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Special Olympics State Includes Lake, McHenry Athletes

By on June 12, 2012 in Health, Lifestyle, Other, Recreation, Special Event, Uncategorized

Next weekend Lake and McHenry Counties will be well represented at the Special Olympics Summer Games in Normal.  Top regional athletes from several teams will compete in events at Illinois State University.

Aquatics — Individual and relay events
Independent Fox Lake, Lamb’s Farm, Libertyville Stars, Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association, Warren Special Recreation Association

Bocce Ball — Traditional and Unified
Lamb’s Farm, SEDOL, Special Recreation Association of Central Lake County, Special Recreation Services of North Lake County, Vernon Hills, School District, Warren Special Recreation Association

Gymnastics — Bars, Vault, Floor Exercise, Rings, Balance Beam and Rhythmic Gymnastics
Gymspot Champions, Northern Illinois Special Recreation, Woodstock School District

Power Lifting
Northern Illinois Special Recreation, Special Recreation Association of Central Lake County

Soccer — Individual skills and team play
Northern Illinois SRA, Woodstock School District

Track and Field — Walk, Wheelchair, Run, Shot-put, Long Jump, Ball Throw, Relay
Barrington Broncos, Grayslake Central High School, Jacobs High School, Kiley Center,  Lamb’s Farm, Northern Illinois Special Recreation, Northshore Special Olympics, SEDOL, Special Recreation Services of Northern Lake County, Special Recreation Association of Central Lake County, Vernon Hills, School District, Woodstock School District, Warren Special Recreation Association

TheNemoNews.com praises the organizations that field these wonderful teams of athletes.  We further recognize the coaches, volunteers, boosters and families that support them.  We regretfully noted that it was sometimes difficult to locate information on the sponsoring organizations and/or teams.  We would love to see these athletes and teams honored on organization websites by mentioning that they “made State”.

We wish all of these fine athletes well in the competition and are reminded of the Special Olympics Athlete’s Oath  — “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be strong in the attempt.”

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Free Clinic in Grayslake June 8-9 — CURE Network and Dental Mission of Mercy

By on May 25, 2012 in Health, Special Event

Individuals of all ages are invited to attend a Free Dental, Vision and Health Clinic at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Grayslake.  (1060 E Peterson Road off Midlothian Road).  The clinic is an initiative of the Illinois State Dental Society’s Mission of Mercy (MOM) program and of the Collaborative Underserved Relief and Education (CURE) Network.

Doors will open at 6am each day.  Patients will be seen on a first-come, first served basis.   Doors will close when the day’s capacity is reached.  There are no pre-appointments.  Many patients choose to line up hours in advance of the opening, and some may be turned away.  Basic services include health exams, dental exams with fillings, cleanings, and extractions, and vision exams with glasses and/or frames.  General information can be viewed here.  Those with complex needs or severe disabilities may be beyond the scope of this clinic.

Last year, the event was held at Malcolm X College in Chicago.  According to the website, 550 volunteer professionals conducted 1147 Dental Exams, 1322 Medical Exams and 772 Vision Exams.

Professional and general volunteers are still needed for the event.  There is particular need for Doctors of Optometry (optometrists)to conduct eye exams. In addition, sign language interpreters are sought.

For more information visit the http://www.curenetwork.org or contact Karen Carroll, kcarroll@curenetwork.org, 877-278-7631

 

 

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Rosalind Franklin Medical Students Conduct Autism Events

By on May 24, 2012 in Education, Health, Other

Medical students at Rosalind Franklin University conducted three events in April to observe National Autism Awareness Month and increase disability awareness among health care students.

The events included a workshop with a panel of parents, team participation in the North Shore Walk Now for Autism Speaks and lunch discussion with a developmental pediatrician.  The events were co-sponsored by the Pediatric Interest Group and the Student Interest Group in Neurology.

Noting that medical students don’t often encounter patients with disabilities in their curriculum, the sponsors developed a panel of local parents to discuss their experiences.  The parent panel included several parents who currently serve on the SEDOL Parent Advisory Board.  One of the panel members was a medical student with a child with a disability.

Parents and students felt positively about the experience according to Eva Schwartz, medical student and event organizer.  “Overall, the panel was a good reminder about some of the basics of patient care  — treat the patient not the disease, be involved with your patients and their families, listen, and show compassion.”, Schwartz continued.

There is interest in repeating the event, although It has not been determined if this will be repeated next year.  For more information contact Eva Schwartz at eva.schwartz@my.rfums.org.

The Nemo News salutes the medical students for reaching out to learn more about our families and autism.

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Teen Depression: A Graphic Novel

By on May 10, 2012 in Health, Other, Social Life

A local teenager recently shared his experience with depression in a moving graphic novel format.  The Chicago Tribune published his story, a video and a slideshow of his experience on May 9, 2012.  The article notes that 1 in 12 teens experience a major depressive episode.  Kudos to Mr. Watson and his family for sharing their insight, compassion and courage with others who may suffer.

The Nemo News notes that the young author had Tourette’s Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder before experiencing the depressive episode he describes.  These  pre-existing conditions most likely contributed to the low social standing and bullying that is described in his story.  This highlights the importance of Social Emotional Learning from an early age.  The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has published standards for this domain and the FAQ can be found here.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers support, education, resources and advocacy for individuals and families affected by mental illness.  The Lake County Chapter  .and the  McHenry County Chapter have regular meetings, resource guides, and support groups for recovering individuals and their families.  Typically these services are free of charge.  Contact information is on each respective website.

Readers are encouraged to share information on other resources that may be helpful to those facing mental illness in Lake and McHenry Counties.   Use the comment button to share your thoughts.

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