Luke Masella was born with spina bifida, and after 10 years it was getting the best of him.
The congenital disorder affects the development of the nerves and vertebrae along the spinal cord, and can result in paralysis, neurological complications and organ damage.
In Masella's case, his bladder was failing and he spent much of his early childhood in the hospital. He was plagued by aches and pains, and often was too tired and lethargic to get out of bed. Because his bladder didn't work properly, his kidneys were shutting down.
"I remember being really scared," said Masella, a native of Madison, Conn. "I thought I was going to die."
Masella was gravely ill and needed a new bladder. This was 2001, and conventional treatment would have been to use a portion of Masella's intestine to make a new bladder.
But because the intestine is designed to absorb nutrients and a bladder is designed to excrete, it's a risky procedure, especially with young patients who often develop kidney stones and cancer.
So Masella was referred to Dr. Anthony Atala, then at Children's Hospital Boston. Atala is a pioneer in regenerative medicine, a cutting-edge field of study in which a patient's own cells are used to grow healthy tissue and organs. He has been director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in North Carolina since 2004.
To engineer a new bladder for Masella, Atala took samples of muscle cells from his bladder and grew them in a Petri dish. Once he had grown enough, he attached the cells to a bladder-shaped framework or scaffolding he created using collagen, the primary biological material found in skin and connective tissue.
The biological structure was placed inside an incubator, where it continued to grow for two months.
"It's like cooking a layered cake," Atala said.
Finally, the engineered bladder was sutured to Masella's original bladder. The biodegradable scaffolding dissolved, and as the new bladder integrated with the body, it grew its own blood supply and nerves.
Masella soon made a full recovery and went on to captain his high school wrestling team. He's now a healthy 21-year-old junior at the University of Connecticut.
Masella was one of the country's first patients to receive a regenerated organ grown from his own cells. Atala has since performed similar procedures many times, growing and implanting everything from urethras and skin to cartilage.
Atala and his team at Wake Forest are now working on more than 30 replacement tissues and organs for future trials, including the kidney, liver and even the heart.
Part of this groundbreaking research includes a technique called "bioprinting." While it may sound like science fiction, Atala said that in the last decade great strides have been made with this technology, in which modified inkjet printers are used to create biological molds of organs.
Rather than ink, the jury-rigged printers spray cells and heat-sensitive gel that fuse together to form tissue and organs.
Atala said he's made a number of organs and tissue prototypes using this technique, but none that is suitable to be placed inside a human.
Nonetheless, as the technology continues to advance, it stands to revolutionize how science treats diseased and injured tissues and organs.
One potential application is bioprinting skin for soldiers with life-threatening burns. Using this still-developing technology, skin cells could one day be printed directly on the soldier's wound.
And because regenerative medicine uses a patient's own cells to create organs and tissue, it eliminates much of the risk that the patient's body will reject a donor organ.
2011年11月30日星期三
2011年11月29日星期二
Local hero Pearce shows the pluck of Irish
THE mid-afternoon slumber of a Fitzroy side street is ripped asunder as the front door of the heritage-listed Independent Hall explodes off its hinges.
A belch of smoke erupts from the former Congregationalist church building, and a ball of flame shoots across the narrow road. Dust and debris follow in a grey, stinky ball. And there, in the middle of it all, stands Guy Pearce.
Actually, it's not Guy Pearce, it's someone who looks a lot like him from a distance and a lot less like him up close. But the magic of digital effects will soon plop our Emmy Award-winning hero in the middle of all this chaos and we'll happily forget the stuntman ever existed.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Pearce is back in his home town to play Jack Irish, the hero of four novels by crime writer Peter Temple and now the titular character of a pair of telemovies being made for the ABC.
Producer Ian Collie says it was a boon to land Pearce for the role.
''Guy was always on our wish list, but we thought he would be too busy; he's internationally respected, he's not going to want to do TV work,'' says Collie. ''But it just shows how much things have changed. Increasingly, good actors will be attracted to a TV project if the scripts and production values are there.''
