Cheers Winter 2015

St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center

CELEBRATING YOUR HEALTH

Winter 2015 • Volume 5, Number 1

Rebecca Packard and Rocky Musso welcome a healthy and happy Avery into their lives.

SAFE & SOUND

BEGINNINGS St. Mary-Corwin Birth Place offers special care for C-section babies.

Story on Page 7

New relief for back pain PAGE 3

Menopause linked to heart disease PAGE 4

COPD program makes breathing easier PAGE 5

PHOTO BY STEVE BIGLEY

Balancing Act Seniors can protect their heads by improving their balance

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f a senior in your life has suddenly One out of every become confused, irritable, and three adults over 65 forgetful, don’t assume it’s just a sign falls each year. of aging. There can be many reasons for the changes and one possibility is a recent fall. Falls cause more than 80 percent of all brain injuries in adults over 65, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In addition to the commonsense advice to keep sidewalks clear of ice and get rid of throw rugs, here are some lesser-known tips for preventing falls.

N Check Your Meds: Some drugs cause dizziness, disorientation, or other side effects that increase the risk of falling, so check with your doctor or pharmacist about all prescription and over-the-counter drugs being taken.

N Shine On: Be sure your home is well lighted, and add night-lights throughout the house.

N Get Moving: Daily exercise not only improves balance and strength but also mental clarity.

Sleep and Heart Disease

De-stress for daylight saving time Sunday, March 8, signals the start of daylight saving time, which to many can mean one less hour of sleep.

But less sleep (under six hours) can lead to an increased risk of heart disease and heart attacks, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). On the flip side, the study also found that too much sleep (more than 10 hours) can lead to an increased risk of heart disease and heart attacks. To lower your stress about daylight saving time and stay heart healthy, try these tips: > Start going to bed and waking up 15-20 minutes earlier the week before the time change > Go to bed one hour earlier on Saturday, March 7 > Reset your clocks on Saturday, March 7, so that your mind already starts adjusting

Concerned about your sleep?

Take our online quiz to test your zzzs. stmarycorwin.org/sleep

SPRING INTO FALL PREVENTION

Stepping On is a FREE seven-week course offered

by St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center to help seniors reduce their risk of falling. The next program begins April 21. For more information, see back cover and call 719-557-3631. Space is limited.

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seconds

One woman in the U.S. dies every minute from heart disease.

Learn why menopause increases your risk and what you can do about it on Page 4.

HEADS UP

Men 40-60 should be alert to symptoms of oral cancer

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t’s fairly well known that sexually transmitted HPV, or the human papillomavirus, can cause cervical cancer in women. But over the past decade, doctors have seen an alarming increase in HPV-associated oral cancer in men.

HPV now accounts for up to 95 percent of all oropharynx cancer, which occurs in the tonsils, back of the mouth, or base of the tongue. These cancers are primarily showing up in men between the ages of 40 and 60.

Oral cancer diagnosed in its early stages has an 80-90 percent cure rate. Oropharynx cancer usually shows up as a lump or swelling in the neck that doesn’t go away. Other less common symptoms include a persistent sore throat or trouble swallowing.

 GET SCREENED at St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center’s FREE head-and-neck cancer screening on Tuesday, April 14. See back cover for complete details. 

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PHOTOS: YOGA ©DOLLARPHOTOCLUB.COM/GORILLA; CLOCK ©DOLLARPHOTOCLUB.COM//MAGANNI; MAN ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/JACOMSTEPHENS

Health Briefs

Back to Basics Effectively managing back pain

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ight out of 10 Americans will suffer from back pain at some point during their lives. If you’re one of the unlucky many, the good news is that you’re not likely to need surgery. In fact, the vast majority of back pain patients find relief with conservative treatments such as physical therapy, over-the-counter pain relievers, or injections, says Brandon Green, MD, a pain and rehabilitation specialist at St. Mary-Corwin Physician Partners — Pain and Rehabilitation.

