s personhood is not locked in his disability but transcends his physical body and shines forth as a light to all who meet him. He is a gentle man, a man of courage, an example of “the indomitable Spirit.” Whereas, Patrick’s perseverance, positive attitude and giving personality are an inspiration to all who experience him. Although he may not speak, his faith and love shine forth in abundance through his beautiful eyes. Now, therefore, we recognize the outstanding leadership and commitment of Patrick Madigan to serve others in a humble and selfless manner through the years as a St. Joseph’s Foundation board member. The staff, volunteers and leaders of St. Joseph’s Foundation and Barrow Neurological Foundation extend their condolences to Patrick’s family and friends. ■

Barrow Magazine In remembrance

Future issues of Barrow and St. Joseph’s Magazine will include memorial pages about board members and other instrumental leaders who have passed away. While we cannot recognize all those who have passed on in recent years, we would like to remember these board members who departed in 2012: * Lee Hanley, member of Barrow Neurological Foundation * Lou Grubb, former member of Barrow Neurological Foundation and founder of Lou Grubb Friends Fore Golf * Glenna Shapiro, member of the Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation, and her husband Lawrence. We will always remember their contributions and friendship.

by Catherine Menor

Team Barrow

Cyclists are pedaling across America to honor brain tumor patients, raise $100,000 for Barrow Neurological Institute ■ Tracey Kramer, Jory Greenfield and Kyle Claffey are making final preparations for Race Across America, a cycling race that begins June 15 in Oceanside, Calif., and ends 3,000 miles later in Annapolis, Md. As members of Team Barrow, they expect to do the cross-country trek in a remarkable six days and, in the process, raise more than $100,000 for Barrow Neurological Institute. The three are united by a passion for cycling and a desire to help Barrow defeat brain tumors. Kramer’s father, Jim Kramer, died 14 years ago after a year-long battle with a glioblastoma, while Claffey is currently undergoing treatment at Barrow, also for a malignant brain tumor. Jim Kramer “This is a wonderful way to honor Tracey’s father and at the same time raise money for Barrow,” Greenfield explains. Greenfield and Claffey are two of eight cyclists on Team Barrow who will take turns pedaling non-stop in the famed bike race. Kramer will be part of a 10-member crew, charged with driving five support vehicles. Kramer and Greenfield have spent the last 18 months organizing Team Barrow. It has been an enormous, but rewarding challenge. “My father was a huge cyclist back in the ‘70s before anyone even knew what the Tour de France was,” Kramer says. “He would be very honored and very impressed to know I am involved in this. He would want to cycle this himself.” For Claffey, Team Barrow offers a way to participate in one of cycling’s premier events and raise money for Barrow.

“Race Across America is on every biker’s bucket list,” says the 19-year-old college student. “People do rides across the United States all the time, but to say that you’ve raced across the country and done it in only six days—that’s why it’s a big deal.” Greenfield, an avid cyclist and Ironman, says that RAAM is more grueling than the Tour de France. Besides pedaling 3,000 miles, each cycling team will climb more than 170,000 feet in elevation—almost four times the altitude of Mt. Everest. Claffey and his team members are aware of the challenges his participation may present, given the fact that he is undergoing chemotherapy, and are prepared to adjust the three-hour-a-dayper-rider cycling schedule should he be unable to meet that goal. But he is eager to participate in the grueling race. “Even if I was on chemo that week, I’d be doing it because it’s raising money for a place that’s treated me so well.” ■

Support Team Barrow * Make a contribution on their website, TeamBarrow.org. * Follow them on Facebook (TeamBarrow2013) and Twitter (Team Barrow@TeamBarrow2013). * Become a corporate sponsor or volunteer (see website). * Learn more about the race: RaceAcrossAmerica.org.

Team Barrow sponsors Affton Audi Peoria Budway 1st Endurance Foosia Asia Fresh Jamis Bicycles John Wayne Cancer Foundation Kramer Family Foundation Kramers of Dallas, Texas Legg Mason Investment Counsel MacMillan-Piper Midwest Warehouse Mied Law Group MyRoadRide.com Serfas Shamrock Farms The Bosch Law Firm The Pelberg Group Trailhead Bike Cafe Tri Scottsdale

Team Barrow cyclists Don Bosch, George Catalano, Kyle Claffey, Jory Greenfield, Mike Patterson, Troy Wilson (a nurse at Barrow), Chris Wright and Yati Yadav.

Team Barrow cyclist Kyle Claffey is undergoing treatment for a brain tumor at Barrow.

Team Barrow and Race Across America Barrow Magazine

2013 Barrow Grand Ball Annual black-tie gala raises more than $2 million for Barrow

Women’s Board Chairman Judy Shannon with Barrow Ball Co-Chairmen Robyn DeBell and Cindy Watts

■ The 2013 Barrow Grand Ball, presented by the Women’s Board on Jan. 19 at the Arizona Biltmore, raised $2.169 million for Barrow Neurological Institute. Robyn DeBell and Cindy Watts chaired the successful event. The black-tie dinner and dance is one of Arizona’s premier fundraisers. Proceeds from the ball support a wide variety of projects at the institute, primarily in the area of research, thus providing important funding for promising and innovative scientific studies. As part of the funds raised annually at the ball, the Women’s Board selects a special project to support. This year, the Women’s Board project was A New Hope for Alzheimer’s. Funds raised for A New Hope for Alzheimer’s will support the research of Francisco Ponce, MD, director of the Barrow Center for Neuromodulation. Dr. Ponce is participating in a national multi-center study that is exploring the

Barrow Magazine 2013 Barrow Grand Ball

potential of deep brain stimulation for the treatment of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. A New Hope for Alzheimer’s was also an opportunity for the Women’s Board to honor the memories of two outstanding neurologists who passed away unexpectedly and tragically this year. Benjamin Seltzer, MD, and Marwan Maalouf, MD, PhD, were physicians who were dedicated to Alzheimer’s disease and who contributed significantly to patient care, medical education and research at Barrow. The first Women’s Board fundraiser was a masked ball at Casa Blanca Inn on New Year’s Eve of 1965, the year the Women’s Board was established. Since then, the Women’s Board has raised more than $45 million for research at Barrow through the ball. The 2014 Barrow Grand Ball will be held Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Arizona Biltmore. ■

Photos from top to bottom, Karl and Stevie Eller, Robert Spetzler, MD; Jack Friedland, MD, Les Small, Rob Ward; Suellen Edens, Jean Spangler, Diana Balich; Nancy Hanley, Penny Gunning; Patty White, Dwight Todd; Judy Schubert, Sister Margaret McBride, Sister Madonna Marie Bolton.

