Podcasts about american liver foundation

Public Health Careers podcast episode with Shanaz Chery, MS, CHES

In this episode, I speak with Allison about her health journey with PBC (primary biliary cholangitis) and life after a liver transplant.Organizations that we discuss:American Liver Foundation & Facebook support groups

Surfing the MASH Tsunami kicks off its 2023 wrap-up conversations with Jeff Lazarus, the 2023 winner of the Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award from the American Liver Foundation. He discusses three core MASLD-related opportunities for which he played a key role in 2023: the Research in Action initiative, the new MASLD nomenclature process and the Healthy Livers, Healthy Lives coalition.Most of this discussion focuses on Jeff's work leading the Research in Action coalition. As Jeff notes, this was the first time the MASLD "field has set its own agenda." Absent governmental or not-for-profit agencies driving the discussion, a group that has grown to over 400 collaborators published its own action agenda in AASLD and EASL publications. Jeff discusses the process through which he built this consensus, focusing on domains identified in earlier meetings: (i) treatment and care; (ii) models of care; (lll) increased awareness; and (iv) leadership. Jeff feels the legitimacy of this activity comes from "casting the net wide" with a series of Wilton Park meetings and from demonstrating how far MASLD lagged behind other non-communicable diseases in terms of goal development, structured support and public presence. Another key element in the initiative's success was a side event at the World Health Assembly led by the four major hepatology organizations, including not only AASLD and EASL but also APASL, and ALEH. Efforts to create parity with other non-communicable diseases will result in increased funding and "massive" increases in awareness.Today, the other NCDs mention other related metabolic diseases but not MASLD or MASH. Another example of the lack of urgency around MASLD: NIH just put out a call for funding for HIV, which Jeff notes might not be as high a priority in 2024 as MASLD.At this point, Jörn Schattenberg joins the conversation to congratulate Jeff on his recognition and award and also to discuss how important it is to the entire community that Jeff plays the role he does. In response, Jeff comments that one benefit of the Award is that it ratifies the importance of the kinds of consensus building and application of public health initiatives in MASLD space.From here, Jeff and Jörn step further forward to discuss the importance of funding prevention and education programs, done by governments in the EU and perhaps public or private players in the US. Jörn discusses the multidisciplinary nature of the Barcelona meeting they co-chair and how it provides outreach beyond hepatology. Jeff continues the thought to discuss the importance of social determinants of health (for example, food insecurity) in a world where healthy foods cost far more than more common alternatives (basmati rice costs 3x basic white rice).Roger asks how the new nomenclature is proceeding. Jeff says it is doing quite well in that there is significant global buy-in. Major centers around the world are adopting the new nomenclature for their meetings and clinics, but, Jeff notes, it is difficult for physicians to explain the disease to patients without using the words "fat" or "fatty."As the conversation winds up, Jeff notes the importance of bringing primary care to the education and outreach processes and the goal of doubling the number of patients screened over the next four years. The conversation closes on this note: much that must be done, but confidence that the energy to achieve these big goals is coalescing properly.

Fatty Liver Alliance President and Founder Mike Betel, a leading patient advocate for MASLD/MASH patients, joins Roger Green in our continuing review coverage of TLM 2023. Mr. Betel discusses presentations and events he found most valuable to patient advocates. He also discusses the new MASLD nomenclature and Fatty Liver Alliance's upcoming 2nd Annual Primary Care NAFLD & NASH Summit.The conversation starts with Mike paying the event a profound but slightly backhanded compliment. He comments that interest in some sessions was so strong that organizers did not leave sufficient space for everyone who wanted to attend. As he pointed out, even the "overflow rooms" were overflowing for some sessions! Mike then paid the event a profound complement: the content of the sessions, coupled with his ability to interact with Key Opinion Leaders, made for a meeting that provided him with insight and enthusiasm into where the field is heading. Mike shifts focus slightly to praise Madrigal Pharmaceuticals for the Public Service Announcement the company premiered at this event. He describes himself as "blown away" by the 2:30 video. Mike notes, and Roger agrees,  that virtually everyone he spoke with at the conference who saw the PSA felt the same way. In response to Roger's question, Mike offers that what makes the PSA so special is that it focuses on "a real person and a real community interacting" in ways that portray real-life with humor and, at the same time, commitment. He mentions a couple of specific items he particularly likes and goes on to note that as of the end of conference, the video had already received 500,000 views online. Mike goes on to discuss one scientific paper he found compelling, a presentation by Prof. Arun Sanyal about the Eli Lilly incretin triple-agonist retatrutide. He cites Arun's comment that in over 90% of the obese patients in this study, the drug reduced liver fat so much that patients' fat levels were defined as "normal." Roger goes on to note that there are three triple-agonists in development, the other two being Altimmune's pemvidutide and Merck/Hanmi's efinopegdutide.  Shifting focus, Mike congratulates Dr. Jeff Lazarus on being recognized with the Distinguished Scientific Award from the American Liver Foundation. jeff's work over his career has spanned major public health efforts in HIV, Hepatitis C, COVID-19 and Fatty Liver diseases, but his most recent effort was spearheading the Delphi process around the nomenclature change. Roger commends the work that Jeff, Ken Cusi and a few others have made in reaching across specialties and countries to foster and promote clinical care pathways. Mike commends a presentation by Jeff and Mazen Noureddin  talking about "a united voice for liver health." Next, the conversation shifts to discuss the new nomenclature, which received significant attention at TLM 2023. Mike comments that while nomenclature is moving ahead, widespread change will hinge on endorsements from regulators, professional organizations and the pharmaceutical industry. Roger notes two specific steps forward: a comment from George Makar of FDA that the agency sees the terms of interchangeability and reports from Profs. Sanyal and Quentin Anstee that the old and new definitions map identically for 95-98% of patients. The last part of the discussion focuses on Fatty Liver Alliance's upcoming primary care event. Mike discusses some highlights of the conference and tells listeners how to find it. The podcast ends with a call to action for community-wide engagement in liver health, underscoring the necessity for collaborative efforts to broaden the understanding of liver disease, enhance patient care, and adapt to the evolving medical landscape.

Today, we are joined by Brianne Calabria to talk about liver health and function. Brianne is a Board-Certified Integrative Health Practitioner for Ohana Wellness Company, providing a root cause approach to natural healthcare. The liver is a vital organ for detoxification. It transforms environmental toxicants, including BPA and phthalates, into less harmful substances that can be easily excreted through the kidneys and bowels. According to the American Liver Foundation, more than 100 million people in the U.S. have some form of liver disease. Without a healthy liver, your body can't adequately detox from the many harmful chemicals in personal care products and foods. As a result, we may start to experience issues related to those toxicants, including cancer and infertility. Learn more about Ohana Wellness's services: https://linktr.ee/ohana_wellness Get tested for BPA, phthalates, parabens, and other hormone-disrupting chemicals with Million Marker's Detect & Detox Test Kit: https://www.millionmarker.com/

Jen and Jordan talk with Lorraine Stiehl, CEO of the American Liver Foundation. If your child is facing a life-saving liver transplant, please reach out to The Children's Organ Transplant Association or COTA.  The COTA crew is looking forward to learning more about your family's Biliary Atresia journey. COTA works with families to lessen the financial burden of a life-saving transplant and support is provided at absolutely no cost. Please call COTA today at 1-800-366-2682 or go to www.cota.org/getstarted to learn more about how they can help. Resources from This Episode: Liver - American Liver Foundation Liver Function for Kids (liverfoundation.org) https://www.facebook.com/liverinfo https://twitter.com/liverUSA https://www.youtube.com/user/americanliver https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1384/all-info https://www.bareinc.org/

Don't hose me baby!!!!! Drew Nieporent, one of America's most respected and celebrated restaurateurs, is the founder and inspiration behind the Myriad Restaurant Group, which operates Tribeca Grill, Nobu New York City, Nobu Fifty Seven, Nobu London, Nobu Next Door, Bâtard, Porsche Grille at Citi Field, and Crush Wine & Spirits. Over the last 30 years, Myriad has opened and operated over 39 restaurants around the world, including Seattle, Louisville, Providence, Boca Raton, London, San Francisco, Moscow, Citi Field, home of the New York Mets in Flushing, New York.Nieporent's first restaurant, the groundbreaking Montrachet (1985), earned three stars from The New York Times and kept that rating for 21 years. In 2008, the restaurant reopened as Corton, maintaining its three New York Times stars and receiving two Michelin stars with chef-partner Paul Liebrandt at the helm. In May of 2014, Nieporent reopened the space as Bâtard with the help of chef- partner Markus Glocker and partner John Winterman. Earning three stars from The New York Times, New York Magazine, and a coveted Michelin star, the restaurant opened to critical acclaim. As 2014 came to an end, Bâtard landed at the top of several end-of-year lists, including the number one spot on The New York Times' list of "The 10 Best New Restaurants of 2014". In May of 2015, the restaurant won the James Beard award for “Best New Restaurant”.Tribeca Grill (1990), with partner Robert De Niro and an all-star roster of investors including Bill Murray, Sean Penn, and Mikhail Baryshnikov, opened to national acclaim and continues to be one of New York's landmark restaurants.In 1994, again with partner Robert De Niro and sushi master Nobu Matsuhisa, Drew launched Nobu New York City to worldwide acclaim. Nobu NYC, Next Door Nobu, and Nobu Fifty Seven have all earned the coveted three-star rating from The New York Times. Nobu NYC was voted Best Restaurant in America by The James Beard Foundation. Nobu has gone on to open restaurants in all parts of the world.Also in 1994, Nieporent was one of the few American restaurateurs to go bi-coastal. In collaboration with Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, and Francis Ford Coppola, he opened Rubicon in San Francisco.Myriad's excellence in wine service is widely acknowledged. It is the only restaurant group to earn three coveted Grand Awards from Wine Spectator Magazine - for Rubicon, Montrachet, and Tribeca Grill. In 2005, Myriad opened Crush Wine & Spirits, which was named the best new wine shop by Food & Wine Magazine.Nieporent graduated in 1973 from Stuyvesant High School and in 1977 from Cornell University with a degree from the School of Hotel Management. While at Cornell, he worked on the world class cruise ships Vistafjord and Sagafjord. In 1978, he began his management career with Warner Le Roy at New York City's Maxwell's Plum and Tavern On The Green. He then worked at the prestigious French restaurants Le Perigord, La Grenouille and Plaza Athenee's Le Regence.Drew donates his time to dozens of charities. He is on the board of Madison Square Garden's Garden of Dreams Foundation, Citymeals-on-Wheels, and DIFFA, an Honorary Chair of the City Harvest Food Council and Culinary Director of the Jackson Hole Wine Auction. He has co-chaired SOS's Taste of the Nation event in New York City since 1997. He has been honored by Careers Through Culinary Arts Program (2009), American Heart Association (1999), the Tourette Syndrome Association (2000), Food Allergy Initiative (2001), American Liver Foundation (2003), Cancer Research & Treatment Fund (2005), and Kristen Ann Carr Fund (2006). Drew is in great demand as a spirited, highly effective auctioneer at charity events.

Do you think much about your liver? Maybe after listening to this episode, you will! Not to scare you, but…Liver disease is a serious problem that affects millions of people in the United States each year. The American Liver Foundation reports that more than 100 million Americans have some form of liver disease, and it's among the leading causes of death in the U.S.Sooo, what is the liver? What does it do?The liver is our largest internal organ (the skin is our largest organ!) It's about the size of a football! Isn't that crazy?! So our liver does the heavy lifting when it comes to detoxing.Now detox seems to be the buzz word now, so we're going to talk about why. And it all goes back to the liver. Excellent Detox Tea30 Day ResetConnect with Jennie on IGConnect with a Healthy Living Community

How well do you know your liver? Yes, really.  In this podcast, I had a great time learning from the smartest 96-year-old ever! - Thelma King Thiel, RN, popularly known as "The Liver Lady". Thelma's crusade against liver disease began five decades ago when she lost her infant son Dean, to a rare and fatal liver disease. She has been a tireless advocate for promoting liver education and the prevention of liver disease for over half a century. She formerly ran the American Liver Foundation and Hepatitis Foundation International for a combined 30 years. Listen as she shares lessons about the liver and why she calls it the 'silent' organ. To learn more about her work, visit: https://www.liver-health.org/     Disclaimer: The views, opinions, beliefs, and resources shared in this podcast are those of the guests, and are not meant to be endorsements of the TIME with Fred Podcast.  

