Family turns to cochlear implants for children

Posted on February 23, 2012 by crystalogormanwrites

The Charlotte Observer
South Charlotte News
Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Bill and Mary Beth Goodwin, residents of the Berwick neighborhood in Ballantyne, have two children who were born deaf and have recovered hearing through cochlear implants.

When asking about their first child, 9-year-old Emma, Bill said, “It caught us by surprise.”

Both parents said there were signs that something was not right, such as not talking and not walking until she was 19 months, but she passed her hearing test at Presbyterian Hospital two days after her birth on Dec. 8, 2002.

And when their concerns were mentioned to the pediatrician, because she passed that hearing test and was achieving other milestones, it was determined that nothing was wrong.

Even after the family moved to Minneapolis in 2004, neither the school district nor the pediatrician’s office could find a problem.

The Goodwins believe Emma had become aware of their body language and actions, using that to determine what they were saying or asking her, because she would respond accordingly.

Finally, evidence of her issues where revealed in July 2004. Emma was in a day-care setting, her back was turned to the teachers and she wasn’t responding. One of the workers went up behind her with two pots, banged them against each other loudly and she didn’t flinch.

After a month of testing at the Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis, it was determined through the use of an Auditory Brain Stem Response (ADR) that Emma was deaf.

Mary Beth Goodwin said she clearly remembers the audiologist saying, “Your daughter’s hearing loss is profound. … There are great deaf schools out there. Learn sign language.”

And she started crying hysterically. It was a complete shock.

“The child that you thought you had, you don’t have. You have to grieve the child you thought you had, to enjoy the one you’ve got,” Mary Beth said.

Bill said, “Emma would have to learn sign language, go to special schools. It’s like someone comes up behind you and knocks you out. You have to change your whole way of thinking. If we have to send her to special schools, how can we afford it?”

The Goodwins wanted to know the options available for their daughter, who was 21 months at the time. That is when they found out about cochlear implants and Dr. Paul Bauer, a well known ear, nose and throat surgeon in Dallas who was working wonders with cochlear implants. Mary Beth was working as a textile designer for Target in Minneapolis at the time, but she was able to find another job in her field in Dallas.

“At that point, I thought, we have a child with a disability, we have to do what’s best for her,” Mary Beth said. They moved to Dallas in October 2004.

By May 2005, Bauer performed the first cochlear implant surgery on 2-year-old Emma’s right ear. She received the second implant in her left ear Nov. 1, 2007.

“A normal hearing child starts hearing in the womb and starts putting words together. The first time she could hear was June 2005 (when the implantation was activated),” Bill said.

After many hours of speech therapy at the Callier Center at the University of Texas-Dallas, attending the Hearing School of the Southwest and the Goodwins working with Emma at home, things slowly turned around.

But to this day, six and a half years later, they continue to fine-tune her conversation skills.

In 2004, after Emma’s ADR test confirmed she was deaf; the Goodwins learned Emma’s deafness was caused by Connexin 26, a genetic disorder they both carried recessively.

“It was comforting to a certain extent, but you blame yourself,” Mary Beth said.

Harrison was born in Dallas on Oct. 26, 2008, while Emma was being mainstreamed into kindergarten. Bill, who freelances in TV production, said it was a one in four chance for Emma to be born deaf and a 17 percent chance their son would be born deaf.

Even Bauer was surprised when Harrison was pronounced deaf within days of his birth.

Fortunately, it was detected sooner this time. And his first implant was in his left ear within a week of his first birthday. Harrison’s second cochlear implant was at age 2.

Now both children are doing great. Emma is performing very well in third grade at Endhaven Elementary, and both receive support from Beginnings (www.ncbegin.org), a nonprofit agency that advocates for deaf and hard-of-hearing children from birth to 22 years old.

Through the experience, the Goodwins feel fortunate for the support they’ve received.

“The most important thing now is trying to let them be a 3- and 9-year-old,” Mary Beth said. “It’s all about achieving balance.”

Posted in Charlotte Observer, Family and Parenting, Health and Wellness, Human Interest, Newspaper, Traditional Journalism | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Gain freedom by saving money

Posted on February 16, 2012 by crystalogormanwrites

The Charlotte Observer
South Charlotte News
Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Alliance Credit Counseling, a non-profit organization located in Ballantyne, launches its Saves Week from Feb. 19-26 through its community outreach program, CharlotteSaves.

CharlotteSaves is a local savings and financial advocacy program that was derived from the national America Saves campaign, which was coordinated by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA). CharlotteSaves is the second largest municipal savings program under America Saves with 10,000 savers, said Susan Yarber, director of Development and CharlotteSaves.