Major gifts to the 2013 Barrow Grand Ball Special Gift Mr. and Mrs. Karl Eller - TelePresence 3D Upgrade Women’s Board Project A New Hope for Alzheimer’s Chief of Staff Mr. and Mrs. David Glew - Neurosurgery Research Hanley Family Charitable Trust - Pain Alleviation in Pancreatic Cancer Patients Mr. and Mrs. Millard Seldin - Beverly and Millard Seldin Family Disc and Spinal Regeneration Lab Barrow Dean Mr. and Mrs. Bennett Dorrance - A New Hope for Alzheimer’s Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Hobbs, Sr. - Karen and Robert Hobbs and the Hobbs Family Grant for Multiple Sclerosis Research Dr. and Mrs. Volker K.H. Sonntag - Spine Surgery Research Dr. and Mrs. Robert F. Spetzler - Neurosurgery Research Mrs. Jane Wallace Thorne - Neurosurgery Research White Coat Fellow Barrow Neurological Institute - General Research Fund Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey H. Edmunds - Barrow Center for Neuromodulation Mr. and Mrs. Philip L. Francis - General Research Fund Patricia Goldman - Neurosurgery Research Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. McKee - Barrow Center for Neuromodulation and Genomics Mr. and Mrs. Arte R. Moreno - A New Hope for Alzheimer’s Mr. and Mrs. Scott M. Spangler - A New Hope for Alzheimer’s St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center - General Research Fund Dr. and Mrs. Nicholas Theodore - Spinal Surgery Research Mr. and Mrs. Ray R. Thurston - A New Hope for Alzheimer’s Mr. and Mrs. Michael L. Watts - A New Hope for Alzheimer’s Mr. and Mrs. Michael F. Ziegler - Neurosurgery Research in honor of Dr. Spetzler Multi-Year Commitment Mr. and Mrs. Philip L. Francis - Barrow Brain Tumor Research Center

2013 Barrow Grand Ball Barrow Magazine

Celebrity Fight Night XIX 2013 star-studded extravaganza raises $7.2 million for charity

Jennifer Lopez

Top row, Reba McEntire, Billy Ray Cyrus; Steve Martin; Tate Stevens; middle photo, Jimmy and Nancy Walker; bottom row, Andrea Bocelli, Jennifer Lopez; Muhammad and Lonnie Ali, Walter Scott, Dennis Washington; Robert Spetzler, MD, Lexy Greenwell.

Barrow Magazine Celebrity Fight Night XIX

■ On Saturday, March 23, stars and athletes from around the country converged on the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix for Muhammad Ali’s Celebrity Fight Night XIX. The Phoenix Boys Choir sang the national anthem as a bald eagle was released into the room. Leading lady of country music Reba McEntire returned for her eighth year as emcee, kicking off the night by introducing a special performance by Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers. With Muhammad Ali on stage, international superstar Jennifer Lopez, actor and musician Steve Martin,and philanthropist and owner of the Washington Companies Dennis Washington were honored with the 2013 Muhammad Ali Celebrity Fight Night Awards. The awards portion of the evening concluded with a special video tribute to Muhammad and Lonnie Ali from legendary musician Paul McCartney.

Songwriter and producer David Foster returned for his 14th consecutive year as the evening’s musical director. Performers included Jennifer Lopez, Billy Ray Cyrus, Haley Reinhart, Rita Wilson, Tate Stevens and Andrea Bocelli. The black tie event also featured cocktails, a silent auction, an elegant dinner and a live auction featuring one-ofa-kind luxury items—dinner with Reba McEntire at her Beverly Hills, Calif., home, with special guests Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and David Foster; and a week- long trip to Tuscany plus a special VIP performance by Andrea Bocelli and dinner. Celebrity Fight Night XIX raised a total of $7.2 million benefiting the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow and other worthy charities. The annual event has raised $87 million dollars in 19 years. ■

Top, Muhammad and Lonnie Ali, Billy Crystal; Renee and Bob Parsons, Tara Hitchcock; Yolanda and David Foster; Haley Reinhart and Billy Crystal; Rita Wilson.

Thank you, Celebrity Fight Night! America’s most comprehensive Parkinson’s center is expanding in 2013 to help more patients with movement disorders. When finished, the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center will be twice as big—with more patient consult rooms, a larger physical therapy area, a separate space for educational and recreational classes, and an improved flow for patients. We are deeply grateful to the Celebrity Fight Night Foundation for funding this exciting project.

Celebrity Fight Night XIX Barrow Magazine

by Lindsey Burke

Lou Grubb Friends Fore Golf Annual dinner and golf tournament raises $400,000 for Barrow and St. Joseph’s ■ The bar was raised yet again at the annual Lou Grubb Friends Fore Golf dinner and tournament held April 25 and 26 at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort and McCormick Ranch Golf Club. The fundraiser netted about $400,000 for Barrow Neurological Foundation and St. Joseph’s Foundation. The all-inclusive

event began on Thursday evening with a dinner, silent auction and live auction for 430 guests and concluded with an awards dinner on Friday following a day of golf for 260 players. Grubb underwent successful surgery at Barrow for a ruptured aneurysm in 1986. Several years later he made the

Barrow Magazine Lou Grubb Friends Fore Golf

hospital the LGFFG beneficiary. “The golf tournament is my way of paying them back,” Grubb once said of the popular Valley event. Lou passed away in 2012, but his memory lives on in this popular event. Caroline and Chris Hoeye gave $50,000 during the live auction for an enchanted holiday soiree in the home of tournament committee member Roger Maxwell. The gift was made in honor of Kathleen Maxwell who recently passed away. In total more than $150,000 was raised for holiday dinner events at the Maxwell home. Major sponsors for 2013 included Evelyn Grubb and the Grubb family, CBIZ, Kathy and Dan Grubb, Symmetry Software, DPR, Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, Shelby and Stephen Butterfield, Cathy and Tom Reahard, Leslie and Don Budinger, Carolyn and Chris Hoeye, Randy and Ken Kendrick, Celia and Kent McClellan, Julie and Mitch Pierce, Sandra and Larry Mayhew, and Peg and Bob Wolff. Special thanks to the Lou Grubb Friends for Golf committee: Greg Anderson, Scottie Button, Brent Cannon, Hamilton Espinosa, Booker T. Evans, Patricia Gentry, John Grubb, Michael Haenel, William Hunt, Stuart Kirk, Roger Maxwell, Larry Mayhew, Mike Medici , Loui Olivas, PhD, Jorge Quintero, Tom Reahard, Lee Rosenthal, Dennis Sage, Saundra Schrock, Dennis Scully and Joanne Springrose. ■

First row, Orlando Carrillo, Bruce Van Klaveren; second row, Sister Madonna Marie Bolton; Tom Euen, Bob Wolff, Jeff Jones, Rob Lyles; third row, Ivars Vance, Erik Stauber, Tom Canale, Aaron Peace; Sister Madonna, Roger Maxwell; fourth row, Ani Gurlekian, Julie Alvarado, Diane Abraham; Scottie Button, Tom Reahard.

Lou Grubb Friends Fore Golf Barrow Magazine

by Judith Beresford

Barrow Foundation UK

Supporting Barrow Neurological Institute’s leadership around the world ■ Those of us who work on behalf of Barrow Foundation UK do so because we believe that Barrow Neurological Institute is one of the world’s outstanding brain hospitals. Barrow operates on more brain tumors than any other hospital internationally, it has the most extensive neurosurgery residency program, and its innovative technical expertise enables its neurosurgeons to operate on conditions described as inoperable at other hospitals. We also believe that the fight in combating neurological diseases and disorders—both in surgical solutions and in research—should be a global one, and we think that Barrow should be front and center of these efforts.

