As we predicted, pensions eating up Prop. 30 education funds ...

April 30, 2013

By John Seiler

As Bill Clinton might put it, it?s in the math.

In the lead up to the November 6 election last fall, CalWatchDog.com ran several articles on Proposition 30 and pensions. We warned that?the $7 billion tax increase would go not to schools, as advertised by Gov. Jerry Brown and others in TV ads, but to teacher pensions and other spending. I?ll quote some below.

The news now is that this is exactly what is happening. David Crane, a Democrat who was a budget adviser to Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, has the facts in a Bloomberg article:

?Most Californians would be surprised to learn that 100 percent of education?s share of the tax increase proposed by Governor?Jerry Brown?will go to pensions instead of classrooms. But that would be no surprise to longtime observers of the?California?State Teachers? Retirement System, which administers teacher pensions.

?Here?s why: After retirement, teachers are unconditionally guaranteed lifetime pensions by their school districts. Everything works out fine if?Calstrs, as the retirement system is known, earns the investment returns it forecasts and from which upfront contributions are derived.

?But if they fall short, school districts must make up the difference. Because of compounding, the failure to earn forecasted earnings translates into huge deficiencies down the road.

?Unfortunately, ?down the road? is where school districts are now.

He noted something Katy Grimes?reported here in March on a Legislative Analyst Report, which found that the California State Teachers Retirement System needs $4.5 billion a year in new funding to keep afloat. Prop. 30 now is pected to bring in $7 billion in new revenues. Crane noted that, because of Proposition 98, about 40 percent of any new revenue must go to schools. He wrote, ?[T]hat means?almost $3 billion a year for the schools to use for pensions, or two-thirds of the Calstrs $4.5 billion request. A good start to meeting pension costs, but none of the tax increase will benefit students.?

So the pensions will eat up all the $3 billion from Prop. 30 going to ?schools? ? plus another $1.5 billion from other general-fund dollars.

How did CalSTRS get in the mess? Crane explained:

?In short, it failed to take?Warren Buffett?s advice. In 1999, Buffett said that long-term investors, such as pension funds, should assume investment returns of roughly 6 percent a year, not far from the actual return earned since then. Had Calstrs used his figure for its projections of the fund?s growth, it would have required larger contributions from school districts, employees and the state, and Calstrs would be healthier now.

?But the retirement fund?s board ? made up of the state?s chief financial officials and others ? chose to forecast much higher investment returns that, as Buffett later pointed out, implicitly predicted the stock market portion of the Calstrs portfolio to perform 10 times better than stocks did in the 20th century.?

CalWatchDog.com predicted the Prop. 30 legerdemain

All of this was known to readers of CalWatchDog.com before the election because we reported on it.

I wrote on Sept. 12?in an article?titled, ?California Budget Project analysis of Prop. 30 slights slam to business, jobs?:

?Being pushed by Gov. Jerry Brown and the state?s powerful government-worker unions, Prop. 30 would increase sales and income taxes taxes by from $6 billion to $8.5 billion a year. Supposedly the money would preclude cuts in K-12 and college education. But there?s no guarantee the higher taxes wouldn?t go toward the state?s burgeoning pension costs for retired government workers. All government money is fungible.?

I ?also wrote on Oct. 27?in an article titled, ?Yes, Prop. 30 would fund pensions?:

?If Proposition 30 passes, the $6 billion it would soak from taxpayers would just go straight to public-employee pensions?.

?In sum, the $6 billion from Prop. 30 would go to pay $6.4 billion in state pension payments.

?Everything else is a deception.?

On Oct. 31, Steven Greenhut wrote?in an article titled, ?Pay soars in the public sector?:

?Californians are stuck watching those dreadful union-financed campaign TV ads supporting?Proposition 30, which would push our highest income-tax rates to the stratosphere and boost sales taxes. The main rationale for high taxes, we?re told, is that California is slashing public school funding and laying off teachers?.

?What will happen if California voters approve Prop. 30? Check out the many bills that moved through the Legislature this session, as legislators crafted new proposed programs and benefit increases for their public-employee constituents.?

On Nov. 2, Wayne Lusvardi wrote in an article titled, ?Prop. 30 would make budget roller coaster more scary?:

?Declaring that K-12 public school budgets would have to be cut [unless Prop. 30 passed] is the way the state socially constructs and manages a budget crisis.? It is never portrayed that it is the Medi-Cal or public pension funds that are running a deficit. Public school children are used as poster children every year for any revenue shortfalls in health and welfare programs, pensions, or bond debts?.

?In the above table [in the Lusvardi article], it appears that the hole in the state budget is in the Bond Fund. This would include the liability for public pensions. Retirement benefit costs have increased from $1.4 billion in 1999 to?$6.5 billion?this fiscal year.?

For reference, here?s one of the misleading TV ads the Prop. 30 campaign ran:

Tags: David Crane, Jerry Brown, John Seiler, Prop. 30, tax increase

Source: http://www.calwatchdog.com/2013/04/29/pensions/

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Smoking prevention in schools: Does it work?

Apr. 29, 2013 ? Smoking prevention in schools reduces the number of young people who will later become smokers, according to a new systematic review published in The Cochrane Library. For young people who have never smoked, these programmes appear to be effective at least one year after implementation.

Smoking causes five million preventable deaths every year, a number predicted to rise to eight million by 2030. It is thought that around a quarter of young people may smoke by age 13-15. With a history spanning four decades, prevention programmes in schools try to tackle smoking at an early age before the habit becomes difficult to break. The systematic review aimed to resolve the uncertainty of whether the programmes are effective in preventing smoking.

The researchers analysed data from 134 studies, in 25 different countries, which involved a total of 428,293 young people aged 5-18. Of these, 49 studies reported smoking behaviour in those who had never previously smoked. The researchers focused on this group because it offered the clearest indication of whether smoking interventions prevent smoking. Although there were no significant effects within the first year, in studies with longer follow up the number of smokers was significantly lower in the groups targeted by smoking interventions than in the control group. In 15 studies which reported on changes in smoking behaviour in a mixed group of never smokers, previous experimenters and quitters, there was no overall long term effect, but within the first year the number smoking was slightly lower in the control group.

