Thank You For Your Support

By LexMed Staff

Photo by Andrew Neel on Pexels.com

Lexington Medical Center has been publishing voices of women of the Midlands on the Every Woman Blog since 2011. We are excited to announce that in the coming weeks we will be launching a redesigned look on our primary hospital blog, including expanding the types of content it includes. As part of this expansion, we will incorporate a Women’s Health and Wellness section into the hospital blog. The Every Woman Blog will be absorbed into this section, and the Every Woman Blog will no longer host these posts on this site.

We have thoroughly enjoyed facilitating dialogue between Midlands women over the past several years on the Every Woman Blog and are grateful for the contributions from all of our bloggers. We appreciate the diverse perspectives of our bloggers and hope to continue bringing multiple voices to this community. Please bookmark our other blog and follow along with us there.

Thank you for your support and readership! We love caring for this community.

Calling All Guest Bloggers: Embracing Our Virtual Community

By Lexington Medical Center

Photo by Andrew Neel on Pexels.com

One of our goals of the Every Woman Blog is to facilitate a dialogue and provide a sense of community for the women of the Midlands. And in times like this, a virtual community is even more important! We have hosted many women bloggers over the year who’ve shared all parts of their lives with our readers. Now, as our community faces something unprecedented, we are inviting women of the Midlands to submit a blog post on topics that may be of interest to other women in our community during this time. We may all have a little extra time to write or read and sharing with others may be a real comfort. We invite women of the Midlands to submit guest blogs and strengthen this community.

If you are interested in submitting a guest blog for consideration, please email it as a text attachment or in the body of the email to everywomanbloglmc@gmail.com. To be eligible, blogs must be between 400-600 words and include at least one photo. Publication will be subject to approval.

Meet Kaitlyn: A Riverbanks Zoo Ambassador

By Tina Cameron

For the past few months I have been volunteering in the Ambassador building at the zoo. I have been working with a zookeeper named Kaitlyn. She is an amazing ambassador for Riverbanks Zoo. She was nice enough to answer my questions for the blog. I hope everyone enjoys reading about her.

Kaitlyn is 25 years old and has moved around a lot around the east coast and the Midwest but calls Wisconsin home. She has a younger, sister, her parents, and a dog. Her parents live in Wisconsin, but the family dog Taz, lives in Pennsylvania with her sister.

She chose zookeeping because, she has always had a passion for all animals and grew up going to the Jacksonville Zoo regularly. Her dream in high school was to work with animals, but she wasn’t sure what exactly she wanted to do. While attending The University of Wisconsin-Platteville, she had the opportunity to intern with the local aquarium and fell in love with the idea of zookeeping. She knew she not only wanted to take care of the animals, but to educate everyone on the importance of all animals, build homes for animals that are forever improving, and studying them to learn more about the species. She has a Bachelor of Science degree with emphasis on Zoology and Environmental Science. She has been a zookeeper for 8 months but also did an internship for an additional year.

Her favorite animal to work with is Miss Piggy, she is a nearly 50-year-old Texas Tortoise. Despite her age, and the fact that she is a reptile, she is incredibly smart. She knows how to touch a colored target, wave her leg, lay down and open her mouth all on cue. Kaitlyn does training on a regular basis with Miss Piggy.

Kaitlyn’s hobbies include hiking and visiting the beach but in her free time she also bartends on Friday evenings in Augusta because she loves talking with people! She and her boyfriend have been dating for 4 years and he lives and works in Augusta.

Kaitlyn has been at Riverbanks Zoo since January 2018 as the Animal Ambassador Keeper. She is the guest engagement ambassador, and leads programs that include animal encounters, narrating animal trainings/feedings, and engaging with every day guests.

I have learned so much from her in the past few months. She is an asset to Riverbanks Zoo; our animals and we are blessed to have her.

Welcoming our new bloggers!

From the Every Woman Blog editorial team

This summer, we launched an exciting contest asking women around the Midlands to send us a message describing why they would make a great addition to our team of bloggers at the Every Woman Blog. We received an overwhelming amount of entries with incredible women reaching out and sharing their voices. Today, we’re pleased to announce we’ve selected eight winners from the talented pool of applicants to join our team!