Barrow Foundation UK The Barrow Foundation UK was set up as a result of a generous gift from Marjorie Newsome, a long-time friend and supporter of Barrow Neurological Institute. In the 1960s, Ms. Newsome's severe epilepsy was helped significantly when she was treated by John Green, MD, Arizona's first neurosurgeon and Barrow's first director. Although she moved to the U.K. in the 1970s where she practiced psychotherapy, she and Dr. Green continued their friendship. When she died in 1996, Ms. Newsome generously left her estate to Barrow to further the neurosciences. Barrow Foundation UK has recently become more active in raising funds for Barrow Neurological Institute internationally. The foundation currently funds three academic chairs at Barrow in Phoenix, as well as traveling scholarships awarded to top U.K. neurosurgeons to study at Barrow in Phoenix. We have recently begun to fund a similar program for neurosurgical nurses. Barrow Foundation UK has also begun seeking collaborations for

Barrow with British and European brain specialists. We are looking at a variety of collaborations in neurosurgical techniques and research with institutions as far away as Israel. The key determinant in choosing projects is that they further Barrow’s ability to lead the way in global neurosciences and help raise money to do so. Barrow Neurological Institute has another considerable asset: brain tumor tissue collected during operations and donated by the generosity of its patients to the cause of research. This is particularly attractive to researchers in the U.K. where there is an enormous lack of brain and tumor tissue for research purposes. It has been estimated that less than one percent of donated tissue in the U.K. ends up in the hands of research scientists. Barrow has decided—as a part of its philanthropic mission—to offer access to its tissue banks, and this has proved of enormous interest to the U.K.’s top academic institutions.

Partnering with a top London hospital Barrow Neurological Institute, with funding from the Barrow Foundation UK, has embarked on its first formal collaboration with one the U.K.’s top clinical and academic institutions, Imperial College at Charing Cross Hospital in London, U.K. Imperial is one of the most prestigious and largest teaching hospitals in Europe and works within the U.K.’s National Health Service, which offers free (publicly funded) healthcare to U.K. citizens. Using tissue from Barrow’s brain bank, researchers in London and Phoenix will work in parallel on solutions to brain tumors, one of the most devastating of all diseases. The project will be led in the U.K. by Dr. Nelofer Syed.

Barrow Magazine International nurse exchange

Judith Beresford, executive consultant to the Barrow Foundation UK

The collaboration has also been facilitated by the U.K.’s Brain Tumor Research Campaign, which was co-founded by Wendy Fulcher, who lost her husband, John, to a brain tumor in 2004. The BTRC funds research into brain cancer at Charing Cross Hospital. We are delighted to partner with Imperial and BTRC on what we hope will be the first of many collaborations. We believe that the research Barrow Foundation UK is funding will have global impact, improving patient outcomes not only in the U.S. and the U.K., but around the world. ■

by Melissa Frederick Morrison

Barrow Nursing Symposium More than 250 nurses attend annual educational event in October ■ Some came for the talks on technology, such as brain “pacemakers” that can stop Parkinson’s patients from tremoring. Others came for ideas on managing long-standing challenges like protecting stroke patients from falls. Still others came for the patient perspective on their hospitalization experiences. “Sometimes as nurses we can lose track of the personal side of our patients,” says Mark Matteson, a pediatrics RN at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. “It’s good to be reminded they’re more than vital signs. There’s a family involved, a person inside the patient.” That mix of topics draws hundreds of attendees every year to Barrow Neurological Institute’s Nursing Symposium. Over 250 nurses, 20 percent from out-of-state, attended the 2012 event, held Oct. 24-26. Neuro nurses often consider themselves a breed apart because of the uniqueness of the brain and its effect on patients when diseased or injured. “When someone has a neurological problem, it is a total body experience,” says symposium attendee Marilyn Ricci, explaining why she chose her specialty when she decided to pursue an advanced nursing degree. She became Barrow’s first clinical nurse specialist in 1975, making her an educational resource for bedside nurses, among other duties. Now retired, she wore a corsage at the symposium denoting her status as one of Barrow’s first neuro-specific nurses. In a medical specialty that evolves as quickly as neuroscience, Barrow’s reputation as a premier international center for neurological treatment means its nurses need to be as informed as its doctors, while at the same time staying true to the specific demands of nursing. “We started the symposium because we didn’t have one. There was a symposium for physicians. I went to it—it was interesting, but it didn’t help me as a bedside nurse,” says Virginia Prendergast, a nurse practitioner who organized the first Barrow nursing symposium 31 years ago in response. This year, 30 experts, including neurosurgeons, nurse specialists and former patients, spoke about topics ranging from spinal surgery to praying with patients. One speaker, Nobuko Okubo, came from Tokyo to explain the protocol her team devised for assessing a stroke patient’s ability to swallow, which can mean the difference between one of life’s daily pleasures and artificial feeding. Neurologist Selim Benbadis, MD, spoke via Internet from Tampa, Fla., about differentiating between types of seizures, showing video of hospitalized patients seizing and challenging the audience to tell whether they were of neurological or psychological origin. Barrow Clinical Nurse

The planning committee for the Barrow Nursing Symposium consists of Elise Henling, BSN, RN, CRRN; Terry Bachman, MSN, RN, CNRN, CNS; Madona Plueger, MSN, RN, CNRN, ACNS-BC; Virginia Prendergast, PhD, ACNP, CNRN; Mary King, MSN, RN, CNRN, CCRN, ACNS-BC.

Specialist Madona Plueger talked about the effects of lifelong anti-seizure medication on patients’ quality-of-life once they leave the hospital, such as on driving and pregnancy. Barrow’s Francisco Ponce, MD, an expert on deep brain stimulation, described how neuromodulation stimulators— often called “brain pacemakers”—improve Parkinson’s patients’ quality of life, such as being able to socialize more, once relieved of the social stigma of constant tremoring. And Jeanette Boohene, MD, the physician in charge of St. Joseph’s palliative care program, spoke about the effectiveness of her specialty in relieving suffering at the end of life, prompting a nurse in the audience to ask what she and her colleagues could do to encourage other physicians to involve palliative care earlier in their patients’ treatment. Many attendees describe the highpoint of the symposium as the patient perspective, in which a former patient talks about his or her experience. This year, Melanie Pritchard, a Gilbert author, spoke of her life-threatening ordeal when she suffered a rare amniotic-fluid embolism while giving birth to her daughter at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. “We’ve had patients and their families fly back here to do the talk. They feel like it’s a way to give thanks,” Prendergast says. “The messages they give are incredibly moving to staff.” ■

