When Ryan Wallace got a diagnosis of autism at age 2, his parents never thought they'd hear him speak.
When Ryan Wallace got a diagnosis of autism at age 2, his parents never thought they'd hear him speak.
When Linda Thomas of Frederick, Maryland, found out her 2-year old beagle, Henry, had Lyme disease, she was pretty upset. Her dog hardly went outside. But after his diagnosis, Henry's vet told Thomas that Lyme disease, which is transferred to pets by deer ticks, is fairly common in Maryland, and Henry probably should have been vaccinated for it.
Diablo is not your typical blood donor. Fuzzy and four legged, the golden retriever is eager to jump up on a table and offer a half-unit or more of blood for a few goodies.
Tom and Vera Forkner have loved each other for more than 30 years.
When 8-month-old Astana started getting her adult teeth, her owner, Gayle Warren, didn't expect any problems. She has a number of Black Russian terriers and developing new incisors was never a big deal with her other dogs. But Astana had a condition known as "twinning," where two teeth form in the same area. It can cause discomfort, overcrowding and early tooth decay. Warren decided to take Astana to a specialist in animal dentistry to have the extra teeth removed.
Cruise Bogle, 18, was skimboarding with friends in Delray Beach, Florida, when he took a wave that whipped his board out from under him. Bogle was thrown backward, and his head hit the ocean floor. When friends saw him lying still in the surf, they knew something was wrong and rushed him to the hospital.
A cure for the common cold has eluded scientists since the dawn of mankind.
When Lydia Newscomb bought her Rottweiler, Reggie, five years ago, she knew she eventually wanted to have a baby. "I thought he'd protect the family," she says.
A new year has arrived, and with it, a new list of resolutions. If "eating better" is on your list, experts say, there are a few items you can slip into to your diet that can improve your health and help you ward off certain diseases in 2010.
The noise in the concert hall is loud, throbbing. The crowd chants, "Metallica ... Metallica!"
When Tess Hamermesh found out her nana had cancer, her questions were simple.
Life was good for Kenny Sparks. A handsome man with a big smile, he was well-known in his town of Little Compton, Rhode Island. He had a loving wife, two beautiful, college-age children and was the co-owner of a multimillion-dollar contracting business.
She was folding laundry when the call came at 5 a.m. After she hung up the phone, Dr. Carol Greider went upstairs to wake her children. She had to tell them, even if it meant getting them out of bed early.
Pat Folsom, 54, knows the importance of preventive medicine. As a health care worker, she goes for scheduled checkups. So when she went in for a routine dental exam last year, she didn't expect more than a cleaning, maybe a filling. But her dentist found something more serious.
Most people know him as Sean. But to his best friends, Sean Hannah is "Spiderman." Since he was a child, Hannah has been scaling fences, climbing trees and skinning knees -- all in the name of fun. He says he just likes to keep moving. "I am very active. I like to change my routine. Keep it different," he says.
Talbot Kennedy became a quadriplegic on the last day of high school. He's still an athlete.
When Katherine Frazier was a teenager in Silver Spring, Maryland, back in the '60s, smoking was the "in" thing to do. She thought it was glamorous. She thought it was cool. Her friends smoked, her parents smoked, and at the time, no one knew that smoking tobacco could kill you.
Adell Tomas, who lives outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, admits she has a weight problem: Ten years ago, she tipped the scales at more than 300 pounds. Because of her obesity, she developed high blood pressure, arthritis and type 2 diabetes. She says she just didn't take care of herself.
Throughout his life, Ronn Wade has been surrounded by death. And in most cases, it hasn't seemed to bother him.
A world record was set recently in Houston, Texas. It wasn't the world's fastest quarter-mile run, the world's largest pumpkin or even the world's heaviest man. It was, however, as stunning to witness: the world's largest senior citizen Wii bowling tournament, as confirmed by Guinness World Records.
A few weeks ago, 22-year-old Tatiana Gulenkina felt bad. Tired with a headache and high fever, Gulenkina knew she was coming down with something. Yet she wasn't sure with what.
Walk into Lisa Nasser's kitchen most evenings and you're greeted by rich aromas that indicate an exceptional cook is at work on a delicious creation.
When Tyra Smith's boyfriend, Chris Lewis, first suggested they be guinea pigs in a H1N1 vaccination study in August, she wasn't so crazy about the idea. But then she warmed to it: While she doesn't like needles, she thought she'd help out because she knew H1N1 was a serious virus.
When Josephine Hathcock of Newark, Delaware, went in for gallbladder surgery, she never dreamed she'd wake up an ovarian cancer patient. Neither did her doctors, who found the cancer accidentally while she was on the operating table. To make matters worse, the cancer was stage 3, aggressive and had spread to her abdomen.
When Albert Budacz was young, he prided himself on having good eyesight; he never wore glasses. But as he eased into his late 40s, he couldn't see as well. "I noticed a change in my vision," he explained. "Primarily in church when I would open a Bible, or something like that, I had to position myself under a light to see it."