Neither should be a problem: production company Essential Media is spending a healthy $5.6 million on the two 90-minute telemovies, and Andrew Knight is writing the first of them.
The cast is impressive, too: as well as Pearce, there's Crownies star Marta Dusseldorp as Jack's girlfriend Linda (a fictional journalist at this paper, no less), Aaron Pedersen as his sidekick Cam, and Shane Jacobsen, Colin Friels and Steve Bisley have supporting roles.
Yes, there's a lot of TV law-and-order on those collective CVs, but this is no standard procedural. ''This is different,'' says Collie. ''It's more nuanced and layered.''
For a start, Jack Irish isn't a cop. He's a lawyer, sort of. ''He's a bit of a jack of all trades, really. He does missing person searches, he's a cabinetmaker, he's a member of a horse-racing syndicate.'' Above all, he says, ''Jack is quite thoughtful and melancholic''.
On the day The Age visits, everything is running smoothly. But the eight-week shoot got off to a rough start when Pearce was diagnosed on day one with a kidney stone; they lost four days to his operation. ''He's in every scene, so there wasn't much we could do about that. It's not called Jack Irish for nothing.''
Still, it's not all about him. The stories are set solidly in a Melbourne that's at once recognisable and nostalgic, and the city emerges as a major character in its own right. ''It's almost a homage, or maybe a lament, for that old Melbourne that is disappearing,'' Collie says.
Jack's favourite hangout is the Prince of Prussia, described as one of the last ungentrified pubs in Fitzroy. ''It says everything that we're having to build it as a set in a studio,'' Collie says.
A belch of smoke erupts from the former Congregationalist church building, and a ball of flame shoots across the narrow road. Dust and debris follow in a grey, stinky ball. And there, in the middle of it all, stands Guy Pearce.
Actually, it's not Guy Pearce, it's someone who looks a lot like him from a distance and a lot less like him up close. But the magic of digital effects will soon plop our Emmy Award-winning hero in the middle of all this chaos and we'll happily forget the stuntman ever existed.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Pearce is back in his home town to play Jack Irish, the hero of four novels by crime writer Peter Temple and now the titular character of a pair of telemovies being made for the ABC.
Producer Ian Collie says it was a boon to land Pearce for the role.
''Guy was always on our wish list, but we thought he would be too busy; he's internationally respected, he's not going to want to do TV work,'' says Collie. ''But it just shows how much things have changed. Increasingly, good actors will be attracted to a TV project if the scripts and production values are there.''
Neither should be a problem: production company Essential Media is spending a healthy $5.6 million on the two 90-minute telemovies, and Andrew Knight is writing the first of them.
The cast is impressive, too: as well as Pearce, there's Crownies star Marta Dusseldorp as Jack's girlfriend Linda (a fictional journalist at this paper, no less), Aaron Pedersen as his sidekick Cam, and Shane Jacobsen, Colin Friels and Steve Bisley have supporting roles.
Yes, there's a lot of TV law-and-order on those collective CVs, but this is no standard procedural. ''This is different,'' says Collie. ''It's more nuanced and layered.''
For a start, Jack Irish isn't a cop. He's a lawyer, sort of. ''He's a bit of a jack of all trades, really. He does missing person searches, he's a cabinetmaker, he's a member of a horse-racing syndicate.'' Above all, he says, ''Jack is quite thoughtful and melancholic''.
On the day The Age visits, everything is running smoothly. But the eight-week shoot got off to a rough start when Pearce was diagnosed on day one with a kidney stone; they lost four days to his operation. ''He's in every scene, so there wasn't much we could do about that. It's not called Jack Irish for nothing.''
Still, it's not all about him. The stories are set solidly in a Melbourne that's at once recognisable and nostalgic, and the city emerges as a major character in its own right. ''It's almost a homage, or maybe a lament, for that old Melbourne that is disappearing,'' Collie says.
