APRIL 2020
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APRIL WRITERS
TRUE FIGHTER: LOCAL COMMUNITY THEATER ADVOCATE BATTLES BREAST CANCER WITH GRACE AND HUMILITY
Cancer is ugly, insidious and tenacious, but the resolve that it can produce in survivors is remarkably beautiful. Hendricks County resident Karla Janning is the perfect example of someone who has fought cancer with graceful fortitude.
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Jamie Hergott / Tonya Green Christy Heitger-Ewing
APRIL PHOTOGRAPHERS Amy Payne / Andy Janning Auto Imagery
SHOP LOCAL! Help our local economy by shopping local. Advertising supporters of the Avon Magazine offset the costs of publication and mailing, keeping this publication FREE. Show your appreciation by thanking them with your business. BUSINESS SPOTLIGHTS ARE SPONSORED CONTENT
The Avon Magazine is published by the Towne Post Network and is written for and by local Avon area residents. Magazines are direct mailed to homes and businesses and are also available in racks throughout the community each month.
6 All In, Hendricks County 10 Business Spotlight: Whipple Eye
23 Preventing “Tech Neck” &
13 Kickin' It: STAR Soccer Program
Center
Welcomes Kids With Special-Needs
19 Burning Rubber: Hoosier Drag
“Smartphone Thumb”
25 True Fighter: Local Community
Theater Advocate Battles Breast Cancer with Grace and Humility
33 Dog Days : Central Indiana K9
Racer Antron Brown Named National Hot Rod Association Driver of the Decade
Association Works to Improve & Expand Training Opportunities for K9 Officers
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Provided by Visit Hendricks County
Oh, how daily life can change in an instant. I’ve been part of an organization here at Visit Hendricks County that for years has focused on attracting visitors to come, stay and play here. But during this pandemic, however long it lasts, we have shifted our focus primarily to you guys – our residents and local business owners. We want to provide you information for all the “good stuff.” We are calling it All In, Hendricks County, and all our messaging, partnerships, promotions, website, social media channels and frankly our staff’s attention has turned to this new approach. Do you want to know what is open locally? Are you looking for ideas of what to do at home with your families? Do you just need a good place to take your mind off COVID-19? VisitHendricksCounty.com is the place to find those resources. In this time of social distancing, we’ve launched this new section of our website at VisitHendricksCounty.com/ 6 / AVON MAGAZINE / APRIL 2020 / AvonMagazine.com
community that will bring everyone together. We’ve collected ideas for things to do, places to get food and ways to stay active while over lives are temporarily disrupted. Specifically, we have sections on restaurants, virtual things to do, how to stay active, feel-good stories and links to community resources. We have remained in contact with our local government agencies and businesses to provide this community resource all in one place. Let us know if you have additional resources we should post or feelgood stories we can share. We’re all in this together, Hendricks County.
Here’s a summary of what you will find there: Restaurants We heard so many heart-warming stories when this all started in mid-March about the efforts and adjustments our restaurants were making once the governor called for the closure of in-person dining and gatherings. The Bread Basket Cafe & Bakery began taking orders and leaving food on their front porch for pick up and even delivering to residents in Danville age 60 and over. Or how about Rusted Silo BBQ & Brewhouse expanding their services in Lizton by stocking and selling milk and eggs to provide to their small community that lacks a grocery store. There was and continues to be so much good going on out there that we wanted to compile a list of what all our restaurants are doing that we are updating regularly.
At Home This page includes everything you need to provide fun activities and distractions at home to help everyone in the family with cabin fever. We have partnered with some of our local businesses and even some of our travel writer friends to develop great ideas. AvonMagazine.com / APRIL 2020 / AVON MAGAZINE / 7
How about building a cardboard city in your home? Have you thought about participating in a virtual playdate where you can join others online as everyone works on a craft together? You’ll find that and more.
Active Living To keep you fit and active during this time of social distancing, we have compiled local online fitness classes and even places outdoors that you can still visit such as our many parks and trails. The outdoor options especially can allow you to get out of the house and perhaps see a portion of the county you’ve never experienced all while staying safe and improving your mental health and anxiety.
Community Resources Additional resources will be poured into helping our displaced hospitality workers find new jobs in the logistics 8 / AVON MAGAZINE / APRIL 2020 / AvonMagazine.com
sector. While we are experiencing tremendous job loss at our hotels and restaurants, our logistics centers like Amazon and Chewy desperately need more help. With the announcement on March 19 regarding statewide school closures through May 1, we will work with our school superintendents to be a resource hub for shared activities.
should feature to showcase the good stuff locally, please reach out to me by email at josh@visithendrickscounty.com.
may not be as vital as health care, we will be here as a beacon of light during this stressful time.
Ultimately, we want to shine a light on all the good that is happening and provide a welcome distraction. While what we do
Hang in there and stay safe. We are resilient. We will get through this if we are All In it together, Hendricks County.
