| Race to benefit cancer victim's 'healing' dream
But nearly a year after she lost a decadelong battle with cancer, the late Methuen woman's dream lives on and is gaining momentum as a project that could help many in the Merrimack Valley.
The Trauma Intervention Program of the Merrimack Valley is hosting a 5K Run/Walk in memory of Waller, a longtime TIP volunteer. The event, set for Sunday, Nov. 4 - the first anniversary of Waller's death - will help raise money to create a garden like the one she envisioned.
It won't be in Waller's backyard, but might wind up someplace else in Methuen or another area community as a place of respite for people battling for their lives or trying to recover from tragedy and trauma - and for healers, who need to relieve themselves of the stress.
Waller's daughter, Lindsay Waller, a nurse in the pediatric intensive care unit at Mass General Hospital in Boston, said her mom's dream of the healing garden evolved from her chemotherapy treatments there.
Curtin knows music can be medicinal
Joey Curtin's music has been described as healing. That's not surprising, considering her history. In 2003-2004, she played a weekly gig at the Texas Medical Center in Houston. Her recordings have been used in emergency rooms, intensive care units, and cancer therapy centers in Houston and in San Francisco. Prior to that, the Redding pianist and her singer-songwriter husband, Patrick, performed worship music at Vineyard Christian Fellowship in San Francisco for eight years, as well as at various venues throughout the city. Curtin will perform a concert at 3 p.m. Sunday at Old City Hall in Redding. She'll play solo piano tunes and also collaborate with her husband, a guitarist; and multi-instrumentalist Marc Cooper and violinist Jasmine Kinney. Tickets are $10. Musical selections will include work from her new CD "God With Us: A Solo Piano Christmas." Healing has been a common theme for the Curtins.
Yoga Boosts Body's Immunity
We all know there's no cure for the common cold, but there could be a better way to keep the sniffles and sneezing at bay. But be warned, boosting your immunity could put you in an unusual position. So what does yoga have to do with a stuffy nose, congested chest and non-stop cough? Actually, new research shows "warrior pose", "downward dog", even "sun salutation" can help boost your immune system. Emily Glatt is the picture of health. She says, "I'm not a person that typically gets colds and flu and things like that." You won't find her secret to healthy success in any pharmacy. She's healthy, researchers say, partly because she's willing to stretch her boundaries with yoga. Glatt says, "I think that yoga does invite that healing energy into you. And it does ward off things like that and protects you." In fact, one study found cancer patients who practiced yoga three times a week felt less pain, were less tired and less fearful during their treatment.
Writing professor aids patients with ’Äòprescription for healing ...
Visualizing and writing about the Kern River has helped a cancer patient get better. That is how Anna Andrizzi Escobosa, 65, describes one of her entries in a just-released book 'Writing for Wellness: A Prescription for Healing.' 'Going back to the Kern River in my mind and in my poetry has helped me heal,' she explains. 'Visualizing the area and imagining myself there, has been very comforting, the river flows through my veins and beckons me to return.' Escobosa has been visiting the Kern River area since the 1970's. A colon-cancer patient, she is one of hundreds of participants at City of Hope National Cancer Center in Duarte who have taken part in Writing for Wellness classes for patients, caregivers, medical staff and family members as they each go through the 'cancer journey' from different perspectives.
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