May 11th, 2008 | Published in Marfan sites, Obituaries
A well-deserved tribute to a special mother - LA Daily News
Carol Rudes has not read her sons love letter couched in a short autobiography he has written. Hes been waiting for the perfect time to give it to his mom.
Today.
“My name is Mathew Rudes, and this is my story. When I was brought into this world 21 years ago, doctors predicted that I had less than 24 hours to live.
May 11th, 2008 | Published in Obituaries
Fortino overcomes odds to play the game he loves - The Connecticut Post Online
WESTPORT — Joe Fortino is probably the most well-known student at Staples High School. He knows this just by walking the halls between periods. Everybody seems to know his name.
Well, his nickname.
“Hey Tree! How ya doin’, Tree? What’s up, Tree?”
Fortino says he loves it, especially when it comes from people he’s never met. “He likes to joke about it,” says his best friend, Reed Fagan. “If he doesn’t know them, he’ll just say: ‘Hey… uh, you!’”
May 10th, 2008 | Published in Marfan individuals, Sports
Swans lose a star but save a life | The Australian
CHRIS SMITH was searching for the pearl in the pool of talented young footballers.
At the V Line representative carnival in Melbourne last July, Smith, working for the Sydney Swans, experienced the surge of excitement that comes to every recruiting scout when they spy a player with rare gifts.
Tom Brown had just turned 14, but he was starring in the under-15 interstate tournament against boys mostly a year older.
Older, but not better, and certainly not taller.
Brown stood 202cm, a boy who was already as big as many of the ruckmen in the AFL.
“He was just a genuine talent,” Smith recalls. “He could run, he could tackle, his ground work was fantastic.”
May 8th, 2008 | Published in Audio with article, Losartan, Marfan individuals, News stories, Treatment
Old Drug Offers New Hope for Marfan Syndrome : NPR Morning Edition, May 7, 2008 · We tend to think we know what most pills in our medicine cabinet do. But sometimes a drug approved to fix one thing also turns out to fix something completely unexpected. That may be the case with a common blood pressure-lowering drug called Losartan. It’s been on the market for more than a decade and has been taken by millions of people.
May 2nd, 2008 | Published in Includes photo(s), Marfan individuals
ABC News: College Student Defies Doctors’ Diagnosis
The moment he was born, Mathew Rudes was whisked away before his mother could see him. Doctors wanted to find an explanation for his extra long body, malleable head and folded limbs before facing his parents.
May 2nd, 2008 | Published in Includes photo(s), Marfan individuals, Sports
Nova Scotia News - Feels like team spirit
TEAM CANADA captain Shane Doan was busy signing keepsakes for wide-eyed kids in a playroom at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax Wednesday.
But he said he should have asked Matthew MacDonald of Sydney Mines for his.
Matthew, 16, was wearing the gold medal that signifies he’s the IWK Health Centre Foundation’s Champion Child for 2008.
May 2nd, 2008 | Published in News stories
The Associated Press: The Androgynous Pharaoh? Akhenaten had feminine physique
BALTIMORE (AP) — Akhenaten wasn’t the most manly pharaoh, even though he fathered at least a half-dozen children.
In fact, his form was quite feminine. And he was a bit of an egghead.
April 15th, 2008 | Published in Fund-raising, Raising awareness
Marissa Walk to remember Swampscott girl lost at age 4 - Swampscott, MA - Swampscott Reporter
Swampscott - The sixth annual Marissa Walk will take place at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 4, starting at Sagan Agency Realtors, 300 Salem St., Vinnin Square, Swampscott.
The National Marfan Foundation will be holding its 2008 Annual Conference and Clinic in Boston at Children’s and Brigham and Women’s hospitals July 10-13 this year and 100 percent of the funds raised in this year’s walk will go toward the conference, considered the major annual event in the Marfan community.
April 15th, 2008 | Published in Fund-raising, Marfan individuals, Raising awareness, Sports
The Aucklander News: All they need is love
Debrin Foxcroft meets the amazing Blow family who are overcoming enormous challenges positively
At the finish line, there was a tall, smiling boy welcoming competitors. At almost 2m, 13-year-old Samuel Blow towered above the participants in the Cure Kids Great Adventure Race.
April 15th, 2008 | Published in Includes photo(s), Marfan individuals
A trio of grim-faced neurologists sat next to my bed in the intensive care unit. “We think youve had a stroke,” said one. “We cant say when or if youll recover.”
At first, all I felt was disbelief. This was supposed to be a routine surgery, but Id woken with half my body paralyzed. I was 43 years old, with two children and a busy career as a medical writer. “You dont understand,” I said. “I need my arm. I need to be able to walk.” I waited, but they shook their heads.
[Also be sure to visit the forum about the article at Prevention.com