Barrow Nurse Symposium Barrow Magazine

by Sally Clasen

St. Joseph’s Amazing Stories from the files of Barrow Neurological Institute Sheila Pitt ■ Sheila Pitt has only a few complaints about being a quadriplegic. One is that she wishes she could hold a book and flip through the pages. Another issue is how some individuals treat her due to her disability. And, of course, she’d rather not be dependent on a wheelchair. But since a horseback riding accident in 2008 left the trained equestrian with a broken neck and stretched spinal cord, the University of Arizona School of Art professor hasn’t wallowed in self-pity. “I don’t ask ‘Why me?’ I know why. It wasn’t the horse’s fault. I lost my balance and fell off. I don’t view it as a horrific event,” says the upbeat Pitt. In fact, the 73-year-old, who was wearing a helmet when she fell, feels somewhat lucky about her situation. Her run of good fortune included being airlifted to Barrow Neurological Institute eight hours after her accident, thanks to her son, Alan Pitt, MD, a radiologist at Barrow who coordinated his mother’s quick transfer. Once at Barrow, Pitt underwent surgery performed by Nicholas Theodore, MD, who her son credits for Pitt’s highlevel function today. “I can’t say enough about the CNAs and nursing staff at Barrow,” says Pitt,

who stayed at Barrow for three months to rehabilitate before returning home to Tucson. Her ongoing recovery entails working with a physical therapist three times a week to build core strength and maintain flexibility as well as a therapist to manage muscle spasms. Today, she has limited use of her arms and hands and is able to walk with assistance from a body brace and a platform walker. “I look forward to every little accomplishment,” she says. Pitt’s life has changed in every aspect during the last five years. The independent, take-charge person has had to adapt her environment and learn to rely on others to accomplish simple tasks. Caregivers visit her modified home twice a day to assist with dressing, feeding and errands, and she has student helpers in the classroom, where she returned a year and a half after the accident. She currently teaches a relief printmaking class on a half-time basis. While it’s difficult for the tough but well-liked teacher to not be “hands-on” anymore, she says she’s nicer and more patient since the accident. Her art has undergone a metamorphosis too. Pitt used to create woodcut

prints, a hand- and tool-intensive medium, but now draws on a digital pad connected to a computer screen so she can view her work. An assistant then prints and etches the image onto an ink plate and transfers it to paper. Her subject matter also has shifted from being horse-centric to a virtual diary of her life, which illustrates some of the frustrations and challenges of her injury. Since her spinal cord was not severed, Pitt has feeling all over her body and sometimes experiences tremendous pain associated with her quadriplegia. Yet, she’s never once wanted to quit or stop making improvements. “If you give up, that’s your life,” she says. “Having full use of my arms and hands would be a big deal and being able to walk again would be nice, but there are worse things. You actually can do a lot in a wheelchair.” Pitt acknowledges her family, including husband Lynn Schroeder’s “incredible love and support” with helping her navigate the world as a quadriplegic. That momentum includes planning for a solo art show in Phoenix, a creative forum that will reflect her current perspective—both in art and view of life. “I think I’ll hang my art at my eye level, not the usual standing height.” ■

Sheila Pitt’s latest piece, “All Fours.”

Barrow Magazine St. Joseph’s Amazing

Photograph courtesy of Seattle Mariners

Anthony Vasquez ■ A Seattle Mariners pitcher who is in the Valley for spring training has returned to the pitcher’s mound just three months after an arteriovenous malformation ruptured in his brain, and he underwent a critical and complex brain surgery at Barrow Neurological Institute. In November, Anthony Vasquez, 26, complained of headaches and vision problems to a Mariners trainer. A MRI scan showed that a blood vessel had ruptured in Vasquez’s brain and had been leaking for days. The rupture was caused by an AVM, a very rare and serious neurological disorder that causes abnormal tangles of arteries and veins in the brain. “The doctors were surprised that I was still able to walk after my brain hemorrhaged,” says Vasquez. “It’s really amazing that I didn’t die.” Vasquez underwent surgery the next day with Robert Spetzler, MD, director of Barrow. A portion of Vasquez’s skull was removed to eliminate the AVM and prevent any further bleeding. The complex surgery carries risks for major side effects such as paralysis; however, without treatment, an AVM can rupture with fatal results.

Amazingly, Vasquez suffered no serious side affects and was released from the hospital just three days after surgery. And, even more stunning, Vasquez arrived back in Phoenix for spring training just three months later. “It’s been one blessing after another,” says Vasquez, who is working out daily with the Mariners in Peoria. “I’m grateful to be back playing baseball and appreciative of the Barrow medical team who helped me get here.” Dr. Spetzler, who is considered one of the world’s top experts in treating brain AVMs, says that AVMs occur in less than one percent of the population and that he is pleased with Vasquez’s recovery from such a rare and serious diagnosis. “The type of brain condition Anthony had is very rare, and for him to return to a high level professional sport so soon after surgery is really quite remarkable,” says Dr. Spetzler. “He’s a terrific individual, and I’m thrilled with how well he’s recovered.” ■

St. Joseph’s Amazing Barrow Magazine

by Catherine Menor

Josef Debbins ■ Josef Debbins, PhD, has been around MRIs for more than 20 years, first as a graduate student at Mayo Clinic and now as associate staff scientist at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. He is used to being a kind of MRI human guinea pig as part of a wide range of research projects. “After all, MRI is safe, uses magnets and low energy radio frequency waves (rather than ionizing x-rays), in addition to being a great ‘sleeping chamber’ for the post-lunch nap,” he jokes. But his job as an MRI researcher suddenly became personal in late 2011 during a workshop in the Keller Center for Imaging Innovation. Dr. Debbins was a volunteer in one experiment that involved obtaining detailed MRI images. “Later in the day, one of the visiting radiologists reviewed my scans and politely told me that he thought I had a meningioma, or as he put it, a ‘benign brain tumor,’” Dr. Debbins says. Dr. Debbins explains that meningiomas arise from the meninges, or skin, of the brain. They are the most frequent type of brain tumor. Although they are usually benign and slow growing, they can eventually press into important parts of the brain and cause serious problems. Looking back at MRI scans over the years, Dr. Debbins realized that the lesion had been sitting there behind his right eye for two years and that in that time, it had doubled in size. Because of its rapid growth, simply waiting and watching it, or even treating it non-invasively with radiation therapy, was not an option. Barrow neurosurgeon Kris Smith, MD—who Dr. Debbins describes as “one of the finest people I have ever met”—recommended surgery. As the surgery date neared, Dr. Debbins wrestled with thoughts about what lay ahead: having his head clamped to the operating table to prevent movement during surgery, the anesthesia, the possibility of complications. “‘What if I am incapacitated in some way and cannot provide for my fami-

“We on the inside certainly understand the disease and the treatment process, but can we really feel empathy with the patient without going through it?” Josef Debbins, PhD ly?’ That was the scariest thought of all... something one never thinks of, until one loses their job suddenly or faces a serious illness.” The surgery was set for March 19, 2012, sandwiched between his children’s spring break and conferences and meetings. The date lifted Dr. Debbins’ spirits. “March 19 is the Feast of St. Joseph, which is a pretty big deal at a hospital named St. Joseph’s, and of course, I was named after St. Joseph. I had this whole ‘St. Joe trifecta’ going for me, so I was feeling pretty good,” he says. Dr. Debbins underwent an uneventful three-hour surgery led by Dr. Smith and was discharged on March 20 after his post-op MRI. “I was back at work half days after two weeks and back full time at four

