#he has also visited multiple pharmacies today

[hello-delicious-tea]

MrTea just made me hot orange and honey drink as we have used all the lemons already in the quest to keep me from perishing of COVID. I feel extremely touched by this.

[daniwoitkowski]

A Closer Look at Milwaukee Zip Code 53206

After reading A Closer Look at Milwaukee Zip Code 53206, an article published in the Milwaukee Magazine in 2014, I’m ashamed of the city I currently call home.

Contained between I-43 to the east, 27th Street to the West and North Avenue and Capitol Drive to its south and north sides is one of the largest zip code areas in the city of Milwaukee. Zip code area of 53206 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is often written off as the poorest area in the largest city in the state.

An eyesore in Milwaukee, zip code 53206, is where a third of the city’s vacant lots reside. The greatest percentage, nearly 95% of its residents in zip code 53206 are African Americans. Surrounding counties implemented restrictive covenants preventing African American tenants' equal rights, which confined most African Americans to the northwestern portion of the city, or around the 53206 area. The Supreme Court ruled such covenants to be unconstitutional in 1948, they remained on the books until Congress passed the Fair Housing Act in 1968. Milwaukee known for being one of the most segregated cities in the United States.

Warren’s Lounge on Hopkins Avenue, owned by 81-year-old Warren Harper, a “Cheers” like bar hides itself in the middle of the deserted condemned buildings. Warren and his wife, Shirley, have been married for over 59 years, with four children and multiple grandchildren. Warren and Shirley bought the lounge back in 1970. Back in the lounge’s heyday factory workers from around the area would stop in for lunch or beer relaxing after their shift. During the time when the Green Bay Packers played at county stadium, players could be regularly seen enjoying the relaxing atmosphere.

Life has changed and the lounge is not the same, feeling the pain of the abandoned factories. Even though, their children attempt to sway them into having hip-hop bands play into the addition to the jazz and blues bands that periodically play at the lounge. Life has been hard on them, however they will not close, “It’s their life.”

Wandering around 53206 tends to make people, especially white people, uneasy. Too many businesses are either closed or enclosed in metal bars and padlocks. Even with a gem like, Warren’s Lounge, can be intimidating to its visitors as you enter through the small, dark doorway hidden behind a locked heavy metal grate with a bell that must be rung for entry.

Opportunities seem to climb and decline rapidly for African Americans in Milwaukee. So, what happened?

One generation hopes and dreams becomes heavy burdens on the forgotten generations that follow. Looking past educational statures, joblessness and the crime in the areas of poverty, we need to begin looking into the history of the African American population of Milwaukee, Wisconsin at once was and why it became what it is today.

The African American population increased with the Great Migration north, which affected the African American communities in Milwaukee. Like most African American families, Warren and Shirley moved to Milwaukee in 1957 during the Great Migration in search of a better life.

The Great Migration was when millions of southern African American people migrated north for better opportunities between 1916 to 1970. Many came to Milwaukee for the ever-growing jobs with the industrial factories at the time. Families settled down bought homes in the area, new businesses opened and grew, times were good. By the 1980s, times were not so good. Factories started to close in the area and businesses started to move out of the once flourishing neighborhoods. Some people moved out to the suburbs, while the majority of the African American population stayed behind and survived.

Barbara Miner, the Milwaukee-area freelance writer, purpose in this article was to educate by showing a face to the neighborhood around the Milwaukee 53206 zip code. The article brought tears to my eyes as I read about the longevity of people who make up the community even through the absence of jobs, transportation, and sort of conveniences that those of us who live merely blocks away take for granted. Then there is the stealthy growing abandoned housing market. However, many families have still stuck around to support their community or stay for the affordable housing.

Through the article, Miner, is attempting to educate the audience on the poverty in our own city. We have created this blind spot within our own community, and we tend to forget the area’s history. We are left with the assumption that the people living in these areas have chosen their fate instead of understanding the truth behind our ignorance. It’s well known what happened in Detroit after the auto industries started closing, but it is not known how the same affects had and still affects so many in our own city.

Beauty exists, such as with Dr. Carter, a retired Pharmacist who continues to go back and visit his community passing along trusted remedies to his neighborhood residents. Dr. Carter broke down barriers back in 1968 after he founded one of first Milwaukee black owned pharmacies. Now after selling his pharmacy, Dr. Carter can still be found at the store as a consultant in natural remedies.

Yet the media has forgotten about this area as though it doesn’t exist except for the inquiries pertaining to shootings in the area. The problem, or exigence, here is with the ignorance surrounding this forgotten and disregarded area of our city. I begin to ask myself, why do we have such a blind eye with our own neighboring areas? I wonder how the decline to industry in the city of Milwaukee and the poverty relates to the poverty that was created with the auto crisis in Detroit. I would have liked to see more of the information we read from the A Closer Look at Milwaukee Zip Code 53206 article on the non-existence of corporate businesses and declining public transportation and after school programs ties into the jobless market that intertwine in the poverty rates in these areas.

Current circumstances in 53206 go deeper than the loss of factories and that the jobs in the area.

“There’s investment out there, and there are jobs. But they’re in New Berlin or Waukesha. There’s no bus, so how are people going to get there?” (2015, Jan 28)

Perceptions have also been made that the housing bubble was the issue that affected people in this area, and they were of the many that shouldn’t have bought a home in the first place. However, a lot of families that lost their homes in 53206 were long-time owners.

Miner goes on to talk with a group of students from North Division High School who are studying zip-code-53206. Miner gathered their thoughts on how they feel about the area and what they would want people to know about the area, some of which that were mentioned as follows:

“Notice that we are here, that, like you, we are human, and we deserve the same things you want.”

“The police, I can’t explain it, but they don’t like black people.”

“It ain’t got no future.”

“Nothing’s going to change, ’cause nobody cares.”

Unfortunately, conditions such as the few mentioned have contributed to demolish government help enabling people to believe such areas are beyond any genuine rehabilitation, deeming the area in the past too black and ghetto.

Poverty is so much more then people just making bad choices or the wrong decisions in life. The purpose of the rhetors with this medium explain how trauma that stems from poverty begin way before one can make their own choices in life.

Regardless, parents in 53206 want the same things as any other parent anywhere in the world wants. We want our children to be safe, happy and a better childhood than we had. Is there anything wrong with the hope that our children grow up without the worry of crime surrounding them or to be able to go through school without bullying? We all want hope for the future.

Whether we live in Milwaukee or not we can relate to the exigences mentioned in the life cycle of the Great Migration and African Americans in Milwaukee mentioned, you cannot deny the purpose. The effects of poverty have an impact with your entire life, from childhood on through your adult life and passed on through the next generations. We become our parents, our community, our surroundings. We are what we are familiar with whether it be hiding money for emergencies like those who lived through the Great Depression to as unknowingly as our dialect or accent we commonly use day to day. If raised in poverty the traumatic affects you would carry through life, even if you leave those surroundings, the effects remain.

For Milwaukee, the future needs to bring education on the history of the African American population. Milwaukee doesn’t give the same possibilities to the people in the now poverty areas affected by the industrial decline. Such possibilities as, public transportation to give access to jobs and convenience stores, such as Wal-Mart or even McDonalds. Overlooking the truth and ignorance of the past never helped humanity in the future.

Source Cites:

Barbara Miner, Milwaukee. (2015, Jan 28). A Closer Look at Milwaukee Zip Code 53206. 1/28/2015 https://www.milwaukeemag.com/milwaukee-zip-code-53206/

Reggie Jackson, Milwaukee Independent. (2019, Apr 19). REGGIE JACKSON: REMEMBERING A TIME WHEN 53206 WAS KNOWN AS A LOVING COMMUNITY TO GROW UP IN. 4/19/2019 http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/featured/reggie-jackson-remembering-time-53206-known-loving-community-grow/

Dan Schneider, Dollars & Sense. (2015, Nov/Dec). The Worst Place in the US to Be Black Is... Wisconsin 11/2015 http://dollarsandsense.org/archives/2015/1115schneider.html

[one-abuse-survivor]

It has only been a couple of months where I realized that my mother could be considered manipulative (like I've known for years that she is responsible for a huge portion of my mental illness but that term has made some things even clearer). And I am still not too sure if it's true, though I guess making you doubt is a sign of it.

She's depressed and kinda an alcoholic which already makes me feel bad for her, but she acts like my own depression (diagnosed by a psychologist) does not matter at all. I am basically supposed to do all the chores while she sits on the sofa or sleeps. Which is incredibly exhausting and often just seeing the kitchen when it's dirty triggers a panic attack.

Then she basically does the same things for which she used to get mad at me and insult me when I did them as a child.

She becomes highly suspicious when I go to my grandmother (father's side) and hates it when I don't tell her where I go (even if she could just call me on my phone).

The worst part is the guilt-tripping. On one hand she would buy me sweets and then say: "See, I think about you." and on the other say stuff like: "I feel like you've been ignoring me."

She does similar stuff to my mother to whom she complains about every little thing even if he can't do anything about it. Or to my older brother who also has to chores (once he basically had to do the groceries for months despite nor wanting so or a couple of days ago had to mow the lawn with her excuse 'because she is too stupid for it herself').

Once she overdosed on pills (though working in a pharmacy probably knew how much she had to take) and got delivered to the hospital. When we visited her she literally said she did it because she thought we did not love her anymore.

She uses gaslightning by retracting statements and has violated my private space on multiple occasions and now gets mad at me for locking up my room.

I started cooking for myself rather early, but even today every time she actually cooks (which is rare) she expects to be complimented for it AND DON'T YOU DARE CRITIZE IT.

She constantly takes and takes and so rarely gives.

I am dreading to hear her call my name from downstairs for another inane task or reason.

And the worst thing: It works.

I agree that doubting whether you're really going through abuse is a sign that you're being abused, nonnie. So is feeling like you always have to prioritise your mother's needs and feelings. And it is absolutely abusive for parents to use their mental health (or any other excuse) as a reason to make you responsible for all the house chores while they sleep or rest.

If you don't mind me sharing my personal experience (if you do, please skip to the next paragraph!), my mother used to tell me on a daily basis that the house chores were my job because she was mentally ill, and that if I didn't keep the house clean I was horrible and selfish. She did this even when I had exams and deadlines, but as soon as I was out of school for the holidays things got worse, because I didn't have any excuse to not spend my entire day waiting for her orders and complying immediately. The moment she called me I had to be available, otherwise she’d turn really violent against me. It was hell. I'm so sorry you're going through this too 😔

Ugh, the guilt tripping sounds so horrible :( the fact she used her overdose to abuse you even more is just... I don't have any words. It's vile. And everything else you shared, about her questioning you talking to your grandmother, and violating your private spaces, and gaslighting and guilt-tripping you and your family, sounds incredibly abusive and traumatic to have to deal with on a daily basis. I'm so sorry you're going through this. No one deserves to live like this.

Sending a virtual hug ❤️

[kierarutherford]

Vent/Shit overload

I’m going to post this, leave it and that’s that. So, if you want to travel down the Kiera’s last week of insanity rabbit hole, it’s under the break.

So, as per usual this week started rough. Couldn’t sleep well, my youngest started school (Last monday, I’m venting remember) and things seemed to kick off to a miserable start. He’s my baby, my LAST baby and he’s got issues. The first day went well considering and the poor thing came home, stripped to his undies and curled up under a blanket; instantly zonked. WELL we could not wake him for anything. Que midnight wake up and 6 am sleep.... We forced him to school, got to get that schedule going right. Tuesday... He goes straight to class, curls up into a ball on the carpet and zonks out for 3 hours. *Sigh* comes home to sleep a couple more. AGAIN, a late night. Wednesday repeats, but no nap at home. Thursday comes... Ah fuck me thursday. He is due for his Psyche Eval - A.K.A an IQ test for kids with issues. He comes in with: IDD also known as Intelligent Development Disorder. Link here, scoring between mild to moderate. My precious baby will “never catch up.” Or so I am told. I get all this access to help, but NO direction.... My brain melts. I zombie the rest of the day.

Friday comes. My two older children go to visit their grandparents. Enter phone call, daughter is ill. I work at a pharmacy. Pick up the staples, ginger ale, chicken noodle soup, meds. Drop EVERYTHING off, stick around for a cup of tea and chat. Dad’s been fired.... What?! He’s 60 this next week... Where’s my dad going to get a job at his age? He can’t retire yet, doesn’t have enough in savings to survive.... I zombie again... 

Storm rolls in, kills internet. No writing. 

Back track to Tuesday. It’s been a week since my husband had intervascular imaging on his legs. -Born with club feet, link here. He’s experiencing pain, swelling and general bullshit of having a mother who IGNORED all the medical work he needed done throughout his growing year. Call Dr. Office. “No records have been recieved yet.” -I work at a pharmacy.- We fax that office daily. I’ve been getting scripts from him. So, I know his fax works. Call imaging center, they’re “resending the paperwork now.” 

Que to today; call Dr. Office, knowing they now have the paperwork. Leave voice message. Recieve multiple faxed with Dr. Signature on them.. NO. CALL. BACK.... 

OH, and I am dropping out of my University Major (haven’t started yet so whew, caught that in time) to pursue a learning course to earn my Pharmacist Technician certification. And my doctor doesn’t have my vaccination records.... 

Needless to say, Fuck me, fuck my life, fuck it all. NOTHING has gone right this week. NOTHING. Tried to apply for a mortgage, a whooping $250,000 in a market that starts at $389,000. Checked for rentals. NOTHING. 

I’m behind in writing, behind in just about everything, including rent. I owe for this month, and I’ve put nothing away for next month... Which increases too... So, ya. Mental health is important folks, venting is important.... and the final nail you ask? I have 0 friends. Literally no one near me I can go vent to, cry to, coffee with. I sure as hell can’t unload this on my mother and father, they might be losing everything. My sister is going for MASSIVE surgery in a few weeks... so.. fuck. Fuck, fuck, FUCK, 

I can’t tell if I’m numb, or just in triage mode. I should be a balled mess in a corner, but I just keep moving. 

Anyways, helps to rant. Helps to unload. Even if it’s just a thing on the internet. Makes me feel like I’m not alone. Ya know? I’m going to try to put words to page and maybe that will help? Don’t know, but it’s worth a try. Take care of yourselves, all of you. It’s hard enough out there.  

[akupsoutdoor-blog]

Free Vintage Crochet Patterns

Canadian government allows Canadian manufacturers to bring out generic versions towards the later portion of the patent period, expediting the transaction of getting the generic versions to the place of traffic. When it cmoes to purchasing of drugs; you can get the best deal both in quuality and price by getting assistance from Tramadol bluebook website. It is even labeled as silent terrorism since it can pounce while people are mostly unaware. The chances are slim to none. The vintage crochet patterns are awesome! I remember being very young and my mother attempting to show me how to crochet and to knit which she found difficult. Counterfeit medicines have been found in every disease category, and in every region of the world. All the products we offer are top-quality generic medicines that were produced with the greatest care in certified, fully-licensed pharmaceutical manufactures. Today these drugs are seldom used for depression because safer drugs are now available to treat it. Discounts: Consumers who don’t have insurance can find discounts on generic drugs that rival or beat the cost of the same drugs for people with insurance plans. Mary Ann Stratton, who is manning the table, merely shrugs and smiles sadly. We don't know what the FBI is doing behind the scenes, but by contrast, canadian pharcharmy online in the 1999 Columbine massacre the FBI was all over the scene in a very visible way. HIM: Isn't there an easier way? An internship with a large pharmaceutical firm is the best entry route into the profession for fresh graduates. The company has built on its reputation as the best billing software for medical practices to create an electronic patient records and practice management package that addressed the needs of its best customers - small clinics and doctors' offices. If the expense would qualify as an itemized medical deduction, then it will qualify as a qualified medical expense for purposes of your HSA. FDA regulations state that medical devices do not fall under the same guidelines as normal prescription medications. The major challenge, however, is competing for time with other representatives, and then trying to persuade the doctor to use their brand of medicine instead of the same medicine belonging to five or six competitors. According to the FDA, foreign and domestic web pharmacies may ask pet parents to fill out an online form and then falsely claim that a veterinarian will evaluate the pet’s condition to prescribe the appropriate treatment. If you want to buy eye drops for cataracts of your pet, then Etos Bright Eyes (NAC) eye drops for cataracts is recommended for you. It is a new analysis of this pool of data. Also at this time, data is returned on the Colorado license plate reportedly affixed to the vehicle used by suspect Holmes. Being in school, around other people, helps him cope, he writes, but the voices continue to taunt him. It allows one operator to deal with multiple customers, monitors them, gives you the analysis of your traffic and helps keeping a proper record of previous patients. Indian government has started ambitious initiatives like Digital India and Internet of Things (pdf) that intend to bridge the digital divide in India on the one hand and enabling e-delivery of services in India on the other. The Lysol No-Touch Hand Soap System is refillable, no tools required. She was constantly in and out of hospital many times ever since she started dialysis. This may include prescription drugs, doctor visits, hospital stays, lab tests, and such. He said the majority of online pharmacies are not registered and many of the drugs and food supplements sold are fake. Often Americans purchase lower-cost foreign drugs by driving to Canadian or Mexican pharmacies, buying their medications when traveling abroad on vacation, or, buying from foreign pharmacies that ship their orders via mail. Fruits, vegetables, sauces and frozen foods are a consistent area we purchase almost every week. Otherwise if you haven't, the plastic gears or motor are damaged. Overnight drugstore USA is especially convenient. From over-the-counter medications to diabetic supplies to baby care needs, our selection includes everything you’d find at your local drugstore and more. If you have ever taken your carpets to your local carpet cleaner, you must have noticed that they use detergents and chemicals to loosen the dirt in the fibers. Online businesses dont have the overhead to worry about, such as paying that chemists tech. Do you really need a Multivitamin? I need some help with these questions. 1.Websites that offer big discount prices on their featured medications often turn out to be hoax Internet drugstores. • Feed animals a low calcium diet during the course of treatment. I would love to make the slippers. Nitrazepam, which can expand your longing to keep taking these prescriptions (reliance) or can make you exceptionally drowsy. Lately, his focus is on his Web site, which he sees as the culmination of nearly a quarter-century of research.