"This review is important because there are no other comprehensive reviews of world literature on school-based smoking prevention programmes," said Julie McLellan, one of the authors of the review based at the Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford in Oxford, UK. "The main strength of the review is that it includes a large number of trials and participants. However, over half were from the US, so we need to see studies across all areas of the world, as well as further studies analysing the effects of interventions by gender."

Some smoking interventions aimed to develop social skills and competency or teach students to resist social pressure to smoke. In the longer term, subgroups of programmes that used a social competence approach or a combined social competence and resistance training approach had a significant effect on preventing smoking in young people who had never smoked at the time of the intervention. No effect was shown in studies that used resistance training alone. Equally, no significant effects were detected in those programmes that used information only or that combined tobacco education with wider school and community initiatives.

Booster sessions did not make any difference to the number of young people who went on to smoke. "We might expect booster sessions to reinforce the effects of the original programmes, but our review didn't find any evidence for this overall," said co-author Rafael Perera, also from the Department of Primary Care Health Sciences. "The exception was in studies focusing on general social competence and resistance training, which suggests that the way the curriculum is designed is more important than whether or not booster sessions are provided."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wiley.

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Journal Reference:

1. Roger E Thomas, Julie McLellan, Rafael Perera. School-based programmes for preventing smoking. Cochrane Review, 2013 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001293.pub3

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/OFr4_yCrPqk/130429210909.htm

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Scientists discover how a protein finds its way

Apr. 29, 2013 ? Proteins, the workhorses of the body, can have more than one function, but they often need to be very specific in their action or they create cellular havoc, possibly leading to disease.

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have uncovered how an enzyme co-factor can bestow specificity on a class of proteins with otherwise nonspecific biochemical activity.

The protein in question helps in the assembly of ribosomes, large macromolecular machines that are critical to protein production and cell growth. This new discovery expands scientists' view of the role of co-factors and suggests such co-factors could be used to modify the activity of related proteins and their role in disease.

"In ribosome production, you need to do things very specifically," said TSRI Associate Professor Katrin Karbstein, who led the study. "Adding a co-factor like Rrp5 forces these enzymes to be specific in their actions. The obvious possibility is that if you could manipulate the co-factor, you could alter protein activity, which could prove to be tremendously important."

The new study, which is being published the week of April 29, 2013, in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, sheds light on proteins called DEAD-box proteins, a provocative title actually derived from their amino acid sequence. These proteins regulate all aspects of gene expression and RNA metabolism, particularly in the production of ribosomes, and are involved in cell metabolism. The link between defects in ribosome assembly and cancer and between DEAD-box proteins and cancer is well documented.

The findings show that the DEAD-box protein Rok1, needed in the production of a small ribosomal subunit, recognizes the RNA backbone, the basic structural framework of nucleic acids. The co-factor Rrp5 then gives Rok1 the ability to target a specific RNA sequence by modulating the structure of Rok1.

"Despite extensive efforts, the roles of these DEAD-box proteins in the assembly of the two ribosomal subunits remain largely unknown," Karbstein said. "Our study suggests that the solution may be to identify their cofactors first."

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Journal Reference:

1. Crystal L. Young, Sohail Khoshnevis, and Katrin Karbstein. Cofactor-dependent specificity of a DEAD-box protein. PNAS, 2013 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1302577110

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/xmv1NTIqvrI/130429175906.htm

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New drug stimulates immune system to kill infected cells in animal model of hepatitis B infection

New drug stimulates immune system to kill infected cells in animal model of hepatitis B infection

Monday, April 29, 2013

A novel drug developed by Gilead Sciences and tested in an animal model at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio suppresses hepatitis B virus infection by stimulating the immune system and inducing loss of infected cells.

In a study conducted at Texas Biomed's Southwest National Primate Research Center, researchers found that the immune modulator GS-9620, which targets a receptor on immune cells, reduced both the virus levels and the number of infected liver cells in chimpanzees chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV). Chimpanzees are the only species other than humans that can be infected by HBV. Therefore, the results from this study were critical in moving the drug forward to human clinical trials which are now in progress.

The new report, co-authored by scientists from Texas Biomed and Gilead Sciences, appears in the May issue of Gastroenterology. Gilead researchers had previously demonstrated that the same therapy could induce a cure of hepatitis infection in woodchucks that were chronically infected with a virus similar to human HBV.

"This is an important proof-of-concept study demonstrating that the therapy stimulates the immune system to suppress the virus and eliminate infected liver cells," said co-author Robert E. Lanford, Ph.D., of Texas Biomed. "One of the key observations was that the therapy continued to suppress virus levels for months after therapy was stopped.

The current therapy for HBV infection targets the virus and works very well at suppressing viral replication and delaying progression of liver disease, but it is a lifelong therapy that does not provide a cure.

"This GS-9620 therapy represents the first conceptually new treatment for HBV in more than a decade, and combining it with the existing antiviral therapy could be transformative in dealing with this disease," stated Lanford.

The Gilead drug binds a receptor called Toll-Like Receptor 7 that is present in immune cells. The receptor normally recognizes invading viruses and triggers the immune system to suppress viral replication by the innate immune response and kill infected cells by the adaptive immune response, thus orchestrating both arms of the immune system.

HBV damages the liver, leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the third most common cause of cancer death. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), up to 1.4 million Americans are chronically infected with HBV.

The World Health Organization estimates that two billion people have been infected with the hepatitis B virus, resulting in more than 240 million people with chronic infections and 620,000 deaths every year.

###

Texas Biomedical Research Institute: http://txbiomed.org/

Thanks to Texas Biomedical Research Institute for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127969/New_drug_stimulates_immune_system_to_kill_infected_cells_in_animal_model_of_hepatitis_B_infection

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Watching Someone Make Daguerreotypes Is Totally Mesmerizing

To be honest, it's pretty clear why daguerreotypes got passed over for more flexible photographic processes. You put a crap ton of work, not to mention seriously dangerous chemicals, into an image that then can't be duplicated. But that doesn't mean they aren't amazing looking. More »

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Jason Collins Gets MAJOR Twitter Love From NBA, Clintons, Athletes, Celebs

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Maxwell Johnson Celebrates Her First Birthday

Jessica Simpson threw her daughter a fair-themed party Sunday to mark Maxwell Drew's first birthday.

