DiversityNursing Blog

It seems like just yesterday everyone was pouring ice water on their heads to promote awareness for ALS. This silly challenge went viral and even celebrities joined in to raise money for the research foundation. Good news, it is paying off! 

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive disease that attacks the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

The average life expectancy after diagnosis is two to five years, and currently there is no cure.

Two years after the ALS ice bucket challenge rocked the internet, however, things might be about to change. 

A project called MinE at the University of Massachusetts Medical School has just discovered the gene that's responsible for ALS.

Until recently, one of the biggest obstacles to finding a cure for ALS had been not knowing what caused the disease. Now that researchers can pinpoint the gene (which is called NEK1), it will be that much easier to figure out how to reverse and/or treat its effects.

This incredible scientific breakthrough would not have been possible had MinE not received a $1,000,000 grant from the ALS Association/Ice Bucket Challenge. 

As such, it's only right that we pay tribute to the many people who sacrificed their dryness and dignity for the greater good.

Over 6,000 people are diagnosed with ALS each year in the United States alone. But this discovery puts us a big step closer finding a cure.

It's mostly thanks to a meme — a truth-or-dare type challenge that many at the time called pointless. This breakthrough, two years after the fact, just goes to show that virality does have power, power that, when harnessed in positive ways, can absolutely be used for the greater good.

Imagine working for 72 years! This exceptional South Dakota Nurses did it. Her colleagues and patients honored her with a lovely surprise ceremony. We think you’ll enjoy her story.

In a nursing career that started during World War II and spanned seven decades, Alice Graber, 93, always made sure one thing never changed.

"It's always a thrill when you can help somebody else,'' Graber said.

The great-grandmother from Freeman, South Dakota, found out just how many lives she touched over the years when she decided to retire from nursing after 72 years last month.

About 150 people from the town of 1,300 showed up to honor Graber in a ceremony earlier this month at the Salem Mennonite Home, an assisted living home where she was working when she retired.

"I didn't know what to think,'' Graber said. "I was just flabbergasted."

"She touched a lot of lives," Shirley Knodel, administrator and director of nursing at Salem Mennonite Home, said. "She smiled the whole time, even though it was overwhelming to her."

Graber was the oldest nurse in the state, according to Knodel. Everyone from people whom Graber helped deliver as babies to retired nurses who were trained by her when they began their careers showed up to celebrate her career.

"We realized one of the children she delivered was now 52, and his parents still remembered like it was yesterday,'' Graber's daughter, Sharon Waltner, 67, told us.

Graber's father died when she was 9 and her mother passed away when she was 14, leaving her and two younger siblings to be raised by an aunt and uncle.

"I didn't have a very good life growing up, but my mother always said, 'You've got to get an education,''' Graber said. "I felt that it was a gift that I got into nurse's training."

On the advice of an aunt, she moved from Colorado to Lincoln, Nebraska, where she graduated from nursing school in 1944. A year later, she moved to South Dakota with her late husband, Wilbert "Jim" Graber, who died in 2006.

The couple raised two children together, and Graber now has seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

"My brother and I were always annoyed when the phone would ring and they would call her to come in and help at the hospital, but now that we're much older, we're very proud of her that she has been so persistent to pursue a career in health care,'' Waltner said. "What she does makes a difference in people's lives."

Graber worked at four different hospitals in South Dakota during her career, most recently working in assisted living and nursing homes. In recent years, she has been older than the majority of the residents.

She taught us a respect in putting the patient first, which is always what you want,'' said Knodel, who was trained by Graber.

Despite retiring, Graber remains as active as ever. She still helps feed residents at Salem Mennonite Home multiple nights per week and volunteers for several organizations in town. She also walks six blocks each way from her apartment to the Salem Mennonite Home.

"As a daughter, I'm sorry I did not inherit the Energizer bunny battery she has,'' Waltner said. "I joked that if she just worked in assisted living for a few more years, perhaps she could take care of me when I was admitted."