In this episode,  Carla S. Coffin, MD, MSc, shares her thoughts on the different investigational approaches under evaluation for their potential to achieve HBV cure, including entry inhibitors, capsid inhibitors, siRNAs, immune modulators, TLR agonists, therapeutic vaccines, and checkpoint inhibitors.Presenter:Carla S. Coffin, MD, MScProfessor of MedicineDivision of Gastroenterology and HepatologyDepartment of MedicineUniversity of CalgaryMedical Director of Calgary Liver UnitDivision of Gastroenterology and HepatologyDepartment of MedicineFoothills Medical CentreCalgary, Alberta, CanadaContent based on an online CME program supported by independent educational grants from AbbVie and Gilead Sciences, Inc. and developed in collaboration with the American Liver Foundation. Link to full program:https://bit.ly/3OGHvOv

In this episode,  Pietro Lampertico, MD, PhD, discusses what to do when treatment for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is not indicated, covering topics such as:The different phases of chronic HBV infectionWhich patients in different phases require immediate HBV treatment and which can be monitored without therapyThe critical importance of ongoing monitoring for patients who do not meet indications for immediate therapyThe tests and frequency that should be used for monitoring patients not receiving HBV treatmentPresenter:Pietro Lampertico, MD, PhDProfessor of GastroenterologyDirector, Division of Gastroenterology and HepatologyIRCCS Ca Granda Policlinico HospitalUniversity of MilanMilan, ItalyContent based on an online CME program supported by independent educational grants from AbbVie and Gilead Sciences, Inc. and developed in collaboration with the American Liver Foundation. Link to full program: https://bit.ly/3OGHvOv

In our last episode, we introduced you to Allison. She was dealing with:  Allison was dealing with brain fog, fatigue, and joint pain. She felt much older than her chronological years. Labs showed that her B vitamins, iron, and thyroid were all fine but her symptoms persisted. We spoke with Jason Earle who is the founder and CEO of 1-800-Got-Mold and has appeared as an expert on The Dr. Oz Show, Good Morning America, and Extreme Home Makeover. In that episode, he gave us so much great information about mold and debunked a whole bunch of myths around mold, how to test for it, and how to get rid of it. If you haven't listened to that episode, I highly recommend that you go back and give it a listen.  In this episode, we dive into how to regain your health once you've cleared the mold out of your house and have reduced exposure.    Exposure to Mold Through Diet Many of the symptoms related to mold exposure revolve around inflammation. Despite having dealt with the environmental exposure to mycotoxins and mold in your home, you may still be exposed to them in your diet. Grains, sugar, processed foods, and peanut butter. Removing these from your diet is the next step in detoxing from mold exposure. Doing a no sugar, no grains diet will also help reduce the inflammation that mold exposure will have contributed to.   Purging Mycotoxins from Your Body There are several ways to rid the body of mycotoxins after extended exposure. One is to purge them through sweat (exercise and saunas are great for this). Another is to take glutathione which will stimulate the release of mycotoxins in the body. Urine tests can confirm that mycotoxins are being released. Mycotoxins can be detected in blood and urine. You want to see the mycotoxins in the urine because that proves they are being released.  Jason cautions against believing in any absolute - any singular way to treat mycotoxin exposure. He personally had a bad experience with Cholestyramine despite others having reported being successful in removing toxins (along with removing cholesterol and other fats from the body). You have to find the approach that will work for you but Jason says that lifestyle changes may be the hardest but, in his experience, they are the most effective.    Treat Your Liver Well One of the parts of the body impacted by exposure to microbial VOCs is the liver. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is on the rise with an estimated 30% of Americans affected by it. The American Liver Foundation reports that about 100 million Americans have Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and that NAFLD is the most common form of liver disease in children (having doubled in the past 20 years).  Jason believes this is due to increased exposure to VOC (not just microbial but also chemical VOCs caused by off gassing from plastics, petroleum-based products and other man made products).  To protect the liver's health, decrease or eliminate alcohol and sugar. Use air purifiers. Get outside and work up a sweat.    Don't Ignore Musty Smells Jason reminds us that a musty smell indicates the presence of microbial VOCs. And, as was discussed in the last episode, it's not just mycotoxins we need to be concerned about. If there is a musty smell, then there are microbial VOCs present. Breathing these in along with chemical VOCs (which may not be detectable by odor alone) can cause health issues. It can cause inflammation, impeded breathing (especially for asthmatics), brain fog, and other health concerns.    Top Tips for Reducing Mold and Mold Related Issues To keep things simple, Jason recommends these lifestyle choices: Ventilate spaces well Use an air purifier Keep spaces clean (don't let mold accumulate - wet areas can go moldy in 72 hours) Eat clean (avoid mold harboring foods like sugar, grains, peanut butter, and processed foods) Exercise (sweating helps eliminate toxins from the body) Don't count on a pill (or magic bullet) to do the entire job Don't ignore or dismiss musty smells   Check Your History Jason became interested in the impact of mold on human health from his own experience. He grew up in a moldy farm house and was exposed to a lot of other types of toxins. As a result, he had asthma and many other health issues. It wasn't until he learned about mold, and was able to detox his system that he discovered what it felt like to be healthy. Mold may have been a part of your history too, think back to the buildings and spaces where you spent your time. This is the exposure to other environmental toxins you may have been (or continue to be) exposed to. These could have caused chronic inflammation and could be the root cause of your health issues.    Are you Exposed to Mold? The first step to eliminating mold exposure is to check the environments you spend most of your time in. Jason's company has a mold testing kit that you can find using this link. You'll also find free resources there including an ebook that will help you feel even more informed and in control of your situation. It's important to check your information sources because there is a lot of misinformation out there in this vast and somewhat unregulated field.    Mystery Solved  In Allison's case, we first worked with a certified mold inspector to find what was really going on and then she hired a mold remediator (who was not associated with the inspector) to have things properly cleaned and remediated. She got air purifiers to improve her indoor air quality. From a nutrition perspective, we ran some tests and found that her mitochondria were not functioning well (super common with mold exposure cases - especially those with sensitivities). We decided on a bottom-to-top approach. We first supported her bowels to ensure she is eliminating regularly. We then supported drainage of the liver with bile acids with Advanced TUDCA by CellCore. Along with this, we used their Biotoxin Binder which is a water soluble binder and does not include any charcoal.  After this we supported her liver, kidney and lymphatic system with KL Support and LymphActiv and worked on the mitochondria with molecular hydrogen and Mitochondrial NRG from Designs for Health.   Happy Ending The results for Allison were fantastic. As we were finishing up the protocol, she reported that her joint pain was completely gone (she'd already forgotten how bad it had been only weeks before). Now that her home environment has been cleared and her body is back in balance, she's thrilled to be feeling better again.    Eliminating Health Mysteries For Allison's case we were able to find that missing piece of the health puzzle and help her regain her health. Could this be the missing clue for you or someone in your life?    Links: Thanks to my guest Jason Earle. You can connect with him, access the Got Mold Test Kit as well as the free ebook on his website: https://www.gotmold.com/mysteriessolved/ Suggested Products: Advanced TUDCA BioToxin Binder by CellCore KL Support LymphActiv  Molecular H2 Mitochondrial NRG   Related Podcast Episodes: Busting the Biggest Myths about Mold and Mycotoxins The Case of Hidden Mold w/ Dr. Tim Jackson The Case of the Dizzy, Tired, Confused Brain w/ Evan Brand The Case of Becoming a Health Self-Advocate with Misty Williams   Thanks for Listening If you like what you heard, please rate and review this podcast. Every piece of feedback not only helps me create better shows, it helps more people find this important information.   Never miss an episode -  Subscribe NOW to Health Mysteries Solved with host, Inna Topiler on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts and remember to rate and review the show! Find out more at http://healthmysteriessolved.com   PLEASE NOTE All information, content, and material on this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Some of the links provided are affiliate links. This means we may make a very small amount of money should you choose to buy after clicking on them. This will in no way affect the price of the product but it helps us a tiny bit in covering our expenses. 

With the unexpected and tragic passing of Naomi Judd this past weekend, I thought it only fitting to chat about the amazing woman that she was and all that she helped contribute to country music. I loved learning about Naomi through all the information from her Wikipedia page encompassing all the amazing awards and accolades that she received throughout her magnificently talented 76 years. Not only a remarkable mother to Wynonna and Ashley, but she brought such a light to the advocacy of her Hepatitis C diagnosis and gave to herself to many organizations like the American Liver Foundation as a spokeswoman. As of May1, 2022, The Judds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, what a dynamic tribute. Naomi & Wynonna Judd's 10 Essential Songs (in no particular order): "Have Mercy" (1985) "Mama He's Crazy" (1984) "Maybe Your Baby's Got the Blues" (1987) "Why Not Me" (1984) "Girls Night Out" (1984) "Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)" (1986) "Love Can Build a Bridge" (1990) "Cry Myself to Sleep" (1985) "Rockin' With the Rhythm of the Rain" (1985) "Young Love (Strong Love)" (1989) Huge thanks to Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naomi_Judd and Rolling Stone for this amazing article written by JONATHAN BERNSTEIN, STEPHEN L. BETTS, JON FREEMAN & JOSEPH HUDAK on https://tinyurl.com/RollingStoneNaomiJudd. Please find remarkable resources for your mental state in any / all ways that you can. Better Help (not sponsored) is a great resource for all kinds of ways to speak to amazing therapists through text, video or phone chats and they are frequently available. As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, I would like to highlight some great resources as well; National Suicide Prevention Lifeline available 24 hours in English and Spanish and you're welcome to call or chat; 800-273-8255 with the full website here: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=onebox Thank you for listening to this weeks women to watch Wednesday, I feel like there are a ton of ways that we are able to support each other by highlighting not only amazing badass women in our local communities but learning from those who are blazing their own trails throughout their industries just as Naomi did. I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to be chat this week and highlighting such a legend. Some amazing Spotify https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DZ06evO4C55rG?si=8e218b10c5b040e2 that I love including the Judd's! In other housekeeping news: Things I like that you should fucking buy this week is my stellar handpainted hat by @pipperberlinhatco, my girl Christina Hinnant is so damn talented and you should check her out.