“The statistics show, and anecdotally I would agree, that the majority of back pain will resolve itself,” Green says.

If the pain is debilitating or continues for more than a few weeks, consult your primary care physician.

Green typically treats patients with chronic back pain that has persisted for more than three months. He and his partners at St. Mary-Corwin Physician Partners — Pain and Rehabilitation offer patients a wide variety of Dr. Brandon Green treatment options.

“My first mission is to evaluate a patient from an interventional approach so that I can determine the source of the pain,” says Green, who often uses MRI, X-ray, and a physical exam to pinpoint the source of pain.

“Interventional procedures like epidurals, nerve blocks, and spinal cord stimulators can fairly immediately reduce or eliminate pain and avoid unnecessary surgery,” Green says.

In addition to injections and interventional pain management, Green offers a combination of other treatments that may include physical therapy, acupuncture, pain medications, and complementary therapies.

“My goal is to only suggest surgery as a last resort,” Green says. “Unfortunately, I see many patients who have undergone surgery and could have likely benefited more from an interventional procedure.”

Getting back on track

Tackle back pain in the first three months with these tips.

do...

PHOTO: WOMAN BY STEVE BIGLEY

Rest your back

don’t...

Become completely sedentary, which studies have shown can increase pain

Try physical therapy, which can stabilize the spine and strengthen core muscles

Continue to engage in activities that stress the back

Take anti-inflammatory medications and apply ice or heat to the pain

Rely solely on pain medications for relief

Wear a lumbar belt or back brace to ease pain during recovery

Smoke, as it has been linked to chronic back pain, according to a new study

Consult with your primary care physician if pain is debilitating or persists for more than a few weeks

Consider surgery before consulting with a primary care physician or pain management specialist

Pain Intervention Wins Interventional treatment, not surgery, is what helped alleviate Alisha Schultz’s excruciating back pain.

Suffering from degenerative disc disease, Schultz had tried numerous therapies and conservative treatments to no avail. She finally found relief with radiofrequency ablation from Brandon Green, MD, a pain and rehabilitation specialist at St. Mary-Corwin Physician Partners — Pain and Rehabilitation.

“Before the procedure, I was on a lot of pain medications with little relief, but with the ablation, I am basically pain-free,” Schultz says.

During radiofrequency ablation, the patient is under local anesthesia while a needle is used to insert a microelectrode into the pain area for stimulation. The procedure typically lasts 20-30 minutes.

“I’ve been so pleased with the outcome that I’m considering having the treatment on my knee, rather than pursuing knee replacement surgery,” she says.

 TO LEARN more or to

find out if radiofrequency ablation might be an option for you, call 719-562-6240. 

stmarycorwin.org | cheers

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Weathering the Change

Understanding how menopause increases the risk of heart disease can help you avoid problems

Heart attacks kill six times as many women each year as breast cancer.

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f you’re going through menopause, you might be acutely aware of symptoms like hot flashes, erratic periods, and irritability. Or maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who sail through this change without hardly noticing it. But whether you’re experiencing outward symptoms or not, your body is going through some dramatic changes internally that are setting the stage for heart disease and even heart attack.

“Most women are not aware that menopause increases their risk of heart disease,” says Jenny Lee, MD, a cardiologist at St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center. No matter what your health is before menopause, she adds, “every woman goes through menopause, so every woman has increased risk of heart disease.”

One in 4 deaths

Around the age of 50, a woman’s risk of heart disease begins increasing dramatically. Before age 45, heart disease accounts for fewer than 8 percent of deaths in women. But by age 55, that jumps to 17 percent and by age 65, one in every four deaths is due to heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

One reason for this sudden increase in heart disease is estrogen. This natural hormone that allows women to become pregnant is believed to help prevent coronary heart disease in several ways:  Keeps low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol low  Increases insulin sensitivity, helping to prevent diabetes  Helps reduce fibrinogen, a protein that helps the blood clot In other words, estrogen keeps your blood healthy and flowing smoothly. Take it away, like after a hysterectomy or menopause, and your blood changes its makeup, becoming fattier and stickier. In addition, about this time — maybe related to the decrease in estrogen or maybe due to other factors — women’s overall cholesterol numbers get higher and blood pressure goes up.