Related Article: Nurses Surprise 90-Year-Old Nurse For Birthday [VIDEO]

As a medical professional, you are all too aware of the use of antibiotics and how effective they are for treating a myriad of infections. They have helped relieve countless maladies for people all over the world. We want to share this article with you and we welcome your thoughts and experiences about what’s happening regarding antibiotics not working for some of your patients.

In early April, experts at a military lab outside Washington intensified their search for evidence that a dangerous new biological threat had penetrated the nation’s borders.

They didn’t have to hunt long before they found it.

On May 18, a team working at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research here had its first look at a sample of the bacterium Escherichia coli, taken from a 49-year-old woman in Pennsylvania. She had a urinary tract infection with a disconcerting knack for surviving the assaults of antibiotic medications. Her sample was one of six from across the country delivered to the lab of microbiologist Patrick McGann.

Within hours, a preliminary analysis deepened concern at the lab. Over the next several days, more sophisticated genetic sleuthing confirmed McGann’s worst fears.

There, in the bacterium’s DNA, was a gene dubbed mcr-1. Its presence made the pathogen impervious to the venerable antibiotic colistin.

"We’re seeing more drug-resistant infections. And people will die."

More ominously, the gene’s presence on a plasmid — a tiny mobile loop of DNA that can be readily snapped off and attached to other bacteria — suggested that it could readily jump to other E. coli bacteria, or to entirely different forms of disease-causing organisms. That would make them impervious to colistin as well.

It was a milestone public health officials have been anticipating for years. In a steady march, disease-causing microbes have evolved ways to evade the bulwark of medications used to treat bacterial infections. For a variety of those illnesses, only colistin continued to work every time. Now this last line of defense had been breached as well.

A second U.S. case of E. coli with the mcr-1 resistance gene was reported this week in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. Researchers are still working to determine whether it, or any of 18 other samples from around the world, contained the gene on an easy-to-spread plasmid.

Related Article: Kids Prescribed Antibiotics Twice As Often As Needed, Study Finds

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We know you are dedicated, kind, thoughtful, generous, patient, gracious and the list goes on-and-on about how wonderful Nurses are every day. We couldn’t get through our mental, physical and even spiritual problems without you by our sides. Here’s a story about a Nurse who went beyond the call of duty, as many of you do, in a very personal and life-giving way. Let us know your thoughts.

A young nurse recently saved the life of a total stranger by donating one of her kidneys.

In giving her kidney, Kate Burris, 27, Scottsdale, became the first altruistic kidney donor at Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center and part of a small, but growing number of people in the U.S. who give one of their kidneys to a stranger.

Jim Ensslin, 56, Peoria, received Burris' life-saving gift and was the 10th patient in St. Joseph's kidney transplant program, which received CMS accreditation in December.

"I just thought, I don't need this kidney. Somebody else does," Burris said.

After the March 22 surgery, Burris told Lisa Scharnow, RN, kidney transplant coordinator at St. Joseph's, that she wanted to meet the recipient of her kidney. Ensslin agreed, and the two met four days later, as Burris was leaving the hospital.

There was an "immediate connection," said Ensslin, who has lived with kidney disease for 17 years. "Kate's gift was the greatest gift ever. It will allow me to have a regular life, to keep going and not be sick the rest of my life."

Burris, too, was deeply touched by their meeting.

"I'm just so happy to see him doing well," she said. "It's not just him I'm helping. I'm helping his wife, his mom, his kids. I didn't realize how many people I was helping. It's an awesome feeling. I would donate again if I could."

Giving a kidney to a stranger was virtually unheard of 20 years ago when transplant centers worried about donors' motivation, emotional and mental health, and medical risks. Today, health care professionals realize that for some people donating a kidney gives the same kind of personal satisfaction that donating blood or giving to charity does.

In 2014, there were 17,107 kidney transplants in the United States, 11,570 from deceased donors and 5,537 from living donors, like Burris. Of the living donors, 181 designated their kidney to go to a stranger, 3.2 percent of all living donations that year, compared to 1.1 percent in 2001.