The tourism industry will suffer significantly, and we have also started communication programs to our business owners that rely on visitors to help sustain a profit margin. When the rebound comes, and it will come, we will support those businesses and activities with grant programs, relief loans and marketing dollars to ensure that we still have a great place to visit. We always say that no one chooses Hendricks County without first being a visitor. They need to love it enough to live here and move their business here. We will be here to make us all continue to love living in Hendricks County.
Around the Community We have maintained a very active blog for the past eight years that while focused on enticing visitors to come to Hendricks County also evolved into a resource many residents who subscribe to it use to keep updated about what’s going on in our community. Our Hendricks County Insider blog at VisitHendricksCounty.com/Blog will focus on more feel-good stories and posts moving forward that highlight some of our area attractions and the people behind them. We’ve even partnered with the Hendricks County ICON and Business Leader to re-run some of their past features about local faces of tourism. If you know of anything or anyone we AvonMagazine.com / APRIL 2020 / AVON MAGAZINE / 9
WHIPPLE EYE CENTER 8244 E. U.S. 36, Suite 200 Avon, IN 46123 317.272.2020 WhippleEyeCenter.com
Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photography Provided
The year 2020 is a great time to promote healthy vision, according to Dr. Dan Whipple, founding physician at the Whipple Eye Center. “We are taking advantage of the year 2020 to promote getting out to see your eye doctor,” Whipple says. The Whipple Eye Center has been a cornerstone of the Avon community since 1992. Twenty-eight years ago Hendricks County was an underserved area for eye care. That all changed in July of 1992 when Whipple opened the Whipple Eye Center in Avon. His first office was at Prestwick, and in 1993 he moved to the Hendricks Regional Health building, where he remains today. Whipple’s eye exam team sees patients for office visits on the upstairs level, and Whipple performs surgeries downstairs in the Hibbeln Surgery Center. “I’m a big fan of taking care of people locally,” says Whipple, who has performed more than 10,000 cataract surgeries right here in
Hendricks County. “I like being able to bring cutting-edge technology to Hendricks County so that my patients don’t have to travel to Indianapolis or elsewhere for the most up-to-date eye care.” Whipple is a leader in no-shot, no-stitch, no-patch cataract surgery, and he has taught the technique since 1996. “Cataract surgery has evolved significantly during my 30-year career,” Whipple says. “People are having it done much younger, since the success rates are over 97 percent and it’s permanent. Once removed, cataracts don’t come back. In addition, there is a great opportunity to become less dependent or completely independent of glasses, with advances in intraocular lens implant (IOL) technology for astigmatism and trifocal correction. Whipple Eye Center has been a leader in these advanced technology IOLs for over a decade.” In June of 2012, Whipple was the first eye surgeon in central Indiana to introduce laser-assisted cataract surgery with the LenSx femtosecond laser. Another example of the state-of-the-art care offered by the Whipple Eye Center team is MIGS, microinvasive glaucoma surgery, which combines cataract surgery
10 / AVON MAGAZINE / APRIL 2020 / AvonMagazine.com
with glaucoma surgery. In August of 2012, Whipple implanted the first five commercial iStents in the United States used to perform MIGS surgery. Since then, more than 500,000 of these procedures have been completed nationwide. Whipple also provides intravitreal injections for patients with macular degeneration or diabetes. “Over the past nine years this has become a great convenience for our patients, saving them a 30-mile trip to a retina specialist every month or so,” Whipple says. In an era when medical practices are increasingly hospital owned and operated, Whipple’s practice has been independently owned and operated for 28 years. It’s important to Whipple that his office provides state-of-the-art care in a friendly environment, where the phone is still answered by a real person. Whipple has always surrounded himself with a patient-focused eye care team. Dr. Daniel Spitzberg has been practicing ophthalmology in the Indianapolis area for more than 40 years. “It was (Spitzberg’s) attraction to offering the most state-of-the-
art care that brought him to join our team,” Whipple says. Many employees, including administrators, technicians and frontoffice personnel, have been at the Whipple Eye Center for more than a decade. Dr. Elise Smith is now in her twenty-third year at the practice as an optometrist. The latest addition to the team, Dr. Robert McPike, is a 2008 Avon High School graduate who received his optometry degree from Indiana University in 2016. McPike achieved the second highest score in the country on the Patient Assessment and Management national optometry board exam. “It’s convenient having all three services - ophthalmologist, optometrist and optician - in the same office,” says Whipple, who opened his practice in Avon because his wife Libby wanted to raise their children near her hometown of Plainfield. “The kids are all grown, and we’re waiting on grandkids,” Whipple says. “Avon has been a great place to raise a family and own a business. I’ve watched the community grow up all around me. Although we utilize the latest technology, we still provide oldfashioned care and concern for our patients.”
