Posts by Madison Loethen
Cleaning Out Your Medicine Cabinet
By Jessica Park If your daily prescriptions share space with medicine you stopped taking years ago, it’s time for a clean sweep! A shelf of half-empty pill bottles doesn’t spark joy and could be dangerous. Medicine can expire as its ingredients break down over time, making it less effective. Some expired medicine can even host…
Read MoreLab Tested
By Jessica Park In January 2020, Drew Wilkinson, Director of Boone Health Laboratory Services, Ambulance Services and Emergency Department, had one thing on his mind – bringing Boone lab services to more communities. New outpatient draw sites were scheduled to open in Columbia and work was about to start on a location in Mexico, Mo.…
Read MoreEarly Detection
By Madison Loethen Travis Fitzgerald has always spent a lot of time outdoors. He grew up in Southern California and says sunburns were part of everyday life for him as a kid. Now he is a married father of 3 and his family loves to spend time together outside. Getting checked for skin cancer was…
Read MoreGetting His Voice Back
By Erin Wegner After Gary Cannaday was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease two years ago, his voice became raspy and quiet. He noticed people had a hard time understanding what he was saying. He was also noticing new difficulty organizing his thoughts and maintaining conversations with friends and family. One of thescarier things he began to…
Read MoreA Premature Blessing
By Hannah Robertson The greatest blessings in life arrive when we least expect them. That was the case for theMoore family, whose latest addition arrived almost 8 weeks before her December 19 due date. Carlene Moore was taking a shower after a day of Halloween-related activities on October 24 when she first started feeling contractions.…
Read MoreAngie and her Boone Angels
By Madison Loethen Boone Health Pulmonary Clinic Patient Service Representative Angie Lewis was doing one of her favorite things in the world – spending time with her family – when she became concerned that one of her family members was becoming ill. “I was worried about him, so I took him to Boone Convenient Care…
Read MoreA Matter Of The Heart
By Hannah Robertson One day in March 2021, Rickey Harvey was attending a Heart Health Check his wife, Susie, had signed him up for. He had no symptoms but was prompted to attend the Heart Health Check given his family health history. He has relatives who have Factor V Leiden, a genetic blood-clotting disorder due…
Read MoreA New Path
By Hannah Robertson There are moments in life when two paths stand clearly in front of us and we know, instinctually, that the path we take will change everything. For Dale Donnell, that moment came shortly after his second heart attack. Anthony J. Spaedy, MD, a cardiologist with Missouri Heart Center, had treated Dale just…
Read MoreHow to Clean Your Plate
By Jennifer Tveitnes, RD, LD Parents past and present have instructed children to “clean their plate” at the family table. Not only are kids expected to finish all the food on their plate, but it’s often a requirement before they can receive more food, especially dessert. Always eating every bite of food on your plate,…
Read MoreA Promise Fulfilled
By Jessica Park Long before Columbia became mid-Missouri’s medical center, people received healthcare in their doctor’s office or at home. But as the city grew and medicine advanced, new approaches were required. This need was made plain in 1918 when the flu pandemic struck Boone County. Parker Memorial Hospital at the University of Missouri quickly…
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