Barrow Magazine St. Joseph’s Amazing

weeks,” Dr. Debbins says. “I have a pretty nice scar in front of my right ear, although amazingly my receding hairline seems to cover most of it.” While Dr. Debbins came out of surgery unchanged physically—except for that scar—intellectually and emotionally, the changes are deep and lasting. “We on the ‘inside’ certainly understand the disease and the treatment process, but can we really feel empathy with the patient without going through it? “I think we all do pretty well with our patients, and I wouldn’t recommend this experience to my colleagues, but having come through it, I don’t think twice about stopping what I am doing in the hallway to help a disoriented family member searching for their loved ones.” ■

by Melissa Frederick Morrison

Guadalupe Castillo ■ Guadalupe Castillo was pregnant with her third baby when her arm began to ache and she began to limp. Carpal tunnel syndrome, her obstetrician said about the arm. Arthritis, another doctor said about the legs. Both should resolve after she gave birth, they told her. But months after baby Veronica was born, the problems hadn’t gone away. In fact, they had gotten worse. Eventually, Castillo, who was 36, had an MRI. Before Castillo and her husband had even reached the parking lot to go home, the doctor called: “You have some kind of cancer in your neck.” Fast-forward to April 2011 at St. Joseph’s Hospital, where Castillo had given birth to her children and was now undergoing surgery to remove what appeared to be an aggressive cancer that was threatening her life. The tumor had wrapped itself around several nerves of her right arm, was eating away her cervical vertebrae, and was encasing the vertebral artery, which supplies blood to the back of the brain. At one point in her ordeal, Castillo awoke and realized she could not move her right arm or either of her legs. Curtis Dickman, MD, an expert in spinal neurosurgery at Barrow Neurological Institute, performed emergency surgery, the first of three operations that each took six to eight hours. “I remember Dr. Dickman told me, ‘We’re going to go ahead and proceed with this tonight, rather than wait,’ ” Castillo recalls. The cancer appeared to be suddenly putting more pressure on her spinal cord, he told her. “I remember telling the doctor, ‘It’s upset. It’s a mad tumor!’” Over the next few days, Dr. Dickman and his team meticulously peeled the tumor off of Castillo’s nerves, bones and spinal cord. They also rebuilt the damaged vertebrae of her neck, stabilized the spine with screws, rods, and plates, and fused the vertebrae, using bone grafts from her pelvis. “These were very challenging and delicate surgical procedures, using the

latest technologies—vascular embolization, microsurgery, intraoperative CT scanning, computerized surgical navigation, spinal cord monitoring and advanced spinal instrumentation,” Dr. Dickman says. And they worked. The entire tumor was removed. Castillo has regained nearly complete use of her arms and legs. Perhaps even better news for Castillo, the tumor turned out not to be cancerous. It was an unusually aggressive form of a benign vascular tumor known as a cavernous malformation. Cavernous malformations form only in the brain and spine and, unlike cancers, do not spread to other parts of the body. After her surgeries, Castillo underwent weeks of physical therapy. She was released—walking—from the hospital on May 31, 2011. At home, she continued therapy, such as learning ways to safely lift her baby, while she regained function in her right arm. By Thanksgiving, she had resumed her duties as a stay-at-home mom, caring for Veronica, who is now 20 months old,

Top, Guadalupe Castillo with children Isaiah, Emmanuel and Veronica, and husband Manuel. Above, Matthias Linke, MD, examines Castillo.

as well as her two sons, ages 5 and 15. “I couldn’t be more thankful for the doctors at St. Joe’s,” she says. ■

St. Joseph’s Amazing Barrow Magazine

by Sarah McGrain Padilla

Big shoes to fill Shelley Kick, PhD, retires after impressive career in Neuro Publications ■ After nearly 30 years—and a career that evolved from type- depended on her skills and productivity, and she has always written manuscripts to website search engine optimiza- exceeded my expectations. She has been a critical member tion—Shelley Kick, PhD, recently retired as the senior edi- of the Barrow family.” tor and director of Barrow’s Neuroscience Publications In the medical publishing field, Dr. Kick is the face of BarDepartment, leaving behind many memories, an impressive row. She has developed an unparalleled rapport with jourlist of accomplishments and big shoes to fill. nal editors and publishers around the world who associate Dr. Kick joined Barrow as an editor in 1986, after earn- her with quality. ing a PhD in physiological psychology at Washington UniAt Barrow, Dr. Kick’s legacy goes beyond her writing versity. Soon she, and her red pens, had earned a reputation and editing skills. as a force to be reckoned with. She leaves behind a strong department, skilled in writ“We would walk into her office ing, editing, web development, med“We would walk into her proud of what we’d written, and it ical illustration, animation and more. would come back dripping in red office proud of what we’d “Shelley has formed such a cohesive ink,” says former Barrow neurosur- written, and it would come team and built such strong relationgeon Michael Lawton, MD, who now ships among all of the players. Her practices at the University of Cali- back dripping in red ink.” influence will continue to be felt in the fornia, San Francisco. department for years to come,” says Michael Lawton, MD Many physicians and researchers Phil Pomeroy, vice president of Neuadmit that Dr. Kick’s constructive criticism made them a bet- rosciences. ter writer. This team will remember Dr. Kick as a motherly figure Dr. Kick’s meticulous attention to detail allowed her to who fostered her employees’ individual talents and creativwork her way up the ladder and to create a world-class Neu- ity. “She is at once focused but fun, demanding yet nurturroscience Publications Department along the way. Under ing of her team, and has the rare quality of being able to laugh her leadership, the department has evolved tremendously, at herself—despite the high standards she has set for herself,” not only in size—doubling from a handful of employees to says Clare Prendergast, editorial assistant. more than 10—but also technologically. Those who worked the closest with Dr. Kick will rememEarly on, Dr. Kick helped create a system for tracking the ber her quirky side and her sense of humor. She has a love department’s myriad pending projects—from complex med- for bats, having studied them in graduate school, and her office ical illustrations and tables to manuscripts in various stages was full of all things bats—from pictures to stuffed animals of editing. She helped transition the department into the dig- to masks. Her co-workers fondly referred to her office as the ital age. Most recently, the team implemented website search “bat cave.” engine optimization, increasing Barrow’s web hits threefold And, although she was typically a behind-the-scenes to more than 50,000 a month. player, those who know better will remember Dr. Kick as playMany credit Dr. Kick with helping to bolster Barrow’s rep- ing an integral role in developing Barrow’s reputation as a utation by promoting the institute’s groundbreaking dis- world-class leader in the neurosciences. ■ coveries and techniques within the medical community. “We can have the most brilliant idea in the world, but if our audience can’t understand what we’re saying, we may as well have not said anything at all,” says Michael Lemole, MD, a former Barrow neurosurgeon now practicing at the University Medical Center in Tucson. “She has been a critical component in developing that accessibility.” After many years of editing neuroscience literature, Dr. Kick developed an understanding for the material, to the point that Robert Spetzler, MD, and Volker Sonntag, MD, bequeathed her the title of Honorary Neurosurgeon. “Shelley has fostered and built the best neuroscience editorial office in the country,” says Dr. Spetzler. “I have