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Coach Romie with his daughter, Madelyn, & assistant coach, Carol Crawn
STAR Soccer Program Welcomes Kids With Special-Needs Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photography Provided
Sometimes the greatest ideas are sparked by a single question. Such was the case for Dave Romie when, in 2009, he and his family were attending a league soccer picnic for his oldest daughter Mariea and youngest son Quinn. After everyone had finished their hot dogs and potato chips, the kids started playing soccer. Romie’s middle child Mady, who was nine years old at the time, wanted to play too, so Romie kicked the ball to her and she fired it back. Romie and his wife Susan were delighted by how skilled Mady was, given that she has special needs. They also loved seeing her light up each time her foot made contact with the ball. Later Susan asked Dave why Mady couldn’t play in a soccer league. He immediately went home and did some research. When he learned there weren’t any special-needs soccer programs in
the area, he felt compelled to start one himself. Romie found a community-based training program online that outlines step-bystep instructions for anyone starting a program for athletes with intellectual, emotional, and/or physical disabilities. “I quickly found that those who had a program loved to talk about it and were happy to offer advice on how I could get one up and running,” says Romie, who did just that in 2009. In the fall of 2013, Romie partnered with Hendricks Community Soccer (HCS), which has approximately 1,200 players ranging in age from four to 20. Romie teamed with HCS to create the STAR (Success Through Adaptive Recreation) soccer program. For the first STAR season, 11 players registered to play. Last fall, that number climbed to 30. Fall and spring STAR leagues are offered, and registration for the program is free as all costs are
APRIL 2020
absorbed through HCS and sponsors. For the past two seasons, Big O Tires in Brownsburg and State Bank of Lizton have sponsored the STAR program. Spring practices start in the third week of March, and games begin in mid-April. The STAR program is similar to the other recreational programs offered through HCS. For example, all programs including STAR hold practices during the week with games on Saturdays. STAR athletes are issued the same uniforms as the other teams in the club, and receive the same trophies at the end of the season. “They also get a team picture and receive the same post-game treats, which is the best part,” Romie says. “We try to make the program like a regular rec team, but what that looks like for each individual player varies.” STAR athletes are encouraged to participate in practice drills, but if STAR kids would rather kick the ball around with a helper on the sidelines, that’s fine too. There are no rules. “Our number one goal is to make sure the kids have fun each week,” Romie says. STAR athletes don’t play against other clubs. Instead, each Saturday the kids play academy style, meaning the kids that show up play against one another. The athletes are split into two groups - those who crave competitive play and those who don’t. The competitive component is for kids who focus and move the ball. For the noncompetitive players, it’s more of a playground atmosphere with lots of balls to kick around. “It gives the non-competitive kids time to play with the ball rather than chasing up and down and never getting in touch with it,” says Romie, who enjoys watching the children evolve as each season progresses. “We get kids who can’t do a lot physically at first, but by the end of the season they are steadier and have better muscle tone. Their confidence improves too.” Volunteers come each week to help with Thursday practices and Saturday games, and throughout the season Romie invites area soccer teams to play with the STAR league. Players from local high schools including Brownsburg, Avon, Bethesda, Tri-West and Cardinal Ritter have all participated. “It’s good on both sides,” Romie says. “Our kids love it because it gives them a comfort level with the typical kids. And for the other kids, it’s great exposure to those with special needs. It makes everyone more comfortable with one another because on a soccer field, everyone is on a level playing field, sharing common passion for the game.” APRIL 2020
On certain Saturdays during the season, soccer players from university teams play with the STAR kids, including Marion, IUPUI, Purdue, and Butler. To strengthen the bonds, leaders at those schools have also invited the kids to attend their games as spectators. Last fall STAR players were invited to watch Butler play Georgetown. The following day, Butler leaders invited the kids to come to their field and play with both the Butler and Georgetown players, who remained in town a few extra hours so they could be included. “That was a cool experience,” Romie says. Paul Snape, head coach of the Butler Bulldogs men’s soccer team, says that playing with the STAR soccer team is one of the highlights of their season. “We’ve been doing this for the past two or three years,” Snape says. “The kids are full of energy, passion and love for this beautiful game. It’s a wonderful couple of hours.”
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Besides college teams, a number of community organizations have also participated including the Brownsburg fire and police departments, the staff at K1ds Count Therapy and various Boy Scout troops.
“He started kicking the ball once, then twice, then three and four times,” Romie says. “It was so neat to see him participate.” Because the STAR players vary in skill and ability levels, the helpers encourage ball sharing during games and practices.
“Getting the community involved is one of my favorite things,” says Romie, who is grateful for his STAR helpers and assistant coaches, two of whom have disabilities themselves. “They are so amazing. Everyone who helps shares the same passion for soccer. We all want to provide that great experience for the kids, and it’s humbling that we’re able to do so.”
“Our goal is to let each kid score once or twice per game,” Romie says. “Some of the kids who are new and competitive see the goal and the ball, and that’s all they see. They have a hard time understanding that we want everybody to score.”