“CharlotteSaves teaches people they can build wealth no matter their level of income,” she said.

The event’s theme is “Be an Everyday Superhero, Save Automatically!” and it encourages people to partner with local banks to set up automated savings accounts. Details vary, but most waive the savings account fee for CharlotteSaves members.

Besides the bank partnership, CharlotteSaves will also host a student forum at UNC-Charlotte’s Student Union on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. with speaker Brenda Williams, director of Financial Literacy for the NC Department of State Treasurer. This is a free event open to area high school and college students. No registration required.

CharlotteSaves hosts its annual luncheon on Feb 2312 from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at Blue Restaurant in Uptown with keynote speaker Tom Buckmiller, author of “The Everyday Superhero.” The emcee for the event is Terrance Bates, co-host on Fox News Rising.

Alliance Credit Counseling opened in May 2000 and its mission is providing “help, hope and empowerment to the financially distressed.”

Alliance offers free financial counseling from certified counselors on topics such as pre-home ownership (HUD certified pre-home ownership, charged only for HUD certification book), bankruptcy counseling approved by the Department of Justice and credit counseling.

In conjunction with the credit counseling, Alliance presents a debt management program where counselors work with your creditors to reduce interest rates and monthly fees, but there are fees for this program.

The only state and federally mandated criteria for these counseling programs is that participants cannot owe more than $275,000 on their mortgage.

Alliance is also the call center for the NC Housing Agencies foreclosure preventions fund.

Through CharlotteSaves, Alliance partners with other area non-profits like the American Red Cross, Charlotte Housing Authority, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, NC Employment Security Commission, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Habitat for Humanity providing their participants with presentations and one-on-one work with a wealth coach, whom are all certified financial planners, at no charge. The money received from their annual luncheon funds their Financial Literacy Outreach programs.

Alliance also provides free financial literacy on their website, www.knowdebt.org/.

Posted in Achievements and Awards, Charlotte Observer, Education, Events and Galas, Money and Finance, Newspaper, Philanthropy, Traditional Journalism | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Weight loss journey includes advocacy

Posted on February 16, 2012 by crystalogormanwrites

The Charlotte Observer
South Charlotte News
Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Sometimes your biggest challenge becomes your greatest gift.

This has been the experience for Stacy Cacciatore and her journey toward a healthier life.

Cacciatore, a 33-year-old corporate communications manager and freelance writer, said for her it was all about “going back to the basics.”

Looking back, Cacciatore, a resident of the Balmoral neighborhood in Fort Mill, S.C., said she realized she’d never had a healthy relationship with food.

She was an overweight child growing up in south Charlotte’s Starmount neighborhood.

And then in sixth grade, she had a substantial growth spurt and towered over her classmates at 5-foot-10.

Her height did have its advantages. It balanced out her weight and she even began modeling at 12 years old for Action Talent and Modeling Agency, gracing the runway for Seventeen magazine in 1990.

Modeling brought on a new set of weight challenges. Trying to stay slim and competitive, Cacciatore struggled with anorexia through her teens. With the support of her family, she overcame the illness by 17.

Unfortunately, her weight issues didn’t dissipate, and she gained weight steadily after marrying her high school sweetheart, Shane Cacciatore, at age 19.

The turning point for Cacciatore was when she looked at a photograph taken of her with two friends around Christmas 1998. She said she was standing between them and it looked as if she was as big as both of them together.

At 220 pounds, Cacciatore realized it was time to change her life.

“I had always hated exercise,” Cacciatore said.

As a teen, she was a cheerleader but avoided other sports.

Now, she realized there was nothing else she could do but get moving. Cacciatore started out slowly in 1999 by walking on the treadmill and eventually joined the YMCA.

By December 1999 she lost 80 pounds.

Little did Cacciatore know that she would have to lose the same 80 pounds again, gaining all the weight back during her pregnancy with her first child, Joshua, now 9. It wasn’t until October 2007, after her daughter Emily, now 5, turned 1 and stopped breastfeeding that she was able to start losing the weight for the second time.

With the help of Danielle Carlton, a former nutritionist at Carolinas Medical Center, Cacciatore was able to get back on track and lose 70 pounds by fall 2008.

One of the most important things she learned while working with Carlton was her food options, how to pair proteins with carbs and how to track her food based on quality and calories versus just tracking the number of calories, a poignant issue that haunted her during her bout with anorexia.

Now Cacciatore lives by this: “Focus on what you can have and not what you can’t.”

Her positive approach to eating smart and exercising regularly has changed her life in more ways than just the number on the scale.

