Now that Jimmy Ray and I have 30 miles under out belt we’re really looking to hit the half -way mark and we’ll do it tomorrow! Today we started from Patrick Henry Mall and wound our way into York County, then Hampton, then back into Newport News. Every time we crossed a city or county line the police officers were there to keep us safe. They all do a great job.

Jimmy and I even did a little running today through some construction so we wouldn’t cause too much of a back up. As usual, folks were great, making their donations, giving us water and the ladies at Hampton Foot and Ankle handed us some blister kits!!! So far our feet are holding up well, but we appreciate it!!!

We had another great turnout at Langley Federal Credit Union on Mercury where we stopped for lunch. It’s really great to catch up with the folks who come by every year.

Tomorrow is a big day…20 miles from the south side of the James River Bridge to the Midtown tunnel in Portsmouth. Wish us luck and remember it’s all for the March of Dimes!

What a great first day of the 18th annual “Walk for Babies!” That’s right, Jimmy Ray of Eagle 97.3 has been doing this for 18 years and WAVY TV joined in six years ago to help raise awareness about the mission of the March of Dimes. We felt a few rain drops as we got started from the Williamsburg Country Club, but over all it was great weather for walking. Thanks to the police officers from York County and Newport News who kept us safe today…

…and to all the folks who came out of their businesses to cheer us on. We enjoyed the smiling and waving and lots of horn honking! I really want to thank the folks who couldn’t make it to the “meet and greet” but made a point to find us on the road to give us a donation to the March of Dimes….Becky from Williamsburg, Harley Steel of the U.S. Army, and the tow truck driver…I didn’t get your name, but you know who you are and we thank you…and the March of Dimes thanks you too. We met so many great WAVY/FOX 43 viewers and Eagle 97.3 listeners when we stopped at the Langley Federal Credit Union on Oyster Point. My favorite was Will…he’s just three years old, and is very familiar with Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters.

He was so sweet. We watched a fire truck go by and then he gave me a big hug. When you check out the pictures, he’s the little guy in the red shirt….fire engine red!

Tomorrow Jimmy and I get started at 6:00 am at Patrick Henry Mall and will finish at the Langley Federal Credit Union on Mercury Boulevard. Make sure you tune in to WAVY News Ten Today from 5am – 7am , FOX 43 News at 7am and WAVY News 10 Midday for coverage of the walk. You can also sign up to follow me on Twitter! Please check out the March of Dimes page here at WAVY.COM to find out how you can sign up to March for Babies this Sunday at the ocean front!

See you in the morning!

Breast cancer doesn’t care what color you are, what religion you practice, or even if you are a woman or man.  It has many faces.  Those who have battled breast cancer often live in fear that it will one day return.   They have questions and concerns others do not.  Well now there’s a place for them to go get those questions answered and talk to others in the same boat.

“The Many Faces Of Breast Cancer”  is an event focused on the unique needs and issues of these survivors.

Virginia Oncology Associates is sponsoring the event next Thursday April 30th.   Doctors will provide the latest information on breast cancer and talk about survivor related  issues.  There will also be an “open floor” portion for participants to ask questions.

I’ll be there moderating and I hope to see you too. 

Again, it’s Thursday, April 30, 2009 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (registration begins at 6:00 p.m.) at VOA – Lake Wright, 5900 Lake Wright Drive, Suite 300, Norfolk, VA 23502

RSVP: To register, call 1.800.977.4089 or email ManyFacesNorfolk@zenogroupevents.com

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

Local viewer, Gregg Fordham, continues to keep me posted on his efforts to end AIDS.  He emailed me this note about a rally they had in front of Norfolk city hall on March 11.

“We had about 15-20 folk out we rally out front of city hall passed out flyers to people passing by . We also had some chants going on will we were out there. We did a little program out front city hall where  Pavar  from 103JAMZ spoke and then we had someone else speak on transportation, then we had a report card that we gave the city of Norfolk a grade of D for the efforts that give to the HIV/AIDS community  here. The Tidewater area gets about $5 million for HIV/AIDS in this area  sounds like a lot but really it is not. What we would like to do is get the city’s to put in local money to help in the fight of the epidemic.This area puts in $0  for HIV/AIDS the first thing that is usually said is that you have the Ryan White Money that does get you to doctors, but not support services, sorry I get upset went I start these conversations sometimes.Hope this helps . Thanks for your help in this fight.”

 GREGG FORDHAM

We demand a national plan to end
AIDS within his first 100 days in office:
Identify a high level person who reports directly to
the President to shepherd the plan.
Identify an office within the government
where this plan will sit.
Identify a process whereby people living with
HIV/AIDS will be involved in the development
of the plan.
Identify a process for intergovernmental
collaboration in the development and
implementation of the plan.
Specify a timeline for the development of the
plan.

For more information on the Campaign to End AIDS, click here:

http://www.c2ea.org/

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.

24 hours ago, (February 19th) the Virginia House of Delegates passed a ‘Partial Smoking Ban’ for restaurants and bars. It should come as no surprise the decision comes along with major controversy.

Long story short, it will require any establishment wanting to allow smoking indoors to have a separate room, with a separate ventilation system for smokers. The passage of bill certainly was not quick, in fact, it has been thrown around by lawmakers for years, never making it very far. I spent a good portion of the day yesterday talking to business owners and restaurant owners in the downtown Norfolk area about how they felt. I found “a few” bars that claim they would be hit hard financially, but the overwhelming majority of business owners and patrons I talked with were elated by the idea.

Smokers told me it was an invasion of their freedom as an American, non-smokers feel like it’s an invasion of their freedom to have to breathe 2nd hand smoke. And then there is this: Virginia IS a tobacco state. For the last 400 years tobacco has been a cash crop and many feel the passage of this bill is ironic. This is what one non-smoker had to say:”I’m not a smoker, nor have I ever been, but I’m also against anti-smoking laws. I can see the government banning smoking in public buildings, but private owners should be able to set their own rules and employees and patrons can choose to spend their time elsewhere if the rules bother them.” And the debate will continue.

It reminds me of California’s “Helmet Law”, requiring motorcycle riders to wear a helmet when they ride or face still penalties. Critics argued it’s a personal choice and not something that should be forced on anyone and when you think about it, why shouldn’t we allow someone to risk their own life, if it’s not a risk to anyone else? Although a ‘partial smoking ban’ is very different in nature, each individual still has the option to NOT patronize an establishment that allows smoking. So, at what point do state lawmakers have too much pull? Here in the newsroom, it surprised us when we found out the bill passed for that very reason. I’m not a smoker and I’m glad to know I won’t be forced to breathe someone else smoke, but I can also understand the larger issue of personal freedoms.

Not long ago, the state of New York adopted a similar ‘partial smoking ban’ and the overwhelming majority of responses I found on the web were positive about the change. However, the following is a quote from a New York City “pro-smoking” website. Although it may seem a little far fetched, there is a point here. It began by saying the state of New York has added $1.25 to each pack of cigarettes and at years end, that tax will net the state more than a billion dollars. It reads …

“One billion dollars!!!!!
And people sue the tobacco companies?
Maybe they should sue the state. The state makes more money per pack than do the tobacco companies.
Cigarette taxes have nothing to do with health and everything to do with $$$$$$$$$$$$$$.”

Clearly the state of Virginia is very different and has a very different plan focus for the ‘partial smoking ban’ and cigarette tax, but the basic question of ‘government control’ still holds true. Let me know what you think.

Eric

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.