The Framingham Study, the largest and longest study of heart disease, found that LDL (the bad type of cholesterol) averages about 100-120 mg/dL in women under 45 but 140 mg/dL in women over 50.

The good news is that all of this is preventable. According to the American Heart Association, 90 percent of women have at least one risk factor for heart disease that can be changed through lifestyle choices such as eating healthier, losing weight, exercising, and stopping smoking.

“Women can’t keep doing the same thing” as before menopause and expect to remain healthy, Lee says. “Women have to work harder after menopause to get healthy.”

A good starting place is to know your numbers, Lee says. Cholesterol and blood pressure numbers should be tested at least annually and treated if they start creeping up — first with lifestyle changes and then medication if needed. Woman also should watch their waistline, as belly fat is linked to heart disease.

(A healthy waist circumference for women is no more than 35 inches, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.)

Hormone replacement not recommended

NUMBER OF HEART ATTACKS ANNUALLY IN U.S. WOMEN Under age 55 35,000 Over age 55

It’s all preventable

400,000

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50%

Half of Americans have at least one of the three major risk factors of heart disease: 1. High blood pressure 2. High LDL cholesterol 3. Smoking

cheers | St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center

If lower estrogen is at the root of the problem, you might think that artificial hormone replacement therapy (HRT) could help. Until recently, it was believed HRT could help prevent the changes that lead to heart disease. But recent studies have found just the opposite.

“We now know that it actually increases coronary risk,” Lee says.

PHOTO ©DOLLARPHOTOCLUB.COM/RADIAN

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Breathing easier with COPD While women are at greater risk for COPD, pulmonary rehabilitation helps improve lung function — and quality of life

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PHOTO BY STEVE BIGLEY; ILLUSTRATION ©DOLLARPHOTOCLUB.COM/ARTCO

ueblo native Sharon Prutch learned she had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) the hard way: While recovering from pneumonia last March, her trachea collapsed and she stopped breathing. After a two-month hospital stay, Prutch, a 40-year smoker who quit 14 years ago, recently finished St. Mary-Corwin’s pulmonary rehab program and is back in her home, doing many of the activities that winded her before.

Prutch is just one of some 400,000 Coloradans who have COPD, a combination of lung diseases that includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis and in some cases, asthma. According to the Colorado COPD Coalition, COPD — whose symptoms include a chronic “productive” cough or shortness of breath — is the fourth leading cause of death in Americans. Colorado ranks seventh in the nation for COPD-related mortality.

COPD is not only more prevalent in women than men, but they also are more often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed. According to the American Lung Association of Colorado, many patients with COPD mistake their symptoms for a cold or asthma, and often do not consult their primary care providers until the condition has worsened to the point that it impacts their daily lives.

Ron Cothran, BS, RRT, CPFT, respiratory care supervisor and pulmonary rehab coordinator at St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center, encourages people with breathing problems to see their doctor for testing. This may include undergoing a breathing test known as a pulmonary function test (PFT), a screening spirometry, or a simple finger prick blood test.

Oftentimes, women with COPD experience depression, but less than one-third are treated for this. Cothran says untreated depression may be related to misdiagnosis of COPD. “Because their lung problems have not been associated with their decreased quality of life, depression and anxiety often go untreated,” says Cothran. “Patients who know they have COPD often withdraw from family and friends because of embarrassment or the perception of inconvenience. It is important to keep these folks engaged socially and continued with a sense of purpose.”