Cacciatore’s first eBook, “Guilt-Free Cupcakes: Indulge Without the Bulge,” details how to make healthy cupcakes that taste good. She has sold about 100 copies since October 2011 through her publishing company, Stained Jem Press.

She also has a second ebook titled “Culinary Duct Tape” and another one titled “Candy Around the World” coming out before Valentine’s Day.

Cacciatore now loves to exercise, challenging herself to try new ways to get fit. She ran the Disney marathon in September 2011 and will run the Disney’s Princess Half Marathon this month.

Last year, she also began doing triathlons and placed first in her age category at the Baxter Triathlon and second place in her age category in Tri-Ballantyne.

“The old me would think it’s impossible to accomplish what I’ve done,” Cacciatore said.

This is why she advises those starting out to not get discouraged.

“Weight loss doesn’t always happen quickly, but if you stay with it, it will happen,” Cacciatore said. “Make it a part of your everyday life.”

Cacciatore encourages her family to stay active by spending time playing outside and doing yoga together.

She also serves as the community fitness chairwoman at Sugar Creek Elementary in Fort Mill, where her children attend school. For two years, Cacciatore has published a health and fitness newsletter called “The Right Bite” for parents and students. It includes activities for children plus recipes and tips for parents on how to help kids stay active.

Cacciatore said the best part of the process has been giving back to the community through what she has learned.

Posted in Charlotte Observer, Health and Wellness, Human Interest, Newspaper, Traditional Journalism | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Donnie Whittington: A Man of Integrity

Posted on February 12, 2012 by crystalogormanwrites

The Charlotte Observer
Cabarrus News
February 2012

Donnie Whittington passed away on February 15, 2012, but his legacy lives on through the many lives he has touched during his 55 years working at the Boys and Girls Club of Cabarrus County.

Whittington, who retired as Athletic Director in 2009, began his 65-year relationship with the BGC-Cabarrus in 1946, when he became a member at 5 years old. According to Valerie Melton, the Executive Director of BGC-Cabarrus, Whittington started working part-time for the club when he was only 14 years old in 1955.

By 1961, a 20-year-old Whittington began coaching 6, 7, 8 and 9-year-old’s football. E.Z. Smith, retired Head Football Coach for Concord High School, said that he was one of the thirty-five boys on Whittington’s first official football team.

Smith, a 58-year-old Concord resident, said of Whittington’s death, “I’ve lost one of my heroes.”

At 6 years old, E.Z. Smith said he weighed over 100 pounds. And unlike other adults and children alike, Whittington never belittled him or made him feel incapable of being successful because of his size.

“It was never about race, color or creed with Donnie,” he said. “He treated everyone with respect.”

Smith went on to play football for Concord Middle and Concord High School. He graduated in 1972 with a football scholarship to play for the University of South Carolina. All along, Whittington came to every middle and high school game that Smith played in. He even attended some of his games at USC-Columbia.

Smith explained that Whittington did this for all of his old players. He said, “He was a big part of everyone’s life.”

When Smith was named the Head Coach for the Concord Spiders in 1980, Whittington was one of the first people to call and congratulate him. He credits Whittington for teaching him the intrinsic values of coaching: sportsmanship, leadership, and playing hard.

Smith said, “The impact was not just athletics though, it was lifelong values.”

Joe Habina, Director of Operations at the BGC-Cabarrus, said he worked with Whittington for ten years from 1999-2009. His fondest memories of Whittington are when they would take the youth on sports-affiliated field trips together, especially the Charlotte Knights game about four years ago when Habina caught his first foul ball.

Habina said, “Donnie was one of my baseball buddies.” He said they would often just sit and talk about sports and the good ole’ days, when kids played sports just because they enjoyed playing them.

Habina said, “I simply enjoyed his company.”

As did many, according to Melton.

“There was so much seriousness about him. He loved the Concord Spiders and the Tar Heels. He was a great storyteller, and he was a jokester,” she said.

Melton said that she will miss him the most on Pancake Day, their annual fundraiser coming up on March 15th. She said that when her anxieties ensued on Pancake Day—which brings in around 5,000 participants each year—that Whittington always helped her remain calm. He was also an integral part of this fundraiser, she said. “It just won’t be the same without him.”

Melton said they plan on having a memorial display set-up for Whittington on Pancake Day. He was also named as a Lifetime Honorary Board Member and the basketball courts were named after him, Donnie Whittington Court, on Monday, February 13—just two days before he passed away.

Plaques were given to Whittington’s wife, Lannie Tucker Whittington, and his daughter, Kimberly Whittington at his memorial service—which took place on Saturday, February 18, 2012 at the BGC-Cabarrus gym, provided by Wilkinson Funeral Home.