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Hiring: News Writer (talking-points-memo)

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NYC officials seek human remains amid plane debris

NEW YORK (AP) ? The New York City medical examiner's office plans to resume searching for human remains two blocks from the World Trade Center after the sudden discovery of an airplane's landing gear.

Medical examiner's spokeswoman Ellen Borakove told The Associated Press on Saturday that the alley behind a mosque site will first be tested as part of a standard health and safety evaluation.

Borakove says sifting for human remains will begin at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

The New York Police Department has declared the alley a crime scene, documenting it with photos and restricting access.

Authorities say the rusted landing gear is believed to be from a Sept. 11 hijacked plane. Police were guarding the area as a crime scene Saturday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nyc-officials-seek-human-remains-amid-plane-debris-171255347.html

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PST: Wambach sidelined with head injury

Two days ahead of their home opener in Rochester, Western New York announced Abby Wambach will miss Saturday?s game against the Boston Breakers, a precautionary step taken after the U.S. international suffered a concussion-esque head injury last Saturday in the team?s visit to Washington, D.C. According the the club, Wambach ?is progressing each day, but will be taking the necessary steps to ensure a full, healthy recovery.??Without her, the Flash will not only need to reorganize their attack, but they?ll need to compensate for the absence of their biggest drawing card.

Wambach was hit in the head by a kicked ball late in Saturday?s visit to the Washington Spirit. Although she finished out the five minutes remaining in the match, the Flash striker was evaluated for a concussion post-game and wasn?t made available to the media. Spirit players noted Wambach was mumbling and unable to remember the time between being hit and the final whistle. Until today?s announcement, she had been considered day-to-day ahead of Saturday?s visit from Boston.

That Wambach was allowed to continue after this ?

? was the subject of some commentary from Stefan Fatsis at Slate. Read the whole piece. Here?s a big chunk, but there?s much more to this piece:

I described the scene to neurosurgeon Robert Cantu, the co-director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University and co-author of the new book Concussions and Our Kids. Cantu said it was ?absurd? that Wambach wasn?t yanked off the field ?

The National Women?s Soccer League says it?s not. A spokesman said the league follows the concussion guidelines of the U.S. Soccer Federation ? The guidelines state: ?Immediately remove athlete from participation if concussion is suspected.? It was certainly possible that Wambach could have been concussed. Did game personnel just fail to follow the guidelines?

NWSL commissioner Cheryl Bailey told me that league personnel are aware of the U.S. Soccer concussion guidelines and that they were applied in this case.

Fair enough. The author of the Slate piece disagrees, but he also hypothesized a curious motive: ?did Wambach stay in because she?s Abby ? as important as anyone to the fate of the third women?s league in the last decade??

Wambach doesn?t carry that profile anymore. Not since Alex Morgan emerged, but in her home town of Rochester, Wambach is still expected significant draw, particularly for a team that was short changed in player allocation (the Flash got two, instead of three, U.S. internationals). While most expected her to land in Portland before this winter?s dispersal, Wambach was tabbed to be the new Flash?s marquee star.

Western New York head coach Aaran Lines talked to ProSoccerTalk on Wednesday ahead of our Game of the Week feature. Here were his thoughts on Wambach?s commercial value:

Abby?s here to first and foremost play for the club and play well for the club. People should come out and support the [team] and see Abby Wambach play for the [team]. I hope we get a ton of support throughout the season ? people wanting to come out and see her play on the Western New York Flash team. There?s not only Abby. There are other good players around Abby ? very, very high level players. So I hope they come out and support the team with Abby in it.

We?ll see on Saturday. Even when Wambach was expected to play, the preliminary numbers were a little low:

Source: http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/25/abby-wambach-concussion-western-new-york-vs-boston-breaks-injury/related/

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Google releases Glass kernel GPL source, lets developers have at it

While our own Tim Stevens is currently adapting to life through Google Glass, developers are going beyond scratching the surface to fiddle with what's inside. Hot on the heels of Jay Freeman rooting Glass, devs will be pleased to know Google's throwing 'em a bone to by publicly releasing the kernel source. Interestingly, Karthik's Geek Center spotted info within the file that points to Glass potentially being equipped for NFC support. If you're up for tinkering, you'll find the temporary location of the tar.zx file itself at the source link.

Filed under: Misc, Robots, Wearables, Software, Google

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Twinkies showdown another blow to unions?

Mark Koba , CNBC ? ? ? 19 hrs.

Twinkies are coming back?but under a new management that vows to use nonunion workers.

Five months after Hostess shut down over a standoff with its unions, the restructured company expects to put its snacks back on store shelves by summer. The Hostess closing left 18,000 people out of work across the country?about 5,000 of whom were union members. Hiring in remodeled plants is underway.

With Hostess back in business, labor analysts say the union movement may have taken a major hit just as it appeared to be regaining energy as workers went on strike.

(Read More: Twinkies [The Real Ones] Back on Shelves in July)

"The Hostess strike will be a lasting image and not for the good of unions," said Marc Bloch, a labor and employment lawyer at Walter & Haverfield in Cleveland, Ohio.

"I think any management team will hold up a photo to its workers of Hostess strikers and say, 'What's a union going to do for you?''' Bloch said. "The case can be made that they did nothing."

The Teamsters said it had no comment, and calls to the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union were not immediately returned Friday.

Christopher Rhomberg, a Fordham University sociology professor, said the strike went beyond wages and benefits.

"The workers had good reason to doubt management's intentions and reorganization plan," Rhomberg said. "The company had gone through bankruptcy twice in the last eight years and a revolving-door of management teams that increased the firm's debt but failed to reinvest in production or new products."