Lisa Baker, Marianna Boyce, Eliza Boulware, Tina Cameron, June Greenlaw, Kate Morrow, Janet Prince and Rhonda Woods will be featured as bloggers at Every Woman Blog. They join our existing bloggers including Shannon Boatwright, Rachel Sircy, Katie Austin, Jeanne Reynolds and Stacy Thompson.

 

Lisa Baker is a surgical technologist who lives in Newberry County. Recently, both of her parents were diagnosed with dementia. Like many women, she is learning how to navigate the world of aging parents and will share her story of caring for them through this journey.

 

 

Marianna Boyce knows what it’s like to live with a chronic illness. After many doctor visits and tests, the Lexington woman was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Writing has helped her cope with the pain of the disease. Now, she wants to share her story in the hopes of helping others.

 

 

Eliza Boulware is a mom and grandmother from Ridgeway. As a breast cancer and open heart surgery survivor, she serves as a minister helping others through challenges and inspiring them with the power of faith.

 

 

 

Tina Cameron is a cancer nurse at Lexington Medical Center who recently went back to school to pursue an advanced degree. She is also a volunteer at the Riverbanks Zoo. Tina is constantly on the go – juggling school and her job all while being a single mother. She works through all of it with a dose of laughter and gratitude.

 

June Greenlaw works at the University of South Carolina. A Midlands native, she has six children, four of which have served in the military and two are currently students at USC.

 

 

 

 

Kate Morrow is a wife and mom from Columbia. After struggling with infertility, she and her husband welcomed twins last year – three months premature. They’re a March of Dimes Ambassador family, and Kate looks forward to sharing their story with others.

 

 

Janet Prince is a West Columbia native who lives there with her husband and two daughters. Janet is a 15-year breast cancer survivor, and now serves as the Chairman of the Ovarian Cancer Coalition of Central South Carolina.

 

 

 

Rhonda Woods is a chef who has competed on The Food Network and teaches culinary classes at Pelion High School. This work allows her to share her passion for cooking with others and she looks forward to sharing some of her favorite recipes.  Rhonda will also share about her experience losing her husband after an 18-month battle with metastic melanoma.

 

 

Each of these women brings something unique to our community, and we can’t wait to see our new contributors begin to share their stories. Finding support and inspiration is a key to women’s health and well-being. Keep an eye out for these new voices on the blog!

Saying Goodbye (Or Maybe See You Later)

By Chaunte McClure

Have you ever felt like it was time to leave a job or stop serving on a ministry, but there was an internal tug-of-war between your love or appreciation for what you do and the need to let go? I was speaking with someone earlier who believes God is unctioning her to join a new ministry, which requires her to leave what she’s known most of her life to go to unfamiliar territory. My advice to her was to obey God because she was tugging with the thoughts of what others might say and how she’ll be perceived. Trusting God means putting aside the what ifs for His (unknown) plan.

Sometimes it’s easier to give advice rather than take your own, for I had a tug of war in effect too. I’ve been thinking about this moment for about a year now, after it seemed I had too many balls in the air, juggling home, work, church, school and depression (again). Before long, I was losing my spark for writing and it became a burden rather than an outlet from my day-to-day routines. It occurred to me that maybe, just maybe my season for blogging is ending. I said, but I know women who enjoy reading my posts, God. I really love sharing that I’m an Every Woman blogger, I rebutted. Even before I started typing these words, I told myself that I wanted to make one more contribution prior to saying goodbye. Then I heard, let it go, so I am.

After four years of inviting you into my personal life, inspiring you and taking you back to Grandma’s house during my nostalgic moments, I’m saying goodbye or maybe see you later. There may be times when I’ll have something burning inside that I want to share and if I’m allowed, I will.

I’ve shared this platform with some phenomenal women, great writers who share some fabulous experiences. I know many of you look forward to me sharing posts on my Facebook pages, but I encourage you to follow the Every Woman blog for personal stories, recipes, advice and more.

It’s been a wonderful journey with you and I thank you for taking the time read, share and comment on my posts. Thank you for encouraging me because even during times when I wasn’t up for writing, because of you, I pounded on keys late at night creating content I hoped you would appreciate. Breaking up is really hard to do, but sometimes it’s necessary.