Jack's favourite hangout is the Prince of Prussia, described as one of the last ungentrified pubs in Fitzroy. ''It says everything that we're having to build it as a set in a studio,'' Collie says.
2011年11月28日星期一
Growing organs, cell at a time
Luke Masella was born with spina bifida, and after 10 years it was getting the best of him. The congenital disorder affects the development of the nerves and vertebrae along the spinal cord, and can result in paralysis, neurological complications and organ damage.
In Masella's case, his bladder was failing and he spent much of his early childhood in the hospital. He was plagued by aches and pains, and often was too tired and lethargic to get out of bed. Because his bladder didn't work properly, his kidneys were shutting down.
"I remember being really scared," said Masella, a native of Madison, Conn. "I thought I was going to die."
Masella was gravely ill and needed a new bladder. This was 2001, and conventional treatment would have been to use a portion of Masella's intestine to make a new bladder. But because the intestine is designed to absorb nutrients and a bladder is designed to excrete, it's a risky procedure, especially with young patients who often develop kidney stones and cancer.
So Masella was referred to Dr. Anthony Atala, who was then at Children's Hospital Boston. Atala is a pioneer in regenerative medicine, a cutting-edge field of study in which a patient's own cells are used to grow healthy tissue and organs. He's been director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine since 2004.
To engineer a new bladder for Masella, Atala first took samples of muscle cells from his bladder and grew them in a petri dish. Once he had grown enough, he attached the cells to a bladder-shaped framework or scaffolding he created using collagen, the primary biological material found in skin and connective tissue.
The biological structure was placed inside an incubator, where it continued to grow for about two months.
"It's like cooking a layered cake," Atala said.
Finally, the engineered bladder was sutured to Masella's original bladder. The biodegradable scaffolding dissolved, and as the new bladder integrated with the body, it grew its own blood supply and nerves.
Masella soon made a full recovery and went on to captain his high school wrestling team. He's now a healthy 21-year-old junior at the University of Connecticut.
Masella was one of the country's first patients to receive a regenerated organ grown from his own cells. Atala has since performed similar procedures many times, growing and implanting everything from urethras and skin to cartilage.
Atala and his team at Wake Forest are now working on more than 30 different replacement tissues and organs for future trials, such as the kidney, liver and even the heart.
Next step: 'Bioprinting'
Part of this groundbreaking research includes a technique called "bioprinting." While it may sound like science fiction, Atala said that in the last decade great strides have been made with this technology, in which modified inkjet printers are used to create biological molds of organs.
Rather than ink, the jury-rigged printers spray cells and heat-sensitive gel that fuse together to form tissue and organs. As 3-D printers have gotten more sophisticated over the years - they essentially lay down alternating, successive layers of material - so too has the potential of using this technology to create complex organs.
Atala said he's made a number of organs and tissue prototypes using this technique, but none that are suitable to be placed inside a human patient. Nonetheless, as the technology continues to advance, it stands to revolutionize how science treats diseased and injured tissues and organs.
One potential application of this technology is the bioprinting of skin for soldiers with life-threatening burns. Using this still-developing technology, skin cells could one day be printed directly on the soldier's wound.
And because regenerative medicine uses a patient's own cells to create organs and tissue, it eliminates much of the risk that the patient's body will reject a donor organ. It also provides a potential solution to the shortage of donor organs for those who need transplants.
In Masella's case, his bladder was failing and he spent much of his early childhood in the hospital. He was plagued by aches and pains, and often was too tired and lethargic to get out of bed. Because his bladder didn't work properly, his kidneys were shutting down.
"I remember being really scared," said Masella, a native of Madison, Conn. "I thought I was going to die."
Masella was gravely ill and needed a new bladder. This was 2001, and conventional treatment would have been to use a portion of Masella's intestine to make a new bladder. But because the intestine is designed to absorb nutrients and a bladder is designed to excrete, it's a risky procedure, especially with young patients who often develop kidney stones and cancer.