One way to do this is through pulmonary rehabilitation. “While COPD cannot be cured, it can be treated and managed,” says Cothran. “Not only will they gain tools to improve their quality of life, it puts them in an environment that helps them realize they are not alone and that there are others who understand and can give emotional support.”

Prutch could not agree more.

“Pulmonary rehab gave me confidence in my ability to get well,” she says. “It taught me how to breathe properly and how to live with COPD. I always left there feeling 100 percent better than I did when I went in. I think the program should be a must for anyone who has any kind of respiratory problem.”

 LEARN MORE St. Mary-Corwin’s next pulmonary rehab program begins March 3, 2015.

To learn more about the program or to register, call 719-557-5280. 

Sharon Prutch, left, has returned to the things she loves, including quilting with her great-niece Morgan.

Kick-start your life with COPD training St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center offers an eight- to 12-week pulmonary rehabilitation program for people with COPD and other lung diseases. The program is designed to help improve quality of life, better daily function, increase ability to exercise, decrease symptoms, and manage anxiety and depression. Each plan is individualized and includes exercise training, education on lung disease, nutrition, energy-conserving techniques, and breathing strategies.

stmarycorwin.org | cheers

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PRECISION TREATMENT

Radiation therapy to treat cancer is safer, faster, and nearly free of side effects

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ore than half of cancer patients today receive radiation therapy. And thanks to advancements made over the past 20 years, treatment is now safer, more effective, and causes fewer side effects than ever.

Today, radiation oncologists are using sophisticated technology to shape the radiation beams to match the tumor and also to follow the tumor if it shifts locations.

By doing this, fewer healthy cells are damaged and higher doses of radiation can be used. This minimizes side effects while also improving effectiveness and shortening the course of treatment.

“With modern equipment, delivery of radiation is precise both in its dose and ability to block the radiation beams from critical normal structures, often in close proximity to the target,” says Geoffrey Johnson, MD, a board-certified radiation oncologist at the Dorcy Cancer Center at St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center. “The patient feels no differently just before, during, or just after a treatment.”

The difference between radiation therapy 20 years ago and today is like comparing carpet bombing to laser-guided missiles. To be sure all cancer cells were destroyed, physicians in the past had to use large beams of radiation that destroyed cells in a large swath — both cancerous and healthy.

“As a result, the dose had to be lower due to safety concerns, which meant a lower chance of cancer eradication,” Johnson says. “The higher doses that come with today’s technology allow for greater probability that radiation will eradicate the cancer target.”

THE LATEST IN CANCER CARE

The Dorcy Cancer Center at St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center is outfitted with two of the most sophisticated radiation therapy machines available, the Varian Trilogy and the Varian TrueBeam linear accelerators. The Dorcy Cancer Center at St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center is part of the Centura Health Cancer Network, delivering integrated, advanced cancer care across Colorado.

 TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR of the Dorcy Cancer Center at dorcycancercenter.org. 

‘I have a whole new life’ Connie Jackson, 58, wasn’t all that concerned when she started to lose her voice last summer. But when she had trouble breathing a few nights later, she headed to the emergency room. After several visits and a battery of tests, Jackson was diagnosed with cancer of her throat and the top portion of one of her lungs.

As part of her treatment at Dorcy Cancer Center at St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center, Jackson underwent a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy — 35 radiation treatments targeted on the tumor in her throat and five treatments for her upper lung.

“They told me that I might have some side effects from the radiation, but that it would not be bad,” Jackson says. “I think I was nauseous one time but that was it. I would just lie on the table and let the machine do the work.”

Jackson’s treatment ended over a year ago, and she credits the team at St. Mary-Corwin with saving her life, and enabling her to return home to her sister, Jan Lozier, and to her “four-legged babies”: Blondie, a 5-year-old Shar-Pei, and Cinnamon, her 12-year-old cat.

“I have a whole new life thanks to those people,” says Jackson, who quit smoking last year when her cancer was diagnosed. “Dr. Johnson really knows his business, and he knows I call him my angel.