Barrow Magazine Shelley Kick

by Lindsey Burke

Why I give Pat Goldman’s ties to Barrow stretch back 40 years ■ For more than 40 years, Patricia Goldman has had a special place in her heart for Barrow Neurological Institute. As neighbors of Barrow founder John Green, MD, Goldman and her husband, Leonard, were introduced to Robert Spetzler, MD, and his wife, Nancy, when Dr. Spetzler was new at Barrow. “Dr. Green invited us over to dinner to meet Robert, Nancy and their children,” she says. That was the beginning of a long friendship with Dr. Spetzler and a lasting relationship with Barrow. In 1972, Goldman was asked to join the Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation, but her travels left her little time to volunteer. Several years later, however, her husband’s job settled down, and she joined the Women’s Board. In 1984, she served as the chairman of a St. Joseph’s redevelopment committee—a strictly volunteer position—to build the hospital bridge over Third Avenue. Goldman has supported many projects at Barrow through the years, including the construction of the 70,000square-foot Neuroscience Research Center in 1997 and the recent renovation of the eponymous Goldman Auditorium on St. Joseph’s campus. “Barrow has grown worldwide so much since Robert Spetzler has been there,” she says. Her hopes for Barrow include a long and successful future, well past Dr. Spetzler’s retirement. To show her commitment for Barrow’s future, Goldman has made several planned gifts in the form of charitable gift annuities. “A charitable gift annuity is a wonderful way to generate income for your loved ones while supporting Barrow,” she says.

Goldman’s commitment isn’t just financial. “I’ve made a lot of good friends through my involvement with Barrow. It means so much to me. It is, by far, my most important charity, if you can call it a charity,” she says, “It is one of the most important things in my life.” ■

To learn more about charitable gift annuities, call Alan Knobloch, director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving, at 602-406-1025.

“A charitable gift annuity is a wonderful way to generate income for your loved ones while supporting Barrow.” Pat Goldman

Why I give Barrow Magazine

Benefactor Briefs Katelynn Lewallen When Katelynn Lewallen, 10, finished her first two paintings on the new easel her parents had given her, her father, Jim, asked what she wanted to do with them. “I think I’m going to take them down to Hob Nobs, hang them on the wall and raise money for brain tumor research so that other people won’t have to go through what Papa did,” she said. “Papa” was Katelynn’s grandfather, James T. Lewallen, Sr., who died of a brain tumor in 2010 after 18 months of treatment at Barrow. Kris Smith, MD, was his surgeon. “He treated my papa and our family really well in a bad situation and made us feel better,” said Katelynn. Katelynn visited Dr. Smith in January to present money she had raised through her artwork. Her goal is to raise $1,000 for brain tumor research at Barrow. Dr. Smith thanked Katelynn for her gift. “My own father was an artist,” he said. “Unfortunately, we share a connection—my father also died of a brain tumor. Raising money for brain tumors is a really cool thing to do. The money you raise for research makes a difference.” Katelynn Lewallen gives Kris Smith, MD, a donation from the sale of her artwork. The gift benefits brain tumor research at Barrow.

The Parkinson’s Network of Arizona recently donated $50,000 to the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center. Established in 2006, the group holds several fundraisers each year, including Walk the Fight Walk-A-Thon and the Knockout Parkinson Jazz and Blues Festival. Pictured at left are (front row) John Herrick, Carl Ames, Kristin Levi, Ida Stanford, Margaret Ann Cole, and (back row) Jill Wallace, Becky Ross, Debbie Black, Jim Grossman and Lee Crozier.

Barrow Magazine Benefactor Briefs

Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation contributes $1 million to Barrow The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation has contributed $1 million to the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute. The gift will support two fellowships in Parkinson’s disease plus additional staffing for the Center and research in the Gait and Balance Laboratory. “Fellowships are critical to our mission of training the next generation of movement disorders specialists,” says Abraham Lieberman, MD, director of the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center. “A fellowship gives a young neurologist the opportunity to complete one to two years of additional training in caring for patients with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. Our community benefits when these well-trained specialists remain in Arizona, which is often the case.”

Fellows spend time seeing and counseling patients and families, and learning how to recognize, diagnose and treat a wide variety of movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease. They also learn about advanced treatments used for some cases, including botulinum toxin and deep brain stimulation. Renee and Bob Parsons are longtime supporters of the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center through Celebrity Fight Night. The Renee and Bob Parsons Gallery at the center honors the couple’s previous gifts. The Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center is a National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence, serving as a resource for Parkinson's disease patients and their families. The center's staff is committed to providing

excellence in diagnosis, treatment, research and education for people with Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. In addition to offering clinical care for patients, the center provides support groups, educational classes, research studies, assistance programs, conferences, recreational programs and other services.

SSBTR leaders watch live brain surgery

Members of Students Supporting Brain Tumor Research spent a morning at Barrow in February. The group’s annual walkathon on Feb. 23 raised more than $160,000 for brain tumor research at Barrow, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, the Translational Genomics Research Institute and the Brain Tumor Society.

For the 25 leaders of Students Supporting Brain Tumor Research (SSBTR), this year’s President's Day began early in the morning at Barrow Neurological Institute where the students observed a live brain surgery. The students watched the surgery in the Eller Tele– Presence @ The BARROW suite, a conference room that is linked to Barrow neurosurgery suites via live closed-circuit television. The TelePresence room features a wall of highdefinition monitors that give a just-like-being-there view of the operating room along with individual desktop monitors that show what the physicians are seeing through the surgical microscope. The surgeons are able to explain what they are doing as the students watch. “It’s definitely a cool experience,” said Prachi Mehta, cochairman of SSBTR. Mehta said that her visits to Barrow— she also attended last year’s SSBTR trip to Barrow—have reinforced her decision to become a doctor. The students also paid a visit to the laboratory of Adrienne Scheck, PhD. SSBTR supports Dr. Scheck’s laboratory, which conducts research into brain tumors. SSBTR contributes to brain tumor research at Barrow, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, the Translational Genomics Research Institute and the Brain Tumor Society. Since the group was founded in 2001, it has raised more than $2 million. Because the organization is student-run and has no paid staff, 95 percent of the funds it raises goes directly to brain tumor research. “I can’t believe how far SSBTR has come in such a short amount of time,” says Steve Glassman, who founded the group in 2001 while he was a student government teacher at Pinnacle Peak High School. SSBTR has proven popular with students, he says, “because students actually run the organization. They feel it’s theirs.”

