Richard Fisher of Marion County, Ohio, first received a colon cancer diagnosis about seven years ago at the age of 68. After he noticed some blood in his stool, a colonoscopy revealed he was in the advanced stages of the disease.

"The doctor told me he didn't care if I got treatment or not because either way I only had six months to live," the retired farmer and construction worker recalled.

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Fisher said he felt the doctor wrote him off, mostly because of his age. It seemed like he never considered that someone approaching 70 would be able to survive the aggressive treatment needed to bring his condition under control, Fisher said.

After the initial shock wore off, the Fisher family took action. One of his three daughters had a friend who worked at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center in Columbus. She put in a call and got him an appointment.

Right from the start, Fisher said he knew he was in the right place. The medical team immediately began his treatment. First he had surgery, then intensive chemotherapy.

There were a lot of highs and lows during that first phase of care, Fisher admitted, but he got through it. He was virtually cancer-free for almost two years before the initial drugs lost their potency. The Ohio State team then switched him to a new chemo drug that allowed three more years of good health. Once those stopped working about two years ago, he opted to try experimental treatment as part of two separate clinical trials.

"In the seven years I've had treatment, no one at OSU has ever given us a time limit like that first doctor," his wife Martha Fisher said. "It's wrong to tell anybody, even if they're 70, 80 or 90 that you have a time limit on your life."

Treating Older Patients

Dr. Richard Goldberg, one of Fisher's doctors, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist and physician in chief at OSU, said doctors are beginning to realize that just because someone has celebrated a lot of birthdays doesn't mean they can't withstand the rigors of cancer therapy.

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For Colon Cancer, 70 is the New 50

MORRIS Pop tabs are in high demand in Morris right now, as two area boys set out to make and break records for collecting the highly sought-after tabs for Ronald McDonald House.

Seven-year-old Luchiano Eberhard, son of Jeff and Jamie Eberhard and 6-year-old Dakota Goff, son of Kevin and Kara Goff, are on a mission to raise money to help families who stay at the home while their loved ones are at Advocate Hope Childrens Hospital.

They turn pop tabs into money, Eberhard said.

Once the children collect 1 million pop tabs their name goes on a green leaf that is placed on the wall surrounding a tree, inside the Oak Lawn Ronald McDonald house. The house is designed in the theme of a house in the woods, and it has an accessible treehouse for kids of all ages to enjoy regardless of disability.

Its such a really neat goal, said Kelly Evans, senior house director at the Oak Lawn location. They get excited to get their name on a tree.

Evans has just ordered the leaf with Eberhards name on it for the tree, as he reached 1 million pop tabs, which is equivalent to 761 pounds of the little aluminum tabs.

Goff already is over 2 million and has an orange leaf representing that milestone surrounded by the green leaves of other children.

Goff was the first to hit 1 million at Oak Lawn and has the collection room named for him, Dakotas Pop Tab Closet.

I feel glad to help kids, Goff said.

There is a bit of irony involved in the fact that neither Eberhard or Goff drink much pop and have to resort to getting tabs off of other items in their house and from people in the community.

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Morris youth collecting pop tabs for charity

Lawnkeeper lawn care - fall in love with your lawn
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Published: Monday, 3/3/2014 - Updated: 13 hours ago

BY TOM HENRY BLADE STAFF WRITER

Excess fertilizers and raw human waste are hardly new problems for western Lake Erie.

But clean-water advocates are hoping a long-awaited report issued last week by the International Joint Commission will put more pressure on the U.S. and Canadian governments to rally around the issue, one that many see as having been dragged out by painstaking bureaucracy and not enough meaningful action.

In its report, A Balanced Diet for Lake Erie: Reducing Phosphorus Loadings and Harmful Algal Blooms, the IJC a State Department-level commission assigned since 1909 to help the two countries resolve mutual boundary water issues laid out 16 recommendations after collaborating with more than 60 U.S. and Canadian scientists.