In this episode, Norah Terrault, MD, MPH, and a patient who has been cured of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection discuss the importance of universal HCV testing for all adults, as well as the ease of curative therapies and the benefits of living with improved liver function post cure. This insightful discussion underscores how perceptions around HCV transmission risks and lack of symptoms serve as barriers to adequate screening and diagnosis, preventing curative treatment for many people with undiagnosed disease. The conversation also highlights the critical role of patient education and self-advocacy related to HCV infection, including what patients need to know and expect following cure.Presenters:Shelley RossellNorah Terrault, MD, MPHProfessor of MedicineChief of Gastrointestinal and Liver DiseasesUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaContent is based on an online CME program supported by independent educational grants from AbbVie and Gilead Sciences, Inc. and developed in collaboration with the American Liver Foundation. Link to full program:https://bit.ly/3OGHvOv

In this episode, Oluwaseun Falade-Nwulia, MBBS, MPH, and a patient with previous injection drug use who has been cured of HCV infection discuss critical barriers that are preventing more people with current or previous injection drug use from receiving appropriate HCV care.This insightful discussion underscores the negative effects of stigma toward people who inject drugs that exist in many clinical settings, the important role that socioeconomic factors such as transportation access and stable housing play in preventing access to HCV care, the effects of insufficient staffing at many addiction treatment centers, and the need for creative solutions to overcome these barriers.Presenter:Oluwaseun Falade-Nwulia, MBBS, MPH  Associate ProfessorDivision of Infectious DiseasesJohns Hopkins University School of MedicineAttendingDivision of Infectious DiseasesJohns Hopkins HospitalBaltimore, MarylandContent based on an online CME program supported by independent educational grants from AbbVie and Gilead Sciences, Inc. and developed in collaboration with the American Liver Foundation.Link to full program:https://bit.ly/3KmJvZt

Andrea Wilson Woods is a writer who loves to tell stories, and a patient advocate who founded the nonprofit Blue Faery: The Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Association. Andrea is the CEO and co-founder of Cancer University, a for-profit, social-benefit, digital health company. With Cancer U, Andrea synergizes her talents of coaching, writing, teaching, and advocacy. For over ten years, Andrea worked in the education field as a teacher and professor for public and private schools as well as universities. Andrea obtained her master's degree in professional writing from the University of Southern California; her nonfiction writing has won national awards. Her new book, a medical memoir titled Better Off Bald: A Life in 147 Days, is a #1 Bestseller on Amazon in multiple categories.Andrea Bio:In 2002, Andrea founded Blue Faery: The Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Association after losing her 15-year-old sister Adrienne, whom she raised for seven years, to stage IV liver cancer. Blue Faery's mission is to prevent, treat, and cure primary liver cancer, specifically hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), through research, education, and advocacy. Andrea established the articles of incorporation; wrote the bylaws, mission statement, and goals; and developed the organizational structure of the corporation. Currently, she attends board meetings, serves on committees, stays informed about liver cancer, and governs the organization. Andrea represents Blue Faery and its mission at conferences, seminars, and special events. Blue Faery has been honored for community service by U.S. Congressman Adam B. Schiff, California State Senator Jack Scott, and the County of Los Angeles, and was inducted into the Burbank Business Hall of Fame for receiving the Best of Burbank Charity Award from 2013 – 2017.Since serving on an HCC Patient Advisory Board for Eli Lilly in 2014, Andrea has received numerous scholarships to attend various conferences around the country to tell her story, increase her knowledge, advocate for more funding, and continue her professional development. Organizations that have granted scholarships/sponsorships include Academy Health, American Association for Cancer Research, American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Liver Foundation, Caring Ambassadors, Conquer Cancer Foundation, Global Liver Institute, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable, and more.In 2017, Andrea won an e-Patient scholarship for Stanford Medicine X where she presented her talk, “How Euphemisms Help Us Deal With Death.” More recently, she spoke to more than 100 liver cancer researchers at the Hepatobiliary Cancers: Pathology and Translational Advances conference sponsored by Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. Her presentation titled “Why We Need To Choose To Cure Liver Cancer” left the room speechless.As a patient advocate, Andrea serves on many committees and advisory boards including NCI Hepatobiliary Task Force, Target Pharma Solutions HCC Advisory Board, and ASCO's Systemic Therapy for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Guideline Panel. She is a patient advocate representative on the Mayo Clinic Hepatobiliary SPORE, which is devoted to improving the diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer and bile duct cancer. Andrea serves as a Consumer Reviewer on the Department of Defense's Peer-Reviewed Cancer Research Program. Andrea represents Blue Faery as a member of AASLD, ASCO, Deadliest Cancers Coalition, and GI Cancers Alliance. She was formerly a member and co-chair of the awareness group of the Liver Cancer Roundtable. Currently, Andrea is the only American serving on the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network's Liver Cancer Advisory Council. She is also a WEGO Health Expert and member of the International Coach Federation.

In this episode,  Heiner Wedemeyer, MD, discusses HDV epidemiology beyond the United States, the features of HDV/HBV pathology, insights into screening and diagnostic approaches, key aspects of disease staging, new treatment options, and important remaining clinical questions regarding optimal management of HDV.Presenter:Heiner Wedemeyer, MDProfessor and ChairmanDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and EndocrinologyHannover Medical SchoolHannover, GermanyContent based on an online CME program supported by independent educational grants from AbbVie and Gilead Sciences, Inc. and developed in collaboration with the American Liver Foundation. Link to full program:https://bit.ly/3KmJvZt

To donate to the American Liver Foundation and support Nick's journey to the Boston Marathon click here: https://liverlifechallenge.org/boston/support/#nickTo talk to Nick about an insurance quote check out this link: https://link.insurgrid.com/the-acosta-agencySupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/out-of-the-rut/donations

On this Sunday Edition of Sumner County Spotlight we take a look at Liver Transplant with Steve Baum with the American Liver Foundation and The President and CEO of the Hendersonville Area Chamber of Commerce and Kathleen Hawkins, a recent transplant recipient.

Dr. Jeanine Cook-Garard learns about liver disease and The American Liver Foundation’s Greater New York Division, with Dr. David Bernstein, Chief of Hepatology, and Director of the Sandra Atlas Bass Center for Liver Disease at Northwell Health, and a member of the Foundation’s Medical Advisory Committee.

Dr. Jeanine Cook-Garard learns about liver disease and The American Liver Foundation’s Greater New York Division, with Dr. David Bernstein, Chief of Hepatology, and Director of the Sandra Atlas Bass Center for Liver Disease at Northwell Health, and a member of the Foundation’s Medical Advisory Committee.

The word “team” has become loosely defined and commonly misused in the real estate industry these days. Today's guest, Scott Curcio, founder and team leader of Scott Curcio Residential, helps us understand what is truly necessary to make a team successful: it is about a group of agents having a shared vision and commitment to serve a community of clients, and create meaningful Iives for themselves and families while doing so. This clear vision has guided Scott and his team to numerous awards as they continue to reach new levels of success, together. When all members believe in the vision, the sky is the limit! If you're thinking about joining a real estate team, take a listen and learn what to look for in a team, and also what may be expected of you as a team member. #NoPlanB ---------- Connect with Scott ➡️ Instagram: @scottcurcio Facebook: @scottcurcio Website: ScottCurcio.com Email: scott@scottcurcio.com ---------- About Scott Curcio ➡️ Scott Curcio and his dynamic team of professionals offer more than 35 years of combined experience and are amongst the Top 1% of Realtors in Chicago. Now with Baird & Warner Real Estate, he was among the top ranks of his former brokerage, earning International President's Elite designation as the top 2% of brokers, and being recognized as among the top 500 brokers within NRT (out of 47,000 agents). Well respected for his integrity, professionalism and superior attention to detail, his focus on client needs & support has won him praise year after year. An expert in power pricing, staging & strategic marketing, Scott has experience across a wide range of property types. He's sold homes in Chicago's most popular neighborhoods, from the Gold Coast, Lincoln Park & Lakeview, to the West Loop, Edgewater & Lincoln Square. He's also sold more homes in Chicago's Avondale neighborhood since 2013, and maintains his position as the #1 Agent there. Annually, 40-50% of our homes sell with multiple offers and more than 60% sell in under 3 weeks. Simply put, Scott continues to deliver impressive results for his clients. As a result, the majority of his business comes from referrals from past clients. A former rower, Scott was a board member and founder of Chicago Rowing Union (a non-profit rowing organization) and has participated in fundraising endurance events for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and the American Liver Foundation. He's lived in Evanston, Roscoe Village, Avondale and Lincoln Square, and currently resides with his husband in Edgewater in an 1899 Remodeled Victorian home. Scott is a proud graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. ---------- Awards & Honors ➡️ Scott Curcio and his team had a record year in 2019, and were awarded with the prestigious “Silver Level in Units and Volume” by the Chicago Association of Realtors.

Scarring of the liver leads to numerous health concerns and in this podcast, Dr. Friedman addresses these concerns and ways pharmaceutical companies are trying to prevent these diseases. He tells listeners How nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is one component of the umbrella term Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and why that's important, How metabolic syndrome connects to these liver issues and why type 2 diabetes as an accompanying disease is of special concern, and How pharmaceutical companies are targeting scarring prevention with a new drug.  Dr. Scott L. Friedman is the Dean for Therapeutic Discovery and Chief of the Division of Liver Diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He has worked to address liver diseases since 1984 and considers himself a physician scientist who oversees clinical trials and program. He explains that the liver gets scarred as a consequence of a variety of insults, from hepatitis A and B to alcoholic disease to NAFLD and NASH. Progressive inflammation leads to scarring and then advanced scarring known as cirrhosis.  He tells listeners that any disease of the liver often begins with a fatty liver and explains the physiology of this, how liver regeneration can be impeded by fatty liver, and how the liver functions to handle any toxins that enter our bodies.  He says that the main fibrotic or scaring disease targeted by pharmaceutical companies is NASH, which falls under the umbrella term NAFLD. He adds that a disease that is rising worldwide and part of liver disease is a full body disease known as metabolic syndrome, which includes type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other issues. He explains why liver disease is often overlooked and why this is a problem. He finishes with mentioning some new drugs, one of which should be available soon, to prevent this scarring. For more, see helpful groups that address liver issues such as the American Liver Foundation, the Mt. Sinai web site, the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, and the Fatty Liver Foundation.

Bill Horan and Corey Kaufman talk about liver disease and an organization with a Long Island chapter looking to help people who suffer from it, and their families, too.. The American Liver Foundation’s Greater New York Division guests include Veronica Perez, Executive Director, and Dr. David Bernstein, Chief of Hepatology and Director of the Sandra Atlas Bass Center for Liver Disease at Northwell Health and member of the Foundation’s Medical Advisory Committee.

We hear about the heart, and heart disease the kidneys and diabetes but the Liver not so much. Did you know if you're a baby boomer you are 5 times more likely to have hepatitis C than other adults. Hepatitis C can lead to liver damage, cirrhosis, and even liver cancer. In our first segment – Loraine Ballard Morrill speaks with Ivory Allison Executive Director American Liver Foundation, Mid-Atlantic Division.https://liverfoundation.org/alf-mid-atlantic/

Join Liz Cruz M.D. and Tina Nunziato, Certified Holistic Nutrition Consultant, as they discuss their evening at the Flavors of Phoenix raising money for the American Liver Foundation. Hear about the event itself and what they learned about the liver! Dr. Cruz is a Board Certified Gastroenterologist who practices in Phoenix, AZ. Along with Tina's help they have created a 3-Step Program and Online Community that are changing the way people approach their digestive issues. For more information visit www.digestthispodcast.com or www.drlizcruz.com. Enjoy the show! Dr. Liz Cruz and Tina Nunziato, CHNC www.drlizcruz.com

Are you at risk for hepatitis C?Hepatitis C is a blood infection that arises from tainted blood supply. It has virtually no symptoms until it is late-stage. It could also be spread by dental equipment and ear piercing equipment from past years. Sharing razors, toothbrushes and nail clippers can also transmit the disease.Get tested if you were born between 1945 and 1965. Most insurers will pay for a one-time test for baby boomers. Your primary care provider can administer a blood test.Treatment is typically one to two pills per day, which is roughly $1 per pill. It takes eight to twelve weeks for treatment. There is some difficulty with insurance covering this expense, even though it can prevent worsened liver conditions.Listen in as Tom Nealon of the American Liver Foundation discusses hepatitis C prevalence and risk.

