‘Twilight: Breaking Dawn’ Triggers Seizures In Some Moviegoers

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Posted on 27th November 2011 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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Several moviegoers are claiming that watching the birth scene in the vampire mega-hit “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Park 1″ caused them to have seizures. 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/breaking-dawn-twilight-seizures-266320

The incidents, which have been widely reported in the media, don’t relate to any of the gore of the scene where Bella, played by Kristen Stewart, is giving birth to a vampire baby sired by her bloodsucker husband Edward, played by Robert Pattinson. 

The scene is accompanied by red, white and black strobe lights that flash on the screen, and those special effects are believed to be the culprit in the seizures.

In one case Brandon Gephart of Roseville, Calif., had to be rushed to the hospital after watching the birth scene. Gephart’s girlfriend later told a local TV station that he had convulsing and having trouble breathing.

And there was a second case where a man in Salt Lake City, Utah, told ABC News that he blacked out during the birth scene.

In the most recent case reported, right after Thanksgiving, Tina Goss in Oregon became ill and had to go to the hospital while watching the vampire flick.

http://www.kval.com/news/local/New-Twilight-film–134543193.html

Medical experts are saying that the strobe lighting in the movie may be triggering episodes of photosensitive epilepsy. The lights have a negative impact on the brains of some people, prompting the terrible reactions.

Stroke Victim’s Family Faces Financial Ruin Due To Medical Bills

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Posted on 25th November 2011 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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Brain injuries no only take a horrific physical and emotional toll on patients and their families, they can also take a financial toll. 

Such is the case with the Granelli family of Stanhope, N.J., who are in financial ruin after Karen Granelli, 55, suffered a burst aneurism and stroke about three years ago. Her story was chronicled by Star-Ledger columnist Bob Braun on Monday, in an article with the headline, “A terrible affliction, an unbearable debt.”

http://blog.nj.com/njv_bob_braun/2011/11/braun_plight_of_stanhope_famil.html

Karen and her husband Joesph had been doing well, essentially untouched by the recession, prior to her illness. She was a rehabilitation counselor. He was a quality assurance engineer who moonlighted as an appliance salesman, according to Braun. Their daughter Sarah was attending Seton Hall University.

But then Karen had a stroke, which ended up paralyzing her.

In the wake of that life-altering experience, the Granellis are losing everything they worked so hard to get because of their staggering medical bills.

The couple is in bankruptcy and their home is in foreclosure, according to Braun. Their daughter had to drop out of college. And the Granellis are responsible for medical bills “for more than $650,000 not covered by insurance or limited by the bankruptcy filing,” Braun wrote. 

The medical bills are for several weeks that Karen was hospitalized. As Braun points out, Joseph Granelli’s $1 million medical insurance’s lifetime cap was reached quite quickly. This is the kind of problem anyone with a brain injury could face.

“The Granellis aren’t the only people in trouble because of their medical bills, but their story is remarkable because they hit the bottom so  fast — despite spending their lives doing everything right,” Braun wrote.

And that’s wrong.

  

Merck’s Prospective Alzheimer’s Drug Shows Promise, Company Claims

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Posted on 12th November 2011 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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One can only cross one’s fingers and hope that Merck is really onto something with its new potential drug for Alzheimer’s disease.

In a press briefing last week, the New Jersey-based pharmaceutical giant updated the media on some of its early test results regarding what is now called MK-8931, according to The Star-Ledger of Newark.

http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2011/11/mercks_prospect_for_alzheimers.html

 This potential drug inhibits the creation of the enzymes that lead up to “the build-up of amyloid plaque, a trademark of the irreversible, degenerative disease,” according to The Ledger story published Friday.

“What makes it different, researchers explained, was the way it targets the so-called BACE enzyme to stop the accumulation of amyloid plaque,”  The Ledger wrote of MK-8931.

Merck has identified Alzheimer’s drugs as a priority, but it is a risky one, as The Ledger pointed out.

Right now there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, which has become the Baby Boomer generation’s worst nightmare. A number of drug makers have spent a lot of R&D money  — to no avail — trying to find a drug that will combat this horrendous disease, which robs people of their dignity.

Whoever finds a drug that successfully treats Alzheimer’s will not only be preventing heartbreak for generations to come, it will be hitting the jackpot in terms of generating revenue and financial success.

In this particular case, if Merck’s new drug works it will be a Godsend for all, not just the company’s shareholders but the public.

A Case Study In The Long Road After Brain Injury: Gabrielle Giffords’ New Book

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Posted on 5th November 2011 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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The book by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’  husband is set for release Nov. 15, and it promises to offer a frank look at the difficulties of recovering from traumatic brain injury. That includes the physical, mental and emotional challenges of living after being shot through the brain.

The Associated Press got an advance copy of the book, “Gabby: A Study of Courage and Hope,” which was written by Giffords’ husband, ex-astronaut Mark Kelly. The rest of the media have picked up, or expanded on, AP’s story about the book, including the New York Post.  

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/gabby_vows_will_return_iBDi5E1JhZ1RHcj7fWrfZP

Giffords was shot in a horrific attack at a Tucson grocery store that left six people dead Jan. 8, including federal Judge John Roll.

According to the book, when Kelly first saw Giffords after the shooting she was in the hospital in a coma, her head shaved and bandaged. He told her that she would survive and that he loved her.

It wasn’t until March 12 that Kelly was able to explain exactly what had happened to her, and the other victims, according to the book.

At that time Kelly asked Giffords if she remembered being shot, and her reply was yes, and that she recalled being “Shot,  shocked, scary.” That same day, Giffords told her that six people had been killed during the terrible attack, and she became upset and wept.

Six months later she was told exaclty who died, even after Kelly warned her it would be difficult for her to hear because she knew two of the victims. It was then learned that her friend Roll and one of her staff members were among the dead, according to the book.

Like many people who suffer TBI, Giffords had to be taught to walk and talk again. That resulted in some almost comic moments. When George H.W. Bush visited her at the Houston hospital where she was undergoing rehab, the only word Giffords could say was “chicken.”

It appears that the book will illustrate the ups and downs of recovering from TBI, that a step forward can end up with two steps backward. The American public, hopefully, will get a lesson in brain injury.

According to the Post, the last chapter of the book, “Gabby’s Voice,” was written by Giffords herself.  It is one page and  includes short sentences, including one regarding her future in Congress.    

Here is one of them: “I will get stronger. I will return.”

You go girl