For the union workers who were left without a job, the Hostess shutdown showed the weakness of unions, said Daniel Opler, a history professor at College of Mount Saint Vincent and a labor relations specialist.

"There's no question the bakers union that rejected a settlement made a tactical error here," he said.

"But Hostess kept asking for concessions in exchange to keep the plants open and either workers gave away all their power to control wages or the plants closed," Opler said. "It was a no-win situation. I'm not sure this was a case of the union overplaying its hand or not having a hand to play."

About 14.3 million U.S. workers belong to unions, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or 11.3 percent of the total workforce -- the lowest rate in 70 years. Union workers reached peak rates of 35 percent during the mid-1950s, after a surge in unionization during the Great Depression that lasted until after World War II.

Most union workers are public sector employees. Just 7 percent of private sector workers?like those from Hostess?belong to unions, according to the BLS.

Low membership rates could indicate that unions are weakening, said John Alan James, a business management consultant and staff member at Pace University.

(Read More:In the Battle for Twinkies, Wall Street Creamed Main Street)

"Unions have been very good in the past making sure we have benefits like maternity leave, but their leadership continues to think only of themselves and not their members," James said.

"Employees are left to ask themselves, ?Why should I pay dues when I don't see any positive results??" he said.

"The business world is too fast today, and businesses need to make fast decisions and can't wait for unions to make up their minds," said Bloch. "Unions have to convince their membership that a deal is good or not, and that takes too much time these days."

(Read more: Teachers, other government workers become growing face of union fights)

If it does take time, some workers seem willing to wait. Job actions and walkouts by fast food workers in the last few months at McDonald's, Subway and Dunkin Donuts in Chicago and New York have called for higher wages and the right to form a union without interference. Retailers Sears and Macy's as well as Victoria's Secret have had their workers do the same.

Fast food and retail workers bring more than $4 billion a year into Chicago cash registers. But most of these workers earn the Illinois minimum wage of $8.25, or just above it. They say they are forced to rely on public assistance programs to provide for their families and get health care for their children. They're asking for $15 per hour and the right to form a union to support their families and put money back into the economy.

But workers taking to the streets doesn't mean the labor movement will see sunnier skies, Opler said.

"I've argued that unless things change dramatically, the labor movement is in serious trouble of becoming obsolete," Opler said. "Unions have lost their power to prevent lower wages and the increase in working hours."

(Read More:Seeking Stability, Maine Lobstermen Join Union)

"But I would likely have been making that claim in 1929 and 1930 as the labor movement was one the eve of a historical period of growth," he said.

As for Hostess, it will start hiring this weekend at the Dolly Madison Bakery in Columbus, Ga., one of the locations shut down when the old company closed.

Hostess executive vice president Michael Cramer told NBC on Thursday that, "We are not going to invite the unions in. We don't have to." Cramer added that nothing prevents workers from unionizing at some point.

Bloch, the Ohio labor lawyer, said Hostess may not be able to keep the union out.

"They would be inviting trouble if they tried to screen potential workers about their feeling on unions," he said.

"There are employee laws to protect anyone from discrimination about unions. They can't ask if someone is pro-union or not," Bloch said. "Who knows? Unions could end up back in Hostess and the whole thing might happen again."

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Classic: Daily Show's John Oliver on Australia's Total Gun Control "Failure" (Little green footballs)

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Starting

Ello. I'm sorry I haven't been on in a while, just a bunch of drama and shit going on, but I'm ready to get started. Please reply to this so I know who's still active. :)

I loved her simply because I found her irresistible. Once for all; I knew to my sorrow, often and often, if not always, that I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.

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Eichhorn Family Follow-Up | SisterHaiti {UgandaMama}

This is a follow up post to ?Special Needs Adoption {Eichhorn Family}? .

Several of you submitted your questions for the Eichhorn family and I was happy to get these answers for you. ? While what works for the Eichhorn family may not be possible or work for all of us, one thing they prove to us is that with determination and creativity typical families just like yours and mine can provide homes for waiting children with special needs.

Question: ?How do you afford the medical costs that come with children with special needs?

Answer: ??Our first 5 adoptions were USA adoptions from Ohio. With Ohio adoptions Medicaid insurance is part of the deal when you adopt through the county foster care/adoption system. Your children have most medical needs paid for until they are 18.?

Question: ?What has been the hardest part of being a parent of special needs children?

Answer: ??Our hardest part of parenting special needs children is getting time away together. Date nights or date days are few and far between, typical babysitters aren?t trained to watch medical needs children and paying for or even finding someone is not easy. Trained family is a good option for time away together. For us as individuals we help each other out by one of us watching the kids so the other can get out of the house for a while.?

Question:?Do you plan to adopt more children?

Answer: ??Eventually we probably will adopt more children. For the time being our family is enjoying the children we have and are taking a break from the constant flow of social workers and paperwork. Also with recruiting efforts hopefully there will be no more special needs children around to adopt.?

Question:?How do you transport your family?

Answer: ??For our family?s transportation we have purchased a giant ford van with two sets of wheelchair tie downs and a wheelchair lift. If or when we add more children we will then have to take two vehicles when we all go together as a family.?

Question:?What is your day to day schedule like? ?Do you have a lot of appointments outside the home?

Answer: ??Our day to day schedule includes katie working overnight as elijah?s nurse 5 nights a week. Everybody is up at 6 and we both work together to get all six kids up and fed by seven when I take them to school. Katie stays home and finishes getting the other three ready for the day including starting elijah?s daily therapy routines. I am home by 8 and either hang out with the kids, run errands, do handyman projects around our home or other people?s homes. Elijah has a nurse who comes for 5 hours three days a week which gives katie a break from his medical and therapy needs. I pick kids up at 2 and then do homework and playtime until dinner at 5. Five of six are in bed by 7 and elijah is finished with his procedures by 8 which gives us two hours to unwind before bedtime. Though plans often change, such as when one of the kids has an emergency and ends up needing to stay in the hospital for a couple weeks in which case katie usually stays at the hospital and I take on full charge of everybody else!?