Burris, who is a nurse and a blood donor, said she first became interested in altruistic kidney donation while watching an old episode of Grey's Anatomy.

"As I was watching it, I wondered, 'Why couldn't I do this?'" After hours of research, Burris said, "I couldn't find any reason not to donate. The risks to me were so minimal that I felt the benefits outweighed the risks."

At St. Joseph's, Burris underwent a series of screenings to assess her physical, emotional and psychosocial health.

"We wanted to understand what was driving her desire to donate," said Scharnow. "We wanted to make sure she was in a good place to make such a profound decision."

Burris and Ensslin have both returned to work.

Ensslin, who said he has much more energy now, has multiple business trips scheduled in the next few weeks.

"Donors like Kate are important to the future of organ donation," said Dr. Jeffrey Brink, Ensslin's transplant surgeon. "There are far too few kidneys for the current need."

Summer is all about fun! Everyone should enjoy their time over the next few months, but please take a minute to be aware and safe while youdo. Consider water, sun and mosquito safety as well as preventing injuries in all of your warm weather activities. Here’s some information to help you and your loved ones have the best summer ever!

Master water safety

Water-related activities are popular for getting physical activity and have many health benefits. Here are some tips to stay safe while having fun.

• Learn how to prevent recreational water illnessesand help protect yourself and your kids.
• Help kids get H2O Smartz about water safety.

Drownings are the leading cause of injury death for young children ages 1 to 4, and three children die every day as a result of drowning.

• Always supervise children when in or around water. A responsible adult should constantly watch young children.
• Teach kids to swim. Formal swimming lessons can protect young children from drowning.
• Learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Your CPR skills could save someone’s life.
• Install a four-sided fence around home pools.

Recreational boating can be a wonderful way to spend time with family and friends. Make boating safety a priority.

• Wear a properly fitted life jacket every time you and your loved ones are on the water.

Beat the heat and sun

Heat-related illness happens when the body’s temperature control system is overloaded. Infants and children up to 4 years of age are at greatest risk. Even young and healthy people can get sick from the heat if they participate in strenuous physical activities during hot weather. For heat-related illness, the best defense is prevention.

• Never leave infants, children, or pets in a parked car, even if the windows are cracked open.
• Dress infants and children in loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing.
• Schedule outdoor activities carefully, for morning and evening hours.
• Stay cool with cool showers or baths.
• Seek medical care immediate if your child has symptoms of heat-related illness.

Just a few serious sunburns can increase you and your child's risk of skin cancer later in life. Their skin needs protection from the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays whenever they're outdoors.

• Cover up. Clothing that covers your and your child's skin helps protect against UV rays.
• Use sunscreen with at least SPF (sun protection factor) 15 and UVA (ultraviolet A) and UVB (ultraviolet B) protection every time you and your child go outside.

Keep mosquitos and ticks from bugging you this summer

Protect yourself and your family by preventing bites and diseases, like Zika,  West Nile virus and Lyme disease, which can be transmitted by insects.

• Use an effective insect repellent while playing outdoors.
• Make your backyard a tick-safe zone.
• Check yourself and your children for ticks. Ticks are easy to remove.

Prevent Injuries

Each year in the United States, emergency departments treat more than 200,000 children ages 14 and younger for playground-related injuries. Falls at home and on the playground are a common cause of injury.

• Check to make sure that the surfaces under playground equipment are safe, soft, and well-maintained.
• Supervise young children at all times around fall hazards, such as stairs and playground equipment.
• Use stair gates, which can help keep a busy, active child from taking a dangerous tumble.

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that can change the way your brain normally works. Concussions can occur in any sport or recreation activity.

• Learn concussion signs and symptoms and what to do if a concussion occurs.
• Make sure kids and teens wear the right protective equipment for their sport or recreation activity.

Parents can take many actions to protect their children's health and safety at home.