There are several clues your body gives off when your liver is shutting down and is in need of a transplant.Your liver is the second largest organ in your body and has several jobs in order to keep your body running efficiently. One of the main functions is processing your food (and beverages) into energy.You absolutely need your liver in order to survive.A liver transplant is a surgical procedure to remove your diseased liver and replace it with a healthy liver from a donor.According to the American Liver Foundation, more than 6,000 liver transplants are performed each year in the U.S.Why would you need a liver transplant?Most patients who need a liver transplant are those who suffer from chronic liver disease. The second most common reason is if you have liver cancer that cannot be treated with a partial transplant.There are several clues your body gives off when your liver is shutting down or is in need of a transplant. If your skin turns yellow, you bruise or bleed easily, increased forgetfulness or confusion, throwing up blood, if you are tired or weak, if you're losing weight and if you are passing black stools.If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is crucial that you get yourself to an emergency room as soon as possible.After you've been put on the waiting list and your time has come for a transplant, you will be notified as early as six hours before the procedure. The operation will take roughly 12 hours you will most likely spend six to nine days in the hospital before you can be released.What else do you need to know about liver transplants?William C. Chapman, MD, FACS, joins Melanie Cole, MS, to discuss the importance of your liver, the symptoms that indicate you need a liver transplant, the length of the donor waiting list and everything you need to know about having a liver transplant.

There are several clues your body gives off when your liver is shutting down and is in need of a transplant.Your liver is the second largest organ in your body and has several jobs in order to keep your body running efficiently. One of the main functions is processing your food (and beverages) into energy.You absolutely need your liver in order to survive.A liver transplant is a surgical procedure to remove your diseased liver and replace it with a healthy liver from a donor.According to the American Liver Foundation, more than 6,000 liver transplants are performed each year in the U.S.Why would you need a liver transplant?Most patients who need a liver transplant are those who suffer from chronic liver disease. The second most common reason is if you have liver cancer that cannot be treated with a partial transplant.There are several clues your body gives off when your liver is shutting down or is in need of a transplant. If your skin turns yellow, you bruise or bleed easily, increased forgetfulness or confusion, throwing up blood, if you are tired or weak, if you're losing weight and if you are passing black stools.If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is crucial that you get yourself to an emergency room as soon as possible.After you've been put on the waiting list and your time has come for a transplant, you will be notified as early as six hours before the procedure. The operation will take roughly 12 hours you will most likely spend six to nine days in the hospital before you can be released.What else do you need to know about liver transplants?William C. Chapman, MD, FACS, joins Melanie Cole, MS, to discuss the importance of your liver, the symptoms that indicate you need a liver transplant, the length of the donor waiting list and everything you need to know about having a liver transplant.

Unicorns-1.6 Introductory Comments: http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell [audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/unicorns16.mp3] Unicorns16.mp3 Hello and welcome my friends.  This is Chris and this is the fifth and final in my series of personal podcasts that I am doing, to air out my brain and deal with my father’s cancer and passing and report in on my run for the Liver Foundation at the Boston Marathon this year.  Note:  Even though this is on the RunRunLive Podcast feed, this is NOT the RunRunLive podcast.  You have fair warning to skip now because I’m not talking about running.  Standard RunRunLive episodes will be labeled as such.  As part of this project, whatever this project is, I’m collected donations for the American Liver Foundation to layer on some purpose for the event and make it more personal.   The donation links are in the show notes and at http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell My story is that I already had a number for this year’s race.  I Didn’t need to fundraise, but with my Dad’s health declining I thought it would be a decent thing to do to dedicate this to him and my family.  … The Boston Marathon.  Monday I ran the Boston Marathon.  It was a glorious day.  Not because I was fast or set a PR, I did not.  It was glorious because it capped the end of a long and sometimes arduous year for me and my friends and my family.   I look back on the year and I see what I have done and it seems like something.  Maybe not the perfect body of work, but something, maybe even something worthy.  My nuclear family had our internment ceremony for my Dad at the Groton Town Ceremony on Tuesday morning after Patriots Day.  It was a beautiful spring day.  My Mom, my brother, my nephew and my sisters had a very peaceful and thoughtful time wandering around the stones and remembering families and people we have known.   My Dad is at rest nowhere Hollis Street meets Martins Pond Road and Chicopee Row, among his peers and friends.  Monday I finished my 13th marathon in 13 months – Boston to Boston.  It was a wonderful day with wonderful crowds and support.  We took back our finish line.  I’m no hero, but I do what I can do with the gifts I’ve been given and if I can keep doing that I think my Dad would be satisfied with my efforts.   Today I’m going to bring you some audio that I recorded on Marathon Monday.  I won’t contextualize it too much but let me give you some hints of what’s going on. The first recording is riding the bus into Hopkinton with my Buddy Brian.  Then there are people I met and talked to at Athlete’s village – including Bree who was the local TV reporter for WBZ.  Next there are some clips on the way to the start and in the corrals.  Following that you’ll hear us cross the starting line.   During the race you’ll here a couple clips with some interesting people I met.  You’ll here a long loud section in the middle that is the Wellesley College girls or as we call it the ‘scream tunnel’.   As we get closer to the finish I start trying to help people who are struggling and I start having fun with the crowds.  The USA chant is the tipsy coeds at Boston College.  Finally I talk to some people after the finish line as we are getting our medals.  I don’t know when the appropriate time would be to listen to this. Hopefully you can feel the vibe and celebration.   Close your eyes and put yourself on that course you may be transported.   The air is warm and there is a spring sun pouring it’s warmth on your back and shoulders.  The brilliant blue sky is streaked with wispy cirrus clouds.  There is a slight and intermittent breeze from the far reaches of the Atlantic Ocean that kisses your face every now and again.  The trees and bushes are brown with winter but tufted at the tips with the first outpouring of buds.   There are the light footfalls of thousands of runners marching towards Boston.  There are struggles and striving of the average Jill and Joe.  There are the hearty New England crowds in Red Sox hats and black Bruins Hoodies.  They lean in and offer us orange slices, tissues and beer.  And they thank us!  They thank us for running this race! We who are the most privileged to do so are being thanked.   The entire 26.2 miles of spring sunshine cordoned by adoring, grateful and thankful compatriots – that’s something you should do before you die.  … Featured Interview: Sounds of the Boston Marathon Summary Article:  Thank you for joining me in my Journey.  As I wrap up my campaign for the Liver foundation I want to thank all of my friends who supported me and the Run for Research Team for letting me iron my Jolly Roger patch to one of their shirts.  I hope my small efforts save someone’s life or the life of someone they love.   Thank you.   The best way out is through and the best way through is to pick up your feet and run.   May you have peace and prosperity on your journey. Ciao,  New Orleans Funeral March.   Go to:  http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell Thank you for joining me on my journey with purpose.  Chris, Music by Bridge Underwater - “sad song”  

Unicorns-1.6 Introductory Comments: http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell [audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/unicorns16.mp3] Unicorns16.mp3 Hello and welcome my friends.  This is Chris and this is the fifth and final in my series of personal podcasts that I am doing, to air out my brain and deal with my father's cancer and passing and report in on my run for the Liver Foundation at the Boston Marathon this year.  Note:  Even though this is on the RunRunLive Podcast feed, this is NOT the RunRunLive podcast.  You have fair warning to skip now because I'm not talking about running.  Standard RunRunLive episodes will be labeled as such.  As part of this project, whatever this project is, I'm collected donations for the American Liver Foundation to layer on some purpose for the event and make it more personal.   The donation links are in the show notes and at http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell My story is that I already had a number for this year's race.  I Didn't need to fundraise, but with my Dad's health declining I thought it would be a decent thing to do to dedicate this to him and my family.  … The Boston Marathon.  Monday I ran the Boston Marathon.  It was a glorious day.  Not because I was fast or set a PR, I did not.  It was glorious because it capped the end of a long and sometimes arduous year for me and my friends and my family.   I look back on the year and I see what I have done and it seems like something.  Maybe not the perfect body of work, but something, maybe even something worthy.  My nuclear family had our internment ceremony for my Dad at the Groton Town Ceremony on Tuesday morning after Patriots Day.  It was a beautiful spring day.  My Mom, my brother, my nephew and my sisters had a very peaceful and thoughtful time wandering around the stones and remembering families and people we have known.   My Dad is at rest nowhere Hollis Street meets Martins Pond Road and Chicopee Row, among his peers and friends.  Monday I finished my 13th marathon in 13 months – Boston to Boston.  It was a wonderful day with wonderful crowds and support.  We took back our finish line.  I'm no hero, but I do what I can do with the gifts I've been given and if I can keep doing that I think my Dad would be satisfied with my efforts.   Today I'm going to bring you some audio that I recorded on Marathon Monday.  I won't contextualize it too much but let me give you some hints of what's going on. The first recording is riding the bus into Hopkinton with my Buddy Brian.  Then there are people I met and talked to at Athlete's village – including Bree who was the local TV reporter for WBZ.  Next there are some clips on the way to the start and in the corrals.  Following that you'll hear us cross the starting line.   During the race you'll here a couple clips with some interesting people I met.  You'll here a long loud section in the middle that is the Wellesley College girls or as we call it the ‘scream tunnel'.   As we get closer to the finish I start trying to help people who are struggling and I start having fun with the crowds.  The USA chant is the tipsy coeds at Boston College.  Finally I talk to some people after the finish line as we are getting our medals.  I don't know when the appropriate time would be to listen to this. Hopefully you can feel the vibe and celebration.   Close your eyes and put yourself on that course you may be transported.   The air is warm and there is a spring sun pouring it's warmth on your back and shoulders.  The brilliant blue sky is streaked with wispy cirrus clouds.  There is a slight and intermittent breeze from the far reaches of the Atlantic Ocean that kisses your face every now and again.  The trees and bushes are brown with winter but tufted at the tips with the first outpouring of buds.   There are the light footfalls of thousands of runners marching towards Boston.  There are struggles and striving of the average Jill and Joe.  There are the hearty New England crowds in Red Sox hats and black Bruins Hoodies.  They lean in and offer us orange slices, tissues and beer.  And they thank us!  They thank us for running this race! We who are the most privileged to do so are being thanked.   The entire 26.2 miles of spring sunshine cordoned by adoring, grateful and thankful compatriots – that's something you should do before you die.  … Featured Interview: Sounds of the Boston Marathon Summary Article:  Thank you for joining me in my Journey.  As I wrap up my campaign for the Liver foundation I want to thank all of my friends who supported me and the Run for Research Team for letting me iron my Jolly Roger patch to one of their shirts.  I hope my small efforts save someone's life or the life of someone they love.   Thank you.   The best way out is through and the best way through is to pick up your feet and run.   May you have peace and prosperity on your journey. Ciao,  New Orleans Funeral March.   Go to:  http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell Thank you for joining me on my journey with purpose.  Chris, Music by Bridge Underwater - “sad song”  

