lifestyle | Crestview News Bulletin

Flu-fighting nasal spray offered to Okaloosa students

Written by archive on November 4, 2014. Posted in health-fitness, lifestyle.

CRESTVIEW — Okaloosa County high schools, middle schools and elementary schools are fighting influenza with help from three organizations.

The Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County, Okaloosa County School District and Healthy Schools LLC, a health care access company that provides flu vaccines for students from VPK to 12th grade, are coordinating the “Teach Flu a Lesson" initiative.

Healthy Schools nurses will administer FluMist nasal spray immunizations — no shots — to students with completed parental consent forms in participating Okaloosa County public schools Nov. 13 and 17. Student participation is voluntary.

The organization will bill students’ insurance companies, with no deductibles and no out-of-pocket costs. Students on Medicaid or those uninsured will receive a vaccine at no cost.

Parents should be on the lookout for the consent form to come home with their students beginning this week.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that everyone aged 6 months and older annually receive a flu vaccine.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Flu-fighting nasal spray offered to Okaloosa students

Crestview fashion model shares fall, winter tips

Written by archive on November 3, 2014. Posted in lifestyle.

CRESTVIEW — Esin Gershaw recently appeared in the Retired Officers' Wives Club Fall and Winter Fashions show at Bayview Club on Eglin Air Force Base.

Fashionable fall accessories are fur handbags, scarves, feathers on clothing and hats, and large necklaces, rings and watches, according to Gershaw, a Crestview resident and the fashion show's chairman.

As for outerwear, ponchos and capes are making a comeback, the international fashion model said.

Anyone with base access and their friends may attend monthly ROWC luncheons. Call 683-0031 for reservations.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview fashion model shares fall, winter tips

Crestview doctors to perform boy’s corrective surgery at no cost — if he can get here

Written by archive on November 3, 2014. Posted in health-fitness, lifestyle.

CRESTVIEW — A team of doctors can perform surgery that restores Julio Chi's ability to fight infection, eat and swallow food.

The 4-year-old toddler just needs the means of getting to them.

Julio and his mom live in Belize, where they met Crestview pediatrician Dr. Joseph Peter and his Operation Medical Care partners. Peter's annual missions provide free medical services to the Central American nation's impoverished residents.

“His mother walked a long way to come and see us,” Peter said. “This boy had no opportunity to see a doctor” in Orange Walk, his home community.

Julio has branchial cleft fistula, which results in a lump developing in one or both sides of a child’s neck. In cases like Julio’s, an opening can form on the side of the neck.

“The chances of this defect getting repeated infection is common, which might hinder his normal growth and development,” Peter said.

FREE SURGERY

A fistulectomy, the surgery Julio requires, is unavailable in the region, said Crestview pharmacist Dr. Michele Richard, a member of Peter's mission.

“His mother is a single parent who works hard to support the two of them and provide for his medical needs and care, but as you can imagine, this kind of treatment is far outside her reach,” Richard said.

Peter discussed the boy’s case with Dr. Joseph Siefker, of Emerald Coast Ear, Nose and Throat, who in turn consulted with Dr. Rich Barnett.

“Both these great men decided to perform the corrective surgery free of cost,” Peter said. “These two surgeons need to be commended. We still have great doctors like them in our community.”

Peter has agreed to provide free follow-up care after Julio’s surgery, Richard said.

A local host family will house the Chis and their translator for what could be up to two months' recuperation, she said. The Orange Walk Rotary Club is coordinating the family’s travel documents.

But one thing's missing: money.

Operation Medical Care needs donations to pay for the family’s airfare and other medical expenses, Richard said. Total costs are estimated to be $7,000, Peter said. Donations are tax-deductible.

WANT TO HELP?

Donations to bring Julio Chi, his mother and the family’s translator to Okaloosa County for corrective surgery may be made to Operation Medical Care, 332 Medcrest Drive, Crestview, FL 32536-6440. Donations to the 501(c)(3) organization are tax deductible.

Call Sharlene Cox, 682-6824, for more information.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview doctors to perform boy’s corrective surgery at no cost — if he can get here

Weekend yard sale to benefit Relay For Life

Written by archive on November 3, 2014. Posted in health-fitness, lifestyle.