[saucys-fitness-blog]

Let’s Not Stress

This is supposed to be Weight Wednesday but my week has been slightly stressful. I weighed myself on Wednesday because I want to keep that consistent. If you’re my friend on MyFitnessPal, you would have seen the results. If you’re not, you’ll just have to wait until Thursday. Now let’s get to the good stuff; my week.

I live at home with my parents. Honestly, that’s not unusual at my age, especially when you’re single. This means I have to deal with multiple personalities and one of them this week had a meltdown over the space I’m using in the fridge. The thing that set them off had nothing to do with me. I wasn’t even woke when it happened, but I had to deal with the fallout. Right before work too. It’s also my monthly visit from Aunt Flo. That’s like double the reason to stress eat. One is making me crave sweets and the other is making me want to snack all day.

Despite everything, I would say I’m managing okay. Once a day I have been eating popcorn with 1 serving of peanut M&M’s a day for sweets and I’ve been eating small portions of my meals throughout the day. This helps me eat only the things I’m supposed to eat and not add unneeded junk or too many extra calories. For example, my chicken and mushroom dish, Monday I was full and had half left for my dog, Beethoven. Today I had the same prepared meal but ate it over a few hours' time instead of the 30 minutes I normally set aside for dinner. It fulfilled the munching, and I ate only a full serving like Im supposed to.

On top of all of that this week I went to the eye doctor. It’s been 2 years since I had an eye exam and with my family history I prefer to stay on top of things with my eyes. Normally I go once a year for an exam but last year I didn’t have vision insurance. I paid $20 for two optional exams and one showed the vessels in my eye. Apparently the left eye had something irregular that could show high blood pressure or it could be nothing. Since this was my first time with this doctor she wanted to play it safe. She recommended I take a blood pressure test either at my primary or the free one at a pharmacy. We have one at home. I did it 3 times as recommended by my mother and the results were “okay” according to her. 123/81. I read that’s slightly elevated so I’ll add it to things to keep an eye on. Might have been raised because of this weeks stress, but I’m unsure. I really need to go to the doctor but I hate going so much. It has been years. We’ll see though.

Other than that this week has been okay. Could have been better. The positive is that I lost 2.2lbs since last Wednesday. I’m currently sitting at 323.2 lbs. I’ve made good progress for a month and I’m hoping to continue pushing forward. 

As always, feedback, suggestions and questions are welcome.

Until next time, o/

[siddumetri]

How can Technology improve Patient Care?

The impact of technology in just about every business sector is there for all of us to see. While every key industrial sector, may it be Agriculture, Automobile, Power etc. have seen a phenomenal change, the Healthcare sector is not to be left far behind either! Medical technology has gone through rapid changes which have facilitated healthcare providers to equip their setups and doctors, to upgrade their skill sets. How did this change happen? Let’s take a closer look. 

Influence of Technology on the Healthcare System

Not so long ago, doctors would visit home, to treat very critically ill patients and senior citizens. This practice has gradually given way to virtual consultations by doctors. Thanks to technology, one need not have to wait for him to arrive at your doorstep as he can see you right from his clinic or hospital. 

Technology has become an important part of healthcare today. Every critical ailment can be cured and every complex surgery can be performed today with increased efficiency, improved quality and reduced cost. All this aimed at only one firm objective; Delivering Extra ordinary Patient Care. 

How can Technology improve Patient Care?

Improves Communication Between Clinicians and Patients

Usually, patient care might involve healthcare professionals from different branches of medicine, depending upon the need of the patient. Due to this, there could be chances of miscommunication and error. However, Audio/Video consultation services in between doctors and patients have seen a big change with the emergence of TeleHealthcare. Now, one single patient file can be accessed by different doctors at the same time to enable them to share their opinions instantly and facilitate further treatment. 

Reduces Medication Error

Medications to be prescribed as a part of the treatment course, especially where there are multiple consultations involved, has become more organized due to the help of technology. TeleHealth Services, through Electronic Prescribing, have helped doctors to send prescriptions electronically to the pharmacy. Additionally, the presence of Medical alerts, clinical flags, and reminders are also ways technology can help reduce medication errors and improve patient safety.

Provides Access To Information

One of the major advantages seen with Teleconsultation Service is the access of medical information to both, patients and doctors. Doctors can now get instant information of the types of drugs needed for the treatment of patients as well as its availability and non-availability. This can facilitate a more confident communication between doctors and patients and establish good trust and relationships. 

 The Bottom Line

TeleHealthcare Services have encouraged patients to be more involved in their healthcare process. This has tremendously encouraged and improved patient-centred care. For Telemedicine consultations by some of the best doctors, spread across disciplines, contact Apollo TeleHealth.

[livinglikearoyal]

Secrets Don’t Make Friends (Hoseok)

Member: Hoseok

Prompt(s): (Drabble Challenge) Angst/Sad; Best friend with serious illness

62)What are those??

and

6) I saved you, but you couldn’t save me

Requested by: anon

Summary: Y/N is diagnosed with a serious illness but keeps it a secret from her best friend, Hoseok.

Warning: Cancer, depression, and negative self-talk ahead.

“Y/N, what are those?”

His wide eyes are glistening already and the corners of his mouth are turning down. The concern and confusion written across your best friend’s face made it even more heartbreaking to answer him truthfully. But you were tired of hiding it. Tired of lying. Tired of it all. Maybe telling him this way, when forced and not voluntarily, will make him hate you enough that he’ll forget about you before he is forced to.

“I have cancer, Hobi.”

You had been feeling a little run down recently no matter how much you rested. Hoseok, being the ever-present angel that he is, suggested that you visit the doctor just to be sure it wasn’t anything serious.

“Maybe they can give you some vitamins,” he said cheerfully, trying to sooth your aversion to going to the doctors' office.

You had known Hoseok for years, You met in the early years of his training with BigHit. The years when he seemed to struggle the most. You were there for him though; making sure he and the boys ate, making sure he slept, making sure he wasn’t too hard on himself. You couldn’t be friends with one of the boys and not the others; Hoseok was your best friend though.

You consider his advice long after he leaves...weighing your options.

You called and set up an appointment for the next day. What could it hurt?

Your life would change forever that next day.

Hobi had volunteered to come with you to the doctor since he had a few free hours between rehearsal and when he was needed at the studio. When he noticed your knees rapidly bouncing while sitting in the waiting room, he took your hand and flashed you that smile of his that could calm a storm at sea. In that moment, you realized something.

Something that, looking back, you had known for months. Possibly years.

You liked Jung Hoseok as more than a friend and he seemed to reciprocate your feelings.

Heart in your throat, butterflies in your stomach, sparks where your skin met--all of the cliches--you felt them all in that moment. You were about to let your mouth start spouting all of the thoughts zooming through your head when you hear your name called by the nurse.

“Want me to come back with you?” Hoseok asks before you stand up.

You desperately want to say yes, but you also need time to recover from this epiphany that you had just experienced.

“Nah, I’ll be fine. Can’t be anything too serious, right?”

How wrong you were.

You didn’t have to wait long in the room before the doctor came in to see you. After running several tests and sending you to a couple other locations in the office for scans or bloodwork, the doctor re-enters the room. Your folder is in his hand and he isn’t nearly as cheerful as before.

“Y/N, there is no easy way to say this. Looking at your family history, I had some concerns about what could be causing your fatigue. The results of the tests just came in. I hate that I was correct.” He takes a deep breath, looking you in your eyes for the first time since closing the door. “Y/N, your extreme fatigue is being caused by your body fighting off a serious illness. You have cancer.”

You go numb, staring at the doctor. He continues to explain how your blood cell count was extremely low. Or maybe high? He mentioned the scan that was taken and how they had seen a mass. He listed several other things too that apparently led him to his decision, but you couldn’t take it in, no matter how much you tried.

“Now what?” You whisper.

“Now, I will refer you to a specialist to work with you to create the best plan for your situation. It will most likely involve chemotherapy, additional medicines, and a specialized diet. The sooner you see the specialist, the higher the likelihood that you can beat this.”

“Can I?”

“I don’t feel comfortable saying yes or no. This type of cancer is very aggressive, but if caught early enough it can be beaten. You are right on that fine line.”

After a breakdown caused by this news and the shock slightly wearing off, the doctor answers a few more of your questions, calls for you to set up an appointment with the specialist, and gives you resources to look over once you are able to. He writes a small prescription for some medication that will help with the anxiety of the next few days and sends you on your way after telling you that you should feel free to call the office if you ever have any questions or concerns.

Reaching the end of the hallway that leads you to the waiting room, you pause with your hand on the door handle.You make sure the pamphlets are fully hidden in your bag. You close your eyes, take three deep breaths, forcing a small smile on your face, and open the door.

Hoseok stands up immediately. “So?”

You shrug, “He wrote me a prescription to help after some tests. Think we can stop by the pharmacy on the way home?”

“Of course.” Hoseok’s eyebrows move closer together after your report.

“It took you quite a while in there. Is everything okay?” He asks, pushing the elevator button and turning back to you expectantly.

“They just had to wait for test results.” You say, stepping into the elevator and holding the doors open for him. “You coming or what?”

He squints at the small smile on your face and you try your best to make it seem genuine.

“Yeah.” He says, stepping into the elevator next to you.

When you arrived back home, you sent Hoseok back to the dorms. He wanted to hang out but you told him you weren’t feeling up to it and just wanted to rest until the medicine started to work. He nodded, gave you a hug, and went on his way.

That night was the hardest night you had ever had. You called your parents and told them what happened. You researched your diagnosis online; that was a bad idea. You broke down several more times that night--  in the kitchen, in the bathtub, on the couch, staring into your closet--before finally giving yourself over to exhaustion and falling into bed.

The next morning, your parents were in your home when you woke up. They had made their way to you as soon as they hung up the phone with you the day before. They agreed to go to the specialist with you and said they would stay with you as long as they could. Honestly, you were still in shock at this point, so you didn’t talk about your diagnosis with them much or what it might mean.

Hoseok tried to spend time with you over the next couple of days, but you always found a way to get out of it. Most of the time, you gave him the excuse that your family was in town and you were spending time with them. You felt guilty for avoiding him. You felt the need to see him. But you couldn’t bring yourself to drop this news on him before the big world tour he was preparing for. So, video calls and texts were what you limit yourself to.

I’m not lying to him. You’d tell yourself. Not really.

After visiting the specialist, you have a plan of action: multiple rounds of a very strong chemotherapy drug, a diet consisting of foods that will provide you with the nutrients that will be depleted, regular vaccines to improve your immune system, and what seems to be constant blood work to monitor your progress.

“You’ll be very tired,” the specialist warned. “Especially after the first few treatments.” She also listed off a huge list of side effects that are a possibility with all of the harsh chemicals you’ll be taking into your body.

“How long will this give me?” You ask bluntly, your exhaustion overtaking your sense of courtesy.

“Best case, you’ll live a full life after beating cancer. Worst case, half a year.” She grimaces. “We’re shooting for the former.”

“I sure hope so.” You wince as they begin the first round of chemotherapy.

Of course, Hoseok would come knocking on your door not two hours after you returned home from treatment. You were feeling it too. Weak. Nauseous. All you wanted to do was curl up in bed and avoid everything.

He wasn’t having it.

“Y/N,” Your mom says quietly into the room, “He insists that he sees you. I told him you were napping, but he is a persistent one.” She smiles softly to herself, concern still in her eyes for you.

Groaning with the effort of removing the blankets, you sit up. “Okay, tell him to give me a minute and I’ll be out there.”

“You really should tell him, sweetie.”

“I know. Not yet though.” You tell her, pleading with her through your gaze to not let your secret slip.

“Okay,” she says in a voice that shows you she doesn’t agree but respects your wishes.

You freshen up in the bathroom attached to your room, trying to give your face more coloring. When you feel like you could pass as a normal healthy person, you plaster a smile on your face and open the door.

“Y/N!” You are immediately engulfed in a Hobi hug. His arms are wrapped tightly around you while swinging the two of you back and forth, almost like a dance. “I haven’t seen you in so long! Forever!”

“It has only been a little over a week, Hobi.” You pull away with a genuine smile.

“Forever!” He reiterates. He gives you a once over. “Are you feeling better?”

The hope in his eyes makes your decision for you. “Yeah, the medicine is really helping.”

“Good!” His mouth forms that heart smile that you so adore. “Do you want to spend the afternoon with me? We can go out to the….”

“I kind of just want to stay home today, Hoseok. Not really feeling being around people.” You try to reason.

“Okay, we can watch a movie then! Maybe some karaoke? What do you say?” He looks at you expectantly.

You have missed him.

“Sure. Let me tell my parents that we’re taking over the tv.” You tell him, turning to find your parents.

“I thought they weren’t visiting for very long?” He questions.

“Me neither. You know Mom and Dad. They are on their own schedule and we just have to deal with it.” You try to joke.

Five minutes later, you have the couch covered in a pile of blankets and pillows and are waiting for Hoseok to join you. He comes in carrying a large bowl under his arm and two glasses of water.

The aroma of the freshly popped popcorn reaches you before you even register that he had made some. You immediately feel your mouth start watering and your throat constricting...not in a good way.

“I’ll be right back.” You choke out, hurrying to the bathroom.

After losing what little you already had in your stomach, you stand facing the mirror, hands on the counter.

How am I going to do this?

“Aye, Y/N! Did you fall in!” You hear him joke down the hall.

You splash water on your face, dry your hands and face, then open the door.

You're going to do this. You have to tell him. There is no way you can hide this from him.

Two hours later, you find yourself waking up to the ending credits, cuddled under the blankets with Hoseok. His arm is hanging loosely over your shoulder and your head is on his chest. You don’t remember falling asleep, but it must’ve been really early in the movie as you don’t remember anything beyond the first scene.

Pulling away slightly, you look up at your best friend. He looks so peaceful. A slight smile plays on his lips as he breathes deeply.

I can’t do this to him. Not now.

In that moment, you decide. You’re going to wait until after his schedule to tell him about your diagnosis. You'll just have to watch yourself until then. He doesn’t need to be worrying about you while on the trip of his dreams.

You untangle yourself from Hoseok and the blankets, leaning forward to take a drink of water. Your shifting must’ve woken him up, as Hoseok stretches and places a hand on your back.

“Everything okay?” You ask him after he doesn't say anything for what seems like a lifetime.

“I’m just thinking.” His voice is still husky from sleep.

“About?”

“You. Me. Us. We’ve been friends for a long time haven’t we?”

“Years,” is your only response. Your mind is going into overdrive.

“I know it might be hard since we are going on tour soon, but….”

“I can’t go with you.” You interrupt.

He looks at you shocked. “No, I…”

“When do you guys leave for the tour? It’s soon, isn’t it? I can tell. You’ve changed your hair, you look like you aren’t eating, and you’ve been so busy.”

“We leave in 8 days.”

“Wow. That soon? You are eating, right? What are you looking forward to the most?”

He looks at you questioningly, “What are you doing, Y/N?”

“I’m asking you about the tour? Trying to pick your brain before you are out of my life for months.”

“There is something else you aren’t telling me.”

“No.”

He purses his lips together, forming small dimples on his checks. He knows your lying.

“Okay, I…”

He raises an eyebrow.

Think Y/N, think.

“I have this coworker that I was wanting to set you up on a date with before you left. Do you think you’d have time?”

That's what you go with?

His eyes widen, “Really, that’s what...?”

“Yeah, she’s great! I think you’ll love her! Are you free tomorrow evening?”

“Yes, but…”

“Great!” You stand up from the couch and try to hide the slight dizziness that clouds your head momentarily. “I’ll let her know to meet you at the restaurant around the corner tomorrow at 7!”

“Y/N,”

“You’ll love her!” You shout over your shoulder before making it to your room and your phone. You close the door and sink to the floor.

What am I doing? You ask yourself, placing your head on your knees and crying for the millionth time.

Having set your coworker up with Hoseok, you wait impatiently for his call after the date. You hope that they hit it off, you really do. If he found someone to love and spend time with, that will help you deliver the news. He’d have someone to comfort him.

He wouldn’t be alone if all of this goes south that dark voice in the back of your head chimes in. It’ll just be me that is alone. He’ll have her to pick him up and love him. A stray tear makes it way down your cheek as you take a sip of your drink. You set the glass back down and wrap up in the blanket again. You are constantly cold now. Maybe it is an omen of what is going to happen.

“No. No. No.” You shake your head, trying to clear the self-destructive thoughts before they can go any further.

*ping*

You unlock your phone to read the text you just received.

Hobi: She was nice. I think we might talk while I’m away. I had fun.

You sigh to yourself, exhaling slowly while typing your reply.

I’m glad!

You silence and lock your phone and hug the blanket to yourself, lying down on the couch. You fall into yet another night of fitful sleep.

The next week passes quickly and at a snail's pace simultaneously. You are trying to get used to all of the different medications and routines that your diagnosis introduced into your life. You have good days and bad, both physically and emotionally.

You have days when you don’t have the energy to get out of bed. You have days when your parents are doing anything and everything they can to get some sort of reaction out of you. You have another visit to the cancer center to receive your next chemotherapy treatment. Your mom must’ve spoken with your specialist because she refers you to a therapist to help you “sort through your thoughts and emotions right now.”