Unicorns-1.5 Introductory Comments: http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell [audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/unicorns15.mp3] Unicorns15.mp3 Hello and welcome my friends.  This is Chris and this is the fourth in my series of personal podcasts that I am doing, to air out my brain and deal with my father's cancer and gear up to run for the Liver Foundation at the Boston Marathon this year.  Note:  Even though this is on the RunRunLive Podcast feed, this is NOT the RunRunLive podcast.  You have fair warning to skip now because I'm not talking about running.  Standard RunRunLive episodes will be labeled as such.  As part of this project, whatever this project is, I'm collecting donations for the American Liver Foundation for my running of the Boston Marathon this year.  I wanted to layer on some purpose for the event and make it more personal.   The donation links are in the show notes and at http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell My story is that I already had a number for this year's race.  I Didn't need to fundraise, but with my Dad's health declining I thought it would be a decent thing to do to dedicate this to him and my family.  … Life is an adventure and adventures are not planned.  They start early in the morning when you have had very little sleep.  They are not planned.  They are flowed into, organically.  They build experiences like a bubbling pot on the stove.  I told my Dad the story of the Persian king who asked his wise men to come up with an answer that could be used to answer any question.  (This was one of those rare occasions where I actually got a story out before he interrupted me to tell me he already knew it or to correct my version of it!) The wise men, after much deliberation, came back with the answer that could be used for any question.   The answer was: “This too shall pass.”  My Dad said something like, “I suppose it will.”  Maybe it's just a symptom of old age but I find the solution to most things is perseverance.  In long distance running we have the concept of continuous forward motion.  If you just keep moving you'll eventually get to the finish line.  That's life.   You have had times in your life when you think that you can't go on.  You have been beset upon by difficulties and challenges and burdens that weigh you down to such an extent that you feel crushed.  We all have.   In these situations you just have to keep moving.  It doesn't take strength to keep moving.  It sometimes takes more strength to stop.  But it's all we can do.  And those of us who get good at it realize that there is a certain joy in the movement itself.   It is one of the defining aspects of humanity that we hope.  We always think that there is a better place and we keep moving.  We move forward on hope and faith, because that's all we have sometimes, right?   I posted a copy of the classic Robert Crumb cartoon ‘Keep on Truckin'.  You youngsters can think of it as a counter-cultural internet meme from 1967.  The cartoon was born of a blues song and show's four happy bums marching in a line into the future.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_on_Truckin'_(comics) That's us my friends.  Happy bums marching into the future.  We have faith and hope in our pockets.  Today I'm going to let my sister Mary Lou interview me.  I warned you it would get personal.  Cheers,  … Featured Interview: Summary Article:  Thank you for joining me in my Journey.  I achieved my, rather arbitrary, donation goal but will leave the donation page open until after the marathon if the spirit move you.   I haven't been able to train as much as I wanted to for the marathon this year.  But this year's marathon isn't really about time and I'll just get out there and keep on truckin through the finish.  It will be a nice bookend for my year.  Hopefully these off-center forays into my personal life haven't skewed (or skewered) anyone's impression of me.  I would much rather be a likeable avatar than a real person.  Real people, like you and me have spaghetti strands of chaos in our lives and it's messy.   You and I are and are not the smiling picture displayed on the shelf in the den.  We are the sweaty mess that we wake up to every day too.  But that's ok.  We are what we are.  We are made of clay.  But that clay can be molded as well as broken.   Life is what it is.  You and I can't control it.  Enjoy it while you can, because as the wise men will tell you ‘this too shall pass'.  Go to:  http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell Thank you for joining me on my journey with purpose.  Chris, Music by Bridge Underwater - “sad song”  

Unicorns-1.5 Introductory Comments: http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell [audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/unicorns15.mp3] Unicorns15.mp3 Hello and welcome my friends.  This is Chris and this is the fourth in my series of personal podcasts that I am doing, to air out my brain and deal with my father’s cancer and gear up to run for the Liver Foundation at the Boston Marathon this year.  Note:  Even though this is on the RunRunLive Podcast feed, this is NOT the RunRunLive podcast.  You have fair warning to skip now because I’m not talking about running.  Standard RunRunLive episodes will be labeled as such.  As part of this project, whatever this project is, I’m collecting donations for the American Liver Foundation for my running of the Boston Marathon this year.  I wanted to layer on some purpose for the event and make it more personal.   The donation links are in the show notes and at http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell My story is that I already had a number for this year’s race.  I Didn’t need to fundraise, but with my Dad’s health declining I thought it would be a decent thing to do to dedicate this to him and my family.  … Life is an adventure and adventures are not planned.  They start early in the morning when you have had very little sleep.  They are not planned.  They are flowed into, organically.  They build experiences like a bubbling pot on the stove.  I told my Dad the story of the Persian king who asked his wise men to come up with an answer that could be used to answer any question.  (This was one of those rare occasions where I actually got a story out before he interrupted me to tell me he already knew it or to correct my version of it!) The wise men, after much deliberation, came back with the answer that could be used for any question.   The answer was: “This too shall pass.”  My Dad said something like, “I suppose it will.”  Maybe it’s just a symptom of old age but I find the solution to most things is perseverance.  In long distance running we have the concept of continuous forward motion.  If you just keep moving you’ll eventually get to the finish line.  That’s life.   You have had times in your life when you think that you can’t go on.  You have been beset upon by difficulties and challenges and burdens that weigh you down to such an extent that you feel crushed.  We all have.   In these situations you just have to keep moving.  It doesn’t take strength to keep moving.  It sometimes takes more strength to stop.  But it’s all we can do.  And those of us who get good at it realize that there is a certain joy in the movement itself.   It is one of the defining aspects of humanity that we hope.  We always think that there is a better place and we keep moving.  We move forward on hope and faith, because that’s all we have sometimes, right?   I posted a copy of the classic Robert Crumb cartoon ‘Keep on Truckin’.  You youngsters can think of it as a counter-cultural internet meme from 1967.  The cartoon was born of a blues song and show’s four happy bums marching in a line into the future.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_on_Truckin'_(comics) That’s us my friends.  Happy bums marching into the future.  We have faith and hope in our pockets.  Today I’m going to let my sister Mary Lou interview me.  I warned you it would get personal.  Cheers,  … Featured Interview: Summary Article:  Thank you for joining me in my Journey.  I achieved my, rather arbitrary, donation goal but will leave the donation page open until after the marathon if the spirit move you.   I haven’t been able to train as much as I wanted to for the marathon this year.  But this year’s marathon isn’t really about time and I’ll just get out there and keep on truckin through the finish.  It will be a nice bookend for my year.  Hopefully these off-center forays into my personal life haven’t skewed (or skewered) anyone’s impression of me.  I would much rather be a likeable avatar than a real person.  Real people, like you and me have spaghetti strands of chaos in our lives and it’s messy.   You and I are and are not the smiling picture displayed on the shelf in the den.  We are the sweaty mess that we wake up to every day too.  But that’s ok.  We are what we are.  We are made of clay.  But that clay can be molded as well as broken.   Life is what it is.  You and I can’t control it.  Enjoy it while you can, because as the wise men will tell you ‘this too shall pass’.  Go to:  http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell Thank you for joining me on my journey with purpose.  Chris, Music by Bridge Underwater - “sad song”  

Unicorns-1.4 Introductory Comments: http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell [audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/unicorns14.mp3] Unicorns14.mp3 Hello and welcome my friends.  This is Chris and this is the fourth in my series of personal podcasts that I am doing, to air out my brain and deal with my father's cancer and gear up to run for the Liver Foundation at the Boston Marathon this year.  Note:  Even though this is on the RunRunLive Podcast feed, this is NOT the RunRunLive podcast.  You have fair warning to skip now because I'm not talking about running.  Standard RunRunLive episodes will be labeled as such.  As part of this project, whatever this project is, I'm collecting donations for the American Liver Foundation for my running of the Boston Marathon this year.  I wanted to layer on some purpose for the event and make it more personal.   The donation links are in the show notes and at http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell My story is that I already had a number for this year's race.  I Didn't need to fundraise, but with my Dad's health declining I thought it would be a decent thing to do to dedicate this to him and my family.  … Today I'm going to read you a couple short pieces to mark my Dad's passing this week.  Our extended family got together to celebrate my Dad's life.  http://www.dolanfuneralhome.com/node/854 Earl D. Russell - “Russ”, Husband, Father, Grandfather, WR1Y Earl David Russell passed away on March 24, 2014 in Groton, MA. Russ was the beloved husband of Margaret (Peggy Connors) Russell, to whom he was married for over 58 years. He was the son of David C. Russell and Corrine Russell and grew up in Chelmsford, MA, graduating from CHS with the Class of 1946. Following service in the Air Force during the Korean War, he completed his Electrical Engineering degree at UNH, Class of 1957 and was President of Tau Beta Phi, the Engineering Honor Society. Professionally, he was employed by Adams Russell Corp, Sanders Associates, MA/COM and was President and Founder of Russell Engineering Services (Lowell and Waltham, MA) for 25 years. In retirement, Russ was actively involved with the CHS Alumni organization, aviation, antique cars, Town of Groton audio/communications events, the Groton Emergency Management Team and the Groton Senior Center. He founded the Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club. The Russells enjoyed many years of Square and Round dancing. Ballroom dancing was their special “sport,” Big Band was their era, and they shared their love of dance with many wonderful friends and fellow dancing enthusiasts. Russ is survived by two sons; David and Jill Russell, Christopher and Yvonne Russell, and two daughters; Mary Lou and Doug Martin, Joanne “Jody” and Dan Dobson of Indiana, and ten grandchildren. He was predeceased by his sister, Phyllis (Russell) Quintin of Groton. I'm going to include an interview I did with my Dad on his 80th birthday back in 2008 as episode 25 of the original RunRunLive podcast.  We are a close family.  My Dad's death leaves a big hole in our lives, in the lives of our friends and in the community.   I learned a lot from my Father.  Much of who I am today I owe to him.   He will live on in me and all of us.  We are here today; this week, to mourn a passing but also to celebrate a life well lived.   … Featured Interview: Earl D. “Russ” Russell Summary Article:  Thank you for joining me in my Journey.  This week I surpassed my $2,000 fundraising goal and I'm grateful for the friends that have supported me.  The Prayer of St. Francis. Go to:  http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell Thank you for joining me on my journey with purpose.  Chris, Music by Bridge Underwater - “sad song”

Unicorns-1.4 Introductory Comments: http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell [audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/unicorns14.mp3] Unicorns14.mp3 Hello and welcome my friends.  This is Chris and this is the fourth in my series of personal podcasts that I am doing, to air out my brain and deal with my father’s cancer and gear up to run for the Liver Foundation at the Boston Marathon this year.  Note:  Even though this is on the RunRunLive Podcast feed, this is NOT the RunRunLive podcast.  You have fair warning to skip now because I’m not talking about running.  Standard RunRunLive episodes will be labeled as such.  As part of this project, whatever this project is, I’m collecting donations for the American Liver Foundation for my running of the Boston Marathon this year.  I wanted to layer on some purpose for the event and make it more personal.   The donation links are in the show notes and at http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell My story is that I already had a number for this year’s race.  I Didn’t need to fundraise, but with my Dad’s health declining I thought it would be a decent thing to do to dedicate this to him and my family.  … Today I’m going to read you a couple short pieces to mark my Dad’s passing this week.  Our extended family got together to celebrate my Dad’s life.  http://www.dolanfuneralhome.com/node/854 Earl D. Russell - “Russ”, Husband, Father, Grandfather, WR1Y Earl David Russell passed away on March 24, 2014 in Groton, MA. Russ was the beloved husband of Margaret (Peggy Connors) Russell, to whom he was married for over 58 years. He was the son of David C. Russell and Corrine Russell and grew up in Chelmsford, MA, graduating from CHS with the Class of 1946. Following service in the Air Force during the Korean War, he completed his Electrical Engineering degree at UNH, Class of 1957 and was President of Tau Beta Phi, the Engineering Honor Society. Professionally, he was employed by Adams Russell Corp, Sanders Associates, MA/COM and was President and Founder of Russell Engineering Services (Lowell and Waltham, MA) for 25 years. In retirement, Russ was actively involved with the CHS Alumni organization, aviation, antique cars, Town of Groton audio/communications events, the Groton Emergency Management Team and the Groton Senior Center. He founded the Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club. The Russells enjoyed many years of Square and Round dancing. Ballroom dancing was their special “sport,” Big Band was their era, and they shared their love of dance with many wonderful friends and fellow dancing enthusiasts. Russ is survived by two sons; David and Jill Russell, Christopher and Yvonne Russell, and two daughters; Mary Lou and Doug Martin, Joanne “Jody” and Dan Dobson of Indiana, and ten grandchildren. He was predeceased by his sister, Phyllis (Russell) Quintin of Groton. I’m going to include an interview I did with my Dad on his 80th birthday back in 2008 as episode 25 of the original RunRunLive podcast.  We are a close family.  My Dad’s death leaves a big hole in our lives, in the lives of our friends and in the community.   I learned a lot from my Father.  Much of who I am today I owe to him.   He will live on in me and all of us.  We are here today; this week, to mourn a passing but also to celebrate a life well lived.   … Featured Interview: Earl D. “Russ” Russell Summary Article:  Thank you for joining me in my Journey.  This week I surpassed my $2,000 fundraising goal and I’m grateful for the friends that have supported me.  The Prayer of St. Francis. Go to:  http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell Thank you for joining me on my journey with purpose.  Chris, Music by Bridge Underwater - “sad song”