The recommendations include: calls for better management practices for agriculture, including better timing for fertilizer application, mandatory certification standards for applicators tying crop insurance to soil-conservation performance, and something pretty basic that lake scientists have been urging for years: a ban on manure applications to cropland when the soil is frozen or has snow on it.

The recommendations also call for better sewage controls, including mandatory septic-system inspections, and more work in wetland restoration, a mandatory elimination of phosphorus in lawn fertilizers, and the establishment of a cap on nutrient pollution under the Total Daily Maximum Load provisions of Americas Clean Water Act, known in environmental circles by the abbreviation TMDLs.

The commissions recommendations differ in scope from others including the latest report issued last fall by the state of Ohios phosphorus task force as well as the number of mandatory actions it seeks. Many state-level efforts, including legislation now before the Ohio General Assembly, continue to be largely voluntary and incentive-laden programs to minimize impact on the farming industry. One of the biggest criticisms of the pending legislation in Ohio is that it does nothing to address growing concerns about manure generated in the Lake Erie basin by livestock farms big enough to be classified as concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs.

The binational commissions recommendations came in response to Lake Erie's record algae bloom of 2011.

Last September, Ohio hit a new low in its ongoing battle against algae, though, when the tiny municipal water treatment plant that serves 2,000 customers in Ottawa Countys Carroll Township was so overwhelmed by a toxin called microcystin that the facility was forced offline. Public officials frantically warned people not to drink the water until further notice, using Facebook, Internet Web sites, and any other form of rapid communication they could.

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Activists hope report spurs action

Richie Incognito calls smashing his Ferrari 'self expression' and is apparently seeking treatment. (USATSI)

When someone takes a baseball bat to a Ferrari, it's the very definition of a cry for help. Fortunately it sounds like Richie Incognito is getting some help despite his initial claim that beating his Ferrari on his front lawn was a form of "self expression."

Jeff Darlington of NFL Network reports that Incognito is "currently being treated at a facility in Arizona" after what's described as a "stressful time."

The time in question likely encompasses the entire investigation into the Dolphins harassment issues in the locker room, as well as the release of the Ted Wells report and the subsequent backlash against Incognito. Not to mention his bizarre actions against his expensive car.

Treatment seems like a good option on a number of different levels. Incognito can't go back and change what happened in Miami's locker room, but certainly moving on and trying to find some peace inside his own life is a good thing.

Incognito told Fox 10 in Phoenix that he was just "venting" and that beating the Ferrari was "a piece of art."

"Oh that was that was just me venting, that was self expression, that's a piece of art. The happiest day of my life was when I got that car and now the second happiest day will be when I donate it to charity," said Richie Incognito.

The charity Incognito is referring to is, apparently "brotherhood." Whatever that is.

"The Ferrari is a story unto itself, the Ferrari is one entity, but I will tell you this the Ferrari is going to be for sale through my mission which is helping the brotherhood, whatever brotherhood it is," he said.

Incognito told Fox 10 in a lengthy interview that he is just "hanging out and moving on" while "relaxing and enjoying this warm weather."

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Report: Incognito in treatment to deal with stress

If they're not already planted, you can't plant them now. But there is a solution for your forgotten tulips. (Getty)

Editor's Note: Meet Mike in Fredericksburg on Saturday, March 22, and Sunday, March 23. Mike will be at the Home & Garden Show at the Fredericksburg, Va. Expo & Conference Center.

It is not yet time to weed and feed

I promised to stay on top of local soil temperatures. That way, I could tell you the correct time to apply corn gluten meal to your lawn to prevent the maximum amount of crabgrass seed from germinating. That magic window of time is when soil temps approach 55 degrees - roughly 12.7 degrees Celsius - as measured four inches down.

Right now, area soil temperatures are hovering around 40 degrees, so we still have a good long ways to go. By all means, get your supply of corn gluten - you'll need around 10 pounds per thousand square feet of turf to give your lawn a safe, natural and legal feeding and pre-emergent treatment. But don't apply it yet - its active, seed-killing period would be over long before our soils could reach that magic number, which last year occurred in early to mid-April. And that was after a very warm winter.