• Stay smart around the house by following tips on fire prevention, microwave use, and living with pets.
• Learn healthy home tips for each room in the house.

Young workers have high job injury rates. Hazards in the workplace, inexperience, and lack of safety training may increase injury risks for young workers.

• Know their rights, employer and teen worker responsibilities, and what teens under 18 can’t do.

Stop the violence

• Kids can use electronic media to embarrass, harass, or threaten their peers. Take steps to prevent electronic aggression, a term that captures all types of violence that occur electronically.
• As teens develop emotionally, they are heavily influenced by their relationship experiences, including teen dating. Protect your children from teen dating violence. Nearly one in 10 teens reports having been hit or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend at least once over a year’s time.

Children playing in sprinklers. A fun activity in the summer months. What could go wrong? Read on and find out.

An Arizona mother wants to warn other parents after her 9-month-old boy was accidentally sprayed with scalding hot water coming from the garden hose, causing second-degree burns to about 30 percent of his body.

Dominique Woodger said she was about to fill a little pool with water on Monday, as she normally does. When she turned on the faucet, the extremely hot water came out of the sprinkler head attached to the hose, getting all over her baby who was sitting on the ground.

"I thought he was crying because he was mad, because he hates when he gets sprayed in the face. I didn't think that it was burning him,” Woodger told ABC News.

Woodger said doctors say her baby will be okay, but she doesn't want other parents or children to experience the same pain.

"It's heartbreaking. It is. It sucks," Woodger said. "All of it was peeling. He had blisters all over the right side."

Parents, please remember to always touch the water from the hose before you spray it on your child.

Related Articles:  Practice safety around lakes, swimming pools

Ahhhh… don’t you love summer? On this 1^st day of summer, we think it’s wise to post this article about safety around water. Whether it’s a pool, the ocean, a lake, pond or any body of water, safety is a must. As a mother and lap swimmer, I had my son in the pool at our local Y when he was an infant. Swimming lessons followed soon after. It’s extremely important you know how to swim for safety reasons because you never know when you’ll be in a life or death situation around water. As a Nurse, you’ve unfortunately seen situations with tragic outcomes.

While many parents worry about their children’s safety around swimming pools, as they should and need to do, drowning incidents can also occur in natural bodies of water, says information from the U.S. Swim School Association.

Safety precautions need to be taken around all water environments. According to the Center for Disease Control, about half of all drowning incidents occur in natural water settings such as lakes, rivers or oceans. And, almost 75 percent of people killed in boating accidents die as a result of drowning.

As the summer boating season begins, there are steps parents can be taking to keep their children safer in the water. The U.S. Swim School Association has put together the following guidelines to help keep children safe while boating this summer.

• Make sure your children know how to properly wear a lifejacket. And always have children under 12 wear a life jacket at all times when boating or using personal watercraft.

• Personal floatation devices should always be U.S. Coast Guard approved. Never substitute water wings or other recreational type floating toys for an approved PFD.

• Create a water safety plan for your family and have water emergency drills with your children covering how to recognize the signs of someone struggling in water and what to do in this type of emergency.

• Teach your children the “throw don’t go” rescue method. Instead of entering the water to help a struggling person, teach your child to throw in a rope, reach with a stick, paddle or other object to pull the person in.

• If you take your kids on a shore excursion while boating, be aware of tides and currents and other risks the ocean or beach may have.

• Non-motorized boats can also pose a risk. If your family is canoeing or kayaking be sure your child is wearing a life jacket and knows what to do if the boat flips.

• If your child is playing near a natural body of water and accidentally falls in, teach your child to roll over on his or her back and float until help arrives if exiting the water is not an option.

• Never use floatation devices or water wings to keep your child safe in the water. Rely on your direct supervision.

Swimming lessons are a great addition to help keep your child safer while boating and around open water. For more information about swimming lessons and water safety and to find a Unites States Swim School Association member swim school near you, visit usswimschools.org.

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