So Masella was referred to Dr. Anthony Atala, who was then at Children's Hospital Boston. Atala is a pioneer in regenerative medicine, a cutting-edge field of study in which a patient's own cells are used to grow healthy tissue and organs. He's been director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine since 2004.
To engineer a new bladder for Masella, Atala first took samples of muscle cells from his bladder and grew them in a petri dish. Once he had grown enough, he attached the cells to a bladder-shaped framework or scaffolding he created using collagen, the primary biological material found in skin and connective tissue.
The biological structure was placed inside an incubator, where it continued to grow for about two months.
"It's like cooking a layered cake," Atala said.
Finally, the engineered bladder was sutured to Masella's original bladder. The biodegradable scaffolding dissolved, and as the new bladder integrated with the body, it grew its own blood supply and nerves.
Masella soon made a full recovery and went on to captain his high school wrestling team. He's now a healthy 21-year-old junior at the University of Connecticut.
Masella was one of the country's first patients to receive a regenerated organ grown from his own cells. Atala has since performed similar procedures many times, growing and implanting everything from urethras and skin to cartilage.
Atala and his team at Wake Forest are now working on more than 30 different replacement tissues and organs for future trials, such as the kidney, liver and even the heart.
Next step: 'Bioprinting'
Part of this groundbreaking research includes a technique called "bioprinting." While it may sound like science fiction, Atala said that in the last decade great strides have been made with this technology, in which modified inkjet printers are used to create biological molds of organs.
Rather than ink, the jury-rigged printers spray cells and heat-sensitive gel that fuse together to form tissue and organs. As 3-D printers have gotten more sophisticated over the years - they essentially lay down alternating, successive layers of material - so too has the potential of using this technology to create complex organs.
Atala said he's made a number of organs and tissue prototypes using this technique, but none that are suitable to be placed inside a human patient. Nonetheless, as the technology continues to advance, it stands to revolutionize how science treats diseased and injured tissues and organs.
One potential application of this technology is the bioprinting of skin for soldiers with life-threatening burns. Using this still-developing technology, skin cells could one day be printed directly on the soldier's wound.
And because regenerative medicine uses a patient's own cells to create organs and tissue, it eliminates much of the risk that the patient's body will reject a donor organ. It also provides a potential solution to the shortage of donor organs for those who need transplants.
2011年11月27日星期日
In cashless mediclaim, act on time to avoid hassles
Sanjeev Sharma, a middle-aged man, who maintains a healthy lifestyle, one day felt a severe pain in his abdomen.
Immediately, he was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was admitted and kept under observation for a day. Doctors reported that the patient has kidney stones, which can be treated by medicine, however, he needs to be kept under observation for 24 hours.
As per the doctor’s advice, he spent the night in the hospital and started taking medication prescribed by the doctor.
His wife paid the hospital bills and other expenses related to the hospitalisation, but later when they registered a claim with the insurance company, the claim was not accepted. The insurance company said that hospitalisation was not necessary at all for his condition.
Later on, when a complaint was registered with the insurance ombudsman, the decision came in favour of the policyholder, based on the doctor’s report, which said that the patient needed medical supervision.
Situations like these put additional and unwarranted pressure on policyholders and their family members.
Emergency definition: Insurance companies generally categorise emergencies as medical and surgical. Surgical emergencies are generally accident cases and trauma. In addition, surgical emergency may include other surgical problems like acute abdominal pain or dislocation of a joint and any other problem where an emergency surgery is required to stabilise the patient. For example, rupture of an infected appendix.
Medical emergencies commonly include heart-related emergencies, brain stroke, asthma, epilepsy, seizures, complications from high blood pressure or blood sugar.
“Accidental hospitalisation is covered under all health insurance policies. There is generally no waiting period for accident cases. Hence, there is very little chance of authorisation being denied in the presence of a valid policy and insurance limit available,” said Sanjay Datta, head of underwriting and claims of ICICI Lombard General Insurance.