Question: ?I?m a mom of three biological children. ?We are hoping to adopt and have been thinking about adopting a child with special needs but I?m already so busy and I?m afraid I won?t have time to care for the child the way they need.?

Answer: ??Appointments are crazy when you first get a child. They have to have so many initial specialist visits and tons of therapy to start in. Elijah now gets all of his weekly therapy in the home since he is immunocompromised. Manny and Gideon both graduated from therapy in December so we only have medical appointments no therapy outside the home (until we get it set up for Zahara!) But even at that we still have three or so appointments a week in which case one of us takes the child/children to the doctor and the other stays home with whoever is not going. It makes it really nice to be able to have two parents at home in these situations.?

Question: ?Were you scared when you adopted your first child with special needs? ?I dont have any experience with special needs and am afraid I wouldn?t know what to do!?

Answer: ??I was definitely scared with my first adoption, but I feel it was a healthy fear. Uncertainty was assured with that whole process. At that point we had no children it was just deciding that life would be different forever. You give up free time as a married couple, certain outings, retirement? I don?t regret it one bit and would make the same choice many times over. With God guiding us into that process we knew He could come up with better life plans than we could anyway. Special needs children do take special time and attention. You can always learn special needs as you go, how much time you have could be difficult depending on your support system and the severity of needs of the child.?

Question: ?How old are your children now?

Answer: ??Our most recent child is 15 nearly 16 her adoption will be final in july, she is from Uganda. The rest in order received are: Elijah 5, Kimora 5, Aidric 3, Manny 4, Gideon 3.?

Question: Did you have to modify your house to make it wheelchair accessible?

Answer: ??So that we could afford a modified handicapped house when elijah (our wheelchair bound son) was 2, we purchased a $20,000 multifamily home. And with my carpentry home remodeling skills I built a handicap accessible single family home with 7 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, elevator, and therapy room. So after two years of work we had an affordable custom made castle.?

Thank you to the Eichhorn family for being willing to be so open about their family and adoptions! ?If you have additional questions about special needs adoption leave a comment on this blog post or send me a message and I?ll do my best to get them answered!

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Source: http://sisterhaiti.wordpress.com/2013/04/26/eichhorn-family-follow-up/

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Docudharma:: Health and Fitness News

General Medicine/Family Medical

High Heart Rate Tied to Earlier Death, Even in Fit
by Randy Dotinga, HealthDay Reporter

Findings suggest a second look at what range is considered normal, researcher says

April 16 (HealthDay News) -- Faster heart rates in otherwise healthy men could be a harbinger of an earlier death, even among those who exercise, a new Danish study suggests.

The finding provides more evidence of the potential danger lurking in the bodies of both men and women who have rapid pulses when they're not exercising.

Hard Physical Labor May Boost Heart Disease Risk
Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter

Researcher says higher mental stress, lower income could be factors

April 18 (HealthDay News) -- Demanding physical work may boost a person's risk of heart disease, two new studies suggest.

"Physicians know that high stress can be associated with increased risk of heart disease," said one expert not connected to the study, Dr. Lawrence Phillips, a cardiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. "These two studies suggest that, in addition to normal life stressors, the physical demands a person experiences in the workplace can independently increase their risk as well."

"The reason for this [labor-linked risk] is unclear, but might be related to higher stress levels," Phillips said.

Experimental Heart Failure Treatment Shows Promise
by Amy Norton, HealthDay Reporter

But experts caution that larger studies of combined treatment are needed

April 16 (HealthDay News) -- People with chronic heart failure might benefit from a combination of "shock waves" to the heart and an infusion of their own bone marrow cells, an early study suggests.

The therapy is still experimental, and experts said much more work is needed. But they also said the results, reported in the April 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, are promising.

Laser Liposuction May Zap Fat Without Skin Sag
by Carina Storrs, HealthDay Reporter

Preliminary research suggests procedure could have advantages over traditional method of fat removal

April 15 (HealthDay News) -- Laser-assisted liposuction might provide an option for people who want stubborn pockets of fat removed but fear they'll be left with loose skin.

Traditional liposuction, a fat-removing cosmetic surgery procedure, is generally reserved for people with firm skin to reduce the risk of sagging afterward. But the addition of lasers could spur tightening of the skin, researchers say.

The researchers looked at the extent of skin tightening in nearly 2,200 women and men who received laser liposuction in various body regions, including the belly, thighs and arms. The relatively new procedure was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2006.

Warnings/Alerts/Guidelines

La. Company Expands Meat Recall
by WebMD News from HealthDay

A recall of meat products due to possible bacterial contamination has been expanded by a Louisiana-based meat packing company, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says.

The recall by the Manda Packing Company now includes 468,000 pounds of roast beef, ham, turkey breast, tasso pork, ham shanks, hog headcheese, corned beef and pastrami, the Associated Press reported.

FDA OK's 'Abuse-Deterrent' Label for New Oxycontin
by EJ Mundell, HealthDay Reporter

Latest formulation is tougher to crush and dissolve, making illicit use more difficult

April 16 (HealthDay News) -- In an effort to help curb the epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday said it is approving new labeling for a reformulated version of Oxycontin that its maker claims will be harder to abuse.

The agency also noted that the original form of the powerful painkiller has been withdrawn from the market because it is easier to abuse than the newer formulation.

"Accordingly, the agency will not accept or approve any abbreviated new drug applications (generics) that rely upon the approval of original OxyContin," the FDA added in a news release issued late Tuesday.

Number of U.S. Food-borne Illness Cases Stalled
by Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter

More vigilance needed from regulators, industry and consumers, health official says

April 18 (HealthDay News) -- Progress in reducing foodborne illness in the United States seems to have stalled, health officials reported Thursday.

"Every year, we estimate that about 48 million of us -- that would be one in six people in the United States -- gets sick from eating contaminated food," said Dr. Robert Tauxe, deputy director of the division of foodborne, waterborne and environmental diseases at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Common in Raw Meat
by WebMD News from HealthDay

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are present in a significant amount of raw meat sold in the United States, according to a Food and Drug Administration report.

