Thirty years ago today, May 23rd, my mom died after a four month “battle” with what doctors said was liver cancer. Now that I know a little more (well, kind of…), I’m thinking it may have been pancreatic cancer. Still, 30 years ago today. So officially, I’ve been alive longer without my mom than with
...Full PostBetty Long, RN, MHA's Blog
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The Day That Changed My Life
On May 23
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I Love Serendipity!
On May 20, 2012
Who around us hasn’t had the experience where you thought, “Wow, I don’t know why that just happened, but I’ll chalk it up to serendipity.” OK, maybe exactly those thoughts, but close enough.
There are alot of other synonyms for serendipity—-luck, karma, fate, destiny. Regardless of what you call
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Recognizing Mother's Day
On May 12, 2012
Many years ago, I lost my mother to cancer. She was 61, I was 23. In the early years after her death, Mother’s Day was a cruel reminder of my life-altering loss, particularly as most of my friends went back to visit their moms and celebrate the day or I happened to find myself in a drug store looking at all of the M
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What A Difference 25 Years Makes!
On Mar 17, 2012
This week I hosted a reception for filmmaker Kathy Douglas, an RN producing a film about the roles of nurses. The energy generated by the 25 nurses at the event was very positive and as Kathy spoke to the group about her motivation for the film, it was hard not to feel inspired.
At the event were several friends and former nursing colleagues. As the crowd thinned, one of
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Long Live the Nurse Shark!
On Mar 11, 2012
Imagine my surprise when I learned this week that there is such a creature called a Nurse Shark!
This past week I attended a fundraiser for the Philadelphia Chapter of the ALS Foundation at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ. Part of the event allowed guests to roam the aquarium and enjoy the sea crea
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A Preventable Death
On Feb 27, 2012
This past weekend, a young woman was declared brain dead after efforts to dissolve a clot in her brain were unsuccessful. She had been in good health, prior to experiencing a headache for two weeks that ‘came and went.’
Her parents made a heart wrenching and excruciating decision to withdraw life
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Can Gratitude Enhance Your Health?
On Feb 18, 2012
Can a grateful heart enhance your health? A growing body of research says, "Yes." Gratitude, as a conscious practice, offers a whole host of health benefits.
Gratitude promotes physical and emotional well-being, improves one's ability to cope with stress and bolsters positive interaction with others. Furthermore,
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A Week's Worth of Health Care in Honduras
On Jan 29, 2012
A dear friend of mine and of Guardian Nurses, who also happens to be a family practice physician, ventured to Honduras last week on a medical mission. Upon hearing her compelling stories of her week providing primary care to thousands of rural residents, I thought it would be good to share some of them--in
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"The Liver is Unremarkable"
On Jan 20, 2012
As I have made mention of in previous posts, I love language and words. And the occasional humorous terminology as it is used without intending to be humorous, in healthcare. I guess only nurses like me find it funny.
Take for instance the sentence, “The liver is unremarkable.” This sentence was part of an abdominal CT scan report
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Resolve This Year To Give Blood
On Jan 02, 2012
Since 1970, January has been recognized as National Blood Donor Month.
Here are some good-to-know facts about our country's blood supply from the American Red Cross:
1. The demand for transfusions is growing faster than donations.
2. Less than 38% of the US population is eligible to donate
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