CRESTVIEW — A yard sale benefiting Crestview's Relay For Life is scheduled for 7-11 a.m. Saturday.

The sale is in the CCB Bank parking lot, 1290 N. Ferdon Blvd., Crestview. Set-up is at 6:30 a.m.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Weekend yard sale to benefit Relay For Life

Cystic fibrosis fundraiser, 5K run scheduled

Written by archive on November 2, 2014. Posted in health-fitness, lifestyle.

CRESTVIEW — Race for Lace, a cystic fibrosis fundraiser, is scheduled for Nov. 15.

The event — which includes a 5K for adults, kindergartners through 12th-graders, military and individuals with strollers, along with a 1 mile kids' dash — begins 9 a.m. at 369 N. Main St., Crestview.

Race-day registration is at 7 a.m.; the disc jockey warms up at 8 a.m., and registration ends at 8:30 a.m.

Breakfast is served at 9:20 a.m., followed by the 10 a.m. kids' 1-mile dash, and awards at 10:30 a.m.

Click here to sign up now>>

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Cystic fibrosis fundraiser, 5K run scheduled

Great Day gospel concert planned

Written by archive on October 31, 2014. Posted in Faith, lifestyle.

CRESTVIEW — Libby and Friends Gospel Concert Ministry presents Great Day in concert.

Bill Ferguson and his family started the group in 2005. It is currently based in Tavares.

The concert is at 6 p.m. Nov. 8 at Central Baptist Church, 951 S. Ferdon Blvd., Crestview. A $10 donation at the door is suggested, and a love offering will be received.

For more information, visit www.libbyandfriendsgospelconcerts.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Great Day gospel concert planned

Restaurant owner shares experience in dealing with breast cancer

Written by archive on October 29, 2014. Posted in health-fitness, lifestyle.

Editor's Note: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Keep reading the Crestview News Bulletin throughout the month for news and feature stories about this issue.

CRESTVIEW — Angela Quertermous, owner of Angel’s Speakeasy in Crestview, continues to inspire her employees and others after overcoming stage-four breast cancer.

Before becoming Quertermous’s assistant at the restaurant, Sedrie Ashley met Angela while taking her children to the school bus stop.

“She is just an open and honest person. When I first met her, I did not know she had cancer,” Ashley said. “Honestly, without her telling me, I would not have known…because she is ready to embrace life.”

Quertermous said the 2009 diagnosis came on a bittersweet day.

“I found out in the morning that I got this really great job, and two hours later I found out that I had Stage Four breast cancer,” she said. “It’s amazing how life just completely stopped at that moment.”

Quertermous feared she would not be able to see her daughter, Mikaela Hughes, now 10 years old, grow up.

With the diagnosis and the treatments, Quertermous was unable to work. To help with finances, a close friend offered Quertermous a rental home in Crestview to stay at while undergoing treatments.

“I basically moved up here to die,” she said. “With stage Four (breast cancer) not too many come back.”

According the National Cancer Institute’s database, only 22 percent of patients live five years after being diagnosed with Stage Four breast cancer –in which the cancer has progressed to other parts of the body.

After undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments including a partial mastectomy, Quertermous remained active in her daughter’s school activities.

However Angela was still convinced that she would not survive, until she had a spiritual experience.

“I started pacing through my kitchen and I finally just sunk down on the floor and starting sobbing…and I said, ‘Please let me raise my daughter.’ I was talking to God,” she said. “(Then) this extreme peace just came over me and I just felt like I was going to live.”

After being cancer-free for five years, Quertermous said beating breast cancer gave her second chance.

“(I) want to leave this world knowing that I made a difference to somebody or something,” she said.

Through her recently opened restaurant, Querteremous plans to remain active in community cancer awareness, including the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life events.

She also wants to support other charitable causes on a monthly basis as well through her restaurant.

“This woman has a huge heart,” said Darryl Wiley, a waiter at the Speakeasy. Wiley said Quertermous continues to be a source of inspiration.

“When I look at my own personal challenges, if she can beat (cancer) then I can beat the everyday challenges that we all may face,” Wiley 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: Restaurant owner shares experience in dealing with breast cancer

Woman living with incurable cancer offers 4 suggestions

Written by archive on October 28, 2014. Posted in health-fitness, lifestyle.