Whittington, who died of cancer in his home at age 70, after deciding not to receive treatments, had asked E.Z. Smith to officiate his eulogy on Saturday, February 11, 2012—five days before his death.

Smith said it was more of a day of celebration. “The emphasis was the impact that he had on thousands of young men and women, and the parents of those children in the community. The impact he had on all of us; but the impact did not stop and will continue to move forward. It is our responsibility to carry his legacy on through our lives.”

Melton said that Whittington’s legacy will also live on in his last request. She said, “He wanted to make sure that every kid can take part in their programs through scholarships. He told me, when he was gone that he didn’t want a bunch of flowers, he wanted scholarships for kids to play football.”

Melton said that his philosophies in life: to treat everybody with respect, treat everyone equally and give everyone a chance to participate is truly expressed in this last request.

As of Whittington’s impact on kids, she said, ““Before you even knew to call it being a mentor, he was one.”

But most importantly, both Smith and Melton agreed, that he will always be known as coach.

To make donations on behalf of Donnie Whittington to the Boys and Girls Club of Cabarrus County, please mail checks to: Boys and Girls Club of Cabarrus County, Donnie Whittington Football Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 1405, Concord, NC 28026.

 

Posted in Charlotte Observer, Human Interest, Newspaper, Obituary, Philanthropy, Spirituality and Religion, Sports | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Foreign exchange can grow extended family

Posted on February 10, 2012 by crystalogormanwrites

The Charlotte Observer
South Charlotte News
Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Ever thought about opening your home to someone from another country?

Teri Kirkpatrick has hosted 10 au pairs and one foreign-exchange student.

From 1994 to 2001, she has hosted female au pairs from Scotland, France, England, Sweden, Denmark, South Africa and Germany. She also hosted a male au pair from Hungary.

Her most recent international guest was a summer exchange student: Cami Guiducci, from Italy.

Kirkpatrick, 50, a resident of Concord’s Beech Bluff subdivision and mother to 18-year-old Alicia Tapp and 16-year-old Drew Tapp, works as a full-time IT manager for Bank of America, but her passion is helping others experience the lifetime friendship that comes from hosting an international exchange student.

Kirkpatrick works as the EF Foundation’s local coordinator for the Foreign Exchange program in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties.

The EF Foundation, which has its headquarters in Cambridge, Mass., and has been in operation since 1979, has matched more than 100,000 exchange students with families throughout the United States and is designated by the Department of State an Exchange Program Sponsor.

In 2000, Kirkpatrick’s family, including her father and stepmother, traveled to Scotland to attend the wedding of her first au pair, Heather Campbell.

In 2011, Kirkpatrick’s daughter Alicia traveled to Italy as a summer exchange student, staying with Cami Guiducci’s family.

One of the Kirkpatrick’s au pairs, Rikke Donaldson, who came from Denmark to care for Kirkpatrick’s children in 1997, stayed in the U.S., went to college, married and now lives in Dilworth with her husband, Tom Donaldson, and their four children.

The Donaldsons hosted 18-year-old Sofie Iverson of Denmark – Rikke’s niece – as an exchange student from summer 2008 through summer 2009. Iverson attended Myer’s Park High School.

Though Iverson is Rikke Donaldson’s niece, hosting her as an exchange student let Donaldson see what it’s like to be a teenager in the U.S., which will help when her children – the oldest is 7 – reach that stage.

As a host family, the Quickels of Mooresville’s Pinnacle Shores learned quickly it was less about hosting and more about family.

Brought in at the last minute to host after the original family suffered an illness, the family of four welcomed the opportunity.

Andre Stark, the 17-year-old German exchange student who stayed with the Quickels, attended Lake Norman High School in spring 2010. He will return for a visit next summer.

Bo and Paula Quickel said they believe the most valuable experience is seeing how passionate their children – 14-year-old Mckenzie and 11-year-old Cooper – have become about experiencing other cultures.

Brad and Kim Couturier of Shepherd’s Vineyard in Huntersville experienced parenthood for the first time hosting Swedish exchange student Dan Ljungstrom, now 19, from August 2010 to June 2011 while he attended North Mecklenburg High School.

Kim Couturier, a 36-year-old executive assistant, said the most memorable experience was teaching him how to drive. Even though Swedish drivers drive on the right side of the road, there are still many different rules, which made for an interesting experience.

All these families were brought together because of Teri Kirkpatrick’s initiative to bridge global communities.

Posted in Charlotte Observer, Education, Family and Parenting, Human Interest, Newspaper, Traditional Journalism | Tagged , , | Leave a comment