Romie recalls a special moment he had with a little boy who played in the STAR program a couple of years ago. When the kid first started, he was drastically unfocused. “He mostly just loved to run,” Romie says. “He’d never kick the ball.”
“It’s neat when they start screening other players or even grabbing a player’s hand and helping him toward the ball,” Romie says. “That’s what it’s all about.”
One day, however, Romie picked up a soccer ball and put it between the two of them, repeatedly encouraging the boy to kick it. Halfway through practice, something clicked.
Before long, however, the players tend to catch on.
For more information on the STAR program or to become a club sponsor, email Dave Romie at dromie@hendrickssoccer.net. For more info, visit hendrickssoccer.net.
APRIL 2020
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‡Lifetime Deck Warranty applies to any new, residential-use HRX Series mower. Deck warranty is valid for the original purchaser only. For additional warranty details, see your local Honda Power Equipment Dealer or visit powerequipment.honda.com. Please read the owner’s manual *Minimum Advertised Price. †Offer good on any new Honda HRS, HRN, and HRX Series lawn mower purchased April 1st through June 30th, 2020. Register your new mower within 30 days after purchase and receive an additional one year to the Honda 3-Year Limited Warranty for before operating your Honda Power Equipment. © 2020 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. HRS and HRN Series or Honda 5-Year Limited Warranty on the HRX Series. CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS ONLY: Failure to register your product will not diminish your warranty rights. Go to powerequipment.honda.com to see warranty details and register your Honda mower. ‡Lifetime Deck Warranty applies to any new, residential-use HRX Series mower. Deck warranty is valid for the original purchaser only. For additional warranty details, see your local Honda Power Equipment Dealer or visit powerequipment.honda.com. Please read the owner’s manual before operating your Honda Power Equipment. © 2020 American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
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Hoosier Drag Racer Antron Brown Named National Hot Rod Association Driver of the Decade Writer / Jamie Hergott Photography Provided by Amy Payne & Auto Imagery
AvonMagazine.com / APRIL 2020 / AVON MAGAZINE / 19
ntron Brown is a household name in the drag racing industry. He is a National Hot Rod Association Top Fuel World Champion three times over, with a slew of career event titles including 50 in the Top Fuel Class and 16 in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class. Just this winter, he was named the NHRA’s Top Fuel Driver of the Decade, an honor even he didn’t see coming. “Just to be racing for a decade is awesome,” Brown says. “To be named driver of the decade is just something else.” But the trophies and lights don’t blind him to what’s really important and how he got here in the first place. “The crazy part for me personally is I have never looked back at what I’ve accomplished,” Brown says. “I’m always looking forward to what else I can grasp. I’m in the middle of my career, I’m still strong and still fighting. I’m always looking to be better. That’s what you have to strive for.” Brown’s work ethic and his love for racing both started at an early age. Growing up on farmland in rural New Jersey, Brown comes from a strong line of do-it-yourselfers. They had their own excavating and septic tank services, owning and servicing their own tractors, dump trucks and septic tank trucks. Brown was always helping his dad and uncle fix equipment. He also remembers their love for racing. Both his dad and uncle were and still are avid NHRA Sportsman racers. They caught the racing bug from Brown’s grandfather, and Brown is continuing the tradition by passing his passion down to his own three kids by introducing them to NHRA Junior drag racing. Brown himself has fond memories of racing as a youngster, remembering how his dad and uncle worked hard during the week and raced hard on the weekend. When Brown was four years old, his dad got him his first dirt bike just after he learned how to ride a bike without training wheels. He raced his minibike on the 15 acres of land behind
his grandparents’ house. He also distinctly remembers when his bike broke down. His dad and uncle would show him how to fix it so he could fix it himself.
chirped, ‘How you doin’, Big Daddy?”
“I didn’t realize what an amazing opportunity that was at the time,” Brown says. “I thought that was a normal way of life.”
Brown says he peered right up into Garlits’ face and said, “Why they call you Big Daddy? You don’t look that big to me!”
That particular summer, Brown was a scrawny 10-year-old on the small side, but he made up in confidence what he lacked in height. He walked right up to Garlits and
Brown was racing motocross at a friend’s house and got into an accident, his arm pinned behind his head with a posterior dislocation and a fractured rotator cuff.
“I’m good, how you doin’, little buddy?” Garlits answered.
Brown remembers the moment fondly. Brown soon began to race motocross, which introduced him to the wide world of racing. “’l’ll never forget him looking back at me The pace and thrill grabbed his attention, and saying, ‘Cause I’m big in heart, son,’” he and he couldn’t get enough. says. "That made a lifelong imprint on me that brought me to where I am today.” “Lo and behold, I realized this is what I wanna do,” he says. “This is me.” Today, Garlits is a mentor for Brown, his cell number in Brown’s phone for Brown remembers one poignant moment encouragement and advice. as a child he will never forget. He was attending his first National event in Brown continued to pour all his time and Englishtown, New Jersey. His family had energy on racing, his eyes on a fast and taken him to see the “big boys” and “big endless future. Through his teenage years, girls” race pro stock motorcycles. Brown he traveled up and down the east coast on was exploring the pit when he happened the weekends racing. across one of his heroes, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, an American drag racer who is still But it all came crashing down on a fateful considered the father of drag racing. day when he was 15 years old.