Shy about asking, “What’s the etiquette for supporting my loved one, friend or colleague in their battle against cancer?” many people simply avoid the question altogether – and offer nothing.

“It’s okay to wonder, and it’s okay to ask. Be direct!” says Jane Schwartzberg, who has been battling stage 4 metastatic cancer for several years. She’s the co-author with Marcy Tolkoff Levy of “Naked Jane Bares All,” which shares her story with candor and humor.

Jane was a 31-year-old newlywed when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent treatment and eventually was declared cancer free. She moved on with her life, giving birth to two children and launching a technology company. Then, when she was 42, the cancer returned. She’s now 45.

“I’m a fighter, and the support I’ve received from my family and friends has given me an immeasurable amount of strength, without which I don’t know what I would do,” Schwartzberg says.

What are some suggestions for providing support? She offers these:

• Do it without any expectations or requirements for a response.“I’m often asked, ‘What can I do to help?’ ” she says. “What I’ve suggested: Be in my life at my pace, let me take the lead; make your presence, availability and support known, but do it without any expectations or requirements for a response.”

• Embrace their big dream, even if it doesn’t sound realistic.During a very low point, Schwartzberg was asked by a friend: If you could have anything, swinging for the fences, what would help you get out of this pit? Without skipping a beat, she answered, “I want to take [comedian] Larry David out to lunch.” As impossible as it seemed, her friend encouraged her to write to the co-creator of “Seinfeld” — and he accepted.

“As terrible as having terminal cancer is, there is that undeniable quality of embracing every moment, including asking your heroes out to lunch,” Schwartzberg says. “Cancer brings out the boldness in people, which may entail a dream vacation to Hawaii. Don’t be afraid to embrace their wishes.”

• Don’t hesitate to say, “You look beautiful,” when health has returned. After her chemotherapy treatments ended, Jane slowly started looking like her old self – healthy Jane, not cancer Jane. Part of reengaging with life is caring about the superficial things, at least to some extent. On the unforgettable day she met Larry David, the maître d had beforehand told her that she looked beautiful, to which Jane responded, “You have no idea how much I appreciate that.”

• Don’t sugarcoat it. “If you want to really infuriate me, you’ll tell me that this whole mess is beshert, Yiddish for ‘meant to be’ – that it’s all part of a plan from a higher power,” she says. “Maybe terminal cancer is part of some crazy plan, but I promise you that these are the last things I want to hear from anyone.”

Don’t sugarcoat or try to put a positive spin on what’s going on – in fact, it’s more of a comfort to Jane when others acknowledge that her situation stinks and that she is looking at a life that’s far different from, and likely to be shorter than, anything she’d imagined.

Jane Schwartzberg, 45, is a financial services executive and founder and former CEO of a start-up technology company.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Woman living with incurable cancer offers 4 suggestions

FINANCIAL FOCUS: Five scary investment moves

Written by archive on October 28, 2014. Posted in lifestyle.

Whether you have young children or not, you’re probably well aware that Halloween is almost here. However, despite the plethora of skeletons and ghosts you might see floating around this week, you probably don’t have much to fear (except, possibly, running out of candy). But in real life, some things genuinely are frightening — such as “scary” investment moves.

Of course, investing, by its very nature, is not a risk-free endeavor. Ideally, though, these risks are also accompanied by the possibility of reward. Nonetheless, some investment moves carry very little in the way of “upside” potential and should be avoided. Here are a few to consider:

• Not investing. The scariest investment move you can make is to not invest at all — because if you don’t invest, you are highly unlikely to achieve a comfortable retirement or meet any other important financial goals. In a recent survey conducted by the National Council on Aging and other groups, 45 percent of the respondents who were 60 or older said they wished they had saved more money, and almost one-third said they wished they had made better investments. So make investing a priority — and choose some investments that have the potential to provide you with the growth you’ll need to meet your objectives.