The normal processing time for cashless treatment for non-emergency cases is three to four hours from the time of receipt of complete information from the hospital. But to expedite the entire process, insurers and third-party administrators (TPAs) request the network hospitals to inform them as soon as a patient is admitted.
The contact number of TPAs and helpline number of insurers are mentioned on policy documents and the policyholder needs to coordinate with the hospital to have the details sent to the TPA for authorisation of cashless service. On discharge, the policyholder needs to verify and sign the bills and pay for the items that are not covered under the health policy. The policy document contains all the details about the expenses that are payable under the policy. The original discharge summary and other investigation reports should be handed over to the hospital. However, a policyholder must retain a copy for records.
In case a policyholder goes to a non-network hospital (where policyholder cannot avail cashless facility) for an emergency situation, the policyholder has to register a claim with the TPA within seven days of discharge.
For emergency conditions, policyholders are asked to pay a nominal deposit as per the norms of the treating hospital, which may differ from one hospital to another.
Immediately, he was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was admitted and kept under observation for a day. Doctors reported that the patient has kidney stones, which can be treated by medicine, however, he needs to be kept under observation for 24 hours.
As per the doctor’s advice, he spent the night in the hospital and started taking medication prescribed by the doctor.
His wife paid the hospital bills and other expenses related to the hospitalisation, but later when they registered a claim with the insurance company, the claim was not accepted. The insurance company said that hospitalisation was not necessary at all for his condition.
Later on, when a complaint was registered with the insurance ombudsman, the decision came in favour of the policyholder, based on the doctor’s report, which said that the patient needed medical supervision.
Situations like these put additional and unwarranted pressure on policyholders and their family members.
Emergency definition: Insurance companies generally categorise emergencies as medical and surgical. Surgical emergencies are generally accident cases and trauma. In addition, surgical emergency may include other surgical problems like acute abdominal pain or dislocation of a joint and any other problem where an emergency surgery is required to stabilise the patient. For example, rupture of an infected appendix.
Medical emergencies commonly include heart-related emergencies, brain stroke, asthma, epilepsy, seizures, complications from high blood pressure or blood sugar.
“Accidental hospitalisation is covered under all health insurance policies. There is generally no waiting period for accident cases. Hence, there is very little chance of authorisation being denied in the presence of a valid policy and insurance limit available,” said Sanjay Datta, head of underwriting and claims of ICICI Lombard General Insurance.
The normal processing time for cashless treatment for non-emergency cases is three to four hours from the time of receipt of complete information from the hospital. But to expedite the entire process, insurers and third-party administrators (TPAs) request the network hospitals to inform them as soon as a patient is admitted.
The contact number of TPAs and helpline number of insurers are mentioned on policy documents and the policyholder needs to coordinate with the hospital to have the details sent to the TPA for authorisation of cashless service. On discharge, the policyholder needs to verify and sign the bills and pay for the items that are not covered under the health policy. The policy document contains all the details about the expenses that are payable under the policy. The original discharge summary and other investigation reports should be handed over to the hospital. However, a policyholder must retain a copy for records.
In case a policyholder goes to a non-network hospital (where policyholder cannot avail cashless facility) for an emergency situation, the policyholder has to register a claim with the TPA within seven days of discharge.
For emergency conditions, policyholders are asked to pay a nominal deposit as per the norms of the treating hospital, which may differ from one hospital to another.
2011年11月24日星期四
Luckhardt will sit this game out
California University's football team will be missing a key component for its playoff game Saturday against Winston-Salem State.
Head coach John Luckhardt will miss the game because of a kidney stone and an accompanying infection. Luckhardt is receiving treatment for the two ailments and is expected to return to the sidelines if the Vulcans are playing next week.
Mike Kellar, the Vulcans' offensive coordinator, will run the offense and Mike Conway, the defensive coordinator, will handle the defense.