Benefactor Briefs Barrow Magazine

Seldin gift establishes spine laboratory Forty people attended a dedication and tour of the new Beverly and Millard Seldin Family Disc and Spinal Regeneration Laboratory on Jan. 18 . The Seldins made a gift of $500,000 to establish the lab and to support innovative research being conducted by spine surgeon Nicholas Theodore, MD. Dr. Theodore is exploring the concept that intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) is a result of both environmental and genetic factors. The traditional view of IVDD is that the only causes of disc degeneration are age, occupation, smoking, obesity and, primarily, wear and tear. The Seldin gift agreement includes a first-right-of-refusal addendum for any intellectual property coming from the research, the first gift agreement of this kind for Barrow Neurological Foundation. Joan Frentz, Nicholas Theodore, MD, and Beverly and Millard Seldin.

Emerald Foundation gives $250,000 for expansion of Center for Transitional NeuroRehabilitation

The Emerald Foundation has granted $250,000 to Barrow Neurological Foundation for an expansion of the Center for Transitional NeuroRehabilitation (CTN) at Barrow Neurological Institute. Currently, the program has a four-month waiting list for its services. The mission of CTN is to assist people with brain injuries rebuild their lives through an intensive, six- to 12-week therapeutic program. Patients spend several hours a day, four to five days a week, in the program. Care is provided by a multi-disciplinary staff, including neuropsychologists, a dietitian, psychiatrist, speech-language pathologists, and physical, occupational and recreational therapists. CTN facilitates patients’ return to home, school and work. In 2010, the Emerald Foundation made a $250,000 gift for construction of the Ashlyn Dyer Aquatic Center, which opened at Barrow in 2012.

Fultons’ gift enables construction to begin on Gregory W. Fulton ALS and Neuromuscular Disorders Clinic at Barrow Mary Lou and Ira Fulton contributed another $2.7 million to Barrow Neurological Foundation for construction of the Gregory W. Fulton ALS and Neuromuscular Disorders Clinic on the fourth floor of the Lonnie and Muhammad Ali Pavilion (240 Building) at Barrow Neurological Institute. Their gift enables St. Joseph’s Hospital to begin construction of the new facility, which should be completed late this year. The clinic will house all the specialty areas needed by patients with Lou Gehrig’s disease and other neuromuscular diseases, including neurologists; speech, respiratory and occupational therapists; social workers and nutritionists. The center will also pro-

Barrow Magazine Benefactor Briefs

vide medical education and conduct translational research aimed at improving care and finding cures for these devastating diseases. The Fultons’ gift honors the memory of their late son, who was a patient at Barrow and died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2011. The couple previously gave $2.5 million to the clinic. For more information on the ALS clinic and the Fultons’

gift, go online to www.SupportBarrowALS.org.

Women’s Board installs officers, adds three members The new Executive Board of the Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation was introduced at the group’s annual Spring Luncheon on April 10 at Paradise Valley Country Club. They are (left to right) Nancy Walker, chairman-elect; Sandy Hecomovich, recording secretary; Shän Francis, chairman; Karen Hobbs, corresponding secretary; and Bonnie Martin, treasurer. The Women’s Board has three new members: Diane Might, Terry Roman, and Betsy Thornton.

Fiesta Bowl awards $25,000 to Barrow Fiesta Bowl Charities has awarded $25,000 to Barrow to develop Junior Brainbook, an online concussion-prevention program for children ages 514. The e-learning tool is modeled after Brainbook, which was introduced to schools throughout Arizona in 2011. Brainbook was created by Barrow, the Arizona Interscholastic Association and the Arizona Cardinals to address the problem of concussions among high school student athletes. It was the first program in the country to formalize and test student athletes’ knowledge about brain injuries. The interactive computer-based module takes 50 minutes to complete, and students must score 80 percent or higher to pass.

Barrow Beyond meets for education, fun More than 100 members of Barrow Beyond attended an educational social on April 17 in the home of Shannon and Keith Mishkin. The evening included a presentation by neurosurgeon Nicholas Theodore, MD, on spinal neurosurgery, and remarks by Robert Spetzler, MD, and Peter Nakaji, MD. Barrow Beyond members support Barrow Neurological Institute through gifts and leadership. Numerous educational and social opportunities are available to members. Cocktail parties in private homes and educational events at Barrow are planned for the fall of 2013. For more information about the group, contact Kathleen Norton at Kathleen.Norton@DignityHealth.org or 602-406-1039.

Upper right, Keith and Shannon Mishkin, and Sharon and Paul Pollack; lower left, Nicholas Theodore, MD, Barbara Adelson, Robert Spetzler, MD.

Benefactor Briefs Barrow Magazine

News Foundation participates in trade mission to Mexico Barrow Neurological Foundation was part of the Mexico City Trade Mission and Protocol Visit on April 10-13. The visit was organized by the City of Phoenix. BNF participated in the mission to further relations with potential benefactors in Mexico and to introduce the new Barrow-Mexico Neuroscience Fund. The Barrow-Mexico Neuroscience Fund was established by Barrow Neurological Institute and the U.S.-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership to

enable benefactors in Mexico to support Barrow’s efforts in Mexico while still receiving the tax benefits allowed by Mexican law. Above, Gene Seroka, president and CEO of APL; David Rousseau, chairman of SRP and chairman of Super Bowl 2015; Greg Stanton, mayor of Phoenix. Right, Stanton and Nicholas Theodore, MD, Barrow spinal surgeon.

ALS researcher receives Van Denburgh chair Robert Bowser, PhD, a nationally recognized ALS researcher, has been awarded the John and Betty Van Denburgh Chair of Neuromuscular Disease at Barrow Ne u rol o g i c a l Institute. Betty established the endowed chair in 2002 to honor her husband, who died in 1997 from complications of ALS. The chair is funded through Barrow Neurological Foundation. Dr. Bowser’s research program at Barrow is dedicated to determining

the underlying mechanisms of ALS, identifying new targets for drug treatment and developing improved therapies for ALS. Dr. Bowser directs the country’s largest clinical research study on biomarkers for ALS and participates in two clinical trials to monitor drug effects in ALS patients using his biomarkers. This work has established Dr. Bowser as an internationally recognized leader in identifying biomarkers for ALS. Dr. Bowser, who was recruited to Barrow from the University of Pittsburgh, earned his PhD at Yale University and completed fellowship training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Robert Bowser, PhD, Betty Van Denburgh, and Robert Spetzler, MD, at a dinner honoring Dr. Bowser.

The new Spirit of Giving benefactor wall has been activated. The digital wall features 12 high-definition monitors that feature information about major benefactors, foundation board members and fundraising events.

Barrow Magazine News

Barrow Connection sponsors events featuring race cars, speed boats People with disabilities got the rare opportunity to ride in race cars and speed boats, thanks to two events sponsored by Barrow Connection and its community partners. Driving to Excel with Barrow and Bondurant was held Nov. 15 at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Chandler. About 75 participants received specialized instruction and drove adapted race cars or experienced hot laps with professional drivers. Day on the Lake was held May 9-11 at Lake Pleasant. Using adapted equip-

ment, participants boated, skied, jet skied and fished. Barrow Connection provides children and adults with disabilities resulting from brain or spinal cord injuries an opportunity to experience activities that would be challenging or impossible without adaptive aids. The goal of the program is to help people with disabilities lead healthy, active, productive lives after discharge from the hospital and to heighten community awareness of the effects of central nervous system injuries.