APRIL 2020
Following surgery to reset his arm, Brown’s mom sat him down. “She told me to slow down with racing, finish high school and just be a normal kid and have fun,” Brown says. “The whole deal changed for me. I had these dreams of one day becoming a pro motocross racer. After the accident, I gave up on it.” While motocross took a back seat, Brown couldn’t stay away from racing and took up racing street bikes. In the meantime, he finally put some thought into his future following high school. Brown got his Associate of Arts degree in Business Administration at Mercer Junior College, all while competing in sports. He walked onto the track team as their fastest sprinter, and he received a full scholarship for numerous Division I schools. He was ranked No. 1 in the country for the 55-meter indoor dash. Always aiming high, Brown chose to attend Long Island University to train under Olympic athlete Chris Carter. A studentathlete with excellent grades and No. 1 ranked times on the track, Brown thought he was set for his future until fate stepped in once more. A phone call from NFL cornerback Troy Vincent to his dorm room changed everything. Vincent, who had just recently married Brown’s cousin, wanted to start a racing team and asked if Brown was capable of racing Pro Stock Motorcycles. While the decision was tough, Brown couldn’t say no to his first love of drag racing. “My mom supported me 100% and said if it was something I was truly passionate about, why would she ever hold me back,” Brown says. “And my dad said of course, since I paved my own way.” That was the start of a career rich in victories and big names. Another hero of his, and eventually Brown’s mentor, NHRA rider Dave Schultz also became a part of his team to make what truly was Brown’s dream team. Brown raced Pro Stock Motorcycles for 10 years, collecting 16 victories in 33 final rounds, 11 No. 1 qualifying awards, and
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twice finished second in point standings, both in 2001 and 2006. If that wasn’t enough, he signed on with David Powers Motorsports to drive the Matco Tools dragster in 2008. He amassed his biggest victories in the Top Fuel class, the transition an explosive one as he became the first driver in NHRA history to win races in both Top Fuel and Pro Stock categories. He continued on to win three Top Fuel World Championships in 2012, 2015 and 2016. While proud of these accomplishments, Brown spends his time working for the future and giving back to his community. He is a keynote and motivational speaker to school groups and students across the country representing his partners Marco Tools and the U.S. Army. He strongly encourages youngsters to set goals and focus on working hard to attain them. He also speaks at NHRA events like the YES (Youth Education Services) program, where high school and college students are brought to the track to learn about careers and opportunities in motorsports and drag racing.
“Anything you can do in the normal world, like mechanics, engineering, being a chef, doing guest services, all of it you can do here at Don Schumacher Racing,” he says. Brown also is a member of Racers For Christ, a church at the racetrack that binds many drag racers together in bible study, prayer and other encouragement and support. It’s a place, Brown says, that makes the drag racing community a family, always helping each other out. Living in Brownsburg with his wife and three kids, ages 18, 15, and 11, Brown spends most of his free time, not surprisingly, back at the drag strip helping his kids learn the sport that taught him the importance of hard work and basic know-how. He makes them prep their own tires, check the air pressure, fuel up their own cars, clean the belt on the clutch, and drain the oil at the end of the week. “It’s a family-oriented sport,” Brown insists, explaining one of the big reasons he loves it so much. “Every ticket is a pit pass. Everything’s wide open. You can walk up, see the people you saw on TV, talk to them, touch them. As a kid, you can visualize yourself there one day.” That one day for Brown has been his entire career of successes, but he’s not close to being done yet. As always, Brown’s aim is for the future, announcing earlier this year he plans to form his own Top Fuel racing team called AB Motorsports. A dream come true, it’s the pinnacle of Brown’s racing career and a goal he has had for a long time. He credits his career mentors, the nature of the sport and the work ethic instilled in him by his family for where he is today. “This sport really is a best-kept secret,” Brown says. “If people can see me, and if they can say hey, if Antron Brown can do it, so can I, then that’s what I want to leave behind for my legacy.”