Tests conducted by the agency found antibiotic-resistant bacteria in 81 percent of raw ground turkey, 69 percent of pork chops, 55 percent of ground beef and 39 percent of chicken, CNN reported.

Seasonal Flu/Other Epidemics/Disasters

Treatment for New, Deadly Coronavirus Shows Promise
by Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter

Researchers report two drugs currently used to treat hepatitis C stopped virus from replicating in lab tests

April 18 (HealthDay News) -- A treatment for a new coronavirus that has caused 11 deaths, mostly in the Middle East, shows promise in early tests, U.S. government researchers report.

The investigators discovered that a combination of two antiviral drugs -- ribavirin and interferon-alpha 2b -- can stop the so-called nCoV coronavirus from multiplying in laboratory-grown cells. While the results suggest that this drug combination could be used to treat patients infected with nCoV, more research is needed to confirm these early findings.

Women's Health

Mammography Rates Unchanged Despite Guidelines
by Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay Reporter

Annual screenings continue as women, doctors appear to be ignoring task force recommendations, new data shows

April 19 (HealthDay News) -- More than three years after controversial new guidelines rejected routine annual mammograms for most women, women in all age groups continue to get yearly screenings, a new survey shows.

In fact, mammogram rates actually increased overall, from 51.9 percent in 2008 to 53.6 percent in 2011, even though the slight rise was not considered statistically significant, according to the researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Scientists Create Breast Cancer Survival Predictor
by Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter

Model shows which gene signatures are strong signs for survival

April 17 (HealthDay News) -- Columbia University scientists have developed a new model to predict breast cancer survival, and they say their work could lead to improved diagnosis and prognosis for all types of cancers.

In earlier work, the researchers identified certain gene signatures that are present in nearly identical form in many cancer types. Using that information, they developed a model that showed that these gene signatures, when properly combined, were strong indicators for breast cancer survival.

Are Pricey Computer-Aided Mammograms Worth It?
by Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay Reporter

Early breast cancer found more often in large study, but not more cases of invasive disease

April 15 (HealthDay News) -- Adding computer-aided detection to mammograms finds more early, noninvasive cancers and helps detect invasive cancers at earlier stages, according to a large new study. But the jury's still out as to how worthwhile the extra technology is overall.

For one thing, computer-aided detection (CAD) increases the amount of diagnostic testing among women who turn out not to have breast cancer. And the technology makes mammograms more expensive.

Drugs Can Cut Breast Cancer Risk for Some: Experts
by Carina Storrs, HealthDay Reporter

Draft guidelines for doctors reflect findings, but it's hard to know who will benefit most, experts say

April 15 (HealthDay News) -- The drugs tamoxifen and raloxifene (Evista) could reduce the risk of breast cancer among women who are at high risk of developing the disease, a new report confirms.

Along with the report, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force also issued draft recommendations that reflect those findings, which will be published in the April 16 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Men's Health

New Procedure Shrinks Prostate Without Surgery
by Serena Gordon, HealthDay Reporter

'Prostatic artery embolization' didn't cause troublesome side effects in study

April 15 (HealthDay News) -- Men who need treatment for an enlarged prostate may soon have a new nonsurgical option, a small, early study suggests.

Called prostatic artery embolization (PAE), the technique uses a catheter threaded into an artery in the leg. The catheter is guided to the artery that supplies blood to the prostate. Then, tiny beads are injected into the artery, which temporarily block the blood supply to the prostate.

Pediatric Health

Anti-Vaccine Parents Seek Like-Minded Opinions
by Amy Norton, HealthDay Reporter

Study suggests friends, family may be important sources of advice

April 15 (HealthDay News) -- Friends and family may be key in parents' decisions on whether to vaccinate their young children, a small study suggests.

The study, of about 200 parents, found that those who had opted not to follow the standard vaccine schedule often sought advice from anti-vaccine friends and family.

Experts said it's not certain that the advice actually steered parents in an anti-vaccine direction: Parents who were already prone to shunning vaccines may have turned to like-minded people for reinforcement.

Babies Born Even Slightly Early May Lag Behind
by Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay Reporter

Women urged to rethink early elective C-sections, inductions unless medically needed

April 16 (HealthDay News) -- Many women choose to have labor induced or to have an elective Cesarean delivery before the full term of their pregnancy is up, but a new study suggests their child's development may suffer if they are born even a little early.

A term of 37 to 41 weeks is considered ''normal,'' but the new research finds birth at 39 to 41 weeks provides more developmental advantages compared to birth at 37 to 38 weeks.

Many Parents Text, Phone With Kids in Car: Survey
by Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter

Work-related calls a priority for nearly one-third polled

April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly two-thirds of adults use a cell phone when they're driving with children in the car, and about one-third text, according to a new California survey.

The dangers of such behavior are well-documented. In 2011, about 3,300 deaths and 400,000 injuries in the United States occurred because of distracted driving, according to experts in the driving safety program at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine.

Colic May Be Linked to Childhood Migraine
by Serena Gordon, HealthDay Reporter

Expert suspects disrupted sleep cycles might play a role in both disorders

April 16 (HealthDay News) -- Although colic has always been considered a gastrointestinal illness, new research suggests that migraines might be to blame.

The study, published April 17 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found the odds were nearly seven times higher that children with migraine were colicky babies than were not.

Aging

Mental Exercise May Help Keep Seniors Sharp
by Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter

Even solving puzzles might stave off decline and memory loss, study hints

April 15 (HealthDay News) -- Mental exercise can help prevent thinking and memory decline in seniors, but evidence for the benefits of supplements and exercise is weak, according to a new study.

The findings were published in the CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

The researchers reviewed 32 studies, including three that examined the effects of mental exercise involving computerized training programs or intensive one-on-one personal training in memory, reasoning or processing speed.

Brain Changes Seen in Relatives of Alzheimer's Patients
by Denise Mann, HealthDay Reporter

Study finding doesn't mean you'll get the disease if family members have it, experts stress
April 17 (HealthDay News) -- If Alzheimer's disease runs in your family, you may be more likely to have brain changes associated with the disorder even before symptoms such as memory and thinking problems occur, according to new research.