Researchers successfully treat brain tumor cells with unique therapy

Barrow researchers make important vision discovery

A team of brain cancer researchers at Barrow has effectively treated brain tumor cells using a unique combination of diet and radiation therapy. Their study, “The Ketogenic Diet Is an Effective Adjuvant to Radiation Therapy for the Treatment of Malignant Glioma,” was published in PLOS ONE. Led by Adrienne C. Scheck, PhD, principal investigator in Neuro-Oncology and Neurosurgery Research, the groundbreaking research studied the effects of the ketogenic diet in conjunction with radiation therapy for the treatment of malignant gliomas. The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that alters metabolism and is used in the treatment of pediatric epilepsy that does not respond to conventional therapies. The diet’s effects on brain homeostasis have potential for the treatment of other neurological diseases, as well. One theory behind the success of the treatment is that the ketogenic diet may reduce growth factor stimulation, inhibiting tumor growth. Barrow scientists also believe that it may reduce inflammation and edema surrounding the tumors. “We found that the ketogenic diet significantly enhances the anti-tumor effect of radiation, which suggests that it may be useful as an adjuvant to the current standard of care for the treatment of human malignant gliomas,” says Dr. Scheck.

Barrow researchers have discovered that we explore the world with our eyes in a different way than previously thought. Their results advance understanding of how healthy observers and neurological patients glean information from the world around them. The research team was led by Susana Martinez-Conde, PhD, director of the Laboratory of Visual Neuroscience, in collaboration with fellow Barrow researchers Jorge Otero-Millan, Rachel Langston and Stephen Macknik, PhD, director of the Laboratory of Behavioral Neurophysiology. Their study, titled “An oculomotor continuum from exploration to fixation,” was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Previously, scientists thought that we sample visual information in two main different modes: exploration and fixation. “We used to think that we make large eye movements to search for objects of interest and then fix our gaze to see them with high detail,” says Dr. Martinez-Conde. “But now we know that’s not quite right.” The discovery shows that even during visual fixation, we are actually scanning visual details with small eye movements —just like we explore visual scenes with big eye movements, but on a smaller scale. This means that exploration and fixation are two ends of the same continuum of oculomotor scanning.

News Barrow Magazine

by Lindsey Burke

Written in the stars Spring Health & Wealth Raffle grand prize winner says her boss foretold big $1-million win ■ Some call it luck, some call it fate, but whatever you call it, Dawn Lay certainly had it on her side when her ticket was drawn in the Health & Wealth Raffle. Lay won the $1 million Grand Prize. “I believe in hope and that you can change your destiny,” Lay says. “I’ve had a picture of myself holding a Publisher’s Clearing House check for $5 million on my refrigerator for years. I’ve been telling my friends for ages that I was going to be a millionaire. And now I am. I feel like I’m in a dream!” Lay, who has purchased a raffle ticket for the past nine years, is an aesthetician at a resort in Sedona, Ariz. Or at least she was up until she learned that she was the winner. “I told my boss that if I was the $1-million winner, I was giving her my two-weeks notice.” She was serious. Lay called her boss from St. Joseph’s on April 30—right after she found out the good news and picked up her check. As luck would have it, Lay’s boss practices astrology, and a few months ago, Lay asked for her chart to be read. “She

Barrow Magazine Health & Wealth Raffle

said something amazing was going to change my life drastically—and fast. And then this happened.” Lay says that her boss even predicted it would happen in April. After receiving the phone call that she was one of the three grand prize winners—but without knowing which prize was hers—Lay asked her boss to take another look at her chart to see if she could gain any insight. “She told me there was too much chaos in my chart for it to be the $100,000 prize, but maybe the $250,000 or $1 million.” Lay already had plans to take a leave from work and travel Europe for six weeks and had even purchased her flight to London. “I was planning to stay in youth hostels and eat Power Bars,” she says. “But now I can stay in B & Bs and eat good food. I’m going to be the one getting facials and massages now!” Her first order of business is to fly home to New York and tell her family and friends. “This is such a wonderful raffle that helps so many people,” she says. “And now I am going to be able to help so many people too.” ■

Dawn Lay, Sedona, was the Health & Wealth Raffle Grand Prize winner of $1 million. Robert Cohen, Mesa, shown with his wife, Rochelle, won the Second Grand Prize, $250,000. Rusty Stalder, shown with his wife, Christine, Mesa, won the fourth Early Draw prize, a 2013 Lexus CT hybrid.

Health & Wealth Raffle Barrow Magazine

What you leave behind Worthwhile gifts to family and charities are a wonderful legacy

by Alan Knobloch Director, Major Gifts and Planned Giving Barrow Neurological Foundation, St. Joseph’s Foundation

■ The old saying, "You can't take it with you," is only partially true. In fact, you can take something with you . . . and that is the satisfaction of knowing that you left your possessions behind where they would do the greatest good. For most people, this includes thoughtful provision for a spouse and children. It may also include charitable bequests to organizations like Barrow Neurological Foundation. Every year we receive probate notices from the estates of those who made arrangements to benefit Barrow Neurological Foundation. Sometimes it is a bequest for general-use purposes, and at other times the gift is designated for a special purpose, such as an endowment fund. Whatever the bequest, these notices represent donors who made the decision to take with them the satisfaction of leaving a worthwhile gift. Additionally, the probate notices indicate that the donors may have also carried with them the thought that their bequest served as an example of generosity for family and friends to follow. Those who die without a will may have the misguided notion that they can take their assets with them. On the other hand, those who die “You can take something with a valid will obviously believe otherwise. Through their careful planwith you... the knowledge ning, they ensure that they can take with them a parting thought of satthat your worldly possessions isfaction, knowing that their worldly possessions will be used for worthy purposes. will be used for worthy We urge every friend and supporter to take the time to prepare a purposes.” will and include a bequest to Barrow Neurological Foundation. It will not only help us further our ongoing mission, it may also provide the departing donor with a satisfying thought. For free information about wills and bequests, please request our complimentary Will Information Kit by calling or emailing our Office of Planned Giving at 602-406-1025 or Alan.Knobloch@DignityHealth.org. ■

Barrow Magazine Planned Giving

Stroke Rates Rising Among Younger People Recent studies suggest that the stroke rate among younger individuals is rising. Approximately one-third of strokes are believed to occur in people under age 65. Here are a few ways to lower the risk of stroke, no matter your age: Work It Off – Obesity is considered a leading cause of stroke. Crush the Cigarette – Smoking may be partly to blame for stroke. Understand Your Levels – High blood pressure and high cholesterol can contribute to stroke. Practice Moderation – Excessive alcohol consumption and substance abuse can lead to stroke. For more information, visit TheBarrow.org. If you or someone experiences signs or symptoms of a stroke, call 9-1-1 immediately.

Symptoms of stroke include: - Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg - Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or problems understanding others - Sudden trouble seeing out of one or both eyes - Sudden dizziness, trouble walking or loss of balance - Sudden severe headache with no known cause

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