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This week’s edition of Our Health takes a look at the services offered to cancer patients, as well as a local personal chef and a family who could use some help. . Wellness tips for Mother’s Day 2B • Area health inspections 3B
EnrollinG now 713-290-8277 5000 west Tidwell www.oslschool.org
Saturday, May 9, 2015 • Page 1B
Patient centered care Memorial Hermann Northwest Cancer Center offers variety of high quality treatments, screenings for patients Memorial Hermann For The Leader Clara Cook Lambert offers a unique perspective to patients at Memorial Hermann Cancer CenterNorthwest. “I was a patient and now I’m on the Cancer Center team as a volunteer,� Lambert said. “Our goal is to make treatment less stressful and as easy as possible for our patients.� Lambert battled and beat lung cancer at the Center, located on the Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital Campus, in 2009 and has spent the last two years enthusiastically volunteering there to help others do the same. The 68-year-old former fashion director is nearly six years cancer-free and is a “Survivor! Survivor! Survivor!� as is stated on the shirt she frequently wears while volunteering at Memorial Hermann. The support Lambert now provides to patients was made possible because of the expert care she received years earlier. “I can’t imagine I would have received better care anywhere else in the world than I did here,� she said. From routine cancer screenings to
Contributed photo Team members at the Memorial Hermann Cancer Center-Northwest, (back row, left to right) Debra L. Johnson, Office Coordinator, Radiation Oncologist Neelofur Ahmad, M.D., Oncology Nurse Navigator Angela Sisk, R.N., Radiation Therapist Noe Perez, Diana Howard, R.N., Volunteer Clara Cook Lambert; (front, left to right) Radiation Therapist JoAnn Alvarado, Radiation Therapy Manager Nancy Stamos.
complex treatment, the Center offers world-class skill, leading-edge technology and the most modern care available. “The people of the Greater Heights need to look no further than their own community for expert cancer care,� said Theodore Tenczynski, M.D., an oncologist affiliated with the Center. “Our staff is dedicated to providing optimal care and our imaging studies and treatment programs – specifically breast cancer – have
been recognized for maintaining high standards of practice.� The Center is accredited by the Commission on Cancer for maintaining high-quality, patient-centered care with a continuing focus on evaluation to ensure the best service possible. The full-service breast center has its own dedicated radiologist, MRI and 3-D ultrasound capabilities, and is accredited as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology. The
Center is also accredited as a National Associate Program for Breast Centers by the American College of Surgeons for voluntarily committing to providing the best in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. The continuum of diagnostic, treatment and support services for patients includes imaging; lung and high-risk breast cancer screening programs; a genetics clinic; surgical, medical and radiation oncology; plastic and reconstructive surgery; palliative care and hospice; and an in-patient oncology unit. Patients also have their own oncology nurse navigator, an expert clinician who helps patients through treatment. Several support programs and a dedicated medical and volunteer staff, including Lambert, assist patients on their journey to recovery. The breast prosthesis program and genetic counseling clinic are complemented by several free programs sponsored by the American Cancer Society (ACS), which has its own onsite resource center. The ACS estimates that 78 percent of the 100,000 new cancer diagnoses in Texas this year will be accounted for by those age 55 or older and that the most frequent new cancer cases will be breast, prostate, lung and colorectal. The Center is located at 1635 North Loop West, on the 610 service road just before Ella Boulevard. To schedule a screening, call 713-8673350, or go online to memorialhermann.org/northwest.
Gift of the Heart Area chef offers healthy meal
Preferred Health DireCtory
Dental Care
Lawton
Mark E. Lawton, D.D.S., P.A. General Dentistry 7938 Antoine Drive Houston, Texas 77088 Tel: 281-447-2186 Mark.LawtonDDS@sbcglobal.net
Major Hospitals
Memorial Hermann Northwest 1635 North Loop West Houston, Texas 77008 Tel: 713-867-2000 memorialhermann.org Physician Referral 713.222.CARE
Medical Suppliers
Complete Medical Supply 1714 W. 18th Street (At Ella Blvd) Houston, TX 77008 Tel: (713) 880-4000 www.CompleteMedicalSupply.net
options, learning courses
Contributed photo Eddie Holik’s family is asking for the community’s help in raising money to help cover expenses while he waits for a heart transplant.
Friends, family reach out to community to raise funds for local business owner By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com
YOUR TIME
ONLINE
optical
Today’s Vision 1337B W. 43rd Street Houston, Texas 77018 Tel: 713-686-3221 www.TVOFH.com
Pharmacy
Contributed photo Karuna Diedericks, chef of Karuna’s Healthy Cuisine and Ayurvedic Care.
