JUNE 2013
Cancer Centennial Gala Raises $750,000 BY CARMEN PILES
HEALTH CARE CORNER
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he 100th birthday of the American Cancer Society raised over $750,000 as a who’s who of Miami recently gathered for at its Centennial Gala, at the Trump Doral Golf Resort and Spa, spectacular with breathtaking décor by WOW Factor. Carnival Cruise Lines was honored for its continued commitment and support of charitable organizations and important causes throughout South Florida including the American Cancer Society. “It was truly an honor to represent Carnival Cruise Lines at the American Cancer Society’s annual gala last weekend,” said Brenda Yester, Carnival’s Senior Vice President of Revenue Management. “South Florida has been Carnival’s home since our company was founded 41 years ago and we look forward to working with outstanding organizations such as the American Cancer Society in helping to make a difference in our community.” Chairpersons for the 2013 black-tie fundraiser were Madeleine and Pedro Munilla with Co-Chairs Teresita and Michael Haskett. Lourdes and Felipe Valls serving as Honorary Chairs. Community leaders attending included Cong. Mario Diaz-Balart, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, Hon. Carlos LopezCantera, Hon. Mirna Llorens Sanchez, Hon. Marcia Cooke, Chief Judge Bertila Soto, Former U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, and Commissioner Francis Suarez. An extended cocktail hour sponsored by Bacardi and Trump Winery allowed nearly 750 patrons a chance have fun in the photo booth sponsored by Braman Honda/The Diaz Family, and to bid on an array of silent auction items. Eugene Ramirez of the WSVN 7 News team hosted the event. Dinner and dancing to the music of The Chase Band and Miami DJ Mark Leventhal included a surprise confetti blast and per-
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– See GALA, page 5
Sports Concussions: Raising Community Awareness BY DR. ALEJANDRO BADIA, Medical Director OrthoNOW
At Cancer Centennial (l-r), Michael and Teresita Hasskett, Pedro and Madeleine Munilla, Lourdes and Felipe Valls. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
It’s time for high school sports to do the right thing BY GRANT MILLER
Publisher ere is a question: Is doing the right thing always the right thing to do, or only when it’s convenient? I would like to put that question to the principals and athletic directors of
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area high schools. It seems to be a national trend these days, but I bring this up because of incidents at local schools in which student athletes have displayed bad sportsmanship, yelling at referees or angrily throwing their equipment against a wall to show their displeasure.
It was a significant enough violation to get one student suspended, but the problem was that the school administrators didn’t suspend the kid there and then. They put the suspension off until later because there was an important game or match coming up and they apparently didn’t want to hurt the team’s chances for a victory by removing a key player. What would happen if the student athlete behaved that way in the classroom? For sure the student would be suspended. I know for a fact that some public and private school student athletes are walking out on their class if there is a test and
––––––––––– See THE RIGHT THING, page 5
Sports related concussions have recently received the appropriate media attention largely due to the suicide deaths of several high profile football players. While this represents an extreme example, and an effect of chronic injury now known as CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), concussions at any level need to be recognized and treated appropriately. A concussion is basically a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI), typically caused by a direct blow or jolting injury to the head that can actually affect brain function, usually temporary. The symptoms can be somatic (headache), cognitive, and even emotional. While these singular events are not usually serious, the cumulative effects over time can be significant. While falls from a height, or motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) are not typically preventable, the vast majority of athletic concussions are avoidable and certainly the repetitive trauma must be halted. It has been estimated that over 40 percent of high school football players have sustained a concussion during their playing years, and 32 percent sustained multiple concussions, possibly leading to some permanent damage. Studies have also shown that high school players have more severe consequences from this injury than college players, possibly due to less developed
––––– See HEALTH CARE CORNER, page 5
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