Tough Talk with Tony Gambone with his guests Carmen M. Herrera & Lawrence Agresto There are over 30 million good reasons to lace up your sneakers and join the American Liver Foundation's Liver Life Walk Houston on April 26th at MacGregor Park. Help support the 30 million Americans who suffer from liver disease and be part of the solution to find new treatments and educate people about staying healthy. With snacks and entertainment, this 5k or 1k walk promises to be fun for all ages. For more information and to register or donate, please visit www.liverfoundation.org/walkhouston Lawrence Agresto is a licenses MFT with a certification from UC MEDICAL CENTER San Francisco in Sex Therapy. I have written a book HERE WE GO AGAIN SECOND EDITION on the effects of unresolved issues and the coping skills needed to both understand and make sense of symptoms as well as achieving the skills to make choices that are in one's best interest.I have shared personal experiences to make the book more interesting,understandable, and human.I have about 500 additional credits past my MA in psychology.I found that non-organic sexual difficulties had underlying issues such as fear of intimacy,control,guilt,abandonment,trust,anger, control freedom, rejection, loss, and invalidation. Larry Agresto was a single father for ten years before he remarried in 2004. On May 20, 1995, Larry became a single father literally overnight. His wife Jody and the mother of his two daughter's Lauren age 12 and Julia age 8, was rushed to the hospital on Thursday night and pronounced dead on Saturday morning. She had not been ill, so these turn of events were both a shock and tragedy for Larry and his daughters.http://www.singledadswithheart.com/

Unicorns-1.3 Me-and-DadIntroductory Comments: http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell [audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/unicorns13.mp3] unicorns13.mp3 Hello and welcome my friends.  This is Chris and this is the third in my series of personal podcasts that I am doing, to air out my brain and deal with my father's cancer and gear up to run for the Liver Foundation at the Boston Marathon this year. Note:  Even though this is on the RunRunLive Podcast feed, this is NOT the RunRunLive podcast.  You have fair warning to skip now because I'm not talking about running.  Standard RunRunLive episodes will be labeled as such. As part of this project, whatever this project is, I'm collecting donations for the American Liver Foundation for my running of the Boston Marathon this year.  I wanted to layer on some purpose for the event and make it more personal. The donation links are in the show notes and at http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell My story is that I already had a number for this year's race.  I Didn't need to fundraise, but with my Dad's health declining I thought it would be a decent thing to do to dedicate this to him and my family. … I'm the youngest of 4.  I have two older sisters and an older brother.  We didn't always get along with each other as siblings do but we are close and working through my Dad's cancer has given us the opportunity to spend more time together.  It's been fun to talk through shared family experiences and memories. As the youngest I don't have the depth of memories as my brother and sisters, but they are there and as we spend time together they are unearthed like the quite turnings of some dusty album.  There's nothing bad there.  There is some funny stuff.  Mostly it is bits and pieces and vignettes that we can compare notes on. I remember my Dad coming home from work one day with a full size electric organ for the living room.  My sisters were both taking piano lessons and I guess he thought this would give them some additional enablement. At some point we acquired a full size piano as well at some point.  My Mom taught my girls how to play songs on it when they went for visits. My Dad designed a built a giant two story car garage out of pre-stressed concrete beams and I can remember helping shingle the roof with cedar shakes.  Snapping the chalk lines, as a kid, and knocking the shingle nails true, row by row, all day long. He and my brother would work on cars together in that garage.  They had every tool and machine needed to do anything.  I remember one time in the 80's I dropped my car off at the house.  It needed a universal joint in the front end. I was going to help them replace it (which for me meant handing them tools).  I went for an errand and by the time I came back they had it done already. My Dad and I would go for walks in the woods in New England.  I don't remember the walks so much as the trees. I still can identify every tree in New England by its leaves and bark.  If pressed I could make a serviceable whistle from a young willow sapling with a jackknife – which was one of our spring rituals. The red oak, the white pine, the ash – used for axe handles and hockey sticks – the poplar, the white and grey birch, the pignuts and shagbark hickories – whose bounty we would collect in the fall for fireside cracking and snacking – the hawthorn and elderberry.  My connection to the natural world that I treasure so dearly was born in those New England summers. My Dad loved to chop wood to feed the wood stove all winter long.  He taught me how to swing an axe.  His favorite axe was a light, thin-bladed axe for limbing the felled trees, and he would grind the cheeks of splitting axes to create the perfect tool. He taught me how to swing a maul to split the green hard wood and how to stack the split logs so that they would dry.  He showed me that you could split any log with a sledge hammer and wedges. The wedges in my garage came from his collection.  I use them every year as I relive the pure visceral joy of bringing the heavy maul down on the yielding log in the sultry autumn afternoons.  There is nothing I enjoy more than becoming lost in a large woodpile with my axe, maul, hammer and wedges. And that's the lesson here.  There is peace and honor in a job well done.  It doesn't matter that you can pay someone $100 bucks to mow your lawn or drop a cord of presplit wood in your driveway.  That takes the honor out of it.  The pride and honor of reducing a pile of logs to a neatly stacked and tarped pile of BTU's for the coming winter is a feeling of intellectual freedom that I am thankful for. Today I'm going to share with you a chat I had with a friend of mine and fellow Goon Squad runner Michael Robertson about running for charity. After that I'm going to read a story my brother wrote recently about something funny from our childhood.  I never realized how good a writer my brother was until he began to comment on the Caringbridge site my sister set up for my Dad's friends to check in.  He was always the best story teller in our family.  He could spin the tallest tales with a straight face and get away with almost anything. Cheers, … … Featured Interview: Michael Robertson shots of whiskey for the plow drivers Written Feb 13, 2014 3:46pm by Dave Russell Being that it is a cold and snowy day today, I thought I would relate a story of how our Father (Russ) attacked problems head on with simple and imaginative solutions. Shots of whiskey for the plow drivers The Russells were the original Skyfields Drive hilltop residents of Groton. When we moved in, no other residents shared the top of the hill and during heavy snow we were pretty much on our own. This was the mid sixties; a time long before the advent of DSS when kids were considered free labor for the menial physical tasks. For example “Adults run the chainsaw and split logs. Kids carry wood and drag brush”. To shorten the response time of the town plow crews, Dad came up with the brilliant but elegantly simple plan to bribe the plow drivers with hot coffee or shots of whiskey to encourage them to come by our neighborhood first. It was this type of imaginative thinking and direct approach that made him a legend and our “go to guy”. We would usually see the plows start up the hill from 119 through the windows off the deck and have about 5 minutes to prepare. Since Mary Lou was the oldest but couldn't go out alone, she and I usually got the nod. We had to wear dark clothing to contrast with the snow and flag down the plows without getting plowed into a snow bank ourselves. Over time, we learned that it was best to stand across the street and approach from the driver's side door as the plow traveled slowly up the hill. Each driver usually downed one on the way up and stopped for a second on his way back down. As expected, the shots of whiskey were far more popular than the hot coffee. In fact, if we tried to offer only coffee, the drivers would ask if the whiskey was already “in there”. It did not take the DPW long to learn that there was free whiskey available up on Skyfields Drive and there was not a quicker or better plowed road in town. Often, we had to service a whole line of snow removal vehicles waiting for their whiskey and make multiple trips back to the house for re-fills. Mom would count the trucks by looking down towards 119 and have our resupply ready. I think this serving experience prepared both of us for work later on at Johnson's We were also expected to keep track of repeat clients and inform them that “Our parents say you're shut off” when they reached their 3-shot limit.. One morning years later, my friend Jason and I decided to surprise the paper delivery man with a free shot of whiskey around 5:00AM. When he saw us coming, he drove away in terror. By that time, life in Groton had changed forever. Dave R Summary Article: Thanks for listening if you have been.  I know this is entirely self serving but too often we seal off the past and look to the future.  As we get older we begin to unwrap those packages. Last time I checked I'm at about $1700 of my $2000 goal.  The Boston Marathon looks like it is going to be crazy this year.  Thank you for all my friends who have helped. Go to: http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell Thank you for joining me on my journey with purpose. Chris, Music by Bridge Underwater - “sad song”