"I guess coach is putting us to the test," said Kellar, who was head football coach at Concord last season. "We're holding out a slight chance that he might be able to go. But it's 99 percent that he won't."
Kellar said Luckhardt has been battling this condition for a couple weeks. He came down with a fever Monday, so the coaching staff was preparing the week's work with the expectation Luckhardt would not be there.
"It didn't look good for him to go," Kellar said. "He's going to be fine. The problem has been that he has a kidney stone and they can't treat it because he's had this infection. And they can't treat the infection until they get rid of the kidney stone."
Luckhardt considered not traveling with the team in the PSAC crossover game against Cheyney but changed his mind and was on the sidelines for the Vulcans' 43-3 victory.
Luckhardt was on the sidelines again for last week's 44-0 victory over Elizabeth City State in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. But he passed on attending the postgame news conference, sending Kellar and Conway in his place.
Cal, now 10-2, takes on the region's top-seed Winston-Salem State (10-0).
"We know John's philosophy," Kellar said. "It will be different, a new dynamic. I think the kids are going to be fine. The last couple of weeks, coach has been in and out with this. We gave them the heads-up this week, and they know it's not life-threatening."
Thomas Mayo, who leads Cal with 73 receptions for 1,230 yards and 16 touchdowns, said Luckhardt's absence will be a motivating factor.
"We want to win this game for him," said Mayo, who played on Kellar's team at Concord last year. "Things are not going to change much. We've got to play the game. We have a little more motivation now."
Among Luckhardt's many coaching milestones is that he is the all-time leader in victories at two colleges in the same county. He had a record in 16 seasons at Washington & Jefferson College, His record at California is 88-32 in 10 seasons.
The game, which kicks off at 1 p.m., won't be televised but the live stats can be found on Cal's Web page. WJPA will broadcast the game.
"I'll hate that he's not going to be there," said Kellar. "It's something we have to go through."
Head coach John Luckhardt will miss the game because of a kidney stone and an accompanying infection. Luckhardt is receiving treatment for the two ailments and is expected to return to the sidelines if the Vulcans are playing next week.
Mike Kellar, the Vulcans' offensive coordinator, will run the offense and Mike Conway, the defensive coordinator, will handle the defense.
"I guess coach is putting us to the test," said Kellar, who was head football coach at Concord last season. "We're holding out a slight chance that he might be able to go. But it's 99 percent that he won't."
Kellar said Luckhardt has been battling this condition for a couple weeks. He came down with a fever Monday, so the coaching staff was preparing the week's work with the expectation Luckhardt would not be there.
"It didn't look good for him to go," Kellar said. "He's going to be fine. The problem has been that he has a kidney stone and they can't treat it because he's had this infection. And they can't treat the infection until they get rid of the kidney stone."
Luckhardt considered not traveling with the team in the PSAC crossover game against Cheyney but changed his mind and was on the sidelines for the Vulcans' 43-3 victory.
Luckhardt was on the sidelines again for last week's 44-0 victory over Elizabeth City State in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. But he passed on attending the postgame news conference, sending Kellar and Conway in his place.
Cal, now 10-2, takes on the region's top-seed Winston-Salem State (10-0).
"We know John's philosophy," Kellar said. "It will be different, a new dynamic. I think the kids are going to be fine. The last couple of weeks, coach has been in and out with this. We gave them the heads-up this week, and they know it's not life-threatening."
Thomas Mayo, who leads Cal with 73 receptions for 1,230 yards and 16 touchdowns, said Luckhardt's absence will be a motivating factor.
"We want to win this game for him," said Mayo, who played on Kellar's team at Concord last year. "Things are not going to change much. We've got to play the game. We have a little more motivation now."
Among Luckhardt's many coaching milestones is that he is the all-time leader in victories at two colleges in the same county. He had a record in 16 seasons at Washington & Jefferson College, His record at California is 88-32 in 10 seasons.
