Ten-year-old Zack Rozek has joined his parents’ mission in using today’s technology in order to make a better tomorrow. For the last two years, Rich and Kim Rozek have discussed their experience with Parkinson’s disease by way of their Internet radio show PD Talk Live.

Rich, 49, was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s nearly a decade ago. In 2008 the Winfield couple kicked off what Rich calls a “part talk show, part cyber-support group” on Blog Talk Radio. “We thought it was unique, because there were no cyber-support groups out there for this,” Rich says.

It’s hard to believe, but soon the holidays will be here, and we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of a recession, some of us living on a shoestring. For many people, there won’t be the usual big splashy holidays, but rather, we pray for good weather and hope the economy will bounce back.

For families with children, this recession is particularly taxing. Children are the forgotten victims. And yet, they endure perhaps not enough food, no new clothes or shoes, frequent moving to lower rent places which means constant changing of schools. Changing schools is traumatic for children and can contribute to them earning poor grades. A certain apathy about school descends on them.

Recession, and its subsequent consequences, is a difficult concept for children to grasp. Not only can it affect their education, but their health, psychological development, and medical care.

According to a mother who asked me to write this column, the use of chewing tobacco and other forms of smoke-free tobacco has become the rage in her son’s high school. Many assume that if the tobacco does not make smoke, it must be safe. How wrong they are!!

Nothing about the use of any form of tobacco is safe. Another myth to dispel is that smokeless tobacco helps a person quit cigarette smoking. This simply is not the case.

Because most tobacco users start before they are 18 years old, the FDA has declared tobacco use a pediatric disease.

St. John family reaches out to others at hospital

Members of the Splant family, from left, Nathan, Kimberly and Phillip, present Community Hospital neonatal intensive care unit nurse Lora Brands, RN, center, with DVD players and a basket full of educational viewing materials regarding preterm infants that can be shared with other parents of premature babies while at the hospital. (Photograph courtesy of Community Hospital.)

They say good things come in small packages.

When Nathan C. Splant, son of Phillip and Kimberly Splant, of St. John, was born 15 weeks prematurely Jan. 10, 2004, he weighed less than 2 lbs. and was only 12 inches long. He spent 108 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Community Hospital in before being discharged in April with an oxygen tank and heart monitor.

Good things have continued to happen ever since. Today, Nathan is a healthy, happy 5-year-old. The Splant family recently made a return trip to Community Hospital to make a special delivery on behalf of the Nathan C. Splant Foundation, an organization the family founded to honor their son and give back to others.

Length of exposure to violence not age is key factor

Students prepare to start another day at the Louis Nettelhorst Elementary School in Lakeview. (Photograph by Alison Fox/MEDILL.)

Experts say many children who witness domestic violence at home lack coping mechanisms leading to violence in schools.

October was Domestic Violence Month, highlighting an issue that often results in children with violent streaks and an inability to resolve conflicts, experts say.

“With teenagers, you’re going to have more aggressive behaviors,” said Catherine Malatt, the manager of coordinated school health/crisis intervention with Chicago Public Schools.

Barb Kearns, 75, has been raising her grandson in their Arlington Heights neighborhood for the past eight and a half years. She became his primary caregiver after the sudden death of her daughter.

Raising her 16-year-old grandson, Brian, has presented the retiree with a unique set of challenges but she feels a great sense of accomplishment in watching him grow into a young musician, she said.

“He has special needs, ADHD and sensory problems, [so] it’s been hard,” she said.

NWI Parent Blog—Photographer and writer mom of two, Beth always brings a new twist to the suburban mundane.

Yesterday, my five year old got off the bus with a fever, which is the exact thing that happened to my daughter this past Monday.

It was so obvious that he felt sick, red cheeks, runny nose, big brown eyes, okay, maybe the eyes didn’t tell me anything but they are big and beautiful, so I may as well mention them, right?

On Sunday, we all felt great. We were our usual happy and healthy family, taking down the Halloween decorations, visiting family, playing Uno, taking baths and then Monday hit and it’s like we were literally hit by a semi truck with my daughter getting the flu first.

Continue reading Beth’s latest post here on her “Laptops to Countertops” blog.

This photo released by the Sesame Workshop shows Rosita, left, and Elmo in a scene from “TLC II Military Outreach Project”, directed by Kevin Clash. Mention swine flu to a young child, and odds are pretty good you'll get a blank stare. But an increasing number of kids can tell you that the Sesame Street character “Elmo” sneezes properly into the crook of his arm, and if they sing the whole “ABCs” song while washing their hands they'll get them really clean. (AP Photo/Sesame Workshop, Richard Termine)

Mention swine flu to a young child, and odds are pretty good you’ll get a blank stare.

But an increasing number of kids can tell you that the Sesame Street character “Elmo” sneezes properly into the crook of his arm, and if they sing the whole “ABCs” song while washing their hands they’ll get them really clean. They’re also well acquainted with hand sanitizer, anti-bacterial wipes—and their germ-fighting abilities.

Children may not understand what H1N1 influenza is, but about 1 in 5 in the U.S. already had a flulike illness in October, according to a telephone survey released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Doctors and childcare specialists believe kids, even young ones, have a role to play in limiting the spread of the virus that surfaced earlier this year and is a threat to young people.

Bears mascot challenges youngsters to score a healthy life

Staley, the official mascot of the Chicago Bears, questions students about healthy choices during his visit to Protsman Elementary School. He offered the students ”Staley’s 6 Week Fitness Challenge” program. (Photograph provided by Protsman Elementary School.)

In an effort to encourage children into making healthy choices, the Chicago Bears and Staley Da Bear, the official mascot of the Bears, visited Protsman Elementary School recently.

“Staley’s 6 Week Fitness Challenge” is an informative, hands-on, educational school health show presented throughout Chicagoland. The students were introduced to the four elements, or “downs,” of this health/fitness program during an assembly entitled “First & Goal: How to Score a Touchdown for a Healthy Life.”

The students each took home a chart to monitor his/her progress daily during the six weeks following the assembly. Points are assigned for each “down” on a daily basis.

Antibiotics are miracle drugs. But like so many good things, they have the potential for causing harm. This negative consequence may be inadvertent as all medications have side effects, or because widespread use of antibiotics may create deadlier germs. In large measure, determining which way the pendulum known as “nature’s balance” swings results from how antibiotics are used.

It is most important to realize that not all germs are killed by antibiotics. In fact, the minority of germs are susceptible, and these are bacteria.

Antibiotics do not kill viruses, and all colds are due to viruses. Thus, simple colds, including sore throats, runny noses and coughs should not be treated with antibiotics.