APRIL 2020
Preventing “Tech Neck” & “Smartphone Thumb” Writer / Tonya Green, orthopedic nurse practitioner at IU Health West Hospital
When using a laptop, tablet or smartphone, the last thing you’re thinking about is the repeated strain on your fingers, wrists and neck. Tonya Green, orthopedic nurse practitioner at IU Health West Hospital, provides simple changes that can reduce the ailments caused by a constantly connected lifestyle. When Your Posture Is in a Slump People who spend a lot of time on a tablet or computer may develop neck and shoulder pain as a result of poor posture. To reduce “tech neck,” become more aware of your posture. To avoid constantly looking down or hunching over, put your computer or propped-up tablet on a table or desk. Ideally, the screen should be positioned so that you can keep your head level, forward facing and in-line with your torso. Your
shoulders should be relaxed and your elbows should be close to your body, bent at or just a little past 90 degrees. When typing on a tablet or small laptop, consider using an unattached keyboard that’s wirelessly connected to your device. Whether you’re using a mobile device while seated or on the go, take frequent breaks. When Your Mobile Device Is a Pain Repeating the same movements with your fingers, hands and wrists for long periods of time can lead to problems. “Smartphone thumb” is caused by typing with your thumb while holding a smartphone or tablet. Potential symptoms include pain when bending your thumb or wrist and a dull ache at the base of your thumb. You may also experience numbness or tingling in that area.
APRIL 2020
Three ways to combat smartphone thumb: • Give your thumb a break. When using a handheld device, hold it in one hand and type with the other index finger. • Keep your message brief. Use the word prediction feature in apps and browsers. This suggests the next word or a long URL after you type a few letters. BTW, using abbreviations helps, too. • Dictate your messages. Or just have a phone conversation instead of always texting.
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Karla with daughters, Lauren & Megan
Local Community Theater Advocate Battles Breast Cancer with Grace and Humility Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photographer / Andy Janning
“That’s when I felt a lump in my breast,” Karla says.
Cancer is ugly, insidious and tenacious, but the resolve that it can produce in survivors is remarkably beautiful. Hendricks County resident Karla Janning is the perfect example of someone who has fought cancer with graceful fortitude.
She scheduled an appointment with an OBGYN, who suspected it could be a fibroid cyst. To be on the safe side, she ordered a mammogram and an ultrasound, which were followed by a needle biopsy. Then came the waiting game.
Two years ago Karla began experiencing small, fluttering chest pains on the left side of her body. A cardiologist examined her and chalked it up to acid reflux. But in July of 2019, a pain shot through her that was so severe that she clutched her chest.
Though Karla’s mother and grandmother had battled breast cancer, she hoped she wasn’t facing the same monster. When the phone rang on August 13, however, her worst fears were confirmed. Thankfully, Karla had her friends and family APRIL 2020
to help her navigate the roller coaster of emotions that were to follow. Her husband Andy, in particular, became her rock. “He’s been to practically every doctor’s appointment and chemo treatment,” says Karla, explaining how chemotherapy altered her taste buds, producing a bitter, metallic aftertaste. “He’s my note taker to be sure we don’t forget anything, and my errand boy. I’d send him to the grocery when something sounded good, but then he’d bring it home and it didn’t taste good so he’d run out and get something else. It was like dealing with a pregnant woman with cravings.” Friends offered meals, prayers, hugs and cards. Karla’s best friend Angela texted daily to check in, and regularly swung by the house to give Karla the gift of normalcy. Another woman gave her a book titled, “When Your World Falls Apart”. Written by Dr. David Jeremiah, a minister who also faced cancer, the book helped Karla
recognize that good things come even during hard times. Many others stepped up too. For example, Karla’s 15-year-old daughter Lauren’s knitting club crocheted a blanket for Karla. A friend organized a meal schedule for the family. Another friend started a GoFundMe page to help make up the money that Andy and Karla have lost through being unable to work as much as usual since the diagnosis. “I’ve never felt more loved and encouraged,” Karla says. Karla and Andy’s elder daughter Megan, 16, initially wasn’t keen on telling anyone about her mom’s diagnosis. But as she watched the love pour in for her mother from all sides, she witnessed the value in letting people in. Andy, a professional photographer and intensely private person, knew that honesty was the only way to survive the ordeal. Therefore, he asked his wife if he could document her journey through chemotherapy, doctor appointments, and all the other details of her journey, by snapping and posting pictures and updates to social media. She agreed. “So many people only post the good things on social media,” Karla says. “But if my honesty can potentially help someone else, why not share?” After starting chemotherapy last September, Karla noticed that her hair was thinning and falling out. One morning after showering, she ran a brush through her knotted tresses and a clump came out in her hand. When Andy tried to help untangle the other knot, it fell out, too.
Karla & Husband, Andy
“I just started sobbing,” Karla recalls. “I was basically holding two hairballs the size of my palm. I told Andy, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’” Later that day, she asked her lifelong friend and hairstylist Kebra to shave her head. “We were all emotional - me, Kebra, Lauren but after the first swipe of the razor, I was like, ‘Okay, that’s over. I can move on,’” Karla says. After some tears, a few giggles followed when Karla studied her bold reflection in the mirror. APRIL 2020
Documenting Karla’s bravery through Andy’s camera lens has been both therapeutic and pragmatic, because when cancer is in the family’s rearview mirror, the photos will be a time capsule for the couple’s daughters. “I never want them to forget their mother’s strength in the face of something so difficult,” Andy says. “Karla has been the best example of strength and vulnerability that I’ve ever seen.”