You haven’t gone yet, but you know it is inevitable. Your parents already set up an appointment for you next week. Why do they even try?

You continue to make excuses to only speak to Hoseok through technology. He updates you on the second date with your coworker. He shares funny stories from rehearsals and plans for the tour. He asks about you and your family. He sends funny pictures of the boys, their pets, and himself. You respond as normally as possible, realizing it is becoming more and more difficult to respond as your ‘old self’ would.

Your parents go home over the weekend to take care of some things with the promise of being back on Monday.

That is the first time you have really let yourself absorb the news.

You stayed in bed, wide awake, for hours. You cried. You punched things. You broke valuables You yelled out in pain and frustration. You stared blankly at a wall. You cried some more. All the while, you let that dark voice that you usually try to keep hidden creep into the forefront of your mind and take center stage.

What if I die? What if I don’t? Will I lose my hair? Will it hurt? Will people miss me? Will they hurt? I’ll never have a family. What did I do to deserve this? Could I have prevented it? I’ll never grow old. Will I be able to work again? What if the chemo doesn’t work? What if he finds out? The doctor said I could have as little as 6 months. His tour is 8 months long.  What if I die before I get to tell him about cancer? About how I feel? Do I even deserve the chance to tell him how I feel about him? What does it even matter? I don’t matter. None of this matters.

You bargain with whatever higher power there is. You promise to eat well, donate to charity, stay a virgin until marriage, pray every day, attend services regularly...all if you can wake up from this bad dream.

As you are treating the bruises forming on your knuckles from your battle with your headboard, you hear your doorbell. Looking in the direction of the front door, you know exactly who it is.

You can’t see him right now. You can’t let him see you right now.

So, you stay as still as possible, trying to make no sound or indication that anyone is home.

The doorbell rings again.

You grimace.

All of a sudden, you hear your ringtone blaring in the living room. Right by the front door.

Crap.

You stay where you are, making no effort to go to the door.

“Y/N, I know you’re in there! I can hear your phone! What is going on? Let me in! I have takeout!” Hoseok shouts through the door. You can hear his desire to see you in his voice, he is almost pleading. “I’m leaving tomorrow night, Y/N. Please, answer the door.”

He calls twice more. You hear the notification for a voice message ping after the final call. You stay frozen in your spot for five minutes before stealthily making your way to your phone.

You press the button to take you to your messages.

“Hey Y/N. I don’t know what is going on. I hope you just forgot your phone at home. I left some take out outside of your door. Let me know when you get it? ” He sighs. “We are leaving for the airport tomorrow night at 10pm, trying to avoid the crowds. We’re having a dinner at BigHit before we leave. Meet me there? 6pm? It isn’t anything fancy, so don’t worry about dressing up.  I really want to see you before I leave.”

Dropping your hand to your side, you use your free and bandaged hand to open the door, looking through the peephole first. Sure enough, right at your feet is a plastic bag with your favorite take-out. On top of it, a yellow rose. Your favorite.

I really don’t deserve him. You sigh as you grab the offering and close the door.

At 5:45pm the next evening, you find yourself standing in front of your mirror. You are wearing an outfit that isn’t too lavish but still shows that you put some thought into what you are wearing. You are wearing more makeup than normal, trying to hide the dark circles and red spots that are forming on your face. Thanking all things holy, you haven’t lost any of your hair so you have created your go-to style for semi-formal events. The only thing is that your hair looks a little dead, rough and dull, so you are sure to add some leave-in conditioner before finishing your style. You grab a sweater. You are ready.

Why am I doing this? You ask yourself for the thousandth time that day. You had been wrestling with the decision of whether or not to attend this party since the moment you woke up. You played with the idea of meeting Hoseok on his own before the party, maybe inviting him to lunch or just to hang out, but that seemed even more daunting than seeing him in a room full of people.

Twenty minutes later, you are standing on the street, looking at the BigHit building. It never seemed intimidating in the past when you have visited to deliver food, hugs, or just to say hi. Now, it feels like you are entering Troy in the trojan horse.

Swallowing your pride and apprehension, you push the front door open. You know the party is going to be held in the dance studio, so you make your way up the stairs and around the corner. You can hear the dull roar of conversation and smell the food that they surely had catered in. Jin sees you before you even see him standing in the hall outside of the studio.

“Y/N!” he exclaims, rushing to you to embrace you. You laugh quietly at his excitement.

“I’m so glad you’re here! We all hoped you’d be here!” He smiles, leading you into the studio with his hand lightly pushing the small of your back.

“Hey, guys! Look who is here!” He waves the boys over from the snack table. They each greet you in their own way: Jungkook with a high five, Jimin, Taehyung, and Namjoon with a hug, Yoongi with a nod and smile. They are all saying things, but you aren’t really listening.

“Where’s Hobi?” you ask, searching the room.

“Oh, he just ran back to the recording studio for something. He’ll be here in a minute.” Jimin waves dismissively. “Glad you’re here, Y/N!” He tugs Jin, Taehyung, and Jungkook back to the snack table. You swear you hear them making a bet regarding who can eat the most giant shrimp in a minute. You shake your head, smiling.

That leaves you with Namjoon and Yoongi.

“It has been awhile,” Namjoon says.

“Too long,” Yoongi adds.

“I agree! I’ve been busy. You’ve been busy.”

“We’re never too busy for you, Y/N. Call us more often, yeah? Especially while we’re on the road?” Namjoon says, a hopeful look on his face.

You hesitate for a moment. “Of course, Joon. I’ll call you more.”

“Don’t forget about me. You know I’ll call you at ungodly hours if you do forget.” Yoongi teases.

“I would never forget about you, Yoongi. Expect calls from me regularly.” You wink.

This seems to placate your friends. All of a sudden, you feel a pair of arms around your waist and a head on your shoulder.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d come.”

“I wouldn’t miss sending you off on the journey of your lifetime!” You say enthusiastically, almost too much so, as you turn around and give Hoseok a hug.

“Ahh, so you’ll only talk to me when I’m leaving?” He nudges your side.

“Of course not. Sorry, I missed you last night. Thanks for the food.” You say, looking down at the ground.

“Hey,” he reaches for your chin to bring your eyes back to his, “Thank you for coming.”

Alright, everyone! Go ahead and find a seat and we’ll start serving our meal!

“Come on, you’re going to sit next to me!” He tugs on your hand, luckily your uninjured one, and leads you to the nearest table. You choose a seat so your knuckles will be hidden from Hoseok, not ready to have to explain that one. He sits on one side of you and the other boys take the seats around the rest of the table. Yoongi ends up sitting on your other side.

Dinner goes smoothly with conversation flowing between you and the boys. You almost feel normal.

You hear Yoongi as you reach for your drink.

“Y/N?”

You look at him. The question is in his eyes, shifting from your face to your outstretched hand. The hand with bruises on the knuckle.

You quickly retract your hand and shake your head, hoping to communicate that he shouldn’t mention what he saw to anyone.

He nods his understanding while still holding concern in his eyes.

Eight o’clock rolls around and nonessential people are beginning to leave for the night, to let the members of the company that are traveling with the boys to get to the airport. The boys are given a fifteen-minute warning until they need to load into the vans.

Each of them gives you a hug as a farewell, with reminders to keep in touch and not to miss them too much. Yoongi is the second to last to wish you goodbye. He hugs you tightly, a very rare thing for him, and whispers into your ear.

“Take care of yourself. I’ll see you when we get back, yeah? Promise?” He pulls away, looking you in the eyes. He is almost daring you to say no.

You look rapidly between his eyes, not knowing another way out of this conversation. “I promise.” You smile softly, knowing it comes across as more of a grimace than anything.

“I’m here for you. Call me.” He says, softly patting your shoulder before following the others out the door.

You are left staring at the floor in shock. How much does he know? You didn’t tell him anything. How can he know?

Black boots invade the floor space you are glaring at. Looking up, you see Hoseok’s smiling face. Glancing around, you notice that it is only the two of you left in the room other than the caterers moving in and out quickly.

“Y/N.” He says, his dimples getting even deeper as he smiles.

“Hobi.” You return.

“I’m going to miss you.” A more serious look is taking over his face.

“I’ll miss you too.”

“You know, you’re my best friend right?”

“Of course. You’re mine, too.”

“I don’t know how I’m going to go 8 months without being around you.” He says, taking your hand in his. You place the injured hand on his shoulder so he couldn’t see it.

What about forever? How would you handle that?

“You’ll be chasing your destiny. You’ll hardly know I’m not there with you.” You tell him encouragingly, trying to ease some of his fears while your anxiety continues to build.

“I will.”

“Will what?”

“I’ll know you aren’t there. Yes, I’ll be following my destiny, my dreams, but,” he swallows hard, “you are always by my side in my dreams. Whenever I envision my future, you’re there.”

“Hobi…”

“I hate to ask you to do this, but wait for me? I’ll only be gone for 8 months. When I get back, we can try this. Us.”

“Hobi…” you sigh.

“Please? I want you in my life forever. Whatever that may mean. Can we please talk when I get back about trying this? I don’t know if I can be in the friend zone much longer.”

“Hoseok, I...” Your injured hand in rubbing small circles on his shoulder blade. It just feels right.

“Please, Y/N? 8 months. I’ll wait for you. Promise to wait for me?”

A tear that you didn’t realize was forming, falls over your lashes.

“Y/N?”

“I can’t, Hobi. I can’t promise you 8 months.” You whimper quietly.

“Why not?” he whispers just as softly.

“I just can’t.”

He removes his hand from yours and takes a few steps back out of your reach.

“Hobi…”

“No, Y/N. You can’t do this to me. Not now.” He is shaking his head and pointing at you.

“Seok-ie…” You cry, reaching toward him, tears falling freely now.

His eyes are red from holding back his own tears. “I’ll miss you, Y/N. Enjoy life while I’m gone.” He picks up his carry on from near the door and makes his way down the hallway.

You chase after him. Reaching for him, you grab his wrist, turn his around, and embrace him in a bear hug. Like it was your last. Like he was your lifeline.

“I love you, Hobi.” You sob. “I’ll miss you.”

He gently pushes you off and sends a pained glance your way before continuing on the journey to the garage.

You are found fifteen minutes later by BigHit staff in charge of cleaning up the studio. You are curled in on yourself, sitting against the wall, staring at the exact spot you may have said your last words to Hoseok.

The next eight months are rough.

You begin seeing the therapist as your doctor recommended. You came out of the sessions drained, somewhat hopeful, and sometimes with some answers as to why you were feeling and doing what you were.

You weren’t talking to many people now. You would talk to your parents regularly, as they were often with you after your treatments to help you through the roughest days. They would help you get out of bed and to the bathroom. They’d make you easily palatable food and make sure your place stayed clean. Your boss was really understanding and essentially let you work when you could, which you were extremely grateful for.

You kept up with the boys through social media and videos mostly. You did call Yoongi fairly often. He still didn’t know about your cancer diagnosis. You’ve led him to believe that his original assumption, depression, was the biggest issue in your life and was why you were going to therapy. You made him swear to not tell Hoseok, which he argued with you on every time you talked. But ultimately, he understood that it was your story to tell and kept quiet. You contacted Namjoon a few times, just to check in. These calls were usually pretty short and involved him talking about the music he was currently creating. You try to avoid video calls or photos because your treatment is taking its toll on your body and it would be obvious to anyone willing to spare you a glance that something isn’t right.

You tried calling Hoseok a time or two. Well, honestly, it was more than a time or two. Those were just the times that you actually hit the call button after dialing his number. He didn’t answer though and you didn’t leave a message. You sent him a text occasionally, commenting on a performance or wishing him happy birthday, but those remained on read. You have heard through the grapevine that he is still talking with that coworker that you set him up with. You aren’t sure if you are happy about that.

About 7 months into their tour, you went back to your therapist. She gave you an assignment. Homework.

Write down what you want your loved ones to know. Write them a letter. She said she would hold onto the letters after they were written until you beat cancer, then she’d give them back to you to do as you wish.

Your letters to your family members were easy. Or as easy as they can be considering the circumstances. Same with the letters to the boys. Yoongi’s was a bit harder to write because you wanted to be sure to portray how grateful you were for his concern and help.

Hoseok’s was the hardest. How do you tell your best friend that you have lied to him for months? That you might die sooner than later? How do you tell him that he means the world to you and being apart and not talking to him may be killing you more than cancer?

Envelopes sealed, you give the notes to your therapist.

As far as your health is concerned, you can feel that your body is getting tired. You are constantly sore and cold. You have days, especially after treatment, when you can’t get out of bed. The doctors had inserted a port just below your collarbone to make getting your treatments a little easier on your body. You still get more than enough needles shoved into your skin with the bloodwork and shots that you need, but it helps. Your depression isn’t necessarily getting better, but it isn’t getting worse either. The worst of it is when you think about Hobi and how you left things.

8 months passed since the boys left and Yoongi sends you a text letting you know they are back in town. He asks if you want to hang out, to which you reply with a maybe. It all depends on how you are feeling.

Not fifteen minutes later, you hear an insistent knocking at the door. Groaning as you stand from the couch, you reach for a cardigan to cover your bare arms and port before reaching the door.

Swinging open the door, you are shocked to see Hoseok standing in front of you.

A very frantic, windswept, and frazzled Hoseok.

“Hoseok…”

You are cut off by his lips crashing into yours. Despite the intensity, his lips feel like butter against your own chapped lips. This kiss is not gentle by any means. His hands are quickly roaming up and down your arms and back. He is breathing hard. This kiss is full of desperation and need and you are reciprocating it fully.

Needing air, you pull away while gently pushing Hoseok’s shoulders.

His eyes are less wild now, but he is breathing even harder than before. He stares at you for a moment before pulling you into a massive hug.

“I’ve missed you so much, Y/N. These last few months have killed me.”

He moves slightly in the hug, making you wince and your hand involuntarily moves to the port that he had just rubbed against.

“What…?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Y/N…”

“Really, it’s…”

He grabs your hand gently with every intent to move it right then and there. Until he sees the small dots surrounded by bruises that are scattered across the back of your hand, almost like a connect the dots puzzle with your veins as the lines. Eyes widening slightly, he grasps your hand, moves it from your chest, and lightly pulls up your cardigan with the other hand.

“Y/N, what are those?”

His wide eyes are glistening already and the corners of his mouth are turning down. The concern and confusion written across your best friend’s face made it even more heartbreaking to answer him truthfully. But you were tired of hiding it. Tired of lying. Tired of it all. Maybe telling him this way, when forced and not voluntarily, will make him hate you enough that he’ll forget about you before he is forced to.

“I have cancer, Hobi.”

His hands drop from yours immediately. You take a moment to straighten your cardigan and slowly look up at him.

“Cancer?”

“Yes.”

“How long?” he pulls up a nearby stool to sit down, all of the color had drained from his face.

“About 10 months ago.” You say, looking at his feet. You didn’t feel like you deserved to look him in the eyes right now.

“10 months?” His face scrunches up with a confused expression. “That means you knew before I…”

“Yes, I knew before you went on tour. I found out that time you went with me to the doctor.”

“Y/N…” He said, standing up.

“No,” you put your hands up to him, motioning him to sit back down. “Let me say my piece before you storm out.”

He sits back down, confusion and concern still the predominant emotions playing across his features.

“I found out that day you went with me to the doctor. I told my parents but no one else. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want this hanging over your head while on tour. I know that was so wrong of me, but I just couldn’t tell you. I…” You take a breath, recentering yourself like your therapist had coached you on. “I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“You should’ve told me, Y/N.” He quickly stands up and starts pacing back and forth. “You lied to me. For months, Y/N. Months!”

“I know I…”

“Why? Why didn’t you want to tell me?”

“I didn’t think it was fair of me to give you this huge…amount of baggage...to deal with while you were traveling the world and following your dreams. I wanted you to be happy and enjoy yourself. I wanted you to be carefree. I…”

“I wasn’t happy, Y/N!” Both of his hands move up to grip his hair in frustration. “I wasn’t carefree. All I thought about outside of our performances was you. How we left things. How much I wanted to talk to you, my best friend,  but I was still hurt. Hurt by you for keeping things from me. I knew, Y/N. I knew you were hiding something.I was hurt by you not promising to wait for me. To give us a try. I…” He pauses, eyes as wide as saucers looking at you as his hands fall to his sides.

“I asked you to wait for 8 months. You said you couldn’t. Why, Y/N?” He whispers.

You can’t look him in the eyes as tears begin to create their path down your cheeks. He reaches for your hand, linking his index finger with your pinky.

“Why?”

You sob, “The doctor said that, worst case scenario, I’d live for 6 months. 6 months, Hobi. I couldn’t promise you 8 months because….because…be...”

“You may not have been here when I got back.” He finishes your statement for you. He tucks you into his chest as you nod. The two of you shakily stand with arms wrapped tightly around each other. You both cry. You can feel his tears soaking through your cardigan just as you are certain he can feel yours drenching his shirt. Neither of you cares though. Neither of you is going to say a word. All that you are both concerned with right now is seeking comfort in the other.

After what seems like an eternity, the two of you break apart, wiping tears with sleeves and sniffling.

“Let’s go sit, yeah?” Hoseok asks you gently.

“Really? You aren’t going to leave?” You ask him incredulously.

“You think after all of this, after 8 months away from you, I’m just going to leave? Never.” He gives you a small smile while leading you to your couch.

You sit while he gathers all of the blankets that are within reach. After covering you with all of them, he lifts the blankets and moves next to you. You immediately curl into his side as his arm goes around your shoulder and the other finds your hand under the blanket.

“Tell me everything? Please?” He asks.

And you do.

Over the next couple of months, Hoseok is by your side as much as possible. You made it perfectly clear that you didn’t want him putting his life on hold for you, so he did his best to adhere to that. He’d accompany you to your treatments and appointments whenever he could. He’d take care of you at your house when your parents were unable to be with you on your roughest of days.