Pick a day -- any day -- and you'll probably find Sean Bugg on the courts. A tennis fanatic, he's been playing the sport since he was 9 years old. Now at age 41, Bugg is definitely feeling the pain from his game.
Barbara Simone of Glen Burnie, Maryland, considers herself terribly flawed. She refuses to show her ankles and she'd never allow them to be photographed. She barely wants to talk about them; in fact, when asked about her legs, she mumbles under her breath that she hates them.
Beverly Hunt is a mover and a shaker. A public relations executive who runs her own business in Laurel, Maryland, Hunt believes in looking good. She keeps active and stays in shape.
To look at her, you'd never know Jessica Ordona, 25, has a problem with her jeans. "I don't like the fact that when you sit down, your stomach comes over them," she says.
Kim Mickens, 49, has always been the caregiver among her eight brothers and sisters. So when her mother, Delphine Mickens, was told she had Alzheimer's disease, Mickens took care of all the arrangements for her mother's care -- among them, she chose a nursing home not far from her place in Baltimore.
For Brad Cohen, the barking and squealing noises he could not control began in the fifth grade.
For 12 years, Georgia Dunston and Dr. Chiledum Ahaghotu have been trying to figure out why African-American men develop prostate cancer at an earlier age and are twice as likely to die from it than any other group in the United States.
In May, Denise Bertholin got married. She wore a white dress and carried beautiful lilies. She and her groom, Matt Braun, said "I do" in front of family and friends.
It's been nine years since Kim and Curtis Christiansen were married. Since then they've had their ups and downs, but they've remained close. But when Curtis began snoring about three years ago, Kim began sleeping on the couch.
It has been almost 30 years since Maggie Rajnic lost her leg in a motorcycle accident. Since that time, she's tried to stay competitive, not allowing her disability to alter her life.
When Linda Campbell of Lexington, North Carolina, started to lose her vision in winter 2000 she knew something was wrong. After a diagnosis of ocular melanoma, a rare cancer, she went through numerous treatments to save her eye. Despite one recurrence, by 2007 Campbell was pretty sure she had beaten the odds. That was until last year, when her doctors found lesions on her liver. Her melanoma had spread.
Ken Gehle first noticed something was wrong about a year ago: He'd sit down to dinner and the first bite of food seemed to get stuck in his throat.
As the summer months creep ever closer, trying to achieve the perfect set of abs can seem like a lost cause.
"Just the facts" has always been Lillian Waugh's motto. A historian and former professor of women's studies at West Virginia University, Waugh is a stickler for facts and details. And because she was always the "go to" person at WVU, she was constantly in demand -- and busy.
It's a Tuesday morning and Dr. Eric DeJonge is headed to work. But unlike most physicians, DeJonge's office is his car and his patients are waiting for him in their homes, not in a large waiting room.
Amber Mori drives a forklift in a warehouse in Gaithersburg, Maryland. As a working mom, she's on the go 24/7. But twice a week, Amber transforms into "Cykosis," a fishnet-wearing, skatin' diva, who bumps and jabs her way around a roller rink.
Stephanie White is a skin cancer expert. At 41, she's had all three types of the condition: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma.
Ahmed Hamdi wants to be a superhero when he grows up. A lot of people at his school will tell you he already is one.
Every week, Jackie Kaminer of Roswell, Georgia, buys fish for dinner at the local market. Although she knows it's full of nutrients -- including good-for-your-heart omega-3 fatty acids -- she's careful of the types of fish she brings home.
The stress of being unemployed and looking for a new job gives Lucille Jaesson a tension headache almost every day.
Susan Todd loves her daily coffee fix. "I can drink four or five cups, easily, comfortably," said Todd, 59, of Clinton Township, Michigan.
The bad economy and downturn in the housing market aren't the only painful things for Realtor Anne Stephens. Her knees, hips and ankles hurt from arthritis.
Doctors don't have to tell 18-year-old "Rose" (who doesn't want to reveal her real name) the importance of using a condom every time she has sex.
For years, Donna Mitchell has tried to lower her cholesterol through diet and exercise. She's had limited success.
A group of seven preschoolers gathered at a small table in the center of a brightly lit classroom and started playing with plastic blocks.
Ordinarily, walking on a treadmill is no big deal for Carol Elam -- except when she's dressed in a hospital gown and attached to a heart monitor.
Amanda Wagner and Jessica Tuttle turn 50 this year, but they're not letting age hold them back from their favorite exercise: running. They've been lacing up their running shoes since their teens and show few signs of slowing down. Research on older runners suggests they may not have to.
The first swipe of the electric razor exposed a six-inch patch of bare skin on Dr. Craig Castellino's scalp. Within minutes, the pediatric oncologist with the Aflac Cancer Center in Atlanta, Georgia, was bald.
Ask third-graders what cholesterol means and they will probably just shrug their shoulders, but not Maddie Zacks.