I’ve asked God, what’s next? I still don’t have an answer, but I’ll trust His plan.

In case you missed any of my previous posts, you can find all 90 of them here. If you are a woman without a relationship with your biological father, please follow my personal ministry blog, Say That, Girl.

Signing off for now,

Chaunte McClure

By Mary Pat Baldauf

The holiday season is getting close, and I can’t wait to kick it off with the Holiday Lights on the River at Saluda Shoals Park. (I’m excited to see that this year’s presenting sponsor is once again Lexington Medical Center – thanks, LMC, for spreading the joy!)

With a million lights sparkling through more than 400 themes, there are a variety of displays, including the Dazzling Dancing Forest, the Twelve Days of Christmas, a Victorian Village, Old Man Winter and much more. I especially like the holiday train, featuring a special car for naughty kids like me.

Depending on your schedule and personal preference, there are many ways to enjoy the lights. You can enjoy the lights in the warmth of your car or bundle up and take a Winter Wonder Ride. Or you can bring a group by van or by bus! (My personal favorite way is the Sleigh Bell Stroll, early in the season, which allows you to get up close and personal to the lights by walking through the park.)

Holiday Lights activities will be available every night except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas. Nominal fees ($1-$10) for activities apply with Holiday Lights admission. Fun-filled family activities offered at Holiday Lights on the River include:

• Hayride shuttle to the Wetland Walking trail
• Saluda Shoals train
• A laser light show along the wetland trail
• Tube slide
• Crafts
• Santa’s Claus’et Gift Shop
• Roast marshmallows
• Visits and photos with Santa (Dec. 8– 23 only)

Holiday Lights is open every evening from 6-10 p.m. November 22 through December 31. If you haven’t been, make plans to visit this year. Or, if you’ve been in the past, it’s time to make Holiday Lights an annual tradition. You’ll love it!

For details on activities, admission prices and other details, visit http://www.icrc.net/holiday-lights.

What is YOUR favorite part of the holiday season?

A Meditation on the Benefits of Celiac Disease

by Rachel Sircy

I have been sick most of my life with various and seemingly unrelated symptoms ravaging my body. I have suffered body aches, severe fatigue, mental fog, mood swings, the inability to gain weight, borderline anemia and so on. No one ever imagined that these varied symptoms were possibly all related. Finally, when I was in my early 20’s and just married, I started to develop terrible gastric problems. Every time I ate I would experience such intense stomach pain that I would have to lay down for a while. It got to the point that I wasn’t able to eat more than about a handful of food at a time. I dreaded going to the doctor for these problems, but my husband put his foot down and told me that I could either go to the doctor on my own, or he would drag me there himself. I was afraid I had an ulcer. My husband was afraid that I had stomach cancer. The symptoms had gotten that bad.

Before I went to the doctor, I prayed a simple prayer: that no matter what the diagnosis, I would not have to be on medicine my entire life. The thought of taking pills every single day was something that I dreaded. I got what I prayed for, but my answered prayer turned out to be much more burdensome than I had expected. Instead of taking one or two pills every day, I would have to completely change my relationship with food, what I ate and how I cooked. For the first few eight months or so after my diagnosis, I lived in a sort of denial. I thought that perhaps I had been misdiagnosed or that perhaps if I prayed hard enough, I would be miraculously healed. I do believe in miracles, but no miracle was in my future. Or, rather, the miracle that I got was not the one that I wanted. I refused to stay on a strict gluten free diet for that first eight months and I even went back to the gastroenterologist to try to talk him into retesting me and seeing if he had been mistaken. I stayed sick and when I went back to the gastroenterologist, he told me that there was no need to retest. The tests, he told me, had come out clear as day. There was no mistake in the diagnosis. He actually looked at me and said that he was sorry that I had celiac disease, but “that’s the way the cookie crumbles.”