My speech therapist, Leslie Frazier, is also an angel. They are all really good people.”

Connie Jackson ha s her breath back, thanks to an innovative progra m at St. Mary-Corw in.

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cheers | St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center

PHOTO BY STEVE BIGLEY; ILLUSTRATION ©DOLLARPHOTOCLUB.COM/EATCUTE

Puebloan credits Dorcy Cancer Center with saving her life

Cesarean sections safer in certain situations Breech birth most common reason for C-section

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ne out of every three babies born in the United States this year will be delivered by Cesarean section, making it the most common surgery in the country. Although the high rate of C-sections has been questioned, there are times when the surgery is absolutely the best choice.

“When the baby is breech is the most common reason for C-section without a trial of labor,” says Megan Lenhart, MD, an obstetrician/gynecologist at St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center. Roughly 4 percent of babies are breech, which is when the baby’s head is not positioned downward to enter the birth canal first.

New research shows that the risk of death for the breech babies is 10 times greater when delivered vaginally instead of via C-section.

In addition to breech positioning, the following situations could make C-sections safer than vaginal births, according to Lenhart: > If maternal disorders or pelvic abnormalities exist in the mother, which can affect labor or the ability to push > If the baby is too large to fit through the birth canal > If the mother had complications with labor previously For 27-year-old first-time mother Rebecca Packard, a C-section was not part of her birth plan.

“I really wanted a natural birth, but when my daughter wouldn’t flip, I knew my safest option was a C-section,” Packard says.

Packard was scheduled for a C-section but went into labor on her own. Nervous about the spinal block and surgery, she was surprised to feel no pain and have her baby within 10 minutes of the incision.

“It really wasn’t that bad and recovery went better than expected,” says Packard, who delivered her healthy daughter, Avery Musso, last November at St. Mary-Corwin’s Birth Place.

PHOTO BY STEVE BIGLEY; ILLUSTRATION ©DOLLARPHOTOCLUB.COM/LAR01JOKA

C-Section Suite

Packard delivered at St. Mary-Corwin’s Birth Place, in a specially designed operating room.

“We really appreciated the extra care we received,” Packard says.

The Birth Place is staffed 24/7 by highly trained physicians, nurses, and anesthesiologists. OB-GYNs are on-call 24/7 to deliver emergency C-sections, and family practice physicians are trained in managing preparations and stabilizing the baby for C-sections prior to the surgeon’s arrival, Lenhart says. In addition, The Birth Place features on-site maternal-fetal medicine, neonatal nurse practitioners, and a certified Level IIB Nursery skilled at caring for infants, including those born prematurely or those with special health needs.

Rebecca Packard and her husband, Rocky, didn’t plan on a C-section, but baby Avery’s feet-first position made it the safest delivery option.

Avoiding Complications

Complications from C-sections are rare, and the majority stem from issues unrelated to the surgery itself, such as placental abruption (when the placenta disconnects too early), according to numerous studies.

However, babies delivered via C-section are more than twice as likely as those delivered vaginally to have respiratory issues. This is because fluid in the baby’s lungs is typically removed as the baby travels through the vaginal canal, which doesn’t occur during a C-section.

The issues, though, can typically be managed successfully with oxygen, suction, and careful monitoring, Lenhart says.

 SCHEDULE a tour of The Birth Place at St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center and sign up for birthing classes at stmarycorwin.org/birth. 

stmarycorwin.org | cheers

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St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center brings specialized care in the complex areas of cancer care, robotic surgery, joint replacement surgery, sports medicine, pediatrics, women’s services, cardiology, and more. We are part of Centura Health, the state’s largest health care network. The purpose of this publication is to support our mission to improve the health of the residents in our community. No information in this publication is meant as a recommendation or as a substitution for your physician’s advice. If you would like to comment on this magazine, please email cheers@centura.org.

