TAMPA Linda Bonck, a 90-pound Chamberlain High School senior with cerebral palsy, lived near Tampa's Lowry Park. She struggled to walk and talk but was known for being friendly and trusting of strangers until she vanished one day in 1992. Two teens, David Sheren and Georgia Miller, were sentenced to life in prison for beating and stabbing her to death. But Miller, now 39, will likely be set free within six years, courtesy of a series of U.S. and Florida Supreme Court decisions that in recent years have found it unconstitutional to give juveniles life sentences. Miller was resentenced Wednesday to 65 years, after her attorney struck a deal with prosecutors. But with credit for time served, plus gain time she accumulated under rules that were in place in 1992, her release date is pegged for March 2023. "I don't think it's good enough," said Bonck's father, Phil Golden, who was not present for the hearing, but heard about it afterward. "But I guess my input doesn't really matter. Life should be life. You should take your last breath in a jail cell." Sheren, Miller's teen boyfriend, still awaits resentencing. Miller said little as she stood beside Assistant Public Defender … Continue reading →

If youve been reading this column awhile, you know Ive been talking about physical therapy for a long time. Weve talked about how powerful and beneficial it can be once you commit and check into the program. Weve discussed building meaningful relationships with physical therapists, and weve talked about how the therapists who have been most hard on us have been the ones who made us grow. But one thing I havent talked about yet is how to own your physical therapy and make your program really work for you. Admittedly, I have grown up with the phrase you have a say in your treatment options and plans for so long that by the time I was an adult and actually thought I could make decisions about the way my treatment plan was going, the words were like background noise. Since I started physical therapy at age 3, the routine of equipment and stretches has been predetermined and laid out. The only noticeable change in routine is, when you become an adult, the games you play to engage you in your stretches fall by the wayside, and its on you to motivate yourself. I struggled with internal motivation deeply when … Continue reading →

Via Christina Smallwood Most people don't know if they can get pregnant until they actually try. I learned that the hard way. When my husband and I started to think about having a baby, we never imagined how difficult it could actually be. More than a year went by with no luck, and then, in December of 2012, tragedy hit our family. My dad was in a motorcycle accident and ended up in a coma for four weeks before passing away. To say that I was in shock both physically and emotionally is an understatement. Understandably, it was months before we had the strength to try and have a baby again. Before we knew it, March rolled around, and we finally decided to have our fertility evaluated. (Related: What Ob-Gyns Wish Women Knew About Their Fertility) The results came back a few weeks later, and the doctors informed me that my anti-Mllerian hormone level was super low, a common side-effect of taking Accutane, which I had taken as a teenager. Severely low levels of this crucial reproductive hormone also meant that I didn't have enough eggs in my ovaries, making it nearly impossible for me to conceive naturally. After taking … Continue reading →

CANTON -- The United Cerebral Palsy Association of the North Country, Inc. is getting $124,840 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), according to a joint statement from senators Charles Schumer and Kirstin Gillibrand. The funds are rewards for health care centers who have exceeded or met quality standards and patient care goals, the release says. The funds will support increased access to comprehensive primary health care services and further invest in care, the senators said. These critical federal investments will enable 61 community health centers throughout New York State, including 26 centers in Upstate New York alone, to improve healthcare access for the local community, Schumer said in a prepared statement. Specifically, this investment will enable high-quality health centers to increase access to primary care services for New Yorkers and build upon their already successful work to improve patient care-quality and reduce health disparities across New York State. Not only will this funding further enhance New York State residents ability to access high-quality health care services, it will also support jobs for local area residents and health professionals, enriching regional economies across the state. This is great news for New … Continue reading →