Health

For Shelby Grimes, a 30-year-old single mom in Lufkin, her dependency on food for comfort started in her teens. “I used to dance and was very active in high school,” she recalled. “But eventually I got into different extracurricular activities, started working a job and my activity level changed a lot. I even lost a…

When John Gaston woke up that spring morning in 2015, something didn’t feel right. The 64-year-old was familiar with having shortness of breath because he had asthma his entire life. However, this shortness of breath, along with a lack of energy, was something new. John called his primary care physician and was examined later that…

Cindy Hilliard, 64, doesn’t exactly remember when the irregular heartbeats started. “It’s been about 5-6 years now, but I probably ignored them for quite some time before,” she said. A truck driver who crisscrossed the U.S. for 18 years, Cindy enjoyed driving, especially on her favorite route. She would start at her home in Winnsboro,…

Yvonda Gilliam, a 62-year-old resident of Troup, didn’t grow up overweight. As a youngster, she played all kinds of sports and enjoyed lots of different activities. Even as an adult, she was an avid walker and weighed an average weight. But that all changed in her 30s when she dealt with the dual issues of…

When expecting parents prepare for the arrival of a new baby, especially their first, they usually have a long list of things to do: paint the nursery, decorate the walls and put the baby bed together. For Hidai and William Sanchez, their list included all of the above items plus one more: William’s bariatric surgery.…

Chuck Winston finds joy in helping others. The 85-year-old widow and resident of Ben Wheeler spends a couple of days each week volunteering his time in the pain management department at UT Health Tyler. “I clean the beds, make the beds and roll people out to the main entrance when discharged,” said Chuck. He also…

Cancer of the uterine cervix is the third most common gynecologic cancer diagnosis in the United States. The good news is that the rate of cervical cancer has declined significantly due to widespread use of Pap smear screenings, HPV vaccines and the availability of precancer treatments. The cervix is the neck of the uterus, or…

While spending years on the road hauling freight as a team truck driver with her husband, Marie Graham kept trying to lose weight, but without much success. “We tried all kinds of stuff,” said the retired 59-year-old Tyler resident. “Medications, exercise, dieting – nothing would take the weight off. Since I also had a fatty…

Losing weight and developing a healthier lifestyle is a journey many people want to take. Thomas Martin is living proof that it can be done. The 67-year-old former gas and fuel oil plant operator has retired with his wife to their more than five acres near Frankston where he raises goats. He spends his days…

Our body is like a finely-tuned automobile. Treat it right and it can last for a very long time. But when you overload a vehicle with too much weight, the tires can wear out quickly and you face the possibility of a blowout. This extra strain also means the engine has to work harder to…