An estimated 5.2 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, a number expected to increase dramatically as the baby boomer generation ages. The Alzheimer's Association predicts that the number of people aged 65 and older with the condition will reach 7.1 million by 2025.

Exercise May Help People With Alzheimer's Avoid Nursing Homes
by Brenda Goodman, HealthDay Reporter

Study finds regular activity delays physical decline, reduces falls

April 15 (HealthDay News) -- Regular exercise slows disability and prevents falls in patients with Alzheimer's disease without increasing overall costs, a new study from Finland says.

The findings suggest that exercise, particularly when tailored to an individual's needs and performed at home, may help Alzheimer's patients maintain their independence and delay the move to a nursing home.

Mental Health

Boston Bombing Aftermath: Fear, Empathy, Anger
by Kathleen Doheny, WebMD Health News

April 16, 2013 -- It's normal to feel a range of emotions the day after the terror bombing attack at the Boston Marathon, even if you were thousands of miles away.

Los Angeles psychologist Emanuel Maidenberg, PhD, says that in the wake of all that horror, it's understandable that emotions are still raw and intense.

"People become vigilant, they look around, they become apprehensive," says Maidenberg, director of the cognitive behavioral therapy clinic at the UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine.

Seriously Stressed? Hair Analysis May Tell All
by Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter

Single strand may yield evidence about heart-harmful hormone levels in seniors, researchers say

April 17 (HealthDay News) -- Hair analysis can reveal if seniors have elevated stress hormone levels that may put them at increased risk for heart disease and stroke, a new study suggests.

Unlike a blood test that provides information about stress hormone levels at a single point in time, analysis of a strand of hair can reveal trends in levels of the stress hormone cortisol over several months, according to the researchers.

The study, published April 17 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, found that seniors with higher long-term levels of cortisol were more likely to have heart disease.

Guideline Changes Set Asperger's Community on Edge
by Lisa Esposito, HealthDay Reporter

Psychiatric manual will fold it into autism spectrum disorders, leaving many unsure about getting needed services

April 18 (HealthDay News) -- People with Asperger's syndrome -- mild autism with normal or sometimes superior verbal ability and intelligence -- are at a crossroads: Their diagnosis is about to disappear.

In 1994, Asperger's was recognized as its own disorder in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-4). For some people, realizing that they fit into the Asperger's diagnosis was a "eureka" moment of sorts.

In mid-May, however, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) will unveil the latest edition of the diagnostic manual. In the DSM-5, the Asperger's term will not exist -- and many people with Asperger's are upset.

Nutrition/Diet/Fitness

Beer's Taste May Trigger Urge to Get Drunk
by ?Barbara Bronson Gray, HealthDay Reporter

Study found flavor alone activated brain's reward center; effect stronger with family history of alcoholism

April 15 (HealthDay News) -- Just as the smell of freshly brewed coffee may compel you to pour a steaming cup of java, a small taste of beer may activate part of your brain's reward system and trigger the urge for more, a new study suggests.

Researchers have discovered that sensory cues associated with drinking may stimulate certain parts of the brain and cause a craving for more alcohol. Giving people a very small amount of the brand of beer they most frequently consume produced a desire to drink that was correlated with the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain's reward-and-pleasure centers.

'Western' Diet Not the Way to Age Well
by Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter

British study says fried foods and red meat lead to premature aging, illness

April 17 (HealthDay News) -- A new British study provides further evidence that eating a so-called "Western" diet may not be good for you in the long run.

People who eat this kind of diet -- which includes fried and sweet foods, processed and red meat, refined grains and high-fat dairy products -- are at increased risk for premature death. And those who do make it to old age are less likely to be in good health when they get there, the researchers said.

Tactics to Eat Less at the Buffet Table
by Brenda Goodman, HealthDay Reporter

Study reveals how people stay in control when faced with endless portions, many choices

April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Few situations can trip up someone who is watching their weight like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

But a new research letter published in the April issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine suggests two strategies that may help dieters survive a smorgasbord: Picking up a smaller plate and circling the buffet before choosing what to eat.

Buffets have two things that raise nutritionists' eyebrows -- unlimited portions and tons of choices. Both can crank up the calorie count of a meal.

1-Sport Focus May Raise Young Athletes' Injury Risk
by Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter

Kids should not spend more hours than their age training for a sport each week, researchers say

April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Young athletes who train intensely for one sport are at greatly increased risk for severe overuse injuries such as stress fractures, a new study finds.

For example, children and teens who play a sport for more hours per week than their age -- such as a 12-year-old who plays tennis 13 or more hours a week -- are 70 percent more likely to suffer serious overuse injuries than other types of injuries, according to the researchers.

Source: http://www.docudharma.com/diary/32765/health-and-fitness-news

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AP PHOTOS: Survivors found in Bangladesh collapse

Working round-the-clock, rescuers have pulled more than two dozen survivors from the rubble of a Bangladesh garment factory that collapsed 4 days ago, killing some 350 people.

From within the wreckage, "We are still getting response from survivors though they are becoming weaker slowly," said Brig. Gen. Ali Ahmed Khan, the head of the fire services.

"The building is very vulnerable. Any time the floors could collapse. We are performing an impossible task, but we are glad that we are able to rescue so many survivors," he said.

The disaster is the worst ever for the country's booming and powerful garment industry, surpassing a fire five months ago that killed 112 people and brought widespread pledges to improve worker-safety standards.

Here are some images from the recovery scene.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-photos-survivors-found-bangladesh-collapse-163536116.html

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Family ?crumbled? when they learned of fatal wrong-way crash

>>> heard about it defied explanation. a young mother, driving a minivan home from a camping trip , speeding down the wrong side of a divided highway with her own children and three nieces in the car. the crash that resulted killed a total of eight people. tonight, the parents who lost their little girls speak for the first time with ann curry . what they have endured is the basis of a new book called "i'll see you again." tonight they talk about what they learned about surviving grief.

>> reporter: they were jackie and warren hance's three excited little girls , about to embark on a big adventure.