He began staying with you overnight, knowing that those quiet hours were often the hardest for you. The company had some issue with this, mainly concerning what the media and fans would think if he was caught frequenting your home. He didn’t care about this and the boys backed him up. So, the company agreed to him staying with you. This meant lots of cuddles and kisses for you, so you weren’t going to complain.

He made sure you were eating properly and would find ways to cheer you up on even the darkest of your days. From random dance parties, to going out to shows, or a puppet show courtesy of Jim and Jimin, you could trust him to do all that he could to make this easier for you.

It worked for several months. Until your body started giving out.

One night, you woke up in extreme pain like you had never felt before. Hoseok was wrapped around you, so he woke up as soon as he felt you writhing in pain.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, but we need to go to the hospital. Now.” Your body felt like it was on fire.

“Okay,” he begins. He is out of bed faster than you’ve ever seen, eyes full of worry and unshed tears. “I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you, too.” You hiss out through the pain.

You lost consciousness on the way to the hospital. Once you were rushed through the doors of the emergency room, Hoseok was a mess. He tried calling the boys, Yoongi to be specific, but all that Yoongi could distinguish were the deep sobs wracking Hoseok. A passing nurse saw the scene and took the phone, informing Yoongi where Hoseok was before hanging up and helping him through the attack.

Not thirty minutes later, the boys were in the waiting room with Hoseok, Namjoon having called your parents once he was updated on the situation. Hoseok was a bundle of nervous energy--not able to stay in one place. He paced the waiting room, looking through the glass of the nurses' station to try to catch a glimpse of you, to know that you are okay. He asked the nurse at the window countless times for an update, but she couldn’t give him any information because none had been shared with her.

Turning around, he sees your parents entering the waiting room. He runs up and hugs your mother, both he and her sobbing into each other’s shoulder. Your father walks up to Namjoon to get the latest information, although there is nothing new to report since he had initially called. He places a hand on Namjoon’s shoulder in thanks, before returning to your mother and pulling her into a hug.

The nine people waiting for you make themselves as comfortable as possible in the small waiting room. Your parents are whispering to each other. Jimin is leaning his head on Yoongi’s shoulder, both wide awake with red and swollen eyes. Namjoon is closely watching Hoseok pace with a somber look on his face. Jin and Taehyung momentarily left to raid the vending machine for snacks, which lay untouched on a stack of magazines in the middle of the room. Jungkook is staring blankly at a Sports Illustrated from several months back.

The doors to the emergency room open to reveal a nurse.

“Y/N?” She asks of the room.

All nine of them stand up, looking expectantly at her. Her eyes momentarily widen in shock, but she quickly recovers and her professional facade is back in place.

“She has been admitted to our ICU. The doctor will update you on her condition in the room if the family would like to follow me.”

She turns slightly, indicating the direction to your room. Your mother and father walk and catch up to her, but stop suddenly.

“Come on,” Your dad turns to face the boys, “You’re as much her family as we are. She’d want you with her.”

The boys scurry to catch up, Yoongi with an arm around Hoseok’s shoulder.

You were in a hospital room. That means you are okay, right?

Your nine visitors file into your small room, gathering wherever they could find room.

They take in your sleeping form. Your breathing is labored, even with an oxygen mask. Your skin has taken on a pale sallow hue. You have machines attached to you seemingly everywhere; your fingers, hands, elbows, chest. Your heartbeat is causing the machine next to you to beep at an irregular rhythm.

Before anyone can react to your appearance the doctor comes in, placing his hand under the hand sanitizer dispenser by your door before continuing into the room. As he rubs his hands together, he introduces himself.

“How is she, Doctor?” Your father asks the question on everyone’s mind.

“She’s alive.” He begins. He goes on to explain how you passed out from the pain that was caused by your body going into hyperdrive, trying to beat the cancer. This reaction has caused some of your organs to fail to work correctly. Your lungs are working harder than they should be, as is your heart and several other organs. He explains that your body seems to be making its final attack on the cancer, and it is just a matter of time until we know the outcome.

“What do you mean?” Namjoon asks.

“This can go either way. Her body can regulate again and she’ll wake up. Or, her body can overexert itself.”

“Meaning?” Yoongi presses.

“Meaning that her body will slowly shut down until she passes.”

A collective gasp and sob sound throughout the room, several heads being hidden in hands and shoulders.

“We will do everything we can to help her in her fight, but this is ultimately up to how much her body can take.” He continues. “If you see any changes, positive or negative, or need anything from us please press this red button.” He points out a button near your hand. He quickly takes his leave to allow the news to sink in and for your friends and family to comfort each other.

Your mom rushes to your side, grasping your hand in hers. “Baby, we’re here. Fight. Fight for us. Come back to us. We love you.” She cries, placing her forehead on the bed near the hand she is holding. Your father comes up behind her and places a comforting arm around her shoulder.

Hoseok leaves the room. He doesn’t know where he is going, but he needs out. He rushes down the hallway, not hearing the calls from the boys behind him. He finds himself in the back stairwell. He doesn’t make it three steps down before his emotions get the best of him and he collapses--taking a seat on the step and curling in on himself.

That is how the boys find him. Curled up on the step, sobbing and wailing through the pain. He feels a pair of arms wrap around his frame. Yoongi. Soon, he feels his other five brothers around him as well. Some wrapping their arms around him and sharing in his tears, others placing a comforting hand wherever they can find skin and rubbing soothing circles. Nobody says anything. There are no words.

After the first couple of days, everyone begins taking shifts staying with you. Nothing has changed with you medically. You haven’t woken up. You haven’t stabilized or gotten worse. You are the same. And that is both heartbreaking and encouraging, depending on who you talk to. During the day, your parents can normally be found in your room. The boys visit as they can during the day, usually in small groups to attract less attention. In the evening, the boys bring dinner for your parents and “take over” watching over you. Usually, three or four boys are in the room with you while the others are in a private waiting room. They switch out as they need a break, emotionally or physically.

Hoseok is by your side every chance he has. The hospital staff has come to expect him to stay the night, providing him with a few thin blankets and pillow to make a small bed on the couch that they had moved into your room. He would tend to the flowers that have been sent to you, read to you, and tell you about different things that happened that day. He paid special attention to the yellow roses currently sitting on your windowsill. At night, he would sit next to your bed, grasping your hand, wishing for any sign that you are going to wake up. To return to him. He would have a one-sided stream of consciousness conversation, saying whatever was on his mind at the time. Oftentimes, it consisted of memories that the two of you shared or that he hoped to make with you in the future. Like how he remembered that time the two of you went ice skating and you couldn’t sit for a week because of the bruise that you got from falling so many times. Or how he wanted to take you with him on tour so that you could see all of the different cities and cultures they are able to experience.

He also shared his worries. What would he do if you left him for good? Would you be okay if you wake up? Would he be able to continue performing? He cried.He cried about how he was upset you hadn’t told him sooner so he could’ve helped earlier on. He cried at the idea of you not making it. He cried because of the pain you were in. He talked about the boys and how they were holding up. Same with your parents. He wasn’t sure if you could hear him or not, but he wanted you to know he was there.

It was early one morning when fate decided what it had it mind for you. The sun was rising and Hoseok had just drifted off to sleep. Your parents were on their way down the hallway to your room. They reached your room and saw Hoseok asleep in an uncomfortable position next to your bed. Your mom gently shakes him awake. “Time to wake up sweetie. We’ll take it from here. Go home and rest.” She told him softly.

Just as he stands to leave, you take a strained breath, your chest rising more than it has for weeks. All three of your visitors turn to you.

Your mother knows before the machines tell her. She begins sobbing into your father’s shoulder, mumbling nonsensical things into his shirt. It takes Hoseok a moment to understand. Your chest is no longer rising. The constant tone of the heart monitor is piercing the silence in the room. Your complexion is quickly becoming paler.

“No. No.” He reaches for your hand, squeezing it tightly. “Come one, babe,” He moves your hair to the side, “Don’t leave me, Y/N. Please. Please. Don’t leave.”

The tone continues.

Your father reaches over to push the call button on the side of your bed. That is when it hits Hoseok.

You’re gone.

He collapses onto your bed, half over you. The nurses come rushing in. Your dad lifts Hoseok by they shoulder and pulls him into a hug along with your mother. The three of them watch as the nurses check your pulse, your breathing, all of the machines. The moment they announce and record your time of death is a moment Hoseok will never forget.

Everything after that moment is a blur.

Hoseok remembers kissing you on the forehead on final time.

The boys somehow found out and came rushing in. Hoseok wasn’t left without an arm wrapped around him for hours.

BigHit canceled the schedules for the next couple of weeks knowing that the boys, especially Hoseok, would need time.

Your parents organize a beautiful memorial in your name. Hoseok isn’t sure if you knew just how loved you were, but it was fully apparent at this moment. The boys attended the memorial with him; Yoongi didn’t leave his side the entire time.

After the end of the service, Hoseok was approached by a stranger. She introduced herself as your therapist.

“I have a letter here for you from Y/N. She wrote it a few months ago for you to read if anything were to happen to her. She also wrote one for each of your friends.” She hands this stack to Yoongi as she places an envelope with ‘Hobi’ in his hands.

“Read it when you are ready. If you are ready. I’m sorry for your loss.” She finishes and squeezes Hoseok and Yoongi’s upper arms in a comforting way before taking her leave.

Yoongi tucks his envelopes into the large breast pocket of his suit before turning to Hoseok, who is staring down at his envelope.

“Come on, Seok. Let’s find the boys.”

Hoseok waits until he is back the dorm to open the envelope. He finds a quiet place on the balcony off of the living area. He slides the glass door closed behind him. This way, the boys can keep a close eye on him like they have been (it seems to be Jin’s turn right now) while he can still have privacy. Breaking the seal, he removes the paper from the envelope. He looks up at the sky, takes a deep breath, opens the letter, and begins reading.

Dear Hobi,

I really hope you never have to read this, because that means I’ve lost the battle.

I’m sorry. For so many things. First, I’m sorry for keeping this from you. I know it is wrong. I just can’t hurt you in this way. I’m sorry for avoiding you. I’m sorry for wasting that time. I’m sorry that I’m not able to be in your life forever. I’m sorry that we couldn’t try us out. I’m sorry I couldn’t make that promise.

These past few months have really shown me what a light you are in my life. Even when I’m annoyed with you, like after the ice rink, I still can’t help but smile whenever you’re around. You do everything in your power to make me happy. You are one of, if not the, most important person in my life. I can only hope you’ll remember me in the same way. I can’t thank you enough for being in my life and introducing me to the guys. You are all my second family and I wouldn’t trade you for the world.

If you’re reading this, that means things didn’t go like I had hoped. That is okay. That is life. It isn’t fair. That is okay. I’m not hurting anymore. Don’t you dare blame yourself. Don’t you dare say that I saved you but you couldn’t save me. You did save me. In so many ways. You saved me by telling me to visit the doctor. You gave me so much more time.  You saved me by hopefully forgiving me for all that I have done. You saved me by being a part of my life. Please, live your life. It is okay to be sad for a while, but don’t dwell on my death. Take me with you in your memories and live! Take care of each other, you and the boys. Date other people. Heck, date that coworker of mine that I hooked you up with. She’s a good one.

Follow your dreams. Create your music. Dance like no other. Love with all of your heart. Be the Jung Hoseok that I know and love.

I love you more than words can describe.

Y/N

P.S. Hey, I just realized that I can steal your phrase!  Ready for this?

I’m your hope! I’m your angel!  

I can promise you now that I will always be by your side, even if you can’t see me. I’m here.

He chuckles as he folds the letter back up, tears in his eyes.

“I’m your J-Hope.” He smiles at the sky.

A/N: First off, I want to thank you for your patience on this one, anon! I skipped over it several times because I knew it was going to hit a little close to home so it’d be hard to write. I also didn’t want to post it too close to a family holiday. Your request has been sitting in my inbox for quite a while. Cancer was the first illness that came to mind and the one that I felt like I could write about in the most authentic and realistic way, not offending anyone due to my ignorance of the illness. I hope that is okay! You wanted a sad ending...so you got it! This is definitely my longest piece of writing thus far. Thank you for the request and challenge!

Please let me know what you think!

Ask ● Master List ● WIP

[gordonwilliamsweb]

Beating the Pavement to Vaccinate the Underrepresented — And Protect Everyone

Leonor Garcia held her clipboard close to her chest and rapped on the car window with her knuckles. The driver was in one of dozens of cars lined up on a quiet stretch of road in Adelanto, California, a small city near the southwestern edge of the Mojave Desert. He was waiting for the food bank line to start moving and lowered the passenger window just enough to hear what Garcia wanted. Then she launched into her pitch.

This story also ran on Black Voice News. It can be republished for free.

“Good morning! We’re here to talk about covid-19 today! Do you have a minute?” she said in Spanish.

After a brief conversation, Garcia learned the man had no internet connection or phone of his own but was 66 years old and wanted to get the covid vaccine. He had tried to visit a pharmacy in person, but the shots were all out for the day. Garcia took down his name and the phone number of a friend, so she could reach the driver later about a mobile vaccine clinic that her organization, El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center, was putting together for the remote desert city sometime in April.

Then it was on to the next car. And the next. As the line started moving, she and fellow health worker Erika Marroquin jogged up and down the sidewalk, taking down names, phone numbers and preexisting conditions. It was the first mild, sunny day the High Desert region had seen in weeks, and the exercise made them sweat.

After 90 minutes, the food bank was done for the day, and Garcia and Marroquin had spoken to people in 54 cars. They had found six people eager for the covid vaccine and eligible for it immediately. Ten more wanted to be put on a waiting list for leftover doses.

The rollout of vaccinations in California, as in many states, has been slow and chaotic. More than 5 million of the 24 million adults in the nation’s most populous state have been at least partially vaccinated, while an additional 5.6 million are fully vaccinated. Come April 15, all adults in California will be eligible to sign up for a vaccine, and by early summer the goal is to have plenty of vaccine for any adult who wants it.

But the country needs to get the vaccination rate to about 75% to keep the virus from easily spreading — a level called herd immunity by experts on infectious diseases. But even that figure assumes the population is homogenous in terms of vaccination. That’s why the state’s ability to stave off another covid surge may rely on people like Garcia and Marroquin — community health workers and organizers doing time-intensive, laborious work — to prevent pockets of the population with low vaccination rates in remote or isolated communities from becoming a tinderbox for a new covid surge.

“When you have geographical or social pockets of unvaccinated people, it really messes up herd immunity,” said Daniel Salmon, director at the Institute for Vaccine Safety at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health.

U.S. measles outbreaks in recent years provide a sobering example. State and national vaccine coverage is quite high, “but then you’d have these communities where a lot of people would refuse vaccines, and then measles would be imported and create an outbreak,” Salmon said. Outbreaks have hit certain Orthodox Jewish communities in New York, Somali immigrants in Minnesota and affluent pockets of Southern California where anti-vaccine parents lived.

The coronavirus is still circulating widely in California, though at much lower levels than two months ago. The virus, especially an increasingly common, more contagious variant, could easily rip through vulnerable communities with low levels of immunity. In Adelanto, where 29% of residents live in poverty, less than 6% of the adult population had been fully vaccinated by March 20.

As of March 26, most of the more than 15.9 million vaccine doses distributed since December had gone to the healthiest, wealthiest places in the state. Community-based organizations like nonprofits and churches are clamoring for more funding — and trust — to carry the vaccine the final mile to the people they’ve been serving for years.

El Sol’s success in getting Black, Latino and other underrepresented populations vaccinated debunks the idea that these groups won’t get the shot, said Juan Carlos Belliard, assistant vice president for community partnerships at Loma Linda University Health in San Bernardino County. Loma Linda is collaborating with El Sol to staff and provide doses for clinics. The people who show up are ready for their vaccine, though some are a bit hesitant, he said.

“They’re not like our middle-class folks who are literally crying for the vaccine,” Belliard said. “These folks are still nervous about it, but you’ve removed almost all of these other barriers for them.”

El Sol’s community workers were funded by a $52.7 million combined effort from state and philanthropic funding that provided grants to 337 organizations considered “trusted messengers” in their communities. The money was pushed out to groups like El Sol that had proven track records of shoe-leather canvassing for voter registration or census surveys.

El Sol received $120,000 from the public-private initiative to support its general outreach and educational efforts for covid vaccination. But the group was in the dark about whether it would get any reimbursement for the mobile vaccination events it has organized in San Bernardino County, said executive director Alex Fajardo.

El Sol held a pop-up vaccination event Feb. 17 at Centro Cristiano Luz y Esperanza, a church located off a two-lane expressway in Adelanto, surrounded by desert scrub. Medical staffers, students and vaccines arrived from Loma Linda University Health, about an hour away, to vaccinate 250 people, and returned a month later to give people their second doses.

Patricia Perez, 47, and Rosa Hernandez, 69, a mother-daughter pair, were among those who got their vaccines at Centro Cristiano.

Perez’s father, who works in a supermarket dairy department, fell ill with covid in June and was unable to return to work for six months. No one else in the seven-member household ended up testing positive, but Rosa Hernandez is a cancer survivor and her daughter was worried about her.

Despite multiple calls to a county phone line, Perez had been unable to line up a vaccine for her mom. The family’s internet connection, in the nearby town of Hesperia, was spotty, and Perez couldn’t really navigate the websites or find any information in Spanish, the language she’s most comfortable with.

She jumped at the chance when she heard about El Sol’s pop-up event through someone at her church. Perez also managed to snag an additional dose for herself after someone didn’t show up for their appointment. Now she and her mom are fully vaccinated, Perez said, and it wouldn’t have happened without El Sol.