It was 10 a.m. on a recent weekday and the emergency room at Scottish Rite Children's Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, was quiet, except for a little boy crying in room 45.
An enormous Asian elephant stepped out from behind a big red curtain at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Atlanta, Georgia.
Soft music filled the room as waiters served white wine and hors d'oeuvres. Two dozen well-dressed women chatted in small groups.
Alan Franco, a wealth manager from Atlanta, Georgia, has a confession to make: He's a grinder.
Managing the service department of an Atlanta, Georgia, car dealership is a stressful job, according to Debbie Peek.
Mike Moriarty has big expectations for the new year. "My goal is to fit into these pants better," he said, patting his stomach.
Singing "Frosty the Snowman" and "Jingle Bells" may not seem like a big deal to most third-graders, but for Joey Finley, 8, doctors say it's a miracle.
Sada Jacobson may be a world champion fencer with three Olympic medals, but dressed in a T-shirt and sweats, she looked like any other student getting a lesson at the gym.
After last year's massive toy recall, Stacy Duran isn't taking any chances when shopping for toys this holiday season.
The sweet smell of sugar cookies baking filled the air in Kris Shock's kitchen.
There won't be any brightly wrapped packages under Annette Peterson's Christmas tree this year.
There won't be any brightly wrapped packages under Annette Peterson's Christmas tree this year.
It was just after 7 a.m. and Cassie Graham was lighting up her second cigarette of the morning.
Retired Army Spc. Scott Winkler had many scary encounters while serving in Iraq, but they were nothing compared with his recent experience at the world's largest aquarium: swimming alongside a massive whale shark.
Retired Army Spc. Scott Winkler had many scary encounters while serving in Iraq, but they were nothing compared with his recent experience at the world's largest aquarium: swimming alongside a massive whale shark.
Experts are predicting a record voter turnout for tomorrow's presidential election.
Experts are predicting a record voter turnout for tomorrow's presidential election.
It's just after dawn on a chilly Monday morning. The leaves crunch under Van Lewis' feet as he treks through the woods in rural Monroe, Georgia, clutching a hunting rifle.
It's just after dawn on a chilly Monday morning. The leaves crunch under Van Lewis' feet as he treks through the woods in rural Monroe, Georgia, clutching a hunting rifle.
Ben, who's 15 months old, can already do a lot of things. He can turn on a light or open a door. He can pick up a remote control off the floor. He can pull a heavy object with his teeth.
Ben, who's 15 months old, can already do a lot of things. He can turn on a light or open a door. He can pick up a remote control off the floor. He can pull a heavy object with his teeth.
Rob Sandler comforted his infant son as he lifted him out of the crib, cooing in his ear while he walked to the living room.
Rob Sandler comforted his infant son as he lifted him out of the crib, cooing in his ear while he walked to the living room.
The scene looked like a flashback to ancient China.
The scene looked like a flashback to ancient China.
A dozen old family photos were strewn across the table as Gary Neal picked them up one by one.
A dozen old family photos were strewn across the table as Gary Neal picked them up one by one.
Latin music pulses from the stereo as 40 women jump, shimmy and sway to the beat.
Latin music pulses from the stereo as 40 women jump, shimmy and sway to the beat.
It was hard to miss the bright yellow Student Driver bumper sticker on the back of the car driven by Tosha Mulligan.
It was hard to miss the bright yellow Student Driver bumper sticker on the back of the car driven by Tosha Mulligan.
Rosa Foster sat down at the kitchen table with a plate of fried chicken and a salad. Before taking a bite of food, she bowed her head and prompted her grandchildren to say the blessing.
The crowd cheered as Morgan Lawless faced her first pitch of the fall baseball season.
A week before the start of the new school year, principal Denise Magee roamed the hallways of Campbell Middle School in Smyrna, Georgia, preparing for battle.
Makiri Pugh is not your typical college freshman. At age 18, he knows more than most young adults about the structure and health of his heart, and it's not because he's sick.
The lights were turned down low and the music was pulsing as Kimberly Wright made her way toward a 16-foot tall dance pole to do some tricks.
Before Amy Harned goes outside to work in her garden, she coats her face and neck with sunscreen, then puts on a hat, jacket and work gloves.
It's the middle of the night and Steven Ford is wide awake.
Lisle Nolan started noticing the symptoms four months ago: headaches, mood swings and a menstrual cycle that was out of whack.
You wouldn't know it by looking at her, but at any given moment Dana Poole hurts all over.
Andre Rives no longer mows his own lawn and it's not because he's too busy. The thought of cutting his grass brings back some bad memories.
A good friend of mine recently learned she has breast cancer. Even though I spend most of my time writing for a living, I was at a loss for the right words to comfort her.
Cheryl Reed's morning routine starts like that of millions of other mothers around the country. She makes breakfast for her 8-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter, piles them into a minivan and drops them off at school.
During the first seven years of their relationship, Judy Kelly doesn't remember her boyfriend, Bill Horrisberger, ever going to a doctor.