FIRST CASE OF E.COLI IN ILLINOIS RELATED TO SPINACH
An elderly woman from north-central Illinois is the first state resident to have contracted E. Coli from the national outbreak associated with the consumption of bagged spinach. She was hospitalized in late August with a form of kidney failure and had a history of consuming fresh spinach. Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, state public health director, warns about the outbreak of E. Coli in multiple states and advises people to err on the side of caution and not to eat fresh spinach or products containing spinach. To date more than 100 cases of illness have been reported to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Three lawsuits were filed in Wisconsin, Oregon and Utah on Monday on behalf of residents and children who became ill with the E. Coli strain after eating spinach. The law firm Marler-Clark in Seattle says they currently represent 20 people and are investigating more around the country. To date, one person in Wisconsin has died from this outbreak.
RELAY TOTAL SURPASSES 54K
Although the number of participating teams was down from previous years, the 2006 Bond County Relay for Life generated $54,905 for the American Cancer Society. Over $11,000 of that amount came from corporate sponsors. There were thirteen teams and The Just Us group was the top money maker with $8,279 followed by Touched By Angels in 2nd place and Orange Crush in third. The top three individuals were Jerry McCray with $1,705 followed by Rick Wilkerson and Jason Koontz.
This year’s theme was “The Groovy 70’s” and the crowd was entertained in the opening ceremony by Kim Lugge’s 4th grade music students performing a medley of 60s and 70s songs. Chairman Andi Rule, in her second year in that role, talked about how cancer had affected her family and friends. She said that she wished for a cancer-free world for her grandchildren. Sally Stone spoke about the “Look Good, Feel Better” program for women with cancer and featured speaker Nancy Royer Green talked about her battle with inflammatory breast cancer.
Cancer survivors again led the traditional opening lap of the Relay. Representatives from each team walked until 5:45 Saturday morning as a show of solidarity with cancer patients. Participants enjoyed food and games throughout the evening.
SURVIVOR WALK DURING OPENING CEREMONY
WGEL's own John Goldsmith and Joe Doll swap hats for a day and raised $500 for Relay for Life
GREEN SHARES HER CANCER STORY AT RELAY
It is said to be one of the rarest forms of cancer and those attending Friday’s opening ceremony of the Bond County Relay for Life learned more about it from the featured speaker. Nancy Royer Green was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer the week of September 11, 2001. Green explained that 19 of 20 lymph nodes showed signs of cancer and she was initially given a 4 percent chance of survival.
She talked to WGEL about how rare a form of cancer it is. Nancy has been told that there have not been enough survivors for clinical research. This is because they have been misdiagnosed and the cancer can develop to a stage three of four within two weeks.
When she first got the diagnosis, Nancy went on-line but found only four web sites that even mention inflammatory breast cancer. The information was all written by the same person. She believes her survival is because of the research and contributions made everyday to the American Cancer Society.
Nancy Royer Green has done a lot of public speaking on her battle with cancer and the importance of connecting with the right team of doctors. Nancy and her husband have volunteered to chair the 2007 Relay for Life.