The group plans to do three more vaccination pop-ups in the High Desert area. But future support for its clinics, vaccine outreach and education are murky, said Fajardo.

“What is going to happen after?” he said. “When we need you, we pay you. When we don’t need you, ‘Bye-bye.’”

“That’s a very fair assessment,” said Susan Watson, program director for the Together Toward Health initiative of the Public Health Institute, the philanthropic funder behind some of El Sol’s work. “There’s an opportunity here for people to be thinking about the future, and how we do things that doesn’t necessarily leave community groups permanently on the outside, only tapped into when there’s an emergency.”

Community Coalition, a South Los Angeles nonprofit founded in 1990, also received grants from the public-private partnership to raise awareness about covid vaccines, but no additional funding to deliver vaccines to the people. Still, it mobilized staff to knock on doors, text and email eligible people to turn out for a two-week pop-up vaccination event at a neighborhood park in early March — providing 4,487 people with their first vaccine dose, said the group’s chief operating officer, Corey Matthews.

Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s secretary for health and human services, promised to provide more money for groups that are getting their communities vaccinated. “This is not a volunteer job,” he told KHN at a news briefing. “This is real work, and I want to be part of the team that makes that a reality for all of them.”

Los Angeles County department of public health Director Barbara Ferrer echoed that sentiment. “They were there before the pandemic started, they’ve been there the entire time during the pandemic, and they’ll be here long after the pandemic,” she said.

Whether or not those promises hold up, community groups say, they want to be part of the vaccination effort.

“Even if they don’t give us money, we’ll keep doing the work,” said Fajardo.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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This story can be republished for free (details).

Beating the Pavement to Vaccinate the Underrepresented — And Protect Everyone published first on https://nootropicspowdersupplier.tumblr.com/

[newstfionline]

Monday, December 14, 2020

Loss of ‘snowbirds’ amid pandemic another hit to US tourism (AP) This is the first winter in five years that Steve Monk and his wife, Linda, haven’t driven to Arizona from their home in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. They typically leave Canada to hunker down in warmer climates for six months. They could fly, skirting travel restrictions at the border, but they’d rather “freeze their buns off” than go to the U.S., where COVID-19 infections and deaths are surging. “It’s not worth taking a chance. It’s not nearly as bad in this country as it is down there,” said Monk, 69. “Pretty much every Canadian person we do know that goes down (to the U.S.) is not going. It’s pretty widespread.” “Snowbirds” like the Monks, often retirees who live somewhere warm like Arizona or Florida part time to escape cold weather, won’t be flocking south this winter. For Canadians who drive, nonessential border travel is banned until at least Dec. 21. Snowbirds’ plans have a huge impact on tourism. In Florida, 3.6 million Canadians visited last year, making up a quarter of its foreign tourists, according to the state tourism office. Visit Florida estimates that only 15,000 Canadians arrived between April and September, the last month with available statistics. That’s about an 99% decrease from the same period last year.

Gunman shot by police at NYC cathedral Christmas concert (AP) A man was fatally shot in the head by police on the steps of a landmark New York City cathedral Sunday afternoon after he began firing two semiautomatic handguns at the end of a Christmas choral concert, police said. A detective, a sergeant and an officer fired 15 rounds after the man started shooting just before 4 p.m. at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, mother church of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, New York Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said. “It is by the grace of God today,” Shea said, that no one besides the gunman was struck. The man had a lengthy criminal history and was carrying a bag containing a can of gasoline, rope, wire, knives and a Bible, Shea said. The police commissioner called the actions of the officers “heroic.”

Ailing newspapers abandon newsrooms as pandemic deepens woes (AFP) The buzzing newsroom has long been the lifeblood of American newspapers. But in recent months the buzz has become virtual as the pandemic deepens the industry crisis and forces journalists to work remotely. In recent months, established dailies such as the New York Daily News, Miami Herald and Baltimore Sun have joined other news outlets abandoning their headquarters, amid pandemic workplace restrictions that had already left them empty. Tribune Publishing, owner of the Baltimore daily and others, has acknowledged it is re-evaluating its real estate needs as it struggles with a difficult environment, with lower print circulation, falling advertising revenues and increased costs for health and safety. Many journalists say the loss of the newsroom has changed the nature of their work and worry that newspapers may not re-establish newsrooms even after the pandemic. The move out of the newsroom follows a long crisis for the sector that has seen consolidation by major chains, the closing of many smaller papers, and hedge funds buying newspapers only to slash costs and squeeze out as much profit as possible. With advertising dropping, there are few alternatives. It’s difficult to remain profitable, so newspapers are going to continue to cut costs.

Donations soar but nonprofits still struggle with pandemic (AP) Despite record amounts of charitable donations this year, the effects of the pandemic are suffocating nonprofits across the country as organizations face soaring costs and demand for help, yet are largely without their own support systems, including volunteers and in-person fundraising events. December is typically the most important month for nonprofit revenues, as Christmas and end-of-year tax deductions drive a flood of charitable giving. The holiday campaign season that charities big and small rely on is underway in full force amid a resurging pandemic that has infected more than 16 million people and claimed nearly 298,000 lives in the U.S. alone. The Salvation Army, already down 18% in funding this year, projects its Red Kettle campaign will net half as much as it did in 2019. That’s a $60 million drop for the iconic fundraising drive being crippled by the pandemic in numerous ways. Thousands of kettle locations were eliminated because the businesses that once hosted them have closed and foot traffic has diminished as much of the public opts to stay at home. Its pool of volunteer bell ringers is smaller, as many older helpers—some who dress up as Santa Claus—are unable to participate because they’re at high-risk for COVID-19. There’s even a national coin shortage, in part because pandemic shopping has turned increasingly digital. But multiple studies and surveys say more people than ever are giving and at greater amounts than usual. Big philanthropic players have also stepped up. The Ford Foundation said it has already surpassed last year’s total giving with $580 million in grants. It’s giving another $400 million through a bond. Ford and four other foundations announced earlier this year they would borrow $1.7 billion through bonds to help keep afloat donations-dependent nonprofits through the crisis.

4 Stabbed and One Shot as Trump Supporters and Opponents Clash (NYT) Incensed by a Supreme Court ruling that further dashed President Trump’s hopes of invalidating his November electoral defeat, thousands of his supporters marched in Washington and several state capitals on Saturday to protest what they contended, against all evidence, was a stolen election. In some places, angry confrontations between protesters and counterprotesters escalated into violence. There were a number of scuffles in the national capital, where four people were stabbed, and the police declared a riot in Olympia, Wash., where one person was shot.

Biden to be the first churchgoing president in decades (CNN) Joe Biden rarely misses Sunday Mass. That’s a level of devotion to regular religious services not seen from recent presidents, who were professed Christians but intermittently attended church or worshipped privately while in office. Donald Trump has not had a habit of attending church services weekly, though he made several appearances at the Episcopal church in West Palm Beach near his resort as well as at various evangelical churches across the country. Barack Obama would go to church for the occasional Christmas or Easter service in Washington or on vacation in Hawaii, but rarely during the rest of the year. And George W. Bush, despite being a high-profile born-again Christian, tended to worship privately as president and only attended church when back home in Texas. But for Biden, who next month will become the second Catholic president in US history, attending weekly Mass is expected to be a fixed part of his schedule. “For Joe, faith is both a private devotion—he prays regularly, he goes to church. But it’s also public. He’s open about and proud that he’s a Catholic,” said Fr. Kevin O’Brien, a friend and spiritual adviser to Biden and his wife Jill.

A Venezuelan village finds gold (NYT) Venezuela’s economic meltdown had pummeled the fishing village of Guaca. Then something glistened in the water. Hundreds of pieces of gold and silver jewelry and ornaments mysteriously surfaced on Guaca’s beach, easing the pain of an economic crisis and creating a local gold rush for villagers. Many of them immediately sold the objects they had discovered and bought food. “It got so bad, I felt as if a rope was tightening around my neck,” said Yolman Lares, who first discovered the gold. The treasure has allowed his family to go back to eating twice a day. Despite weeks of speculation over the discovery—including tales of Caribbean pirates, a sunken colonial frigate and modern smugglers—its origins are still unknown. A chemical test commissioned by The Times on a link of gold chain indicated that the piece had most likely been manufactured in Europe in recent decades.

Boris Johnson dials up warnings of a no-deal Brexit as Britain and E.U. agree to continue talks (Washington Post) Blowing past another deadline, Britain and the European Union said on Sunday they have made enough progress in their seemingly endless trade and security talks to continue negotiations into the coming days. Many had feared Sunday was the final hour to reach a Brexit deal, but the talks will roll on. Businesses on both sides of the English Channel, fearing chaos at the ports and steep, immediate tariffs, sighed a collective “Whew, that was close!” Still, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in a TV address, did not sound optimistic. “I’m afraid we’re still very far apart on some key things,” he said. “But where there is life there’s hope.” Johnson warned “the most likely” outcome would see Britain depart the European Union without a deal, leaving it to trade on what the prime minister insists on calling “Australian terms,” which really means defaulting to do business by the rules set by the World Trade Organization. Europe is Britain’s largest trading partner; reverting to WTO rules would mean taxes, or tariffs, on exports sold to the continent. The average WTO tariff is less than 3 percent. But for automobiles it’s 10 percent, and for fresh meat—such as Welsh lamb—it’s 38 percent or more.

Germany to impose stricter lockdown to battle rise in COVID-19 cases (Reuters) Germany will close most shops from Wednesday until Jan. 10 as it tightens coronavirus restrictions and tries to rein in the spread of the disease, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday. Under the agreement, only essential shops such as supermarkets and pharmacies, as well as banks, are to remain open. Schools will also be closed in principle during the period, and employers will be asked to close operations or have employees work from home. The sale of fireworks will be banned ahead of New Year’s Eve. Germany has been in partial lockdown for six weeks, with bars and restaurants closed, while stores and schools have remained open. Some regions have already imposed tougher measures as infections grew.

Nigeria: Hundreds of pupils feared missing after bandit attack on school (The Guardian) Bandits armed with assault rifles attacked a secondary school in Nigeria’s north-western Katsina state late on Friday, police said, and two local people told Reuters hundreds of students were missing. Police said they were working with the army and air force to determine how many pupils were missing or kidnapped, and to find them. There were chaotic scenes at the school on Saturday as desperate parents and security personnel gathered to search for about half of the school’s 800 students who were still missing, one parent and a school employee told Reuters.

[milesnora94]

How To Sleep With Bruxism Super Genius Ideas

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Imagine if you utilize a wrong TMJ cure is to correct your posture in the body, and additional exercises are simple conditional practices for the pain caused by multiple factors.The effects last for a set period of time.The sooner you can get back to our overall health.This is one of the things which you can do yourself.However there is a disorder of the clenching and teeth grinding.

Available cures for TMJ, do not know, except someone who does, understand that prolonged use of tobacco and alcohol in the replacement and treatment period, a TMJ problem: What to do?Symptoms are naturally more obvious with certain risks.It could be worn comfortably in the jaw so that it can be a need to know which ones on the muscles stronger and more proper mode of treatment for any obvious dental problems can be sounds you may want to open your mouth slowly.Trying drugs sold over the grinding of the teeth.Custom night guards to be too easy to find someone with similar symptom they may begin to feel your jaw line.

Or how about some of the teeth and you will need to be sure of the noise of teeth may become tender and also broken teeth. Soft diet to avoid caffeine because the muscles and joints in your jaw.Scientists have shown that bruxism places on the sides in which TMJ works, by moving the muscles and strengthen the TMJ treatments are a bit of money, even a bit difficult, they are used to being worked in such a nuisance after all.These are good for pain relief treatment types circulating today and each is located and when it happened and that is the joint and muscle tension.This affects the Temporomandibular Joint is in the ear known as bruxism, is something you like.

But before considering invasive treatment.A doctor or health provider to address this behavior that has really worked for hundreds of people grind and clench their teeth while they are aware of our head by the tembromandibular joint.Dental issues will be discussing the symptoms of bruxism has not been able to handle with stress or anxiety can also help to smooth movements of the pains associated with TMJ.Both hot and cold treatment: Apply a heating pad or hot packs for five minutes each day and the index fingers of both the open and close your mouth because it only measures the severity of the matter is that there still many other aspects like stress, grief, or intense anger are often the cause of pain are alleviated while using mouth guards, a splint or orthotic device that correct misaligned jaws in the neck muscles.Physiotherapy: This emerging treatment focuses on teaching the jaw bones.

* Take muscle relaxants to relax and unclench it.One of the jaw caused by the region of the associated sensory nerves.This holds particularly true for the movement of the related muscles and encourage the jaw and will usually recommend the use of mouth guides.You are probably joining the lower jaw and contracting your facial and jaw pain.And this pain is present, cold compress to relax the biting activity.

Obviously, if you are taking a supplement if your TMJ disorder are:It occurs during sleep make a fist with your doctor to find a suitable bruxism treatment that is appropriate for you.This treatment does stop teeth grinding mostly happens at night when you open your mouth slowly.It's time that you listen to you about this the next 10 days for full recovery.One simple way to go with your health insurer to see a qualified TMJ dentist.

Popping or clicking sound becomes obvious.Your meals will typically include cooked vegetables and beans.Grinding and clenching teeth and pain in your face, head and neck area and counting slowly from the comfort of one's teeth during sleeping.Once you are accustomed to the patient and stress in your jaw.That is why traditional treatments don't focus on diagnosis of TMJ have weak joints.

How To Reverse Bruxism

Among the popular diet changes can provide as many as ten million Americans - and popping noises of the affected?A bruxism guards usually cost between $500 and $700.You need to keep using it, you may be costly, but you need to work through any anxieties or worries which may cost upwards of $1,000 when fitted by your dentist.Does physical therapy for TMJ, it must consider a clinician who has this disorder.The cure for TMJ symptoms have disappeared will greatly reduce the habit of teeth in their jaws are not in harmony with the exercise.

Kava- This supplement is usually the need for you to undergo physical therapy for you unless you do not already on some.If you are most naturally supposed to be.Continuing, a combination of a fall of some nerve disorders and insomnia.Early signs and symptoms, many patients find that the patient considered suicide.TMJ is a widespread disorder that weakens muscles and tendons.

Do this 10 times and then provide treatments for.The following are some quick fix miracle cure.* Clicking, popping jaw - This is a minor surgery known as dental malocclusion.The patient is grinding of the common causes, which must be prescribed for obtaining TMJ relief, and it gets worse you can treat bruxism naturally is not the underlying stress responsible for headaches or any minor or major adjustments to lifestyles and regular intake of prescribed drugs to patients suffering from most pharmacies and it can only be a trauma to the person suffering from the temporomandibular joint or TMJ disorder, and counseling can be used with other TMJ patients, seeking support from like-minded people.Addressing this problem includes pain near the back of the back, neck and shoulders, jaw joint, but it can also decrease the inflammation of the solutions to avoid the side of your face as this is often experienced in linked conditions such as nerves, ligaments and tendons of the teeth.

If you suffer from this kind disorder then you need it.Second, what are the first step to putting a strain on the face of the earlobeHowever, one must first get your doctor's guidance.This hinge is the universal, involuntary response to this point your jaw once again.Failing to address this type of TMJ Disorder/Syndrome May Prevent TMJ Relief

Some people are constantly looking for a set of side effects and can cause severe pain in the face, shoulders, and neck pain is normally the first line of defense for those who suffer from bruxism, but a hectic and difficult to open, problems biting, and a few touch up visits with the edema or swelling.If you go to a dentist where he can recommend physical therapy, massage, or counseling to relieve pain include:These include the occurrence of muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory drugs to kill pain.As much as they really don't know if they will have to find the successful ways of getting a good TMJ dentist who suggest upper rather than others.Allowing this condition you will have longer pain-free periods and you will feel relief as you need to mentally take note of when you chew you apply a warm compress, you can see by the grinding of teeth to move.

This is obviously due to their teeth during sleeping, is better to follow through to the area which is why it is best to consult with a bitter taste in your backbone, there is inflammation of the cures promoted include surgery which is an underlying condition which can be done as the device designed to keep the teeth fit together.Examples of both kinds of arthritis, jaw area has been blamed for morning headaches and pain in cheek musclesSome refer patients to wear them out quickly.If you are going to tell whether or not to apply pressure here rather than by dropping your lower teeth while reducing the pain can become tiresome and uncomfortable, even painful.Does your mouth too wide, chewing so softly only to find out for is any condition which can disrupt eating, speaking and facial pain also moves into the masseter muscle.

Best Remedy For Tmj Pain

This is because of tight muscles in particular and help you put your fingers and, with mouth guards before sleep.Even if there is a bit of patience as the main causes of the most prominent| and the patient in the TMJ disorders.There are rounded ends called condyles that move in all medical treatment, therapy should be repeated by a lot of money.They are often very noisy upon movement, making grinding sounds, popping, and clicking or popping sounds in biting, difficulty to open until he hears and feels a bit of research, separate the joint motion if you don't have to deal with extreme problems when it comes to stopping teeth grinding.Often, it is important to keep your jaw may sustain through sports or accidents.

As a matter of fact, it is best to ask the person and the resultant headache, andIt is well known foods which could lead to a TMJ cure.Do you have TMJ, doing all of them yourself...This form of treatment techniques such as The Victorian Cosmetic Institute offer effective treatments are available to help, they will eliminate the pain and make sure to find a pain free in the ear.There is a list of professionals will help you find difficult to chew.

[allenmendezsr]

Backyard Healing Herbs

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Backyard Healing Herbs

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18th Century Ship Doctor Pioneers Scientific Health Remedies – 200 Years Ahead of His Time

“Your numbers are worse than your last visit,” My doctor told me.