I was fairly distraught after that. One night, alone in my room, I knelt down by the bed and cried, begging God to heal me and let me go back to the way of cooking and eating that I had always known. In that moment, crazy as it may sound, I think I heard from God. I didn’t hear an audible voice or anything, but an idea came to my mind so strongly, an idea that was so contrary to everything that I had been thinking and praying, that I knew the idea didn’t originate with me. The idea was something like this: Do I really need to be healed so that I can continue to eat powdered doughnuts and McDonald’s hamburgers? No, the point of this disease would be to serve as a constant physical reminder that it isn’t okay to just fuel my body (or my soul) with easily accessible junk. I was going to have to think about what I ate. I was going to have to put the health of my body before my cravings. Somehow, that night, I understood that this new way of relating to food, would make me a more careful and purposeful person. Not just physically, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Each time I drive down the road wondering what I’m going to do for dinner and thinking that my life would be so much easier if I could just pull over for fast food, I am reminded that food is for nourishment. My lifestyle is difficult because I choose nourishment over convenience. It has occurred to me since that night that this is a spiritual discipline as well as a physical one. This gluten free lifestyle is my own personal sacrament. Deuteronomy 30:19 records God’s statement to the Israelites: “[…] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: choose life.”

This blog post was really supposed to be about the possibilities of a cure for celiac disease. Pharmaceutical companies are working even as you read this on drugs that could cure celiacs via immunotherapy drugs or protect celiacs from gluten contamination by creating drugs that isolate gliadin (the protein that causes the violent auto-immune response in celiacs) and making it undigestible. At first, I thought that anything that could cure celiac disease would be a welcome answer to prayer, but as I began to write, I realized that my prayer was answered years ago. Choosing life is never an easy decision, but it is one that is well worth it. Almost 10 years into my diagnosis I am a healthier person all the way around. I’m not saying that everyone should avoid these drugs or therapies if they ever become available. By all means, if you can become healthier through better science, I say that is a good thing. But as for me, I think I will continue to do things the hard way, choosing to remember that the ability to deny myself means that I am not a slave to my cravings. There is a great freedom in self-discipline.

Just something to think about…

My Not-So-Secret Recipes

By: Jeanne Reynolds

I love reading about food, restaurants and recipes. I have a thick white binder stuffed with recipes I’ve clipped from magazines and newspapers or begged from friends and family. Most of them I’ll probably never make, but there are a few I go back to time and again. You can tell them by the yellowed paper they’re printed or written on and the splatters of overly enthusiastic stirring.

If you flip through the pages of this notebook, you may notice a skew toward baking, and two types of treats in particular: brownies and muffins. Although I love these freshly baked goodies as much (or more) than the next person, the abundance of brownie and muffin recipes isn’t so much because they’re my favorites as it is because it seems so hard to find a really great, foolproof recipe for either.

“This one looks really good, and pretty easy,” I’ll say to myself as I clip out yet another recipe. “This one never fails,” a friend assures me as she emails me her version. And yet the results are never as roll-up-your-eyes-and-slap-your-momma wonderful as I hoped.

Until now.

I’m going to share with you two nearly perfect recipes, one for brownies and one for apple-cinnamon muffins. You can thank me later.

Oh-my-goodness brownies

OK, this one is more advice than a recipe: If you need to bring a dish to a potluck, tailgate or holiday meal that people will rave over, make brownies. And use a boxed mix. Yes, you read that right. I’ve made many scratch versions over the years and there isn’t enough difference to make it worth the trouble. The secret is to not stop there. First, substitute Kahlua or Amaretto for half the water called for. You won’t taste the liqueur but the flavor will be subtly rich and decadent.

Then, make your own frosting. This makes all the difference in the world. That travesty in a can is the frosting equivalent of spray cheese. Never, I repeat never, use it. Making enough chocolate frosting for a pan of brownies takes about 3 minutes and 4 ingredients: butter or margarine, cocoa powder, powdered (aka confectioner’s) sugar and a little liquid, which can be water, milk, vanilla, coffee or the liqueur you used in the brownies. I don’t measure and the proportions are to taste depending on how sweet or dark you prefer it, but it’s roughly equal parts butter and cocoa powder, about two to four times that much sugar, and liquid to spreading consistency. For example, ¼ cup butter, ¼ cocoa, ½ cup to 1 cup sugar and a teaspoon to a tablespoon of liquid. Combine the butter and cocoa first, then gradually add the sugar, tasting as you go and alternating with a little liquid at a time to loosen it up.