Karla her 'cast' members from her role in the Hendricks Civic Theater.
Documenting his wife’s cancer journey inspired Andy to write a book that will be published later this year, highlighting cancer survivors and their caregivers. “People are aware of breast cancer, but I don’t think there’s much narrative about how it impacts family relationships,” Andy says. “I want husbands and caregivers to know that their voices are important too.” One aspect of the disease that caused Karla the most anxiety was having to bear the onus of determining her best course of treatment. “When a woman gets diagnosed with breast cancer, they have to figure out next steps,” Karla says. “Seventy to eighty percent of women make their own choices about whether they do a lumpectomy, a mastectomy, radiation, or chemo. That’s stressful because it’s potentially a life-anddeath situation.” In Karla’s case, she was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma and was also HER2-positive, meaning that the cancer cells are able to grow, spread and invade more readily. Karla also tested positive for an ATM gene mutation, which is associated with increased risk of breast, prostate and pancreatic cancers. Breakfast Served Until 10:30AM
“Once you have a family member who has had cancer, if they test positive for any type of genetic mutation, anyone in their family can be tested for free for that specific mutation,” says Karla, whose parents and sister both got tested. Her girls will do so when they reach their twenties.
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2019 Karla learned that she had a one-inch blood clot on her heart. On January 31 doctors performed a vacuum thrombectomy, but unfortunately the procedure was unsuccessful because the clot was stuck so tightly to the inside of her atrium that it couldn’t be suctioned out directly. Karla’s cardiologist did not think the clot was in danger of moving so he told her to continue on her anticoagulation regimen. On February 11 she returned to the hospital for a lumpectomy. It’s been an exhausting year, and one aspect of Karla’s life that has taken a back seat is her volunteer work with Hendricks Civic Theatre, which she’s been involved in for seven years. She joined the board of directors five years ago and became board president in 2019. Though she was supposed to direct the Rising Star musical “Matilda” this spring, she had to step back because her compromised immune system can’t risk exposure to dozens of children during the height of cold and flu season.
Karla Janning’s Advice for Breast Cancer Patients
Instead of focusing on the downside, Karla has maintained a positive attitude. “You hear about the things that cancer takes away from you, but the things it gives you are plentiful - starting with perspective,” says Karla, noting that the experience has made her a better listener and a better friend. She’s been forced to slow down, enabling her to have more time with those who are near and dear to her. Plus, she has renewed some old friendships. “I’m much more deliberate with how I interact with those I love,” she says. Though it may sound odd, Karla says that having cancer has given her hope. “When your life is going well, you don’t think about hope much, but when you’re hit with this news, you do,” Karla says. “My hope in Jesus and knowing he is in control has gotten me through. I’m thankful that I can rely on his love.”
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When people ask what they can do to help, be honest about what you do and don’t need.
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To avoid feeling overwhelmed, stay in the moment rather than thinking too far into the future.
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Give yourself permission to be afraid. Then lean on faith, friends and family to move past the fear.
•
Maintain a positive attitude, but let yourself have a bad day too.
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Instead of shouldering all of the worry and pain, give it to God to help you feel at peace.
•
For all women: Conduct selfexams and know your body. Breast cancer isn’t always a lump on the inside - sometimes it shows on the outside.
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Central Indiana K9 Association Works to Improve & Expand Training Opportunities for K9 Officers
Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photography Provided
When Theresa Brandon and Corporal Kyle Schaefer talk about dogs, their faces light up. The two share a passion not only for canines, but also for the faithful work that trained K9s take on when they devote their lives to law enforcement. Brandon and Schaefer connected early last year when Brandon, a Hendricks County resident and former Marine sergeant, reached out to Schaefer, a K9 handler with the Hendricks County Sheriff ’s Office. After sharing her ideas on raising funds and building a monument to honor K9s, Schaefer talked about his goals for building a permanent training site. Together they formulated the mission of a new nonprofit. The name Central Indiana K9 Association was established by the nonprofit’s board of directors, which met for the first time in April 2019. “I’m enamored with working with law enforcement and their K9s, and wanted to upgrade the standards here in Hendricks County and beyond,” Brandon explains.
Paying tribute to the dogs’ fierce loyalty to their partners, as well as their tenacious work ethic, was also important to Brandon. Take Harlej, the fallen K9 who worked with the Fishers Police Department. Last November he died in the line of duty.
dozen officers to locate the suspect Harlej found. One-hundred percent, that K9 saved his partner’s life.” Brandon believes that honoring a K9 officer for such devotion is important, and the Indianapolis community wholeheartedly agrees.
