A Traumatic Brain Injury Stole Her Ability to Speak. Now, She’s Back to Teaching and Being a Mom to Her Three Boys

By Jade Waddy When fourth-grade math teacher Laura Chaffin and her husband, Bryan, decided to start a family, they knew they wanted to adopt. Their journey led them to Uganda, where they adopted their first son in 2014, and then, a year later, they decided to return to adopt their second son. By then, laws [Continue Reading]

admin

Follow-Up Friday: From Overcoming a Rodeo Injury to Running a Half-Marathon

By Jade Waddy Four years ago, Tara Fox suffered a number of severe injuries while participating in a local rodeo series in her hometown. Tara and her horse, Cross, had cleared the first barrel of their race and were halfway through the second barrel, when Cross began to head straight toward the alleyway instead of [Continue Reading]

admin

Infant Who Suffered 50 Seizures a Day Remains Seizure-Free Nearly Four Years Later

By Drew Munhausen As Wesley Robertson, 4, dashes happily across a room, laughing and playing with other children, it’s impossible to guess that he once suffered up to 50 seizures in a single day. Wesley was born with epilepsy that could not be controlled with medication. His parents, April and Scott Robertson, had accepted that [Continue Reading]

admin

Cheating Death: Minimally Invasive Procedure Helps Reduce Man’s Serious Stroke Risk

By Meredith Whittemore In some ways, Harold Peeples feels like he cheated death. “When I saw the image of my carotid artery, it was scary. It looked like almost no blood was making it through and I felt like I could have a stroke any minute,” Peeples said. Peeples had felt tired for an extended [Continue Reading]

Ali Vise

Brandon’s Song: One Man’s Journey to Sing Again

By Jade Waddy After suffering from a ruptured aorta, a major stroke and several acute strokes that took place while in surgery, Brandon Scott Ray’s life was forever altered. He lost his ability to walk, speak and sing, a talent he loved since he was a teenager. Once discharged from a local hospital, Scott spent [Continue Reading]

admin

The Healing Power of Art: BJ’s Story

By Shannon Dillon Carefree, full of life and surrounded by a lot of laughter and love. That’s the childhood BJ Smith, now 28 years old, remembers.  Growing up in the Acadiana region of south Louisiana, Smith worked part time with his grandfather at the family’s furniture business. “I’m a proud Cajun,” Smith said. At an [Continue Reading]

admin