Frances Black, the founder of the RISE Foundation, which is helping families cope with addiction and showing that the impacts of addiction go far beyond the addict. Earlier this year, Ireland’s Health Services Executive published a survey called “Alcohol’s Harm to Others in Ireland.” Among the primary findings of the study was the fact that at least a quarter of the population … [Read more...] about Behind the RISE Foundation
What You Should Know:
Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s: The Facts
Named for the New York-based gastroenterologist doctor who wrote about it in the 1930s (although a Scottish doctor had published a paper about patients with the same symptoms in 1913), Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that can
affect any part of the gastrointestinal system. It can start at any age, but usually begins in late teens or … [Read more...] about What You Should Know:
Crohn’s Disease
When it’s more than just a
Sore Tummy
Living with Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract. Darina Molloy tells her story.
In hindsight, I was always the kid with the sore tummy. Most of the time, it just meant taking to the couch with a book, which was no penance for a dedicated reader. When I was nine, I was delighted with the spoiling that accompanied a three-night stay in … [Read more...] about When it’s more than just a
Sore Tummy
Parkinson’s Disease: My Father’s Strength
His physical strength was his currency, now it’s his patience and forbearance. On the afternoon before my college graduation in 1999, there was a ceremony for graduates who were getting department prizes. My father was a New York City tunnel worker (a “sandhog”) and at that time he was working on Roosevelt Island, a 20-minute drive from Barnard’s campus. He always showered … [Read more...] about Parkinson’s Disease: My Father’s Strength
The Perils of Being Pale
Red hair and pale skin can be very attractive to some, but the potential perils from the sun range from mere sunburn to possibly fatal cancer, as actor Donal Logue discovered. I am a redhead. Yes, I know we’re called “gingers” these days, but when I was growing up this was a term I only heard when visiting my equally pale, redheaded relatives back in Ireland or the UK, so I’ll … [Read more...] about The Perils of Being Pale