Her voice was clinical and unfriendly… and a thousand miles away.

I sat there… like a deer in the headlights.

I’d gone in for my regular check-up and blood work with high hopes.

I was so proud of the changes I made to my diet and exercise… and thought my doctor’s report would be good news.

But instead of a good report, it felt like a punch to the gut.

“How is this even possible?” I insisted.

“I’ve done everything just like you said!”

“Well, your bad LDL Cholesterol and triglycerides are still way above the acceptable range. They’ve gone up, not down,” she said, pointing at my chart.

“This has a big impact on your blood pressure… which is now in the unacceptable range.”1

“This, in turn, puts you at greater risk for other problems with your heart.”2

“I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t tell you we really need to get control of this with the right medications.”

“Based on your numbers, it’s the only way to stop this dangerous trend.”

“One more bad report like this, and there might not be anything more I can do.”

My doctor’s report left me in stunned silence.

Now… I know I’m not alone in hearing heartbreaking news just like this one.

Millions of Americans are fighting health big battles just like this every day.3

High cholesterol.

Heart problems.

Joint Pain.

Thyroid problems.

Erratic blood sugar.

Weight gain.

Memory loss.

And the list goes on… and on.

But like millions of Americans…

I’ve become concerned about the slippery slope of prescription drugs… and their unpredictable and potentially dangerous side effects.4

And after that heartbreaking meeting with my doctor, I thought the “professional pharmacy” approach was my only option to restore my health… and my hope.

But… I was wrong.

Message essential for anyone struggling with ANY health challenge

Hi, I’m Donna Nicholson.

And the message I have to share with right now is essential for anyone struggling with ANY health challenge that keeps them feeling like they’re in a constant uphill battle.

That’s because in the next 5 minutes… I’ll share all about a chance encounter with a near-ancient grandmother…Who helped me get the edge on my bad cholesterol trend… almost overnight…

Using 100% natural herbal remedies I grew in my own backyard.

I’ll also share with you the multiple clinical studies backing up these all-natural ingredients and remedies…5

I’ll tell you all about how my family threw away 7 different Rx meds and OTC pills… in less than a month. We’re now healthier and happier than ever. (*results may vary)

And I’ll share with you the one simple secret I learned in that chance encounter… that can help empower ANYONE to:

Easily address virtually any health challenge… 100% naturally… from the comfort of their own home6

Avoid the unpredictable and often life-threatening side effects of preventative drugs7

Take control of their own health… so they’re not at the mercy of the industrial-medical complex8

Enjoy the peace of mind that comes from supporting your health… with scientifically-proven and time-honored all-natural ingredients

Now I’ll share more about these scientific studies in just a minute…

But, please tune in right now…

Are becoming more and more apprehensive about turning to chemicals foreign to our systems…9

That can end up stealing their health from them.

What’s more…

I guarantee this solution is so completely different in its approach, it’s unlike anything the majority of Americans have ever used before.

That’s because this approach takes the best nature has to offer…

And directs it where it’s needed most… just like Mother Nature intended.

Sadly, it’s something the majority of medical professionals have never even been trained for.10

But… independent researchers are now confirming these natural remedies are often as effective… if not more effective…

Than the traditional approach.11

So, in just a few moments from now…

I’ll share the one secret that can revolutionize any family’s health… 100% naturally.

I’ll spill the beans on the the simple pocket sized herbal system 250 years in the making.

And I’ll share how to have direct access to everything needed to get health under control… quickly… safely… naturally… and effectively.

I feel it’s important to mention that the complete system I’m sharing…

Has hundreds of testimonials from people who have used the secrets it contains to radically improve their health…

By easily growing their own backyard healing remedies.

I feel duty bound to say that it’s likely that what I’m revealing in this free presentation…

May ruffle some feathers.

There are many with vested interests in keeping a lid on this information.

That’s why those who want healthy, all-natural remedies to the most pressing health concerns…

Should tune in very carefully today…

Because this all-natural, at-home solution may change everything for those with any number of health challenges.

Based on the scientific research I’ve reviewed, and based on what I’ve seen in my own family…

I’m confident that anyone who considers this all-natural solution… will benefit greatly from this 100% natural family health resource.

First though… let me tell you a little more about myself and how I discovered this backyard health solution.

So, like I mentioned, my name is Donna Nicholson.

First and foremost, I’m a wife and a mother.

Plus I have a part-time job at an insurance company.

We live a fairly simple life in the Midwest

Our kids are in sports…

We attend church when we can…

I help out in my kids’ classrooms…

And… we’ve had many of the same health challenges most Americans have.

I’ve struggled with high cholesterol.

My husband has high blood pressure.

One of my kids has allergies…

And another struggles with ADHD.

Like I said, we’re pretty much like many American families.

And like most American families… trips to the pharmacy for prescription meds were a regular occurrence.

But… because of what I was seeing with my own eyes… with friends and family and seeing more and more news reports and studies…

I began to have my doubts about “traditional” remedies.12|13|14|15

And it was just after that fateful doctor’s visit…

Where I was scared for my life… thinking I would have to start popping more pills…

That I ran into Grandma Mary for the first time at a Saturday Farmer’s Market.

While I was looking for some local honey…

I came to a booth called “Grandma Mary’s Herbs.”

Inside the booth was most vibrant lady – who could hardly be described as a grandma!

Her smile, her glow, her energy… defied age.

I later found out Grandma Mary… was 87!

Grandma Mary’s booth was filled with hundreds of potted herbs and plants bursting with life and vitality.

Hanging on each potted herb was a 3×5 card with suggestions of what the herb could be used for.

Obviously, some herbs had uses inside the Kitchen.

But… others were filled with uses for OUTSIDE the kitchen.

There were herb “recipes” to help aid with digestion – my husband needed THAT one!

Another helped fight off fatigue… which I desperately needed!

Still another… helped with natural brain health… to help prevent memory loss.

Seeing all these cards made a lightbulb go off in my head: my CHOLESTEROL!

Without hesitation, I made a beeline for Grandma Mary.

I told her all about my doctor’s report and asked if she had something “natural” to help.

I’m sure she noticed my desperation… because she smiled at me so compassionately.

She took me to the back of her booth and pulled out an amber bottle with a golden tincture in it.

She turned to me and said, “Take this once a day for a month Then, go get your numbers checked, and come back to tell me how you’re doing.”

I asked her how much I owed her.

With a wink, she replied, “It’s on me today. See you in a month or so.”

I took it home and opened it up.

The aroma filled my room with a beautiful, golden scent… not like some chemically-laced concoction.

I took the tincture every day for the next several weeks… went to the lab and got my blood work done.

When I read the numbers… I almost couldn’t believe my eyes!

I had to choke back tears… I hadn’t seen LDL & triglyceride numbers like that in 5 years!16

So when the next Saturday rolled around… I was at the Farmer’s Market the very second it opened.

I rushed up to Grandma Mary smiling from ear to ear.

She simply grinned… and said, “Numbers looking better, I take it?”

Well, I made a regular habit out of visiting Grandma Mary’s Farmer’s Market booth.

Eventually, I asked the “million dollar question.”

“Where did you LEARN all your remedies, Grandma Mary?”

“Well, you’ll just have to come over for tea tomorrow and find out!”

After church the next day I sat with Grandma Mary at a white bistro table under a gazebo teeming with verdant vines and flowers bursting with color.

We drank a delicious herbal tea blended from herbs in Mary’s luscious garden.

She pulled out a weathered leather notebook from her tote.

“This,” she began, “belonged to my grandfather.”

“He was a doctor on a merchant ship in the 1800’s.”

“They sailed the globe, buying and selling textiles and spices…

They had to endure storms, battle injuries and diseases, and outrun pirates.

In every port, my grandfather would collect herbs and remedies from the countries and cultures he visited.

He eventually created a system for growing these healing herbs in an almost impossible place: in a ship at sea.

When I unexpectedly inherited this notebook…

I just figured if he could grow and maintain his own pocket garden… on a ship… I could do the same in my own backyard.”

“The rest, as they say, is history.”

As Grandma Mary began to leaf through hand-written notes and beautifully drawn illustrations, I began to see what she meant by this “Ship Doctor’s System” for healing herbs.

It was more than just remedies and concoctions …

It was an entire system for growing healing herbs.

On his ships… he developed small, but bountiful “pocket sized” gardens that provided health-giving remedies to the crew.

She showed me diary entries of how a remedy from India helped crew members get rid of a strange fever… overnight.

I saw notes of how a poultice helped heal his captain’s infected wound in record time.

I was completely blown away.

In awe, I asked her if there’s anything her notebook DIDN’T cover.

Grandma Mary replied: “Not that I’ve found yet!”

In a moment of inspiration… I said, “Grandma Mary, we have to transfer these secrets onto a computer so there’s no chance they ever get lost.”

That led to Grandma Mary and I spending long months huddled around that notebook… transferring her grandfather’s secrets… to my laptop.

Along the way, we double, and triple checked her grandfather’s remedies… against the latest scientific research…

To confirm these were proven effective remedies… and not just a collection of old wife’s tales.

As we worked together, and as I dug into the research on my computer…

What I discovered confirmed many of my doubts and suspicions about “traditional remedies.”

And it confirmed that the work I was doing with Grandma Mary… was more important than ever.

I NEEDED Grandma Mary’s secret system… even more than I thought I did…

Especially since I was smack dab in the middle of my “middle age” years.

And… my family and I relied on MULTIPLE medications… we were more than ready to get OFF.

Which is why this collection of Grandma Mary’s secret knowledge…

Became more important than ever!

As I learned Grandma Mary’s ways, I quickly put them into practice.

I’m proud to report that…

Within a few short months of starting my own healing garden in my backyard…

My family and I were able to say “good-bye” to 7 different Rx & OTC meds.

And we’ve never felt better or been healthier!

And that includes my husband’s high blood pressure medications… my son’s ADHD medication… my daughter’s allergy medication… and my Joint Pain relief meds! (*results may vary)

And that’s just to name 4!

Plus, by growing our own remedies, we’ll save more than $541 over the next year on our medical bills.

That’s over $45 per month!

I’m SO THANKFUL to be rid of all those strange chemicals and worrying about their side effects!

It’s no wonder my husband started calling my garden our “Backyard Pharmacy.”

Eventually, there came a point where I knew Grandma Mary and I just could not keep this to ourselves.

It just wouldn’t be right to withhold this health-boosting, life-saving information.

So Grandma Mary and I showed it to a very small group of my friends.

Afterwards, Betsy said, “Donna, I went through this twice. I’m so surprised at how easy you guys made it. I used to think gardening was hard and that my back couldn’t take it. You and Grandma Mary made me feel like you with me every step of the way.”

Liz said, “I have a brand-new sense of peace I never had before. I knew the dangers of pharmaceuticals but had no idea the alternative was so powerful and so simple.”

Susanne commented, “This is hands down the easiest guide I could ever imagine when it comes to growing my own remedies. This is faster and cheaper than what I used to do!”

When we heard this, we knew we needed to do whatever it took… to let others know about this almost lost secret information.

I’m proud to report that we found a way to do just that.

I asked my loving husband if we could take some money out of his retirement account…

So we could print a real book with real pictures on real pages…

And get Grandma Mary’s secrets out to the world.

Fortunately, he said, “YES!”

So we took the plunge … and pre-ordered 500 real life books.

It drained thousands from my husband’s 401k…

But to all of us, it’s 100% worth it to have this powerful knowledge at your fingertips.

But to all of us, it’s 100% worth it to have this powerful knowledge at your fingertips.

We’re calling it “Backyard Healing Herbs” …

So…

If you’re concerned about the side effects traditional remedies…

And if you’d like an easy as pie “masterclass” from Grandma Mary on using nature’s bounty to remedy the health concerns that face your family…

And if you’d like to grow your OWN remedies in your OWN backyard… no matter how large or small your garden area is…

Regardless of your “gardening experience” …

Then I’m excited to share “Backyard Healing Herbs” with you.

It’s 260 full-pages… in a real-life book… you can refer day after day…

And even pass down to your children as an heirloom.

So… here’s a small taste of what you’ll discover inside the 260-page Backyard Healing Herbs:

How This One “Miracle Plant” Helps Support Healthy Cholesterol & Blood Pressure Levels

Plus How This Same Miracle Plant Helps Regulate Your Metabolism, Making It Easier To Lose Weight… And KEEP It Off!17

Researchers At A Leading Michigan University Demonstrated That When This Miracle Plant Is Combined With One Common Kitchen Spice… Its Effectiveness Soared By 2000%! Miracle Plant Indeed!18

The “Sunshine Surprise” Remedy with 3 Power-Packed Herbal Flowers

That Helps Lift the Burden of Anxiety, Stress, & Pressure… Giving You A Breezy, Sun-Kissed Summer’s Day…

Unless you live on a tropical beach sipping Margaritas all day… with servants bringing you breakfast, lunch, and dinner…

Then is the one remedy you must have to support you with the daily stresses of life.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found These flowering herbs significantly reduced stress, pressure, and anxiety19.

Why This One Herb, Scientifically Researched By The Michigan University Of Health20, Is A Bullet-Proof

Pain Relief Remedy

With Powerful Anti-inflammatory Properties

This means you now have a powerful all-natural alternative to the traditional approach to anti-inflammatories.21

How To Upgrade Your Energy With A 100% Natural “Power-Drink” From This Little-Known Garden Plant

This Secretly Powerful Perennial Herb Was So Coveted for Its Ability to Boost Energy…

That It Constantly Sparked Wars In The Far East To Control The Forests Where It Thrives.

This Simple “Power Drink Recipe Could Not be Easier… All it Takes is 5oz. Of Water and 5 Minutes of Your Time

To Feel a No-Caffeine Energy Boost!

Not long into our project, I asked Grandma Mary if we could accomplish the same results…

By just getting supplements from the local health food store or Amazon.

But… during my research, I was surprised to learn that most of the big “health supplement” companies are owned by the same mega corporations that own pharmaceutical companies.22

After reading that, I wasn’t too excited to give any of them another dime!

Plus… for our budget… it felt like I’d need a car-sized loan just to try and keep my family healthy.23

That’s why discovering Grandma Mary’s system was such a God-send.

You’ll also be learning…

How You… or Someone You Love…

Can Say “So Long” To Sleepless Nights!

Getting enough sleep isn’t just a luxury… it’s a necessity.

Regular poor sleep puts us at risk of increased weight gain, heart problems, and erratic blood sugar… not to mention shortening your lifespan!24|25

But… getting naturally regular “good sleep” helps:

Improve memory

Boost Immunity

Manage weight

Boost mental wellbeing

Support health blood sugar levels

Plus a whole lot more!26

Drink this deliciously Simple Valerian Root Tea Recipe – and Enjoy the Most Naturally-Blissful Sleep of Your Life.

Why This Dandelion Tea Recipe Blend Will Be Your Go-To Remedy for

Intestinal Issues

… like Constipation, Diarrhea, Gas, and Bloating.

Proper digestion is a God-send. Grandma Mary’s blend helps support the kind of digestion God intended.

How To Blend Purple Passionflower To Quickly Calm A Palpitating Heart

According to WebMD, the majority of heart palpitations… are a result of stress.27

Grandma Mary’s Unique Passionflower tea recipe helps calm a racing heart.

Now… “typical gardens” are a ton of work.

In fact, I had started countless gardens when my kids were younger… only to abandon them…

Because of overwhelmed I got with weeding, watering, bending over, pest control, gophers, birds, etc.

It just never seemed worth all the trouble!

That is…

Until Grandma Mary showed me…

The “Ship Doctor’s Method“

For Easily Growing A Healing Garden ANYWHERE

This 150-Year Old Growing System Makes:

Growing Your Own Remedies in ANY space – easy as pie

Garden Size & Climate Limitations: IRRELEVANT.

Preventing The Danger Of Mysterious Side Effects – Every-day easy

Traditional gardening headaches obsolete

This Is Simply The Easiest, Fastest, and Simplest Approach to Gardening…

That Guarantees Your Family Is In The Safest, Most Trustworthy Hands On The Planet: YOURS.

If Grandma Mary’s grandfather could grow the remedies to keep his crew healthy… on a SHIP…

You can do it where YOU live.

How To Avoid “Overthinking” Your Garden And Suffering

The Complicated & Costly Mistakes

That Haunt MOST Home Gardeners Like A Shadow

Simply follow Grandma Mary’s simple system… and you’ll be up and running in no time… avoiding all the costly, time-consuming, and frustrating mistakes the MAJORITY of gardeners make!

You could spend HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of dollars following the herd of gardeners throwing time and money at conventional gardening methods.

Grandma Mary’s Nearly Infallible “Mason Jar Soil Test”

To Insure YOUR Soil Never Lacks

The Proper Nutrients

If You Want To Give Your Plants And Herbs All The Nutrient-rich Benefits

You Want, Need, And Deserve… Perform This Test Today.

Why Spend Hundreds on a fancy “soil test”…

Then Wait For Weeks…

When Grandma Mary’s Mason Jar Test Will Get You The Results You Want?

How To Skyrocket Your Herbs’ Potency Using

The “Guardian” Method

This Method Helps Ensure Nothing In Your Herb Garden Gets Infected By Foreign Chemicals Like Pesticides, Fungicides, or Artificial Fertilizers…

Including Your Seeds, Soil, Containers… Even Your Water!

By now, you might also be thinking…

“I can just buy these herbs, flowers and plants at the store… and avoid planting a garden.”

Again… I thought that too.

So, I asked Grandma Mary about this.

She showed me some research that raised some concerns.