The game, which kicks off at 1 p.m., won't be televised but the live stats can be found on Cal's Web page. WJPA will broadcast the game.
"I'll hate that he's not going to be there," said Kellar. "It's something we have to go through."
2011年11月23日星期三
Zumba helped me overcome my anorexia demons says Sophie Winter
SOPHIE Winter always enjoyed staying fit with regular visits to the gym. But what started as a passion became an obsession which saw the teenager walking 20 miles a day while eating only mints and iced drinks.
Now, after discovering Zumba Sophie, who at her lowest weighed less than six stones, has turned her life around.
“It’s true. Zumba really has helped save my life,” she smiles.
“I realised that to run a successful business, to get the most out of every day and to realise my dreams, I couldn’t afford to be ill. I had to buck my ideas up and that meant starting to eat again.
“Now I run 12 Zumba classes and have big plans for the future.”
Sophie, who is now 20 and lives in Scarisbrick, says that as a young teenager she regularly helped out at local beauty pageants.
“I never took part but I’d help the photographer and hand out the prizes and I think a lot of my issues stem from that time.
“I was probably a size eight or so but I knew I’d never look like one of those pageant models; they were so glamorous and thin and I just didn’t see myself like that.”
As she grew a little older her weight fluctuated slightly but, she says, it was never a problem and although she wasn’t sporty at school she enjoyed keeping fit at the gym.
“But I was exercising on my own. I’d be in there for ages and wouldn’t see or have to speak to anyone. It wasn’t a very social way to stay fit.”
Having left school at 16 and determined to build up her savings she found herself holding down three jobs.
“I worked in a pub and I also cleaned in a school. Then I got a job in a bistro and ended up running that as well.”
Soon she found herself walking up to 20 miles a day between jobs. Coupled with her exercise regime – she would often cycle for miles – the weight began to drop away.
“Sometimes I’d walk from my home to Southport and back on a Sunday just for the hell of it and I could spend hours on the cross trainer in the gym, too.
“I knew there was a problem but I’d look at myself in the mirror and still see myself as fat.”
She began to suffer kidney problems. Pale skinned anyway she developed dark rings beneath her eyes and her hair started to fall out. Anorexia had her in its grip.
“I lived alone although my parents were nearby and of course they noticed my changed appearance, as did my friends and colleagues. I became known as ‘the girl who spent hours in the gym’.
“But the more people commented on my appearance the more I’d think ‘I don’t care what they think’ and carry on.”
Distraught, her mum tried to force her to eat but to no avail. Her GP also referred to Fazakerley Hospital but Sophie was unwilling to take it further.
“I hated the idea of people touching me and I’d wear baggy clothes all the time to disguise my body shape. I remember weighing myself and I was six stones 1lb but I’m sure I lost more weight after that.
Now, after discovering Zumba Sophie, who at her lowest weighed less than six stones, has turned her life around.
“It’s true. Zumba really has helped save my life,” she smiles.
“I realised that to run a successful business, to get the most out of every day and to realise my dreams, I couldn’t afford to be ill. I had to buck my ideas up and that meant starting to eat again.
“Now I run 12 Zumba classes and have big plans for the future.”
Sophie, who is now 20 and lives in Scarisbrick, says that as a young teenager she regularly helped out at local beauty pageants.
“I never took part but I’d help the photographer and hand out the prizes and I think a lot of my issues stem from that time.
“I was probably a size eight or so but I knew I’d never look like one of those pageant models; they were so glamorous and thin and I just didn’t see myself like that.”
As she grew a little older her weight fluctuated slightly but, she says, it was never a problem and although she wasn’t sporty at school she enjoyed keeping fit at the gym.
“But I was exercising on my own. I’d be in there for ages and wouldn’t see or have to speak to anyone. It wasn’t a very social way to stay fit.”
Having left school at 16 and determined to build up her savings she found herself holding down three jobs.