>> i love you all.

>> reporter: emma 8, the oldest dreamed of becoming an actress.

>> she's a lot like me. she wanted everything perfect. very, very good big sister .

>> reporter: allison, 7 a free-spirited artist, was born with a smile on her face.

>> make a silly face.

>> she could make anybody happy at anytime and it was impossible to be sad around her. it really was.

>> reporter: and katie the youngest at age 5.

>> i did it, daddy!

>> she just looked at her big sisters and wanted to do everything they did. sometimes it was you are only 2. you can't do what they are doing right now, but she still tried.

>> reporter: in july of 2009 , jackie , a 38-year-old stay at home mom and her husband warren, a real estate appraiser were packing their daughters off with her sister diane , her husband danny and their two young children on a weekend camping trip .

>> we had been packing since tuesday. they were looking forward to it a lot. it was going to be a forever trip.

>> reporter: that they would forever remember.

>> uh-huh.

>> reporter: it was a two hour drive from their home on long island.

>> i loved it. they were going to do things they normally didn't do, fish, boating, really camping.

>> reporter: though she was missing her girls jackie felt confident that with her sister diane they were in safe hands.

>> i had known her 20 years, back then 16 years. she was a nanny for i think a good eight years. i went to her for advice. she knew more about babies than i did.

>> reporter: diane schuller had her hands for, working as an executive at a cable company and mothering her children 5-year-old brian and 2-year-old erin but she always remembered her nieces on holidays and birthdays with a gift or card. jackie said she loved diane like a sister.

>> the girls loved her. she was a strict aunt but a fun aunt.

>> reporter: as the weekend came to an end, on sunday morning jackie eagerly awaited the girls ' homecoming. soon after 9:00 a.m ., diane got the three girls and her own two children th children in the minivan and took off.

>> how was her demeanor?

>> fine.

>> anything in the conversation that makes you wonder if anything was askew or wrong?

>> god no. huh- huh-uh. no.

>> reporter: 40 minutes later, now close to 1:00 the phone rang. it was emma sounding alarmed.

>> mommy, something is wrong with aunt diane .

>> and she was crying.

>> uh-huh. i didn't understand. i said what do you mean? i could hear allison crying in the background. i said let me talk to aunt diane . so diane got on the phone. she kept saying they are playing and having fun . she didn't sound right.

>> diane didn't.

>> no. she wasn't making sense.

>> confused and alarmed jackie stayed home to call the police and warren and his father raced to tarrytown, the last place that emma said they were. when they finally got there, diane and the children were nowhere to be found. in their search, warren and his father stopped at the police station .

>> the trooper was out in the parking lot waiting for me and he said you need to get in my car. i said i'll just drooichlt and he said no, i'm going to drive you over there and i turned to my father and said this is bad. an he said, yeah, i know.

>> reporter: the trooper drove them to a local hospital where police told them what they couldn't bear to hear. diane , they said, had driven the minivan in to oncoming traffic with all of the children on board on new york's taconic parkway . they said she hit an suv head on. the minivan exploded in to flames. all three sisters, diane , her daughter as well as the three men in the suv , michael and guy and daniel were killed. that's eight people lost. only diane 's 5-year-old son brian survived.

>> i just crumbled. i lost it.

>> reporter: jackie was anxious at home waiting for word when the phone rang. a family friend picked up.

>> he said it's warren. i just saw him his head drop and then drop again and again. and i just stared at him. and he came over and said they are all gone. i ran out the door.

>> screaming. four days later at the funeral for diane and the children, jackie was astonished at warren's courage, giving the eulogy for the family.

>> love your children. cherish your children. kiss your children. and don't ever forget.

>> reporter: jackie slid beyond despair.

>> they were my life. they were the reason i was put her, i believe. because they really, just really amazing girls . it changed everything. she admits she became detached from reality.

>> i'd wake up from a nap or a deep sleep and go in the girls ' room and are they here, where did they sleep?

>> reporter: her close friends melissa, isabelle an janine stayed near jackie around the clock.

>> she would call in the middle of the night where are the girls ? do you have them at your house? and you would have to go through the process, no sweetheart and show the papers or explain to her.

>> reporter: it seemed it couldn't get any worse. but then five day air force the funeral came the toxicology report. it said diane 's blood alcohol level was double the legal limit. the medical examiner said she consumed at least ten drings and there was marijuana in her blood. and there were more details from investigators that only added to the mystery. 30 minutes after leaving the camp site , police determined, diane stopped to feed the children at mcdonald's. 45 minutes after that, she stopped at a convenient store. she is seen here in the security camera footage. she reportedly asked for pain medication, but left without buying anything. it was soon after that when diane turned on to the wrong side of the taconic parkway , spooking other drivers.

>> state police , 911.

>> yeah, you have a guy driving south on northbound taconic parkway .

>> reporter: they said that her minivan was moving at 85 miles an hour for two miles in to oncoming traffic, just missing other vehicles.

>> he's going like a bat out of hell .

>> before colliding with the suv . in the wreckage of the minivan, police find broken bottle of vodka.

>> i couldn't believe it. my heart stopped again. and i was dumfounded.

>> reporter: as all of these details begin to emerge, jackie 's grief turned darker.

>> i just was angry. i wish that it was just a regular car accident . it was killing me, the anger. i didn't know how to deal with it.

>> reporter: not only anger at the accident, anger at herself.

>> i'm their mom and supposed to protect them. and i didn't. it's just hard to not blame yourself.

>> reporter: you expected diane to protect your kids?

>> uh-huh.

>> reporter: and now you are blaming yourself.

>> i'm not blaming myself for the accident. i'm blaming myself for them not being here. it's just -- they are not here and i'm their mom.

>> reporter: jackie fell in to a dark well of grief and doubted she could ever climb out of it. she punished herself, questioning how well she really knew her sister-in-law and she could not accept that she had lost all three of her children. but in the midst of her suffering there was suddenly a ray

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2b3aed2e/l/0Lvideo0Bmsnbc0Bmsn0N0Cid0C51682257/story01.htm

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