Unicorns-1.3 Me-and-DadIntroductory Comments: http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell [audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/unicorns13.mp3] unicorns13.mp3 Hello and welcome my friends.  This is Chris and this is the third in my series of personal podcasts that I am doing, to air out my brain and deal with my father’s cancer and gear up to run for the Liver Foundation at the Boston Marathon this year. Note:  Even though this is on the RunRunLive Podcast feed, this is NOT the RunRunLive podcast.  You have fair warning to skip now because I’m not talking about running.  Standard RunRunLive episodes will be labeled as such. As part of this project, whatever this project is, I’m collecting donations for the American Liver Foundation for my running of the Boston Marathon this year.  I wanted to layer on some purpose for the event and make it more personal. The donation links are in the show notes and at http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell My story is that I already had a number for this year’s race.  I Didn’t need to fundraise, but with my Dad’s health declining I thought it would be a decent thing to do to dedicate this to him and my family. … I’m the youngest of 4.  I have two older sisters and an older brother.  We didn’t always get along with each other as siblings do but we are close and working through my Dad’s cancer has given us the opportunity to spend more time together.  It’s been fun to talk through shared family experiences and memories. As the youngest I don’t have the depth of memories as my brother and sisters, but they are there and as we spend time together they are unearthed like the quite turnings of some dusty album.  There’s nothing bad there.  There is some funny stuff.  Mostly it is bits and pieces and vignettes that we can compare notes on. I remember my Dad coming home from work one day with a full size electric organ for the living room.  My sisters were both taking piano lessons and I guess he thought this would give them some additional enablement. At some point we acquired a full size piano as well at some point.  My Mom taught my girls how to play songs on it when they went for visits. My Dad designed a built a giant two story car garage out of pre-stressed concrete beams and I can remember helping shingle the roof with cedar shakes.  Snapping the chalk lines, as a kid, and knocking the shingle nails true, row by row, all day long. He and my brother would work on cars together in that garage.  They had every tool and machine needed to do anything.  I remember one time in the 80’s I dropped my car off at the house.  It needed a universal joint in the front end. I was going to help them replace it (which for me meant handing them tools).  I went for an errand and by the time I came back they had it done already. My Dad and I would go for walks in the woods in New England.  I don’t remember the walks so much as the trees. I still can identify every tree in New England by its leaves and bark.  If pressed I could make a serviceable whistle from a young willow sapling with a jackknife – which was one of our spring rituals. The red oak, the white pine, the ash – used for axe handles and hockey sticks – the poplar, the white and grey birch, the pignuts and shagbark hickories – whose bounty we would collect in the fall for fireside cracking and snacking – the hawthorn and elderberry.  My connection to the natural world that I treasure so dearly was born in those New England summers. My Dad loved to chop wood to feed the wood stove all winter long.  He taught me how to swing an axe.  His favorite axe was a light, thin-bladed axe for limbing the felled trees, and he would grind the cheeks of splitting axes to create the perfect tool. He taught me how to swing a maul to split the green hard wood and how to stack the split logs so that they would dry.  He showed me that you could split any log with a sledge hammer and wedges. The wedges in my garage came from his collection.  I use them every year as I relive the pure visceral joy of bringing the heavy maul down on the yielding log in the sultry autumn afternoons.  There is nothing I enjoy more than becoming lost in a large woodpile with my axe, maul, hammer and wedges. And that’s the lesson here.  There is peace and honor in a job well done.  It doesn’t matter that you can pay someone $100 bucks to mow your lawn or drop a cord of presplit wood in your driveway.  That takes the honor out of it.  The pride and honor of reducing a pile of logs to a neatly stacked and tarped pile of BTU’s for the coming winter is a feeling of intellectual freedom that I am thankful for. Today I’m going to share with you a chat I had with a friend of mine and fellow Goon Squad runner Michael Robertson about running for charity. After that I’m going to read a story my brother wrote recently about something funny from our childhood.  I never realized how good a writer my brother was until he began to comment on the Caringbridge site my sister set up for my Dad’s friends to check in.  He was always the best story teller in our family.  He could spin the tallest tales with a straight face and get away with almost anything. Cheers, … … Featured Interview: Michael Robertson shots of whiskey for the plow drivers Written Feb 13, 2014 3:46pm by Dave Russell Being that it is a cold and snowy day today, I thought I would relate a story of how our Father (Russ) attacked problems head on with simple and imaginative solutions. Shots of whiskey for the plow drivers The Russells were the original Skyfields Drive hilltop residents of Groton. When we moved in, no other residents shared the top of the hill and during heavy snow we were pretty much on our own. This was the mid sixties; a time long before the advent of DSS when kids were considered free labor for the menial physical tasks. For example “Adults run the chainsaw and split logs. Kids carry wood and drag brush”. To shorten the response time of the town plow crews, Dad came up with the brilliant but elegantly simple plan to bribe the plow drivers with hot coffee or shots of whiskey to encourage them to come by our neighborhood first. It was this type of imaginative thinking and direct approach that made him a legend and our “go to guy”. We would usually see the plows start up the hill from 119 through the windows off the deck and have about 5 minutes to prepare. Since Mary Lou was the oldest but couldn’t go out alone, she and I usually got the nod. We had to wear dark clothing to contrast with the snow and flag down the plows without getting plowed into a snow bank ourselves. Over time, we learned that it was best to stand across the street and approach from the driver’s side door as the plow traveled slowly up the hill. Each driver usually downed one on the way up and stopped for a second on his way back down. As expected, the shots of whiskey were far more popular than the hot coffee. In fact, if we tried to offer only coffee, the drivers would ask if the whiskey was already “in there”. It did not take the DPW long to learn that there was free whiskey available up on Skyfields Drive and there was not a quicker or better plowed road in town. Often, we had to service a whole line of snow removal vehicles waiting for their whiskey and make multiple trips back to the house for re-fills. Mom would count the trucks by looking down towards 119 and have our resupply ready. I think this serving experience prepared both of us for work later on at Johnson's We were also expected to keep track of repeat clients and inform them that “Our parents say you’re shut off” when they reached their 3-shot limit.. One morning years later, my friend Jason and I decided to surprise the paper delivery man with a free shot of whiskey around 5:00AM. When he saw us coming, he drove away in terror. By that time, life in Groton had changed forever. Dave R Summary Article: Thanks for listening if you have been.  I know this is entirely self serving but too often we seal off the past and look to the future.  As we get older we begin to unwrap those packages. Last time I checked I’m at about $1700 of my $2000 goal.  The Boston Marathon looks like it is going to be crazy this year.  Thank you for all my friends who have helped. Go to: http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell Thank you for joining me on my journey with purpose. Chris, Music by Bridge Underwater - “sad song”

Unicorns-1.2 Introductory Comments: http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell [audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/Unicorns12.mp3] Unicorns12.mp3 Hello and welcome my friends.  This is Chris and this is the second in my series of personal podcasts that I am doing, essentially to air out my brain as I deal with my father's cancer and gear up to run for the Liver Foundation at Boston.  Note:  Even though this is on the RunRunLive Podcast feed, this is NOT the RunRunLive podcast.  You have fair warning to skip now because I'm not talking about running.  Standard RunRunLive episodes will be labeled as such.  As part of this project, whatever this project is, I'm collecting donations for the American Liver Foundation for my running of the Boston Marathon this year.  I wanted to layer on some purpose for the event and make it more personal.   The donation links are in the show notes and at http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell My story is that I already had a number for this year's race.  I Didn't need to fundraise, but with my Dad's health declining I thought it would be a decent thing to do to dedicate this to him and my family.  I'll tell you my fundraising experience so far – it's a funny story.  As I came out of back to back marathons in January and February it became obvious to me that I wouldn't be racing Boston this year. My body was too beat up to put the necessary quality training in to run competitively. (I'm sure it was obvious to everyone else but I have a knack for obstinacy and denial when it comes to my running). I looked around for a Boston sanctioned charity to lend my energy to.  The Liver foundation was the closest thing to my Dad's cancer that I found.   I sent them a nice letter (actually a form letter through the ‘contact us' form on their website) that basically said; “Is it ok if I give you money?  I don't need anything from you. I've run Boston 15 times and I have an existing network that makes reasonable fundraising relatively painless.” To which they replied with a hearty and cheery form letter asking me to sign a contract, pay a $75 admin fee, commit to at least $1,000 and give them a signed credit card slip.  I let out a small mental sigh and embarked on the paperwork.  I signed all the forms, sent them $75 and planned my campaign launch.  I know these poor folks have to deal with a lot of crazies so I'm not surprised by the barriers they put up.  I think actual members of their charity team have to raise over $7,000 to get a bib number for Boston.  Then, after I registered they sent me 37 emails. These were all the new member information things and week's worth of newsletters that I had missed.  The other fundraisers had been going at it hard for months.  Here's my punch line.  I covered their $1,000 minimum in less than 24 hours after my launch.  I know some excellent, high-quality, decent people in our running community.  And I did allow myself one, small, passive aggressive ‘I told you so' email to the director of the charity team.  Why am I running for charity?  Why does anyone? You'd be tempted to say we do it for, or in memery of a loved one.  I don't think that's really why. I think we do it for ourselves.  It's a selfish act with positive social overtones and consequences.  We do it because our brains are screaming and we need a physical and emotional release.  We need a physical channel for the demonstration of the chaos, grief, sadness and fear in our lives as things happen that we cannot control, cannot understand and are not understandable.  That's what the whole charity thing is.  It's not to help a cause, that's a symptom.  It's to keep us from running screaming into the wilderness to hide. It's to keep us from punching our co-workers and clients. It's a valve, a salve and a release. But, perhaps it's more.  Perhaps it matures into an altruism to our fellow humans.  Perhaps it is a selfish act that chrysalises into an act that enriches our souls.  Look at the person next to you.  What do you see?  Is it a calm or placid countenance?  You have no idea what spinning chaos is in their minds behind that façade.  It is through charity, this physical manifestation, that turns thought into action.  This is how we get a glimpse into the inner workings of the human's mind.  It is through charity that we look into the black box of their soul.   And we shall know them through their acts.  … I don't have an interview for you this time around show I'll just share a piece I did on fundraising tips.  I'm a rookie fundraiser compared to the other ‘official' Liver people.  They are throwing parties and holding auctions and robbing bank and raising thousands of dollars.    I do know some things about building a social network though so maybe there is some value in my words.  Featured Interview: Raising funds for Charity - http://www.runrunlive.com/thoughts-on-collecting-for-charity Summary Article:  I think this will be my last Boston Marathon.  I will make up excuses to justify my decision and many of them will be valid, but I think it just a question of moving on.  I've gotten whatever grace that it can give me and it's time for other adventures.   All things have a beginning and an end.  We cannot deny that.  We cannot slavishly cling to things from the past.  In fact we need to clean things out of our closets to make room for other things.  It is neither good, nor bad.  It just is.   The risk of hanging on is the sin of desire.  We want stability in our lives.  We get to a good spot and we want things to stay the same.  The longer we have these things the more we own them and the more they own us.   At some point this becomes desire and, as the Buddha tells us, desire corrodes our freedom.  Make a habit of letting things go, of cleaning your closets.  This prepares fertile ground for the adventures to come.  Next year I will not run the Boston Marathon.  Not because I can't.  Not because I don't want to. Simply because it is time.  When we deal with loss, the loss of a parent for example we can't understand the impact it will have on us.  That's what I have realized.  I don't know what I'm doing.  I have no experience in these things.  In response I'm letting go.  I don't own the process.  I'm just a rider, caught in the flow.   Instead of trying to control, which is my intellectual default, I'm going to try to just be present and aware.   One of the best ways to give up control is to share.  And that my friends is why we are having this conversation.   Thank you for your prayers and support.  Speak to you again in a fortnight or so.  Chris, Go to:  http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell Thank you for joining me on my journey with purpose.  Chris, Music by Bridge Underwater - “sad song”

Unicorns-1.2 Introductory Comments: http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell [audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/Unicorns12.mp3] Unicorns12.mp3 Hello and welcome my friends.  This is Chris and this is the second in my series of personal podcasts that I am doing, essentially to air out my brain as I deal with my father’s cancer and gear up to run for the Liver Foundation at Boston.  Note:  Even though this is on the RunRunLive Podcast feed, this is NOT the RunRunLive podcast.  You have fair warning to skip now because I’m not talking about running.  Standard RunRunLive episodes will be labeled as such.  As part of this project, whatever this project is, I’m collecting donations for the American Liver Foundation for my running of the Boston Marathon this year.  I wanted to layer on some purpose for the event and make it more personal.   The donation links are in the show notes and at http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell My story is that I already had a number for this year’s race.  I Didn’t need to fundraise, but with my Dad’s health declining I thought it would be a decent thing to do to dedicate this to him and my family.  I’ll tell you my fundraising experience so far – it’s a funny story.  As I came out of back to back marathons in January and February it became obvious to me that I wouldn’t be racing Boston this year. My body was too beat up to put the necessary quality training in to run competitively. (I’m sure it was obvious to everyone else but I have a knack for obstinacy and denial when it comes to my running). I looked around for a Boston sanctioned charity to lend my energy to.  The Liver foundation was the closest thing to my Dad’s cancer that I found.   I sent them a nice letter (actually a form letter through the ‘contact us’ form on their website) that basically said; “Is it ok if I give you money?  I don’t need anything from you. I’ve run Boston 15 times and I have an existing network that makes reasonable fundraising relatively painless.” To which they replied with a hearty and cheery form letter asking me to sign a contract, pay a $75 admin fee, commit to at least $1,000 and give them a signed credit card slip.  I let out a small mental sigh and embarked on the paperwork.  I signed all the forms, sent them $75 and planned my campaign launch.  I know these poor folks have to deal with a lot of crazies so I’m not surprised by the barriers they put up.  I think actual members of their charity team have to raise over $7,000 to get a bib number for Boston.  Then, after I registered they sent me 37 emails. These were all the new member information things and week’s worth of newsletters that I had missed.  The other fundraisers had been going at it hard for months.  Here’s my punch line.  I covered their $1,000 minimum in less than 24 hours after my launch.  I know some excellent, high-quality, decent people in our running community.  And I did allow myself one, small, passive aggressive ‘I told you so’ email to the director of the charity team.  Why am I running for charity?  Why does anyone? You’d be tempted to say we do it for, or in memery of a loved one.  I don’t think that’s really why. I think we do it for ourselves.  It’s a selfish act with positive social overtones and consequences.  We do it because our brains are screaming and we need a physical and emotional release.  We need a physical channel for the demonstration of the chaos, grief, sadness and fear in our lives as things happen that we cannot control, cannot understand and are not understandable.  That’s what the whole charity thing is.  It’s not to help a cause, that’s a symptom.  It’s to keep us from running screaming into the wilderness to hide. It’s to keep us from punching our co-workers and clients. It’s a valve, a salve and a release. But, perhaps it’s more.  Perhaps it matures into an altruism to our fellow humans.  Perhaps it is a selfish act that chrysalises into an act that enriches our souls.  Look at the person next to you.  What do you see?  Is it a calm or placid countenance?  You have no idea what spinning chaos is in their minds behind that façade.  It is through charity, this physical manifestation, that turns thought into action.  This is how we get a glimpse into the inner workings of the human’s mind.  It is through charity that we look into the black box of their soul.   And we shall know them through their acts.  … I don’t have an interview for you this time around show I’ll just share a piece I did on fundraising tips.  I’m a rookie fundraiser compared to the other ‘official’ Liver people.  They are throwing parties and holding auctions and robbing bank and raising thousands of dollars.    I do know some things about building a social network though so maybe there is some value in my words.  Featured Interview: Raising funds for Charity - http://www.runrunlive.com/thoughts-on-collecting-for-charity Summary Article:  I think this will be my last Boston Marathon.  I will make up excuses to justify my decision and many of them will be valid, but I think it just a question of moving on.  I’ve gotten whatever grace that it can give me and it’s time for other adventures.   All things have a beginning and an end.  We cannot deny that.  We cannot slavishly cling to things from the past.  In fact we need to clean things out of our closets to make room for other things.  It is neither good, nor bad.  It just is.   The risk of hanging on is the sin of desire.  We want stability in our lives.  We get to a good spot and we want things to stay the same.  The longer we have these things the more we own them and the more they own us.   At some point this becomes desire and, as the Buddha tells us, desire corrodes our freedom.  Make a habit of letting things go, of cleaning your closets.  This prepares fertile ground for the adventures to come.  Next year I will not run the Boston Marathon.  Not because I can’t.  Not because I don’t want to. Simply because it is time.  When we deal with loss, the loss of a parent for example we can’t understand the impact it will have on us.  That’s what I have realized.  I don’t know what I’m doing.  I have no experience in these things.  In response I’m letting go.  I don’t own the process.  I’m just a rider, caught in the flow.   Instead of trying to control, which is my intellectual default, I’m going to try to just be present and aware.   One of the best ways to give up control is to share.  And that my friends is why we are having this conversation.   Thank you for your prayers and support.  Speak to you again in a fortnight or so.  Chris, Go to:  http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/cyktrussell Thank you for joining me on my journey with purpose.  Chris, Music by Bridge Underwater - “sad song”