This might sound tricky but it’s really not. Do it once or twice and you’ll be able to whip it up in your sleep (and you might find yourself dreaming about it, too). Get ready for ooh and aahs.

Oh, two more tips: Line your pan with foil with enough overhang on either side so you can lift the whole thing out and put it on a board to frost and cut. No more brownies stuck in the pan. And don’t overbake, unless you prefer dry, crumble brownies (if you do, you stopped reading this long ago). Test for doneness before the minimum baking time is up and keep testing until they’re just barely done.

Best-ever apple-cinnamon muffins

This recipe is a combination of a few I clipped, with modifications to make them easier for what I typically have on hand. I like these because they actually rise up like they’re supposed to and they’re not too sweet. They’re great for breakfast or with a cup of hot tea on a cold afternoon.

Combine in a large bowl:

• 2 cups unsifted flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix in just until dry ingredients are combined:

• ¾ cup milk (skim or low-fat is fine, even lactose-free)
• ¼ cup vegetable oil (original recipe calls for melted butter or margarine but this is easier and works fine)
• 1 egg

Gently stir in as many of these as you want:

• 1 cup chopped apples (any kind, and no need to peel them)
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Line a 12-cup pan with paper liners and use an ice cream scoop sprayed with nonstick spray to fill each cup. Sprinkle a little sugar and cinnamon on top of each muffin. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Old Friends

By: Ashley Whisonant

 

I recently read a quote about friendship on Pinterest that spoke to me.
“In the end, you always go back to the people that were there in the beginning.”

Wow. It was right on target for the weekend reunion I had with a close childhood friend.

I have many people I would call a friend. Different friends have come in and out of my life, during the times I needed them most. God works mysteriously that like. He knows exactly who we need and when we need them. The special thing about old friends, they are know where you are and where you came from.

My oldest friend to date, Shelby, has been around since third grade. Ya’ll – that’s over 20 years of friendship. We have known each other from the very beginning. Bad boyfriends, laughs, cries, silliness, and stories fill our memories. Luckily, we have recently reconnected.

Spending a night visiting with her in Charleston has made my week such a bright spot. The laughing and dancing we did Saturday night was as though no time as passed. I would go back to our friendship over all the others. The ease and comfort is like none other.  The quote rings so true for me.

The Top 10 Sports Movies

By: Stacy Thompson

Three of my favorite things: I love sports…and I love movies…and I love lists, so what better way to celebrate all three than with my list of favorite sports movies!

1. Seabiscuit – A little horse with a big jockey wins hearts and races. The book by Laura Hillenbrand was riveting, and the movie more than delivered.
2. Bull Durham – Really just a good-ole rom-com with the backdrop of a minor league baseball team. The stellar cast, including Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and Kevin Costner, deliver quotable lines galore. “Throw it at the bull.”
3. Rocky – The ultimate underdog story set in an underdog town in the most brutal of sports. The original can’t be beat.
4. Jerry Maguire – More about the sports agent than the sports, but a solid and entertaining story nonetheless.
5. A League of Their Own – “There’s no crying in baseball.” Seriously, is there a better quote in any sports movie???
6. Hoosiers – Again, a classic underdog movie with a predictable ending that still manages not to disappoint.
7. Rudy – I cry each and every time Rudy sits on the bench reading his letter of acceptance to his dream school…and then cry again when his teammates have his back…and then cry again when his dad walks in the stadium…and then cry again he gets on the field.
8. Chariots of Fire – Of course the song is running through your head right now (pun intended) but the movie itself is a classic.
9. The Blind Side – Some of the plot may be a bit overdone, but the genuine heart of this movie will leave you feeling good. Period.
10. Miracle – I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve watch this move. The political climate surrounding the 1980 Olympic Games was intense enough – add to it a team of USA amateurs going up against the Goliath Soviet Union team and the tension multiplies. Even though you know the ending, hearing “Do You Believe in Miracles” is sure to make the goosebumps pop!!

What are your favorite sports movies?