• Overreacting to “scary” headlines — The financial markets like stability, not uncertainty. So the next time you see some news about domestic political squabbles or unsettling geopolitical events, such as conflicts in foreign lands, don’t be surprised if you see a drop, perhaps a sizable one, in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and other market indices. But these declines are usually short-lived. Of course, the markets do not exist in isolation — they can and will be affected by what’s happening in the world. Yet, over the longer term, market movements are mostly governed by mundane, non-headline-grabbing factors, such as corporate earnings, interest rate movements, personal income levels, and so on. Here’s the point: Don’t overreact to those scary headlines, or even to short-term market drops. Instead, focus on the fundamentals driving your investments — and maintain a long-term perspective.

• Chasing hot investments — You can receive tips on “hot” investments from multiple sources: television, the Internet, your friends, your relatives — the list goes on and on. But by the time you get to these investments, they may already have cooled off — and, in any case, may not be appropriate for your needs. Stick with investments that offer good prospects and are suitable for your risk tolerance.

• Failing to diversify — When it comes to investing, “too much of a good thing” is a relevant term. If your portfolio is dominated by one type of asset class, such as aggressive growth stocks, and we experience a downturn that is particularly hard on those stocks, you could face sizable losses. But if you spread your investment dollars among growth stocks, international stocks, bonds, government securities and certificates of deposit (CDs), you can lessen the impact of a market drop. Keep in mind, though, that while diversification can reduce the effects of volatility, it can’t guarantee a profit or prevent losses.

Halloween is over quickly. But scary investment moves can have a lasting effect — so stay away from them.

Joe Faulk is a Crestview financial adviser.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FINANCIAL FOCUS: Five scary investment moves

FINANCIAL FOCUS: Open enrollment is a great time to review your retirement plan

Written by archive on October 27, 2014. Posted in lifestyle.

If you work for a medium to large company, you may now be entering the “open enrollment” period — that time of year when you get to make changes to your employee benefits.

Your benefit package can be a big piece of your overall financial picture, so you’ll want to make the right moves — especially regarding your employer-sponsored retirement plan.

Take a close look at your 401(k) or similar plan, such as a 403(b), if you work for a school or a nonprofit group, or a 457(b), if you work for a state or local government. And keep these possible moves in mind:

•Boost your contributions. If your salary has gone up over the past year, or if you just think you have a reasonable “cushion” in your disposable income, boost your contributions to your employer-sponsored retirement plan.

Even if you can’t afford to contribute the maximum amount — which, in 2014, is $17,500, or $23,000 if you’re 50 or older — to your 401(k) or similar plan, try to put in as much as you can afford. Remember the key benefits of these plans: Your money can grow tax deferred and your contributions can lower your annual taxable income. (Keep in mind, though, that you will eventually be taxed on your withdrawals, and any withdrawals you take before you reach 59½ may be subject to a 10 percent IRS penalty.)

•Don’t miss the match. Try to take full advantage of your employer’s matching contribution, if one is offered. Your employer may match 50 percent of employee contributions, up to the first 6 percent of your salary. So if you’re only deferring 3 percent of your income, you are missing half the match — or leaving money “on the table,” so to speak.

•Rebalance, if necessary. You may be able to change the investment mix of your employer-sponsored retirement plan throughout the year, but you might find that the best time to review your holdings and rebalance your portfolio is during open enrollment, when you’re reviewing all your benefit options.

Try to determine if your investment allocation is still appropriate for your needs or if you own some investments that are chronically underperforming. And always keep in mind the need to diversify.

Try to spread your money around a variety of investments within your plan, with the exact percentages of each investment depending on your goals, risk tolerance and time horizon. As you near retirement, you may need to lower your overall risk level, but even at this stage of your career, you’ll benefit from a diversified portfolio.

While diversification can’t guarantee a profit or protect against loss, it can help reduce the impact of volatility on your holdings.

•Review your beneficiary designations. Your retirement plan’s beneficiary designations are important and, in fact, can even supersede the wishes you express in your will. So if you experience changes in your life — marriage, remarriage, a birth or an adoption, for instance — you’ll need to update the beneficiary designations on your 401(k) or similar plan. It won’t take much time today — and it can help prevent a lot of trouble tomorrow.

You work hard for the money that goes into your retirement plan — so make sure your plan is working hard for you.

Joe Faulk is a Crestview financial adviser.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FINANCIAL FOCUS: Open enrollment is a great time to review your retirement plan

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