Cheers is produced by Clementine Words LLC of Denver, Colo.

Executive editor is Rochelle Kelly Wristen.

Catholic Health Initiatives Colorado

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID

Colorado Springs, CO Permit No. 14

1008 Minnequa Avenue Pueblo, CO 81004

Part of Centura Health, the region’s leading health care network.

Centura Health does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, religion, creed, ancestry, sexual orientation, and marital status in admission, treatment, or participation in its programs, services and activities, or in employment. For further information about this policy, contact Centura Health’s Office of the General Counsel at 303-804-8166. Copyright © Centura Health, 2015.

Events Calendar

Looking for some inspiration or motivation to improve your health? Join the health experts at St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center at a variety of health classes and programs around the community. Here are just a few of the programs we offer. To see more classes, go online to stmarycorwin.org/calendar. Cheers to your health!

ILLUSTRATION ©DOLLARPHOTOCLUB.COM/ISMAGILOVA; PHOTO ©DOLLARPHOTOCLUB.COM/ANTEROVIUM

Walk With a Doc

Sat, Mar 14 | 9 a.m.

Sat, April 18 | 9 a.m.

Lake Minnequa FREE Even though the weather is cold and wintery, it is still important to stay active. With the holidays over and spring around the corner, following a healthy diet and exercising can keep you healthy through the colder months. Walk With a Doc is the perfect way to stay active with physicians from Southern Colorado Family Medicine. The walk is FREE and goes around Lake Minnequa. Meet by the Lake Avenue fire station across from St. Mary-Corwin— no registration is needed; just show up for a great time.

Joint Replacement Seminar

Mon, Apr 13 | 5 p.m.

Dorcy Cancer Center Conference Room RSVP at 719-557-5622 FREE Join our orthopedic experts to understand whether joint replacement is right for you, the

latest techniques being used to improve outcomes and reduce pain, and how you can best prepare for surgery.

FREE Oral, Head, and Neck Cancer Screening Tue, Apr 14 | 5-7 p.m.

719-557-4548 FREE More than 50,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with head and neck cancer each year. In recognition of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week® (OHANCAW), the Dorcy Cancer Center is offering a FREE oral, head and neck cancer screening.

Call to schedule your free screening today!

Saturday Mammos

Breast Center of Excellence 719-557-5931, option 1 If work has been getting in the way of your annual screening mammogram, schedule your appointment during these special Saturday events.

Special giveaways and free refreshments will be provided.

Stepping On! Fall Prevention Program

Junior League of Pueblo Girls’ Night Out Fri, Apr 17 | 5-9 p.m.

Pueblo Convention Center $15 in advance/$20 at door jlofpueblo.org St. Mary-Corwin is a proud sponsor of this annual event benefiting children’s literacy and health programs. You won’t want to miss the “Girls Gone Mod” themed fashion show celebrating the reemergence of mid-1960s and late 1970s British fashion.

More than 60 local vendors will be on display at the tradeshow, and there will be live music and a free dessert bar. Go to jlofpueblor.org for more information and to learn where you can purchase tickets.

Tues, Apr 21-Jun 2 | 9:30-11:30 a.m.

719-557-3631 • FREE Seniors are taught exercises to help strengthen balance and coordination during this seven-week program that has been proven to reduce the risk of falling by 30 percent. It’s taught in a small group setting and includes information on vision, safety, and medications. Limited space available, so register early!

March of Dimes Walk for Babies

Sat, Apr 25 | 8 a.m.

Riverwalk marchforbabies.org St. Mary-Corwin is a sponsor of this annual walk that helps educate people on the causes of low-birth-weight babies and fund research to help treat babies born prematurely. To join the walk or make a donation, go online to marchforbabies.org, enter your ZIP code, and click on the Pueblo walk.

Once there, you can choose to walk on your own, form a team, or join the St. Mary-Corwin team.