CRESTVIEW — For the 12th consecutive summer, Bay Area Food Bank is partnering with Northwest Florida organizations to provide free meals to children through the Summer Food Service Program.

Okaloosa sites and times are as follows:

•Mt Zion AME Church: lunch 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, June 16 to July 15 except for July 4, 502 McDonald St., Crestview. Details: Rosetta German, 850-398-6985.

•Hope House: breakfast 9-9:30 a.m. and lunch 12-1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, to be determined, except July 4, 285 Duggan Ave., Crestview. Details: Lee Brandy, 682-2374.

The program, supported by the United States Department of Agriculture, is designed to fill the nutrition gap left when children are out of school during the summer and lack access to free or reduced-price meals.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Food bank to provide free meals for Okaloosa children

CRESTVIEW — Brandon and Lyndsey Brooks are not only expecting twins; they're expecting monoamniotic twins, also called mono-mono twins.

The girls — named Savannah Lynn and Hannah Kathleen — share the same amniotic sac and placenta. In common twin pregnancies, the unborn children have separate amniotic sacs.

Mono-mono twins occur in just one of 10,000 pregnancies, which can have complications, according to the Journal of Perinatology.

Entangled or compressed umbilical cords and twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, in which one twin receives most of the nourishment, leaving the other undernourished, are among the concerns.

But Lyndsey, at 25 weeks, is under the watchful eye of doctors and specialists at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.

“The girls are doing phenomenal right now, but that can change in an instant,” she said.

The staff regularly monitors the mother and children to ensure their safety throughout the pregnancy.

Unexpected

 The pregnancy surprised the couple when they found out in March.

“Leave it up to Lyndsey and I; we are overachievers,” Brandon said. 

“I was actually about to get my tubes tied, but I wouldn’t change a thing in the world,” Lyndsey said.

Savannah Lynn and Hannah Kathleen will join the couple's 8-year-old daughter, Amelia, and their 5-year-old son, Logan.  

“Logan and I are about to be outnumbered," Brandon said.

The twins will be delivered by Caesarean section at 32 weeks, pending a doctor’s approval.

Raising funds

Lyndsey’s mother, Victoria Teems, is already thinking about the twins' fashion.

“I am beyond stoked,” she said. “I can’t wait to dress them up.”

In the meantime, she's considering the costs of prolonged hospital visits.

 Teems is collecting donations via Gofundme.com to help cover hospital and travel expenses. When he is not working, Brandon travels from Crestview to Pensacola to spend time with Lyndsey.

“This isn’t for them to spend on fun and games,” Teems said. “It’s going to help with utility bills, medical costs and gas.”

Teems said she appreciates any help, should residents want to contribute at http://www.gofundme.com/9dh5a0.

“If they donate, then we thank them from the bottom of our hearts,” she said.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview family expecting ‘mono-mono’ twins

Look Good Feel Better's next sessions are:

•1-3 p.m. June 9 at North Okaloosa Medical Center, Senior Circle classroom, 127 E. Redstone Ave., Suite A, Crestview.

•5-7 p.m. June 16 at Sacred Heart Hospital of the Emerald Coast, Olson’s Women’s Diagnostic Center, 7800 U.S. Highway 98 W., Miramar Beach.

Advance registration is required to provide cosmetics that match your skin tone.

This group program is open to all women with cancer who receive chemotherapy, radiation or other treatments.

Call the American Cancer Society, 1-800-227-2345, for details.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Look Good Feel Better has June 9 and 16 sessions scheduled in Northwest Florida

CRESTVIEW — This weekend, area cancer survivors, family members and caregivers can attend 21st Century Oncology's National Cancer Survivors Day Hoedown.

The country-themed celebration, to take place at the Redstone Avenue office, will include free food, music, games, entertainment and cancer information, event organizer Roly Alvarez said. Free barbecued pulled pork sandwiches will be available and there will be children's bingo, music and a disc jockey.

"We hope to get people dancing," he said.

This event allows survivors to celebrate with loved ones and caregivers who helped them every step of the way, Alvarez said. Each survivor will receive a free event T-shirt.

"This is not just for our patients, (but) all cancer survivors are welcome," he said. "This is a celebration of life."  

Attendees can tour the facility and view paintings created by cancer survivors, and oncologists will be available to answer questions about cancer treatments, Alvarez said.  

WANT TO GO?

WHAT: National Cancer Survivors Day Hoedown

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 7

WHERE: 21st Century Oncology, 601 W. Redstone Ave., Crestview

COST: Free

CONTACT: 683-0003

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Cancer survivors' hoedown set next week

The Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County (DOH-Okaloosa) wants to make residents in Crestview aware of a precautionary boil water notice issued by the City of Crestview late Thursday. A loss of water pressure was experienced due to a water main break on P.J. Adams Parkway, affecting residents and businesses on city water in the area south of I-10 to (Old) Antioch Road and east of Ashley Drive and west of Old Mill Way West.

The precautionary boil water notice will remain in effect until the problem has been corrected and a bacteriological survey shows that the water is safe to drink. DOH-Okaloosa is advising individuals under a boil water notice to take precautions against contaminated water.

DOH-Okaloosa recommends one of the following:

Boil water before use, holding it at rolling boil for at least one minute before using it for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth or washing dishes.

Disinfect water by adding 8 drops (about 1/8 teaspoon – this would form a puddle about the size of a dime) of plain unscented household bleach per gallon of water, and then let it stand for 30 minutes. If the water is cloudy after 30 minutes, repeat the procedure. Use a container that has a cap or cover for disinfecting and storing water to be used for drinking. This will prevent contamination.