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1906 W 18th St. Between Ella Blvd. & 610 N. Loop West Tel: 713-864-7636 www.txmedicalsuply.com
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Eddie Battenfield says his uncle, Eddie Holik is always the first one to go out and help people. Since being stricken with an illness and requiring a heart transplant, Battenfield says it still took some convincing to let others help him for a change. “They’re stubborn in that way,� Battenfield said of his aunt and uncle. “When you work as hard as he does, you don’t want to take a lot. They’re not the type you can just hand them an envelope to help them out.� However, Holik is facing large fees as he sits in the ICU at Memorial Hermann’s Heart and Vascular Institute, waiting for a heart transplant. In February, Holik contracted a virus which eventually caused congestive heart failure and his family continues to deal with the emotional and physical toll of playing the waiting game. “He’s 47 years old, so he’s young enough and strong enough to have no other real pre-existing conditions,� Battenfield said. “Obviously, that’s still not an easy road to take.� Holik and his wife Anne Holik are Leader-area natives, and both graduated from St. Pius X High School in 1986. They have one daughter at Oak Forest Elementary School and a son at Frank Black Middle School, and Holik currently runs his own landscaping company, Florascapes, in the Heights. More recently, Holik helped redo the gardens at Oak Forest Elementary, Battenfield said. “With him working in landscaping, a few of his brothers have pitched in to drive some of the workers around but he is clearly not able to go out and do the things he used to do,� Battenfield said. “We’re looking to try to help him out with all of the expenses he has to cover with less income coming in.� After discussions with friends, old classmates and members of the Garden Oaks Baptist Church, Battenfield and others
While there might be plenty of personal chefs in Houston, one Leader area chef is carving out her own niche in the field. Karuna’s Healthy Cuisine and Ayurvedic Care is the brain child of Karuna Diedericks, a personal chef and caterer of vegan and vegetarian cuisine. For those wondering about Ayurveda – it is the traditional medicine of India dating back 5,000 years. According to WebMD it is “based on the belief that health and wellness depend on a delicate balance between the mind, body, and spirit.� As an Ayurvedic practitioner who earned her degree from the California College of Ayurveda in 2007, Diedericks provides dietary and lifestyle counseling according to the principles of Ayurveda. Diedericks has been cooking professionally for seventeen years and in Houston, she has run her personal chef service since 2011. She doesn’t just do Indian food though. Although the meals are vegan and vegetarian, she can cook Italian, American, as well as other ethnic cuisines. There are menu suggestions on her website – examples include roasted vegetable lasagna, Greek moussaka and Walnut Pesto Pasta – but Diedericks said she works with each individual to accommodate a family’s specific taste, needs and dietary restrictions. “Everything is made from scratch: sauces, specialty breads, dressings, using whole and natural ingredients,� Diedericks said. The best part for busy families is that Diedericks goes to homes to cook meals for families. “I do the shopping, preparation, cooking and cleanup,� she said. “Full-service provides 3 to 4 meals for a family of four. I also do catering for parties and other events. I deliver all catered food.� A native Cape Town, South Africa, Diedericks’ experience in the field goes back the time when she operated a vegetarian kiosk at the University of Cape
Town. This job led to several opportunities to cater or sell food at health fairs, cultural events and festivals. Later, she began teaching cooking classes too. “The biggest events I catered in South Africa were the World Parliament of Religion and The UN Global World Summit,� she said. It’s not just adults in Houston who benefit from her expertise. Diedericks offers Food for Life Kids classes, which teach children ages 9-12 in a hands on way about whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. Diedericks said that the curriculum empowers children with the knowledge and skills they need to establish healthy habits to carry them well into adulthood. To find out more about her services, including Ayurveda consultations, personal chef services, cooking lessons and wellness programs, visit karunacare.com.
Advance H e
By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
AHS
Advance Healing Solutions of Houston 5740 W. Little York Houston, Texas 77091 Tel: 281-447-7648
Women’s Care
Sharon Smith, M.D. & Amber Dobyne, M.D. The Preserve 2010 N. Loop West, Suite 260 Houston, Texas 77018 Tel: 713-697-8555 www.obgyncaretx.com
Scheduling your next appointment just got simpler. Memorial Hermann’s online scheduling tool, ScheduleNow, lets you schedule and confirm your appointment with just a few clicks. Visit our website to choose the best time and reserve your spot today at the Memorial Hermann location near you.
PCP s • s P e C i a l i s t s • M a M M o g r a M s • C o l o n o s C o P i e s P h y s i C a l t h e r a P y • er s • h e a rt & s t r o k e s C r e e n i n g s memorialhermann.org L O C AT E D AT 610 A N D E L L A B LV D