Once in awhile we meet people who truly inspire us.  Martina Natoli is one of those people.

WAVY has  been following Martina’s story for four years as have many in Hampton Roads.    She was born with cystic fibrosis and they always knew she would one day need a double lung transplant to survive.    That day came last October.   Martina’s body was pushed to the brink.    While waiting for the lungs at Duke University  Medical Center she began to cough blood.  Doctors had to put her on life support – but it wasn’t working.  They then put her on a ‘last chance’ machine that acted as her lungs.  It gave her 72 hours.  Her family and friends all came to North Carolina to say good-bye.

Luckily Martina doesn’t remember any of this.   When she woke up she had new lungs.  She is now recovering at home and excited to get back to high school for her senior year.   She’s been in and out of the hospital so much she’s missed months if not years in class.  She’s shooting for perfect attendance in 2009-10 and with her strength and determination I’m betting she can do it!

Sometimes there’s just not enough time to tell a story on TV. Case in point, the story of Ryan Poteet.

He’s the Western Branch High School student with the “Mystery Diagnosis”. In case you missed the story on TV, Ryan has something called Hadju Cheney Syndrome. He is one of less then 100 people in the world ever to get the diagnosis. It affects his bone shape, growth, heart, kidneys, hearing and speech. Doctors didn’t know if he’d ever walk. He now break dances at school talent shows. He is very small for his age (16 years old and only about four and a half feet tall) but has a big spirit. He writes christian poems and lyrics. What I did not have time to talk about on TV is all of the daily struggles he faces.

Ryan has to leave class five minutes before everyone else because his S – shaped legs don’t move as quickly as most. He has trouble reaching books in his locker because of his short stature. He takes medicine for high blood pressure, osteoporosis and he takes growth hormones. Ryan had to wear a neck brace for three years after neck surgery so his spine wouldn’t collapse. The thing is he does it all with a smile.

Ryan is the most positive young man. He plans to go to college and become a web designer. He wants to make enough money to one day care for his Mom who has spent all her money and energy caring for him.

You can read some of his poems and hear the lyrics of a song he wrote (which his church choir put to music) plus learn more about Hadju Cheney on a website Ryan’s Mom created. Here’s the link

http://www.hajdu-cheney.com/Ryan.html

I don’t know about you, but lately it seems people are just grumpy, emotional and and above all stressed out.  I tend to think this is a symptom of our economy and I’m looking for a treatment (until we find a cure).

Everyone is so worried about losing their job that they’re worked into a literal frenzy.  Many are expected to do double the work since co-workers have been  ‘ laid off’ but end up doing even more because they are afraid if they don’t their job will be next.

My point is that it just isn’t  healthy for people to be so stressed,  worried and sleep deprived.    So, how can we fix it?  Exercise does help reduce stress, but after a long  day lets admit it, most of us just want to ‘veg out’ on the couch.  We want comfort foods that make us feel better today  but we will probably pay for tomorrow.

We could just realize that there is no way to get everything done perfectly all of the time (hope my boss didn’t read that) and take a break , but we all know some go-getter out there will see that as an opportunity to show the boss they can do more than you.

So what? For lack of any real solution I’m going to try to smile more.  Sounds dorky I know,  but when we smile, act politely and treat others with dignity and respect it seems to create a chain reaction.  If just one of us does that at work maybe we’ll reduce stress among everyone., even if it only  lasts a few minutes.    It’s no miracle cure but try it.  Let me know what happens.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  Don’t know about you but I wish the luck of the Irish would bring some green to our economy.  Even hospitals are now feeling the pinch and letting workers go.    Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News eliminated 23 jobs this week.

When I spoke with the Senior Vice President, Patrick Parcells,  he said this is the first time (in his 25  years as a doctor)  that hospitals have really felt the impact of a recession.  People are putting off elective surgeries including knee and hip replacements.  Those with insurance sometimes can’t afford co-pays so they too are putting off doctor visits.

I wonder what impact this will have on our nations health in the long run?  Will failure to see a primary care doctor today lead to much more serious ailments down the road?

The short term outlook appears as gloomy as the weather in Hampton Roads the last five days, but optimistic Irishwoman that I am, I’m hoping there’s a rainbow somewhere in the not so distant future with a big pot of gold at the end of it.

That’s it, I’m packing my bags and moving to the country.   I just read a new study that says the more fast food restaurants in your area the more people are overweight and at risk for all sorts of obesity related conditions like heart disease, diabetes and I’m sure high cholesterol ….and so on and so on.

Still, unless I work in a rural area as well I’ll have to drive past all those fast food spots on my way home at night and since it’ll take me longer to get home I’ll probably be more hungry when I get there.  Do this a few times and I’ll probably stop and grab something on my way to tide me over.   Of course I could order a salad or yogurt but when I smell french fries I just can’t resist!

So, wait a minute.  Maybe  I should rethink this.  It appears, in my case, I would probably eat more fast food if I moved away from them.  Oh well, in this economy I couldn’t sell my house anyway.

This close to Valentine’s Day you may think I am soliciting candy and flowers but actually I’m talking about real hearts or kidneys, livers, etc.   This week I reported on two men with liver diseases who needed transplants.  One got one.  The other is still waiting.   I am amazed at how many people emailed me and called Ten On Your Side after watching.  So many wanted to help.  At the same time so many others called because they have a loved one waiting for an organ as well.  Can you imagine what it must be like to watch someone you love slowly dying and knowing that a living donor could save his/her life.  That’s right, in the case of a kidney or liver transplant living people can donate.   If you’re healthy do you really need two kidneys?  Seriously though, if you have the power to save a life you should consider it.  You never know when it might be you or your loved one who needs it.

Journalists are supposed to be unbiased.  In order to be fair and impartial we tend to keep people at a safe distance.   There are however when no matter how hard you try to stay detached the wall comes down and so do the tears.

I first met Kevin Eadie three and a half years ago as he was about to graduate 5th grade.  Kevin’s Mother contacted me and asked if WAVY would be interested in doing a story about the rare disease, Nieman Pick Type C, that was slowly breaking down his body.   We watched Kevin roll his walker down the aisle to pick up his diploma and then  he proudly told me, in slurred speech, that he was the ‘bat boy’ for the Peninsula Pilots baseball team.  Kevin,  I found out lived for baseball.    Little did I know then that my own two sons, then just three years old and the other not yet a year old, would also  become obsessed with the sport.Perhaps that is why my most recent visit with Kevin’s Mom was so difficult.

Brenda Eadie emailed me this week asking if we could do a story to let people know about a fundraiser to help with his medical bills and for research to end this horrible disease.