“I worked in a pub and I also cleaned in a school. Then I got a job in a bistro and ended up running that as well.”
Soon she found herself walking up to 20 miles a day between jobs. Coupled with her exercise regime – she would often cycle for miles – the weight began to drop away.
“Sometimes I’d walk from my home to Southport and back on a Sunday just for the hell of it and I could spend hours on the cross trainer in the gym, too.
“I knew there was a problem but I’d look at myself in the mirror and still see myself as fat.”
She began to suffer kidney problems. Pale skinned anyway she developed dark rings beneath her eyes and her hair started to fall out. Anorexia had her in its grip.
“I lived alone although my parents were nearby and of course they noticed my changed appearance, as did my friends and colleagues. I became known as ‘the girl who spent hours in the gym’.
“But the more people commented on my appearance the more I’d think ‘I don’t care what they think’ and carry on.”
Distraught, her mum tried to force her to eat but to no avail. Her GP also referred to Fazakerley Hospital but Sophie was unwilling to take it further.
“I hated the idea of people touching me and I’d wear baggy clothes all the time to disguise my body shape. I remember weighing myself and I was six stones 1lb but I’m sure I lost more weight after that.
2011年11月22日星期二
Rugby Legend Lomu Becomes Ambassador of UNICEF
One more name has now been added to the brand ambassador list of children's charity UNICEF, New Zealand and the name is none other than Rugby legend Jonah Lomu.
Lomu is called the first true global superstar of rugby union and now, he has been appointed as brand ambassador of UNICEF, NZ. Some other popular names which are gems of the organization include Hayley Westenra, Mike McRoberts, Novak Djokovic and Fernando Alonso.
The 36-year-old is quite happy to have the position and he affirmed: "My kids mean the world to me and I'm doing everything I can to give them the best start in life, but there are so many children around the world who are disadvantaged from the time they are born".
He wanted to help children and holds the opinion that there could have been any other best way to support children. Lomu is on dialysis as his kidney transplantation operation failed. This position has given him needed strength to overcome illness as now; it is not only about him but it's about numerous needy children as well.
Quite ecstatic about being brand ambassador, Lomu is in hospital and is recovering from his illness as two weeks ago, his body refused to accept donated kidneys. But, this is not something which would act as hurdle to stop him from working for the charity.
He knows this battle would continue but there is something more important which requires his concentration and time. Earlier, he was not even able to go washroom but now when he knows he has added responsibilities on his shoulders, he has been making continuous efforts. This has led him to walk of his own and he could now also go to washroom of his own.
From giving free polio vaccines to Christmas gifts, Lomu is leaving no stone unturned to make his involvement larger than life in UNICEF.
Lomu is called the first true global superstar of rugby union and now, he has been appointed as brand ambassador of UNICEF, NZ. Some other popular names which are gems of the organization include Hayley Westenra, Mike McRoberts, Novak Djokovic and Fernando Alonso.
The 36-year-old is quite happy to have the position and he affirmed: "My kids mean the world to me and I'm doing everything I can to give them the best start in life, but there are so many children around the world who are disadvantaged from the time they are born".
He wanted to help children and holds the opinion that there could have been any other best way to support children. Lomu is on dialysis as his kidney transplantation operation failed. This position has given him needed strength to overcome illness as now; it is not only about him but it's about numerous needy children as well.
Quite ecstatic about being brand ambassador, Lomu is in hospital and is recovering from his illness as two weeks ago, his body refused to accept donated kidneys. But, this is not something which would act as hurdle to stop him from working for the charity.
He knows this battle would continue but there is something more important which requires his concentration and time. Earlier, he was not even able to go washroom but now when he knows he has added responsibilities on his shoulders, he has been making continuous efforts. This has led him to walk of his own and he could now also go to washroom of his own.
From giving free polio vaccines to Christmas gifts, Lomu is leaving no stone unturned to make his involvement larger than life in UNICEF.
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