Same for seed-starting: Get your gear together by all means, but don't actually start any seeds for another couple of weeks. Mid-March is ideal for mid-May plantings.

Can corn gluten stop weeds in flower beds?

John, on the South River in Anne Arundel County, writes: "For the past three years, I have been applying corn gluten meal to my lawn and have been successful in defeating the weeds that float in from my adjacent neighbors' neglected lawns. I also have eight perennial gardens. Can I treat them like my lawn and apply corn gluten to control weeds?"

I don't advise it, John. In addition to preventing the germination of weed seeds, corn gluten meal is a fertilizer that supplies pretty much only nitrogen, which is great for grass, but not fruiting and flowering plants. It would produce good- looking greenery, but there's a real good chance it would also reduce the number of flowers on those big, green plants. And it would definitely prevent the appearance of any desired flowers that spread by self-seeding.

Boric acid the answer for indoor ants

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Garden Plot: Yes, you can save those unplanted tulips

Coquitlam resident Teresa Balfour has a complicated relationship with Riverview Hospital: She appreciates the beauty of the grounds when she walks through them on her commute, but she also recalls the darker side of the Lower Mainlands former hub of mental-health care.

Riverview was a very scary place, said Ms. Balfour, whose brother Michael died in its East Lawn facility in 1990. You didnt know if youd ever get out.

B.C. Housing, the ministry in charge of the grounds, will hold open houses on Thursday and Saturday to present and discuss plans for the future of the park-like surroundings of the facility, which for a century has been a crucible for the evolving attitudes about mental illness, the people who suffer from it and their treatment.

Housing Minister Rich Coleman said the province has no firm plans or preconceptions of what to do with the land; the open houses are meant to examine a range of options, from turning the historic site into a tech park to ensuring it remains a centre for care.

I think well see people talk about housing. I think well see people talk about a tech park type of thing that would attract jobs to Coquitlam, Mr. Coleman said. I think well hear people talk about other health facilities [as well].

Richard Stewart, mayor of Coquitlam, wants Riverview to remain a focal point for the treatment of mental illness, which he said his city has long embraced.

Were a little unusual in that regard, Mr. Stewart said. We want these facilities in our community.

Riverview opened a century ago, and by the 1950s, had about 5,000 patients from all over the province and almost as many staff.

Horrific treatments methods once considered the norm became the subject of lawsuits and government settlements. In an out-of-court settlement in 2005, the province awarded $450,000 to nine women who were forcibly sterilized there between 1940 and 1968.

The sterilizations were done after the province embraced eugenics, the belief that sterilization of the mentally ill, criminals and the poor was an acceptable measure to improve society.

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Dark history may temper public input on former hospital at Riverview

BY STEVE METSCH smetsch@southtownstar.com February 20, 2014 8:42PM

Oak Lawn optometrist Casey Hogan is ready to again take the annual Polar Plunge into Lake Michigan on March 2 to raise money for Special Olympics Chicago. | Steve Metsch~Sun-Times Media

storyidforme: 62404186 tmspicid: 22500318 fileheaderid: 10810826

Updated: February 21, 2014 2:15AM

Casey Hogan is ready to again plunge into the chilly waters of Lake Michigan on the first Sunday of March, just as she has for the past eight years.

Once you do it, youre kind of hooked. When you think of how youre helping the athletes, its a no-brainer, she said.

Hogan, an optometrist who has a practice, Advanced Eye Care Professionals, 10320 Cicero Ave., Oak Lawn, is urging co-workers, patients and anyone she meets to do the same.

This years 14th annual Chicago Polar Plunge will raise funds for the Special Olympics, and Hogan, a Tinley Park resident, soon will become the president of the Chicago chapter of the organization.