“Dogs can hear, see and smell things a human cannot,” Brandon says. “It would have taken multiple agencies and several
“Following Harlej’s memorial service, the streets were lined, mile after mile, with families and their pets,” Brandon
AvonMagazine.com / APRIL 2020 / AVON MAGAZINE / 33
says. “The emotions surrounding these dogs are real.” According to Brandon, the Central Indiana K9 Association has three goals: 1) To establish the shadow fund, a medical grant program that provides financial assistance to retired K9s who have served in Indiana, 2) To build a training facility in order to elevate training opportunities for multiple jurisdictions, and 3) To build a working dog monument that honors K9s who served and/or were killed in action. “Even those who pass after retirement, we want to recognize that they put their life on the line and enhanced law enforcement,” Brandon says. When Schaefer and Brandon first conceived of a training facility, they were steadfast in thinking big. “We could have kept it solely in Hendricks County, but we envisioned it on a much larger scale, incorporating all of central Indiana,” Schaefer says. K9 officers must currently travel outside of Indiana to receive formal, professional training. The new facility will offer formalized, specialized, intense training. “I’d like to bring in trainers from all over the world,” Schaefer says. “I want this to become the go-to training organization in central Indiana.” Bringing in trainers will also create financial opportunities for community businesses like hotels and restaurants. “It’ll keep dollars within the state,” says Schaefer, who selects the K9s for the program. Training begins the moment the 34 / AVON MAGAZINE / APRIL 2020 / AvonMagazine.com
puppies are weaned. “We start when they are puppies to build that hunt drive,” Schaefer says. “As they grow, they need to display a level of maturity and a certain drive to succeed in the job. They are the Ferraris of the dog world.” Brandon has set a goal of raising $1.5 million, which will go towards erecting the training facility and the monument, as well as landscaping, furniture and materials. The facility will provide equipment and classrooms, and a controlled training environment. “We won’t be the only ones using it,” Schaefer says. “We anticipate other agencies will rent it out. We believe this facility will be highly used.” The organization is looking for a donation of three to five acres of
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land situated close to interstate 465 for easy access by all nine counties covered in their geographic zone. They wanted the facility to be close to interstates 465 and 70, for accessibility to as many law enforcement officers as possible. Because the Central Indiana K9 Association services nine counties, including Marion and the counties around it, Brandon and Schaefer have been meeting with various community foundations, and received a grant from the Hendricks County Community Foundation. Through all their meetings, they’ve found that the best form of public relations are the dogs themselves. March 13, National K9 Veterans’ Day, was celebrated by two events last month. A fundraising breakfast, under the leadership of Kathy Spangler, the organization’s Fundraising Director, was
held on Friday, March 13. The program included participation of two K9s teams from the Transportation Services Administration. On March 14, Kyle Schaefer, the organization’s Vice-Chair and Co-Founder, hosted a community celebration to honor the service by these incredible dogs. “We want to get people excited about what K9s do for us,” Schaefer says. “Their noses are infinitely stronger than ours. No instrument can duplicate it. They can find things behind doors or hidden in cars that we can’t see. They find people, bombs and drugs, and in doing so protect other officers as well as the general public.” The dogs’ number one duty is to protect their handler.
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“The relationships I’ve seen between officers and their dogs is similar to people serving in combat in the foxhole,” Brandon says. “They literally have their backs against each other. It’s them against the enemy, side by side. They each rely on the other to get through.” Deputy Nate Hibschman with the Hendricks County Sheriff ’s Office understands this bond firsthand. That’s why he’s passionate about asking the community to support the shadow fund. He sees what K9s endure, due to their high drive to perform and make their handlers happy. He has witnessed just how hard these dogs work and how much energy they bring to each task they perform - even when they are past their prime. “Oftentimes these dogs will work until
they drop,” Hibschman says. “By helping to assist with the high cost of medical care that is typically needed with retired K9s, the shadow fund allows these dogs to live out the remainder of their lives in relative comfort, and receive the treatments they need without creating an undue financial burden for their handlers.” Brandon and Schaefer feel fortunate to have connected with community members who are equally enthusiastic about the project, and who bring their own sets of skills to the table. Ken Sebree of Sebree Architects offered to design the training site pro bono. He’s created a layout similar to a campus, with indoor and outdoor training areas and a tactical house. The layout also includes a beautiful K9 monument located in the front of the facility. Sebree knew the organization didn’t want to incur high utility costs, so he designed solar roofing on the back side of the facility. He also made sure to close off certain areas and keep everything on one level. “(Sebree) listened to our needs and turned those needs into functionality and beauty,” Brandon says. Little Town Marketing offered to handle the Central Indiana K9 Association website pro bono. “We’ve been fortunate to connect with like-minded, civic-minded folks in the community who share our passion for dogs,” Brandon says. For more info and to donate to the Central Indiana K9 Association, visit cik9.org.
AvonMagazine.com / APRIL 2020 / AVON MAGAZINE / 37
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