Use bottled water, especially for mixing baby formula.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Health department offers water disinfecting tips for Crestview residents

Editor's note: Due to the sensitivity of her husband's military mission, Colleen B. has requested that we withhold her family's last name.

CRESTVIEW — Bryson B. is a typical 11-year-old boy who loves playing outside, hunting in woods with his dad and riding horses.

But, his mother, Colleen said, there is a difference.

"My son has Lyme disease," she said.

"He was racing through the woods and got into a tick nest and had about 50 of them on him," she said.

After picking off the ticks, everything seemed fine until Bryson awoke several days later with a few red spots. Colleen, suspecting bedbugs, changed his sheets, but more spots appeared.

"I took him to the doctor. His nurse said, 'You should have him checked for Lyme.'

"About a week and a half after the bites, he complained of joint pains, headaches and fever all at the same time. I didn't know about the impact of Lyme disease at the time."

Finding a doctor

When the family's pediatrician reluctantly agreed to extend Bryson's antibiotics treatment for a second week, a church friend advised Colleen to find a Lyme-literate doctor.

However, despite the prevalence of tick-laden Northwest Florida wooded areas, the closest doctors specializing in the often debilitating disease were at least two hours away.

Under the care of a Lyme-literate doctor in Tallahassee, Bryson received the full antibiotics treatment.

"And he's still on antibiotics now," Colleen said. "We think we've conquered it, but it lives in his body, so if his immune system is compromised, he could have a relapse."

Thanks to early detection and prompt antibiotic treatment, Bryson's story has a happy ending.

"If he was not treated in the five- to six-week window, he wouldn't be where he is today," Colleen said.

Award-winning documentary

Colleen, along with Connie Murray, also the mother of a child with Lyme disease, encourages parents to attend a 2 p.m. May 31 screening of "Under Our Skin," an award-winning documentary about Lyme disease.

The film's Woodlawn Baptist Church screening will be followed by guest speakers addressing Lyme disease detection and prevention, and how it has changed their lives. Admission is free.

"This is what's behind our desire to inform people," Colleen said. "You have to push for the proper diagnosis and the proper treatment."

Lyme disease is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue and a skin rash that often resembles ringworm. Infection can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system if the disease is untreated.

Avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter, walk in the center of trails and repel ticks with DEET or Permethrin, to prevent infection.

Be extra vigilant in warmer months — April through September — when ticks are most active.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/lyme

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at brianh@crestviewbulletin.com, follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview parents to present Lyme disease awareness information, share their stories

Seventy percent of people age 65 and older will need long-term care at some point in their lives, according to a 2014 study by CareScout, a division of Genworth Financial Services.

“But that doesn’t mean they have to sacrifice their quality of life,” says Peder Johnsen, CEO of Concordis Senior Living, which owns, operates and develops senior housing communities.

“In fact, a person who needs some assistance with day-to-day living will often find he or she is much happier in a good assisted-living community with an atmosphere that reminds them of their former home.”

And it doesn’t have to be outrageously priced, notes Johnsen, a third-generation ALF operator whose family pioneered the contemporary congregate community model.

The median price for a private, one-bed home in an ALF community is $42,000, he says, citing the CareScout report. By contrast, a semi-private nursing home bed costs a median $77,000 a year.

But it’s up to prospective residents and their families to ascertain the quality of the community and whether it’s a good match for the person who will be living there.

“ALFs are not federally regulated and states vary widely on the breadth of oversight they provide, so you can’t necessarily rely on the law,” Johnsen says. “And don’t rely on salespeople either – that’s the biggest mistake people make.”

There are, however, a number of easy ways to see if a home has a truly caring atmosphere and well-trained staff.

Johnsen offers these tips:

•  Ask to see the home’s state licensing survey, an assessment that usually includes inspections, audits, interviews with residents, etc. Every state has an ALF licensing agency and all have some form of survey system for ensuring that certain standards of quality are met, according to the Assisted Living Federation of America.

“Requirements vary from state to state about how often the surveys are conducted and how the public can access the reports, but no matter what state you live in, you should be able to ask the ALF for its most recent report, or obtain it from the licensing agency,” Johnsen says. 

The surveys will tell you if problems were found – or not – and what the ALF did to address them.

•  Visit the ALF during non-business hours.

Go before breakfast or after dinner – times when the administrators aren’t around. What’s the atmosphere? How do employees behave with the residents?

“That’s a good time to talk to residents, too,” Johnsen says.

Be a “mystery shopper,” he suggests. Pretend you’re just visiting the community – not scouting it out as a prospective customer.

•  Ascertain how truly “homelike” the community is.

In your own home, if you don’t feel like eating breakfast at 7:30 a.m., you don’t have to. You can have breakfast at 10. You can get snacks when you want them.

“Depending on what’s important to your loved one, there are potentially many rules that can affect how ‘at home’ a person feels,” Johnsen says. “Some communities allow residents to have pets, others don’t. Some provide lots of activities. At some, residents can quickly and easily arrange for transportation or a service like hair styling.”

Not every community can offer everything, he notes. That’s why it’s important to look for those features that are especially important to your loved one.

Peder Johnsen is the CEO of Concordis Senior Living. For more information, visit www.concordisseniorliving.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Three Tips for Choosing an Assisted-Living Home for Your Parent