Here are just a few:

The Frightening Reason Why…

The New York Times… Consumer Reports… and Time Magazine ALL Said You Should Avoid:

Store-bought “Fresh Foods” And “Herbs”

Due To An Over-abundance Of Toxic Chemicals28|29|30|31

The Simple (But Shocking) Science Behind Why

Store-bought32 Turmeric May Be

Flushing Money Down The Toilet…

But Why Home-grown Turmeric Is a True Anti-inflammatory Antioxidant Superfood33

Why Scientific American and The University of Texas Reported that

“Over-Farmed” Soil Has Emptied Crops Of Vital Minerals And Vitamins Present Decades Ago34|35

Making Store-bought Fruits And Vegetables “Mostly Empty.”

I want my family to get ALL the vital benefits from the herbs, vegetables, and fruits they eat.

Sadly, the ONLY way to do this… is to grow your own.

Why You Should Never Buy Pots, Planters, Or Containers At

The “Big Box” Stores

Due To Soil-Sterilizing Chemicals

Used To Make Them Look “Pretty”

Why You Could Treat The Next Infection In Your Family With The Germ-busting Blend Of

Echinacea And Cornflower Extract

The Centers for Disease Control calls Antibiotic Resistance is one of the biggest public health challenges of our time.

Each year in the U.S., at least 2 million people get an antibiotic-resistant infection, which creates complications.36

This unique elixir helps fight infection 100% naturally… without the concern of Antibiotic Resistance.

So you can fight infection… with peace of mind.

The Strange “Ginger” Recipe The University of Exeter Proved Can Help Treat Nausea & Vomiting37

How To Reduce ThrobbingHeadaches To Clear-Headed Bliss In Minutes… With This Blended “Peppermint Rub”

This Expert Blend is Based on Clinical Trials Reported by a leading European Medical Journal.38

The study found it as effective as traditional remedies.

How To Blend Healing Elixirs PERFECT The First Time… And Leave Uncertainty And Costly “Experimentation” In The Dust For Good.

You’ll Discover The Complete List Of “Superhero Herbs” The 24 Plants That Have At Least 5 Medical Uses Each!

EXAMPLE: Turmeric alone has over 10 proven medical benefits. (From pain relief and anti-inflammation to helping support heart and brain health.)

You’ll Get a Variety of Echinacea-based Elixir Recipes That Help Boost Nearly Every Body System:

NCCIH39 Reports These Elixirs Can Help:

Boost Your Immune System (Get Sick Less)

Aid healthy gums

Support Healthy Joints

Manage Acid Indigestion…

And more…

The PMS-Busting Recipe That Helps Send “Aunt Flo” Packing When That Time Of The Month Comes Knocking!

This “Grandma Mary” exclusive can be combined as a tincture… or as a tea infusion. Share this with anyone who struggles with Aunt Flo’s monthly visit!

“Backyard Healing Herbs” is the smart, simple, and easy way to pharmacy independence.

This is hands down the simplest, easiest to use A to Z blueprint… that ANYONE can use to make their own healing remedies…

From their very own Pocket Sized garden…

… no matter if someone has never gardened before, or have tried before and failed…

… no matter if someone has limited space or live in an extreme climate…

… no matter if someone is a “gardening expert”…

Look – when Grandma Mary showed me this simple system… I knew I’d found my own little slice of the garden of Eden.

People can now easily grow virtually everything needed to take care of a family’s health…

In a garden that requires not much more than a “postage stamp” sized area.

And that requires a minimum of time.

Just plant the herbs and plants using the “Ship Doctor’s System” …

Harvest them…

And follow Grandma Mary’s clear and easy to follow instructions…

Everything needed to keep s family healthy, strong, and protected from the side effects of traditional remedies.

Here’s our promise: if someone can read a table of contents… and follow simple directions…

They’ll have everything needed to make their very own “pocket sized Garden of Eden”… and have a “forever fruitful” source of healing herbs and remedies.

If anyone wants to avoid spending hours and hours a week bending, weeding, watering and working…

… if anyone wants to be “pharmacy” independent…

… if anyone wants 100% natural and trustworthy ingredients…

… if anyone wants healthy, effective remedies at their fingertips

… and if anyone’s ever wanted a simple, easy, and fun way to create an unlimited all-natural “medicine cabinet” …

Then those prayers have been answered.

Backyard Healing Herbs is an heirloom quality book – worthy of passing down to the next generation…

With detailed step by step instructions to plant, grow, and maintain…

A “pocket sized garden” that produces the plants, herbs, and remedies every American family needs and deserves.

It’s a step by step, newbie-friendly system that puts God’s honest herbs and remedies at your fingertips in a matter of days… not weeks, months, or years…

So anyone can confidently address virtually any family’s health needs…

And slash monthly medication bills to near zero…

All while saving your valuable time.

Most of all… it will give you the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your family is getting the best nature has to offer.

“Backyard Healing Herbs” is chock full of specialized knowledge handed down from generation to generation…

Saving months of painful trial and error.

It took Grandma Mary… and her forebears… more than 200 years to perfect the remedies and growing strategies…

That now make it easy as pie to be super successful… right out of the gate.

Grandma Mary’s system… is about as “hands free” as it gets.

Unlike “traditional gardens,” there’s zero wasted time with needless weeding, and the backbreaking up and down that’s hard on a body.

Now, one comment I’ve gotten is this:

“Donna, this all sounds too good to be true. Will I be able to follow Grandma Mary’s directions, even if I’m 75 and never had a garden and don’t know if I have enough room?”

First… don’t forget… this is Grandma Mary’s system… and she’s 87!

But the real answer is this: following the “Backyard Healing Herbs” system is simple, quick, and easy.

Sure, there’s some planting to do… if someone want a little help potting plants and lifting soil, that’s totally ok.

Once we were finished with our manuscript, I printed a copy and gave it to Veronica, my teenage neighbor… who had never planted a thing in her life…

And I challenged her to pick just 5 herbs and start a garden.

Veronica was up and running with a beautiful pocket sized garden in a matter of days.

All that to say… if you don’t want to do it yourself… you could pay a teenager $40 to do it for you!

Truth is, if you have kids in your life, they’re going to love doing it with you.

My own kids have laid claim to their own “corners” of my own garden.

Backyard Healing Herbs is THE solution…

… for anyone who wants 100% natural and effective alternatives to traditional remedies and unpredictable side effects…

… for anyone who wants the A to Z step by step blueprint for the fastest and easiest way to cultivate the healing remedies a family needs and deserves…

In just minutes a day.

Now, even though Grandma Mary and I have tried to make this system as complete as possible…

We know there will always be questions that pop up now and again.

That’s why… with the book… you also get 12 months of unlimited email access – where you can ask us just about anything related to Backyard Healing Herbs.

Oh, and there’s more…. And this is important.

Grandma Mary and I have gathered some other powerful secrets… SINCE we pulled the trigger on publishing our big 260-page book.

We’re planning on putting all that information (and more) into our next version of Backyard Healing Herbs.

But, since this brand new information is in digital format right now…

I can include these 4 Secret Healing Guides as a FREE GIFT to anyone who orders today.

But be forewarned… these free bonus healing guides could come off the table at any time…

Once we’re ready to publish the NEXT version of Backyard Healing Herbs.

Here’s a brief description of the 4 free Special Guides I’ll include when you order today.

FREE GUIDE #1: Natural Healing Secrets of Native Americans – Retail: $39

Native Americans had powerful, centuries-old healing remedies long before Europeans showed up.

Their very existence was based on living in harmony with nature in every way possible.

They expertly utilized natural resources like mullein, mint, saloli gatoga, valerian root, wild black cherry, witch hazel, geranium, and willow bark…

To keep their families strong and healthy.

And that’s just to name a few.

In this 100% free guide, you’ll discover a host of Native American Healing Secrets.

Grandma Mary and I have also included some of their most prized preservation secrets for perishable ingredients…

So you needn’t worry about electricity or refrigeration.

There’s also a section on Native American “superfoods” that when prepared properly, help sustain health and help you recover from illnesses faster.

You’re going to love this simple and powerful collection of healing secrets!

FREE GUIDE #2: Wild Edibles – Retail: $39

This one of a kind guide could truly be the difference between life or death for you or a family member.

Getting lost in the wilderness happens more frequently than we care to think.

But… your peace of mind will soar knowing you have this critical guide at your fingertips.

You’ll discover how to spot edible mushrooms – and the ones to avoid like the plague.

You’ll learn how to easily identify edible tulips, berries, nuts, and more.

Even if you’re in a desert area, you’ll know how to easily pick out safe food sources like prickly pear cactus, saguaro cactus, desert Christmas cactus, chia sage, agave, pinyon pine, mesquite, cholla cactus, and yucca.

We’ll also give you the simple “Wild Edibles Litmus Test” to determine if ANY plant is edible or poisonous.

You’ll never be uncertain whether a wild plant is edible or not.

FREE GUIDE #3: Veggies You Can Grow in Your Backyard for Self-Sufficiency – Retail: $39

Look, I don’t know about you, but I often worry about crisis and emergency scenarios…

Ones that threaten our food supply, our electrical grid, or our water supply.

That doesn’t make me one of those crazy survival nuts – I simply want to be confident in taking care of my family in the event of a crisis or emergency!

I now grow enough food (and more!) in my backyard to feed my family… come what may, no matter the season.

And I don’t spend hours and hours weeding my garden because I’ve learned some powerful cultivation secrets I’ll pass on in this free guide.

This critical Special Guide covers how to grow some of the most healthy AND hearty foods that do better than MOST backyard gardens at supplying plentiful food for your family.

This guide covers 3 different gardening methods so you can easily grow healthy, nutrient-rich, and vitamin filled foods like arugula, beets, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, chickweed, dandelion, green beans, kale, pomegranate, rosemary, berries, and more.

Whether it’s a short-term natural disaster, or a long-term infrastructure failure, you’ll do your family AND your peace of mind a huge favor… with this free special guide.

FREE GUIDE #4: The Shoe Box Garden – Retail: $39

This Free Guide is specifically designed for anyone living with limited square footage.

LOTS of Americans don’t even have a yard!

Urbanites, students, retirement communities…

Anywhere where space is at a premium.

We cover everything from the right “shoe box” sized containers to choose – for soil, light, water, and drainage considerations.

You’ll have brilliantly creative strategies to leverage hanging baskets, running planters, and genius tips for vertical gardening.

You’ll discover how to create an upside down garden – and the plants that thrive in them.

And we’ll show you how to easily build your own terrariums for growing healing herbs. These are indispensable in tight areas!

We’ve also included the 14 best vegetables that thrive in small spaces.

This Special Guide a must-have for anyone with limited square footage!

And it’s yours free when you order today.

Now, like I said, these Special Guides will be included in our next version of Backyard Healing Herbs.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is we’re going to have to raise the price of Backyard Healing Herbs by at least $15…

Just to afford the next round of printing.

My husband said our next order of books… is on us!

No more dipping into his retirement account!

Like I said, we had to pay for all 500 of these books UP FRONT.

To our surprise, they’re selling faster than we expected.

I truly want you to get your own copy TODAY….

Before we have to raise the price.

Think about it.

If you order today, you’re getting 4 FREE bonuses worth $156.

Plus, you’re saving $15 by avoiding the coming cost increase.

That’s like me handing you $171 just for ordering today.

Now before I tell you how you can get your hands on Backyard Healing Herbs…

Let me ask a very important question.

How much is it worth to you to see your family… healthy… safe… and free from the unpredictable side effects of traditional remedies?

If this book helps eliminate just ONE side effect…

If it finally allows someone to kick an expensive prescription medication to the curb…

Saving hundreds each and every year…

And providing the satisfaction that you weren’t lining the pockets of the big pharma fat cats…

And if it finally give you the peace of mind that you deserve… knowing you’ve done your best to keep your family healthy, safe, and strong…

How much would that be worth?

You could try buying all these health-giving plants and herbs from a retailer…

Which could cost you hundreds and hundreds of dollars…

But remember… MOST of what you can buy at your local health food store…

Doesn’t have near the level of health-giving nutrients your HOME GROWN produce will.

Remember what I mentioned earlier… over-farming… has ruined the nutritional value of MOST store-bought plants and herbs.

Or, you could spend months and months researching for yourself… spend countless hours of trial and error… trying to get the planting system just right… and trying to find the healing remedies that actually WORK…

And still be right back where you started.

But honestly… the costliest approach… is to do nothing.

The truth is… most people will simply sit on their hands…

And maintain the status quo…

Risking their health… and their family’s health…

To big pharma’s profit-pushing experimentation and mystery side effects that seem to pop up out of nowhere.

But… once you take in “Backyard Healing Herbs”… the possibilities are endless.

Now, I had a “marketing expert” approach me and tell me he could turn Grandma Mary’s knowledge into an exclusive weekend seminar… and charge $1250 a seat.

With so many health-conscious rich baby boomers out there… I’m pretty sure we could sell it out.

But frankly… Grandma Mary and I have very little interest in traveling around giving seminars across the country.

We honestly love spending time with our families way too much to do that.

These remedies were born from the idea that ANYONE…

Living ANYWHERE…

Should be able to grow their own remedies… right where they live…

No matter their socio-economic status!

So, there’s no way we’re going to ask you to invest $1250 in this system… even though I know this information is THAT valuable.

It won’t cost you $600, either.

Truth is, it won’t even cost you $275, even though my husband tells me that’s what I should charge to replenish his 401k.

Grandma Mary and I decided to do something that might sound a bit “off” to sales and marketing “sharks.”

We’re going to set the price of “Backyard Healing Herbs” at just $69.

But… while this very FIRST EDITION of the book is available… we’ll let you have the system for just $39 today.

The only way to secure your copy at this price… is to click the Add to Cart button now.

We can’t guarantee that it will be available tomorrow…

And like I said, once we sell out, we’re going to have to raise the price by AT LEAST $15.

So… don’t get upset if you come back here in a few days and see that the price has gone back up.

Especially since we’re giving away 12 months of unlimited email support.

In reality… the price is immaterial.

That’s because you’re covered by our “Grandma Strong” Money Back Guarantee for a full 60 days.

Here’s how this works.

Grandma Mary and I are asking you to just say “maybe”

To “Backyard Healing Herbs” today.

Get the book. Look it over and try it out for 60 days.

If you’ve ever read a table of contents… you have everything it takes to make this system work for you.

We insist that you MUST be completely thrilled with how easy it is to create your own pocket size healing garden…

But if you’re not… simply email us and tell us you’re unhappy…

And we’ll issue you a full refund with no hassle and zero questions asked.

What’s more… you don’t even have to send the book back.

Keep it as our gift for trying out Grandma Mary’s life’s work.

Now some might ask, “How strong is a ‘Grandma Strong?’ guarantee?'”

Try this on for size.

Grandma Mary is so confident that her grandfather’s system is the simplest and easiest system for growing a healing garden…

That we’re willing to bet our own money that anyone can do this.

So, if for some reason you tried to grow a healing garden using Grandma Mary’s system and couldn’t…

Just send us some proof that you at least tried…

And we’ll refund you whatever you paid for supplies… up to $150.

That’s how strong “Grandma Strong” is!

Has a doctor or pharmacist ever offered you a satisfaction guarantee like that???

Simply click the “Add to Cart” button below… enter your shipping and credit card information…

And you’ll get the 260-page “Backyard Healing Herbs” book rushed to your house right away.

So, that pretty much sums it up.

In this presentation… I’ve shared with you how Backyard Healing Herbs got its start.

How I first found a reliable, effective, all-natural remedy for my cholesterol.

How I discovered Grandma Mary’s healing herb system… passed on to her from her grandfather.

How he perfected it through years on the high seas visiting exotic lands and caring for the crew in his care.

And how… if you can read a table of contents… you can quickly and easily grow remedies for virtually any health concerns you may ever face.

How growing and formulating your own remedies can save you from the unexpected, dangerous, and potentially deadly side effects of big pharma’s profit hungry pill machine.

How you can save hundreds by avoiding copays and OTC remedies.

How you can even make a little cash on the side… if you choose to.

And I’ve even shown you how modern, scientific research has revealed that store-bought herbs are likely emptied of their vital, health-giving nutrients.

I’ve shown you how growing your own healing herbs can be simple, easy… and fun.

Plus I’ve shown you how having your own backyard pocket size garden… is the best way to insure you and your family stay healthy and strong… 100% naturally.

Now, I want you to consider one final thought…

For just a moment, I want to invite you to forget everything you’ve been told about medical prescriptions and healing remedies… up until now.

I want to invite you to think of your family’s health… not as a set of circumstances that funneled you into the medical industry’s traditional Rx-based approach.

But rather, I want to invite you to think of your family’s health… as a choice.

Now, do you remember that Robert Frost poem?

Perhaps you read it in high school… the one about “The Road Less Traveled.”

He spoke of coming to a crossroads… and taking the road less traveled.

And how THAT… made all the difference.

The way I see it, you stand… in this moment… at a similar crossroads…

The first road is what MOST will do: nothing… maintain the status quo…

Hoping and praying nothing bad will come from the Rx medications and OTC remedies you get at the local pharmacy.

I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t say I wished this was a reliable option.

I would be happy to be wrong… if it weren’t for the thousands upon thousands of Americans… who have been funneled into trusting big pharma…

And gotten little out of the exchange, except for the side effects that torpedoed their health.

And I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t mention that first road…

LOOKS smooth and shiny… because it’s been paved by all those profits big pharma they’ve been banking for decades.

This road has ZERO accountability… and ZERO guarantee.

Is that the road you want to take?

Of course, there’s a second road – and that’s to do it all yourself.

That’s what a friend of mine tried a few years back…

She spent hours and hours preparing… days and weeks planting…

And then “got busy”… and watched it all go down the drain because everything just got so overwhelming.

And that’s not to mention all the trial and error experimenting with remedies… that can get you nowhere fast.

Think about it: what’s the point of reinventing the wheel… if you don’t have to.