Unicorns-1.0 Introductory Comments: [audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/Unicorns10.mp3] Unicorns10.mp3 Hello and welcome my friends.  This is Chris and this a new series of podcasts that I'm doing that I'm going to call ‘Unicorns'.  Let me explain.  Be warned this is a bit of departure from what I've done in the past.  I' will try to give you enough information so that you can decide whether you want to get on this particular bus and share this personal journey with me. This series is going to be about my current life events and journey.  It involves running and the Boston Marathon, but only tangentially.  If you're looking for marathon tips you should stop now and switch to one of the main RunRunLive episodes or any of the other fine marathon podcasts out there. If you have been listening to my show for any of the last 5 years and 282 episodes you know that I have chosen not to share much about my personal life.  You could if you listened carefully tease out some of the background noise from my sanitized avatar but for the most part I've isolated you from my job and my family.  I did this for two reasons.  First I didn't want the show to be about me – I wanted it to be about you and your journey with running and endurance sports.  Second, I suppose I was afraid to trust the internet with too much personal information.  That's the way we were raised.  It's part of our culture in New England.  We keep the shades drawn and we give our neighbors their peace and privacy. Well, my friends, today, and in the unicorn series I'm going to throw open the curtains of my personal life a bit.  I'm going to do so to bring purpose to this year's running and to let you help me in my journey. First we'll have a 15-20 minute interview with Nick from the American Liver Foundation and then I'll share with you what I'm doing and invite you to get on my bus as things get weird over the next 9 weeks or so. Cheers, Chris, Featured Interview: Nick Giordano is a 13 time marathoner.  He has been the chair of the American Liver Foundation's  Run for Research Marathon on two occasions. Nick serves on the Board of Directors for the American Liver Foundation's New England Chapter. ALF- The American Liver Foundation's Run for Research® program is the oldest and one of the largest marathon teams in the Boston Athletic Association's official charity program. For over two decades we have helped thousands of runners compete in the historic Boston Marathon while raising funds for the fight against liver disease.  The organization's mission is this one of advocacy and education while raising important funds for research. Myfinishline link:     Summary Article: I said I'd get personal and here we go… A year ago during the holidays my Dad wasn't feeling well.  He began to look Jaundiced.  After a few visits and trips to Boston we discovered that he had an inoperable tumor on a bile duct in his liver.  They were able to put a stent in to relieve the bile duct and he went through a round of chemo to keep the cancer at bay.  Over the last year he has had a series of setbacks and infections and now is ready to leave us in the near future.  My Dad was a runner.  My dad introduced me to the concept of running to get in shape when I was quite young.  He never ran a marathon or any of that he just set the example of running to stay in shape.  My Dad was and is a strong man.  My parents have been very active in their social circle and teaching dance lessons and being an inspiration into their 80's.  I'm the youngest of 4 children who all turned out well, thanks in no small part to the direction our parents set us on.  Their belief in education, in learning, in being a better person and making the difference you can have been lessons that have guided us well. My parents supported me and encouraged me when I started racing marathons.  They came to my races and passed me bottles and cheered me on in my success.  My parents were always there for me.  In a short while my father won't be there for me anymore.  To honor my family, my parents and my family I have decided to run this year's Boston Marathon for the American Liver Foundation.  I am going to track my journey through this Unicorn series and I need your help.  Please go to my page at the American Liver Foundation and Donate. As an extra incentive, if you donate $50 or more I will write and record a personalized inspirational audio message for your next event.  This is not some throw away kindness.  I will write you something powerful and poetic that you can carry with you forever my friends. Go to: Thank you for joining me on my journey with purpose. Chris, - “sad song”

Unicorns-1.0 Introductory Comments: [audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/Unicorns10.mp3] Unicorns10.mp3 Hello and welcome my friends.  This is Chris and this a new series of podcasts that I’m doing that I’m going to call ‘Unicorns’.  Let me explain.  Be warned this is a bit of departure from what I’ve done in the past.  I’ will try to give you enough information so that you can decide whether you want to get on this particular bus and share this personal journey with me. This series is going to be about my current life events and journey.  It involves running and the Boston Marathon, but only tangentially.  If you’re looking for marathon tips you should stop now and switch to one of the main RunRunLive episodes or any of the other fine marathon podcasts out there. If you have been listening to my show for any of the last 5 years and 282 episodes you know that I have chosen not to share much about my personal life.  You could if you listened carefully tease out some of the background noise from my sanitized avatar but for the most part I’ve isolated you from my job and my family.  I did this for two reasons.  First I didn’t want the show to be about me – I wanted it to be about you and your journey with running and endurance sports.  Second, I suppose I was afraid to trust the internet with too much personal information.  That’s the way we were raised.  It’s part of our culture in New England.  We keep the shades drawn and we give our neighbors their peace and privacy. Well, my friends, today, and in the unicorn series I’m going to throw open the curtains of my personal life a bit.  I’m going to do so to bring purpose to this year’s running and to let you help me in my journey. First we’ll have a 15-20 minute interview with Nick from the American Liver Foundation and then I’ll share with you what I’m doing and invite you to get on my bus as things get weird over the next 9 weeks or so. Cheers, Chris, Featured Interview: Nick Giordano is a 13 time marathoner.  He has been the chair of the American Liver Foundation's  Run for Research Marathon on two occasions. Nick serves on the Board of Directors for the American Liver Foundation's New England Chapter. ALF- The American Liver Foundation's Run for Research® program is the oldest and one of the largest marathon teams in the Boston Athletic Association's official charity program. For over two decades we have helped thousands of runners compete in the historic Boston Marathon while raising funds for the fight against liver disease.  The organization's mission is this one of advocacy and education while raising important funds for research. Myfinishline link:     Summary Article: I said I’d get personal and here we go… A year ago during the holidays my Dad wasn’t feeling well.  He began to look Jaundiced.  After a few visits and trips to Boston we discovered that he had an inoperable tumor on a bile duct in his liver.  They were able to put a stent in to relieve the bile duct and he went through a round of chemo to keep the cancer at bay.  Over the last year he has had a series of setbacks and infections and now is ready to leave us in the near future.  My Dad was a runner.  My dad introduced me to the concept of running to get in shape when I was quite young.  He never ran a marathon or any of that he just set the example of running to stay in shape.  My Dad was and is a strong man.  My parents have been very active in their social circle and teaching dance lessons and being an inspiration into their 80’s.  I’m the youngest of 4 children who all turned out well, thanks in no small part to the direction our parents set us on.  Their belief in education, in learning, in being a better person and making the difference you can have been lessons that have guided us well. My parents supported me and encouraged me when I started racing marathons.  They came to my races and passed me bottles and cheered me on in my success.  My parents were always there for me.  In a short while my father won’t be there for me anymore.  To honor my family, my parents and my family I have decided to run this year’s Boston Marathon for the American Liver Foundation.  I am going to track my journey through this Unicorn series and I need your help.  Please go to my page at the American Liver Foundation and Donate. As an extra incentive, if you donate $50 or more I will write and record a personalized inspirational audio message for your next event.  This is not some throw away kindness.  I will write you something powerful and poetic that you can carry with you forever my friends. Go to: Thank you for joining me on my journey with purpose. Chris, - “sad song”

Kristin Martin, Founder of Kristin Martin Productions joins our show to discuss how she transitioned from an elementary school teacher into owning her own high-end event production company. Kristin Martin Productions works with The American Liver Foundation, SOS Los Angeles, The Philharmonic Society, Mission Hospital, Project Hope Alliance, RARE Project, and Global Genes to produce many of their nonprofit events. Kristin's firm also produces the charity culinary event, Table for 10, for the Illumination Foundation.

  Project Liberty: After learning of human trafficking while researching a novel, I decided to use my books to raise awareness and funds for the fight. One of my readers suggested I look into Project Liberty, a faith-based non-profit her grandmother had started. I was impressed both with Project Liberty and those behind the group. I began raising funds and awareness for them, and the relationship has grown from there. Project Liberty is a task force that exists to stop human trafficking. They are committed to finding and assisting in the rescue of victims, promoting human trafficking awareness, and promoting prosecutions of perpetrators. Project Liberty assists in the search and rescue of missing women, children and teenagers, especially those who are in danger of sex exploitation, death, kidnapping or being transported out of the area. They are brought into a case either by the FBI or the family of the victim. Amercian Liver Foundation   Every step I take and every dollar I raise will make a difference in the lives of the 30 million Americans living with liver disease. By making a donation on my behalf, you will be helping the American Liver Foundation provide community-based education and prevention programs, protect the rights of people with liver disease, and fund critical research.

Jennifer Luney: Founded:  May 2011, Races4Change (Races for Change) Charity is a personal story of celebration and remembrance of family & friends and to fund raise for fund raisers - races for causes are our game! Mission:  To raise funds for races, walks, 3K's, 5k's, 10K's, 15K's, hike, bike, triathlons...any race with a starting line and finish line...we want to make the change that the teams need in order to hit their target funding amount and get them to the race on time! General Information:  A cause for race causes around the nation, starting with our friends in Dallas!   We want to get those who wish to raise money for their causes to pay for their registration fees for races that give to charity. Raise 80% or more for your team or individual entry level commitment or requirement, email your scholarship request/story, and we will scholarship the other 20% or less needed to get to the starting line for a cause, cure or foundation. Becky Howland Events Manager American Liver Foundation Houston 6th Annual Flavors of Houston Hilton Houston Post Oak September 27th