Ive been on the board now since 05 or 06. ... This year, despite the weather, were not nervous at all. We have our first Chicago mayor, Rahm Emanuel, doing the plunge, Hogan said.

Last year, (Oak Lawn) Mayor Sandy Bury did it while she was campaigning. She just wanted to support the cause, she said.

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Oak Lawn optometrist urges everyone to take the Polar Plunge

A 66-year-old Port St. Lucie man is in the hospital being treated for serious injuries he got while mowing his lawn.

Philip Ritchie Menard wasnt hurt by the mowers blade, but by an oncoming car that struck him as he finished mowing a line to the street and then stepped into the road to mow back the other way, Port St. Lucie Police spokesman Sgt. Frank Sabol said.

He had ear buds in, so he might not have heard her coming, Sabol said.

Menard was hit about 11:15 a.m. in front of his home in the 1900 block of SE Berkshire Blvd. He was struck by a 2011 Honda CRV driven by Lauretta Findlay, 71, of Fort Pierce, Sabol reported in a written statement.

Menard suffered head injuries and broken bones and was flown to a local trauma center for treatment, Sabol said. Findlay was shaken, but uninjured, Sabol said. No one has been charged as authorities continue to investigate the crash.

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Man, 66, goes out to mow lawn, gets hit by car in Port St. Lucie

Manhattan, KS - infoZine - We run on it. We play on it. And sometimes we lie down and dream on it. Its easy to take that grass underfoot for granted, especially when temperatures are mild and rains are plentiful. A few steps through the year, however, will help fortify the green carpet we call lawns through tough times, according to Kansas State University horticulturist Ward Upham.

Taking the monthly calendar approach to lawn care for cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue can help make maintaining a healthy lawn seem more manageable through the year, said Upham, who is director of K-State Research and Extensions Horticulture Rapid Response Center. He provided month-by-month reminders for homeowners regarding how to care for a cool-season lawn.

April - Apply crabgrass preventer in April. If you have redbud trees in your area, take note of when theyre in full bloom. Thats an easy reminder to apply crabgrass preventer. The preventer needs to be watered in before it will start to work. One-quarter inch of water will be enough to water in any of the products mentioned in this calendar. Remember that a good, thick lawn is the best weed prevention and may be all that is needed.

May - Fertilize with a slow-release fertilizer if you water your lawn or if you receive enough rainfall that your turf normally doesnt go drought-dormant during the summer. If there are broadleaf weeds, spot treat with a spray or use a fertilizer that includes a weed killer. Rain or irrigation within 24 hours of application will reduce effectiveness of the weed killer, but the fertilizer needs to be watered in. If you are using a product that has both fertilizer and weed killer, wait 24 hours after application before watering in.

June through Mid-July - Apply second round of crabgrass preventer by June 15 unless you have used Dimension (dithiopyr) or Barricade (prodiamine) for the April application. These two products normally provide season-long control with a single application. Remember to water it in. If grubs have been a problem in the past, apply a product containing imidacloprid during the first half of July. This works to prevent grub damage. It must be watered in before it becomes active.

Late-July through August - If you see grub damage, apply a grub killer that contains Dylox. Imidacloprid is effective against young grubs and may not be effective on late instar grubs. The grub killer containing Dylox must be watered in within 24 hours or effectiveness drops.

September - Fertilize around Labor Day. This is the most important fertilization of the year. Water in the fertilizer.

Fertilize in the Fall for a Healthy Lawn

November - Fertilize. This fertilizer is taken up by the roots, but is not used until the following spring. Water in the fertilizer. Spray for broadleaf weeds even if they are small. Broadleaf weeds are much easier to control in the fall than in the spring. Spray on a day that is at least 50 degrees. Rain or irrigation within 24 hours reduces the effectiveness. Use label rates for all products.

Remember, Upham said, these recommendations are for cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue. Warm season grasses, such as zoysiagrass, bermudagrass, and buffalograss require a different maintenance regime.

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Take the Monthly Calendar Approach to Lawn Care