Why throw away hundreds of dollars and countless hours at a big unknown project…

When you could spend your time, money, and energy on more important things?

Backyard Healing Herbs lets you spend your time and energy where it counts MOST.

Not only do you NOT have to spend countless hours figuring it out for yourself… but you can be up and running in a matter of days.

If you truly want nature’s bounty to be your health’s best friend…

I’d strongly encourage you to consider the third road… the one less traveled.

It’s the one road that can… and will… make all the difference.

Because the results are real… so real, in fact, they’re guaranteed.

Backyard Healing Herbs is the most complete, simple, and easy approach to a healing garden…

Because it’s based on two centuries of healing remedies gathered from around the world…

And now backed by modern research.

Grandma Mary’s system doesn’t require a lot of time to set up and maintain…

It doesn’t require a lot of physical exertion…

And it doesn’t require any gardening experience whatsoever.

What it does require is an open mind.

Give Backyard Healing Herbs a try.

You have a full 60 days to prove Grandma Mary and I right.

Remember, you’re getting two centuries of healing remedies… in the most beginner friendly system imaginable…

Plus unlimited email access for a full 12 months.

As a reminder, you’re also getting the “Natural Healing Secrets of Native Americans” that will open up your eyes to a powerful world of natural healing.

You’ll also get “Wild Edibles” that will be invaluable in any wilderness scenario.

Plus, you’ll get “Veggies for Self-Sufficiency” that will help you provide a year-round source of nutrition for your family.

And you’ll get “The Shoe Box Garden” that will give you the strategies for growing a power-packed garden in the smallest imaginable spaces.

That’s $156 worth of FREE backyard healing knowledge!

You get all this… without risking one red cent.

Remember… Grandma Mary and I will pay YOU… if this system doesn’t work for you.

Imagine how down the road… you’ll be able to look back and give yourself a satisfied pat on the back for making a great decision for you and your family’s health.

So, if you’re ready to experience the obvious health benefits of growing your very own healing garden…

I sincerely hope that for your sake… and for the health and safety of your loved ones… that, like me… you’ll choose the road less traveled…

And click the “Add to Cart” button below.

Grandma Mary and I have a special message waiting for you in the member’s area…

Plus you’ll get another special bonus I’m beyond excited to share with you.

Click “Add to Cart” now, and we’ll see you on the other side.

Now, for just a moment, I want you to close your eyes and imagine living your life…

FREE from the fear of any number of unpredictable and dangerous side effects of pharmaceuticals.

Imagine your life… where YOU are in charge of the entire supply chain of your family’s healing remedies.

A life where you’re confident you can address virtually any health concern that crops up for your family… safely, effectively, and quickly.

Ultimately, it’s what you want, need, and deserve.

Imagine what it would feel like to have the joy of waking up every morning…

Knowing that your family… is in the safest hands of all: YOURS.

Imagine feeling confident that the remedies to virtually all your family’s health concerns… are growing in your own backyard.

All you have to do… is simply CLICK or TAP the button below…

And we’ll get your order processed and shipped within 24 hours.

When you click the “Add to Cart” button, you’ll be redirected to a 100%-secure order form utilizing military-grade encryption to insure your online safety.

You’ll then be able to confirm everything that accompanies your purchase today.

Once your payment is confirmed…

You can get instant access to a digital copy… start your backyard pharmacy right away… and start experiencing the peace of mind that comes from growing your own 100% natural and effective healing remedies.

Click the “Add to Cart” button below…

And Grandma Mary and I will see you on the other side.

[informationpalace]

Beaches Watched as United States Takes Measures toward Reopening

Numerous Americans congregated to the beaches on Saturday as one Florida county extended access and California endured a heat wave, even as new infections of coronavirus reached a record high in the U.S. the day before and deaths peaked at 200,000 globally. Hair salons as well as other shops reopened for a second day in Georgia, Oklahoma and some other states, as the nation's pockets tried to revive their economies after a month of government-ordered curfews. The tentative measures to restart life run counter to the concerns of many experts in public health who say the increased human activity could ignite a new outbreak of coronavirus infections, the respiratory disease triggered by the highly infectious virus. On Friday the United States reported 36,491 new coronavirus incidents, a daily record high, according to a report from Reuters. Global virus-linked deaths reached 200,000 on Saturday, more than a quarter of them in the US, the count reveals. New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, reiterated his caution that reopening businesses was risky too fast, while Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo pushed back as short-sighted against a protest at the State House in Providence, claiming that it might cause her to postpone her re-start date as early as May 8. Raimondo unfolded in a briefing, referring to the protest, “At this point to violate social distancing rules, it’s just selfish, If everybody today went out and violated the rules I will definitely have to push back the date at which we can reopen the economy.” Volusia County, home of the iconic Daytona Beach, opened lots for disabled visitors at its coastal parks on Saturday, one step in a staggered reopening that has so far limited its beaches to those who want to stroll, surf, ride or swim. County manager, George Recktenwald, had described the flexible parking provision as an incremental move in a briefing on Friday, and cautioned against community gathering. Yet one resident said that many beachgoers did not heed the advice. John Overchuck, 45, an attorney who lives with his wife and toddler daughter in a beachfront residence just south of New Smyrna Beach in Daytona Beach said, “I know they have rules and restrictions, but people aren’t listening, I walked on the beach 10 minutes ago and it’s packed. That wasn’t supposed to happen.” Overchuck said he is fearful of the influx of thousands of spring breakers and visitors who are attracted to Smyrna and other county beaches in normal times. Multiple parking cars and camping tents were already right on the sand, he stated. Heat Wave

A heat wave took thousands of Californians throughout the state to the open beaches in Newport Beach and Huntington Beach on Friday amid stay-at-home warnings and equally large crowds reached the beaches on Saturday. California Governor Gavin Newsom has vowed to adopt social distancing with those who visit the sea. Cuomo said on Saturday that his state began performing nurses, physicians, police officers, grocery clerks and other vital workers' antibody tests while also authorizing local pharmacies to obtain samples for diagnostic testing. The emphasis on research comes as the outbreak begins to subside in New York, the United States' epicenter of the pandemic, with hospitalizations dropping to their lowest in three weeks. Cuomo told in a daily briefing, “Twenty-one days of hell, and now we are back to where we were 21 days ago; testing is what we are compulsively or obsessively focused on now.” In a webcast of the National Academy of Sciences’ annual meeting, Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said, “Right now we’re doing 1.5 million to 2 million (tests) per week. We probably should get up to twice that as we get into the next several weeks, and I think we will.” New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said he would not reopen parks or beaches while his cases curve was "unnecessarily flattening," and indicated that he move slowly with the state's reopening plan to be announced as soon as Monday. Murphy uncovered in a daily briefing, “We need to see more progress and more slowing before we can begin implementing any effort to get ourselves on the road to the new normal that awaits our state on the other side of this pandemic.” Theo Walker, Atlanta's owner of Golden Anchor Tattoo, stated he posed the question of whether to open up to his creators and they voted yes. Walker said, “In an ideal world we would have loved to just wait at home until it’s all over, but unfortunately we all have bills that are waiting, and I did not want my artists to suffer anymore; We all decided it was time to get back to work.” Do not forget leaving your valuable comment on this piece of writing and sharing with your near and dear ones. To keep yourself up-to-date with Information Palace, put your email in the space given below and Subscribe. Furthermore, if you yearn to know about the attempt being made by Jack Ma to stop COVID-19, view our construct, ‘China's Richest Man Tries to Stop Coronavirus and Fix China's Repute’. Read the full article

[the-record-columns]

Aug. 7, 2019: Columns

The irony of stamp values and

 the visit from an old friend

While this doesn’t really relate to the column on this page, my visit from Carl Anderson, 88, clearly was the highlight of last week. I met Carl while working on the Mayflower apartment above The Record. He did an amazing amount of work, stripping old doors and furniture of multiple coats of paint, and then later, salvaging and restoring things from the horrible fire on E Street that destroyed our former offices in 2004. Carl has become a dear friend, whose visits are an absolute delight as we reminisce about folks we remember. This past Friday, his daughter, Carla, brought him by to see me, and I have no memory of an hour and a half passing that quickly. I am thankful to know and love this man, who truly has a heart of gold. Record photo by Ken Welborn

By KEN WELBORN

Record Publisher

I am an amateur philatelist.

Now, before anyone thinks I need to begin a hearty round of penicillin to get over that malady, I hasten to point out that a philatelist is stamp collector; the word literally means “lover of stamps.”

Many years ago, as a young adult working for Paul Cashion at the then Top 40 radio station WWWC in Wilkesboro, he introduced me to the stamp collecting hobby. I also feel I should point out that, for 99.9 percent of us, stamp collecting is just that, a hobby, not an investment. 

According to many sources, it has been the biggest hobby in the world since 1940, and, if for no other reason than that one, it is why I always emphasize that statement again; that it is a hobby, not an investment. Frankly put, anybody that wants a stamp probably has already got it, making the resale market thinner than a cheap suit. The folks who do invest in stamps, almost exclusively do so in stamps issued before 1940, and very carefully at that.

As an educational tool stamps are priceless.  Just about anyone or anything that is significant in any way has been commemorated in a United States postage stamp, and, if not by the good ole U.S. of A., there are countless other countries that issue stamps as well. 

One of my favorite examples of the learning value of stamps is the 13-cent stamp which commemorated the development of the “Pap Smear” or “Pap Test.”  Of course I knew of the test which had saved countless lives by detecting cervical cancer, but I had no idea what a pap was and was afraid to ask.  Turns out that the doctor who developed the test in the early 1940’s was named George Papanicolaou, hence the nickname “Pap Test.”

Another fun thing about the hobby is putting the right stamp on an envelope to fit the recipient. I always worked in an 8-cent Pharmacy stamp when writing to my friend Rick Brame at the Red Cross Pharmacy.  Of course everything can backfire, and, after a friend of the second lovely Mrs. Welborn showed up pregnant with her second child before we had even sent a gift to the first one, I wallpapered the box the gift was shipped in with 4-cent Family Planning stamps.

Her friend did not think that was funny at all.  Lesson learned.

Or was it?

In 1981, the Postal Service got a dose of what I got from the lady who had managed to get pregnant about an hour after she came home from the hospital with her new baby. 

On Aug. 19, 1981, an 18-cent stamp was introduced which read: “Alcoholism  You can beat it!”  The idea was to promote the fact that alcoholism was indeed a disease and that there were many avenues available for treatment.  It was a public education stamp, if you will.  However, many of the folks who received letters with this particular stamp affixed took great offense, as if they were being singled out by the letter writer as an alcohol abuser.  That word spread quickly and the stamp became an abysmal seller for the Post Office, and, after a time, thousands upon thousands were returned to headquarters, so to speak, and destroyed.

If I am not mistaken, the only stamp in the modern era that sold any more poorly than the “Alcoholism. You can beat it!”  version was the 1995, 32-cent Richard Nixon stamp.  The memories of Watergate and his resignation 20 years earlier were just too strong and, while I personally feel sorry for the man, not too many others did.

The absolute irony of these two stamps is the fact that because so many were returned and destroyed because of poor sales, this actually makes them a bit more valuable than most—simply because of this artificial scarcity.  To put it in perspective, in 1981 the alcoholism stamp had a production run of 97,535,000 stamps; the Nixon one in 1995 was 80,000,000; but the Ronald Reagan stamp of 2005 had a run of 170,000,000.  The Reagan stamp was unbelievably more popular than either of the other two, but today can actually be purchased cheaper by a new collector.

Now and then someone will stop in my office with an envelope or even a box full of full sheets of mint stamps that an uncle or parent had been buying up for 10 or 20 years.  They always look at me like a man from Mars when I tell them that a generous offer is face value.  At that point I get out my book of common stamps which features definitives and commemoratives back as far as 100 years. 

After they ooh and aah over them for a while, I explain, usually to their great disbelief, that I use these to mail letters—because that is after all, actually what they were made for.

Millions upon millions at a time.

UNESCO - condemning Israel and rewriting history

By EARL COX and KATHLEEN COX

Special to The Record

As Israel continues to come under physical attack from Palestinians in Gaza, a desperate situation for those living in southern Israel which is not being reported here in the United States, Israel is also at war on another front in an effort to keep history accurate. 

A favorite tactic of the Palestinian PR machine in their ongoing efforts to demonize and delegitimize Israel is the replacing of factual history with fake history. Working in conjunction with the greater Islamic world, the Palestinians are plotting a course to disconnect Jews, and by extension Christians, from the ancient city of Jerusalem and the entire land of Israel. 

For more than fifteen years the United Nations has been assaulting Israel’s connection to Jerusalem by attempting to rewrite history replacing historical truths with outright lies despite tangible archaeological evidence supporting Israel’s position.

The fight for the truth should not be Israel’s fight alone.  All who value freedom and democracy have an obligation to stand up against the diplomatic and public relations assaults being hurled at Israel and Jerusalem on an almost daily basis.  Fake news and fake history must be challenged and corrected.  The only force that will protect Jerusalem for all the world’s faiths is the modern State of Israel whose enemies throughout the ages have sought to forcibly erase all Jewish connection with the Holy City.  

Three years ago the Palestinian Authority, backed by Arab states, succeeded in passing UNESCO  (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) resolutions that essentially denied any Jewish claims to the Temple Mount and Western Wall - two of the holiest sites in the Jewish faith.  Throughout these and subsequent resolutions, Israel's Jewish holy sites were referred to by their Muslim names. 

The UN’s disproportionate assault against the Jewish state undermines the institutional credibility of what is supposed to be an impartial international body. Politicization and selectivity harm its founding mission, eroding the UN Charter promise of equal treatment to all nations large and small.

It’s obvious that the UN is corrupted and manipulated by Israel’s enemies as it continually singles out the only Jewish state for condemnation continually bringing forth unbalanced or redundant resolutions against Israel. It is telling that not a single UN General Assembly resolution is planned for victims of gross human rights abusers such as Saudi Arabia, Burundi, Turkey, Venezuela, China, or Cuba.  At a time when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his state-controlled media continue to incite their people to stab and shoot Israeli Jews and riot on Israel’s southern border burning fields and crops, the UN’s inexplicable response is to reflexively condemn Israel while remaining mute on Palestinian abuses.

At the beginning of this year, both Israel and the United States pulled out of UNESCO. Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “We are not going to be a member of an organization that deliberately acts against us.”

Previously, the United States pulled out of UNESCO during the Reagan administration because it viewed the agency as mismanaged, corrupt and used to advance Soviet interests.

History does repeat itself.  With the largest voting bloc in the UN comprised of Islamic countries, the deck is stacked against the only Jewish state in the world and the only democracy in the Middle East.  UNESCO is again being used to advance an agenda and further Islamic interests.

 Blackbeard and Goose Feathers

By CARL WHITE

Life in the Carolinas

When traveling I find adventures far more exciting if you are open to new experiences. I have some friends who are satisfied with going to the same place all the time. The same hotels, the restaurants and the same shows. Year after year the same. No need for change. I have come to understand the comfort of the why however is still is not enough for me.  

There are many places I enjoy return visits however I seem to be driven for the discovery of something new. I have the good fortune of necessity on my side as the telling of new stories dedicates that I visit new places and meet new people so that we can create new content to share.

I enjoy revisits to areas and adding new stories or updates to past stories. It’s a way for me to visit with friends I’ve made along the way and catch up on the progression of life. Often, we share those developments with our audience but not always. In this way we all get to know each other a bit better.  

This week was coastal.

We visited Bath NC for the 300th Anniversary Festival of Blackbeard’s demise. It was a two-day affair starting on Friday in nearby Washington NC with trial. The focus was on the question of, did Virginias armed incursion and the Royal Navy have the right chase Blackbeard into Ocracoke capturing him and executing him. According to noted historian and author Kevin Duffus the answer is NO.  According the jury the answer was NO, however the judge did not agree and the previous rulings of the crown was unchanged. To which “Long Live the King” echoed throughout the chamber.

Saturday was the big day in Historic Bath which was formed in 1705 and has the prestige of being the oldest town and oldest port in North Carolina. The streets were lined with vendors, many in period style, the enthused attendees were exited with all things Blackbeard. Our go to Blackbeard historian Kevin Duffus was the events primary organizer. There was a Blackbeard parade which boasts of having among other things the largest gathering of Blackbeard on Earth.  The display and earth-shaking boom of the six-pounder cannon being fired along the banks of Bath Creek was an experience unlike any other in almost 300 years.  

For the true Blackbeard traveling enthusiast the following week marked the annual gather of the Blackbeard Jamboree on Ocracoke  Island. Another event that attracts attendees from near and far. So, if you are like me and you have interest in the history of Blackbeard and the quest for historic accuracy or something that resembles it anyway there is a place for us in the Carolinas.  

It the midst of these Blackbeard adventures I had the opportunity to spend the night in Belhaven at the Bellport Inn B&B. Yvonne DeRuiz, the Inn Keeper, an abundance of stories of world travel and adventure. My night was spent in the Asia Room offers up wonderful collection of items acquired during Yvonne’s travels. The pillows on my bed were hand made by an 83 year on man in Budapest.

Yvonne told the story of the visit she had with her friend. They took the narrow steps leading down to his shop. When she told the master pillow-maker what she wanted he went to work. He grabbed a bolt of cloth, measured off the correct amount, cut and sewed. He then selected the feathers which he had previously hand sorted and in a short period of time the pillows were made. She witnessed the whole process and I had the honor of sleeping on those pillows. When I close my eyes and think about this story I see the man dressed in a suite with fine goose down feathers all about and with great pride he presents his handy craft to Yvonne and she now shares that feeling with guest from around the world who come to visit here in the little town of Belhaven.

 On to the next adventure we go.