July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month and various organizations are highlighting the disparities diverse populations face when it comes to mental illness.
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Sam Mazza looks forward to one thing every year: summer camp. Mazza, 15, has been going to the same camp, Camp Mend-A-Heart, since she was 9 because it’s the only camp that she and her family can trust to keep her safe.
It’s been said that Muhammad Ali’s biggest opponent was Parkinson’s disease, which many attribute to boxing, but it turns out what made and ultimately led to the death of the former heavyweight champion could help others in their fight against his deadly opponent.
After Christine Smith underwent brain decompression surgery in 2007, life became a little more precious, and clinging to it seemed nearly impossible for a while. Smith is living with Chiari malformation, a rare neurological condition in which her herniated cerebellum is bulging below her skull and creating pressure around her spinal cord.
With medical marijuana dispensaries opening throughout Clark County, Essence Vegas is hosting Wellness Wednesdays to educate patient card holders about a number of topics. In its biweekly workshop on June 15, chefs talked about edible products, explaining how to cook cannabis, properly measure baked goods so they have an even dose and what goes into infusing butter with cannabis.
Everyone kept telling local artist Ryan Brunty that Yerman — the name of the monster he created for one of his paintings — had sad eyes. They weren’t wrong: The drawing was the latest manifestation of Brunty’s own depression.
Someone with a mental disorder may be the last person to realize they need help. According to the World Health Organization, mental illnesses account for more disability in developed countries than any other group of illnesses.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 25 percent of U.S. adults have a mental illness and 54 million experience some form of a mental disorder in a given year. Patrick Bozarth, executive director of the Community Counseling Center of Southern Nevada, said that, particularly in a city such as Las Vegas, that disorder often leads to substance abuse of some kind.
In 1993, Henderson resident Linda Flatt looked for a support group to help her deal with her son’s suicide — she didn’t find one. “I went to a general grief group and I felt completely out of place,” she said. “I was in there with people that had lost their (spouses) after 60 years of marriage, and my kid had ended his life on purpose.”
Monica Gresser, owner of Brazen Architecture, wanted to know more about the stigma and social impact of mental health issues in Southern Nevada. Her firm has a community focus, and selfishly, Gresser said, she needed to know more about the subject. On April 1, she organized a discussion on mental health as part of her company’s series of community-focused discussions.
When Las Vegas resident Lynda Tache’s son, Grant, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, it changed her life. Once she came to grips with it, she started changing the lives of other families dealing with autism as the founder, president and CEO of the Grant a Gift Autism Foundation, named in honor of her son. The foundation plans its annual Race for Hope and Fun Walk for April 30 at Town Square.
Summer camp for most youths is about games and sports in the great outdoors and making new friends. Camp Vegas took that model and simply added designated times to check one’s blood sugar.
According to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America, in Nevada, an estimated 1,700 residents will be diagnosed with the disease this year. To help combat it, the inaugural Las Vegas Free to Breathe 5K Run/Walk is planned for April 23 at Sunset Park, 2601 E. Sunset Road, to raise money for funding research.
When Cindy Thompson trains puppies, the commands go way beyond “sit” and “stay.” She raises them to become assistance dogs for Canine Companions for Independence. The dogs have to learn 40 commands.
Home-cooked meals have a way of bringing people closer. Whether it’s a zesty side salad or a freshly baked roll with a hearty soup, it’s difficult to compare this type of lunch with a grab-and-go meal from a fast-food restaurant. For seniors, such meals are especially important, not just for their nutritional aspects but for the doors they open to socialization.