Bouncing Back: Bridge City teen makes a remarkable recovery from a traumatic brain injury


By Jennifer Latson Addison Minter doesn’t remember the crash that almost killed her. In November, the 17-year-old was on her way home to Bridge City, Texas, after a private cheerleading lesson in Houston. It had been drizzling all day, and her family’s car hit a slick patch of road and hydroplaned into a retainer wall. [Continue Reading]

Ali Vise

The Tooth Fairy Makes Rounds


A little girl lost her first tooth in the middle of a sleep study. Then magic happened at the lab. When 6-year-old Lyric Thomas arrived at the Memorial Hermann Sleep Disorders Center at Westside one recent evening, she had a lot to talk about. She chatted nonstop with pediatric sleep technologist Kelli O’Leary about school, [Continue Reading]

Ali Vise

In Treating Spine Issues, Less Can Be More


When it comes to chronic neck and back pain, surgery is sometimes the best option. But it should be the last option, say James E. Showery, MD, and Cody Tillinghast, MD, assistant professors in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and affiliated surgeons at Memorial Hermann | Rockets Orthopedic [Continue Reading]

Ali Vise

Small Incisions, Big Benefits: How treatment for heart valve disease is becoming less invasive and more accessible


By Jennifer Latson Heart valve disease affects about 2.5 percent of the population, or more than eight million Americans, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, causing more than 25,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. It’s especially prevalent among older people, since the heart valves can become lined with calcium deposits [Continue Reading]

Ali Vise

Great-grandmother with atrial fibrillation receives groundbreaking procedure to remove need for blood thinners


Great-grandmother Penny Null, 75, is an avid gardener, baker and quilter. On most days, you can find her at home doing what she loves most. She cooks fresh bread from scratch, often two loaves per week. She patiently cares for her huge garden, freely giving out her canned produce, including green beans, creamed corn and [Continue Reading]

Ali Vise

Restarting a Heart: In cases of cardiac arrest, quick intervention can save a life — even if you have no medical training.


By Jennifer Latson When someone’s heart stops beating, acting quickly can mean the difference between life and death. More than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of hospitals each year, according to the American Heart Association, and 90 percent of those sudden cardiac arrests prove fatal. But they don’t have to be. Immediate CPR, or cardiopulmonary [Continue Reading]

Ali Vise