livingentity

I see one problem with this plan - isn't the electric power sort of iffy in India? I think they need to get the kind of tv that runs on electricity or batteries for this plan to work. Yeah, I love Lucy, Dick VanDyck Show and all those old sitcoms should do the trick. Then there are the cheesy talk shows too.

This story is so wonderful!! The pictures did not show so I have edited this message to add the link to the site. <A HREF=http://members.tripod.com/~joseromia/samuel.html>Click here to view incredible pictures</A> </CENTER><CENTER><table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4 width="100%"><tr><td valign=middle bgcolor=#dda0dd><font face="arial,helvetica" size=+1>Youth For Life</font></td><td valign=middle align=right bgcolor=#87ceeb><font face="arial,helvetica">Holding Hands: Samuel Alexander Armas's Story</font></td></tr></table></CENTER> As reported in Irish Independent newspaper by Paul Harris<hr><img src=life.jpg align=left alt="click for larger image" width=150 height=163> Photo: While undergoing spina bifida surgery in utero, 21-week-old fetus Samuel Armas grips the finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner through the incision. Click to View Enlarged Image Take a good look at this picture. It's one of the most remarkable photographs ever taken. The tiny hand of a foetus reaches out from a mother's womb to clasp a surgeon's healing finger. It is, by the way, 21 weeks old, an age at which it could still be legally aborted. The tiny hand in the picture above belongs to a baby which is due to be born on December 28. It was taken during an operation in America recently. It is a medical development in the control of the effects of spina bifida ... and on a picture which will reverberate through the on-going abortion debate here Your first instinct is to recoil in horror. It looks like a close-up of some terrible accident. And then you notice, in the centre of the photograph, the tiny hand clutching a surgeon's finger. The baby is literally hanging on for life. For this is one of the most remarkable photographs taken in medicine and a record of one of the world's most extraordinary operations. It shows a 21-week-old foetus in its mother's womb, about to undergo a spine operation designed to save it from serious brain damage. The surgery was carried out entirely through the tiny slit visible in the wall of the womb and the `patient' is believed to be the youngest to undergo it. At that age the mother could have chosen to have the foetus aborted. Her decision not to, however, led to an astonishing test not just of medical technology, but of faith. Samuel Armas has spina bifida, which left part of his spinal cord exposed after the backbone failed to develop. The operation was designed to close the gap and protect the cord, the body's motorway for nerve signals to the brain. So, on an unborn patient no bigger than a guinea-pig, the operation was performed without removing the foetus from the womb. The instruments had to be specially designed to work in miniature. The sutures used to close the incisions were less than the thickness of a human hair. An ER-style crash-cart team was on constant standby in an adjoining room. When it was completed, however, Samuel's battle for survival was only just beginning. Nor would the emotional battle his parents had already endured finish quite yet. Julie and Alex Armas had been trying desperately for a baby. Julie, a 27-year-old nurse, had suffered two miscarriages before she became pregnant with the child they intended to call Samuel Alexander if it was a boy. Then, at 14 weeks, she started to suffer terrible cramp. An ultrasound scan was carried out to show the shape of the developing foetus and its position in the womb. When the picture emerged, it was the moment that every parent-to-be dreads. Their unborn son's brain was mis-shapen and his spinal cord was sticking out from a deformed backbone. He had spina bifida. They were devastated and ``torn apart'' said Alex, a 28-year-old jet aircraft engineer. At that stage, and even weeks later, the couple could have decided to have the pregnancy terminated. In their home town of Georgia in the US as in Britain abortion is routinely offered. Although accurate figures are not available, many parents accept. For Julie and Alex, who are deeply religious, it was not an option. That didn't mean, of course, that they were not racked by pain at the thought that the child they had longed for was imperfect. It also riddled them with guilt over whether they had effectively taken the decision to inflict their son with years of handicap, pain and suffering. So, this being the United States, they turned to the internet for help. Julie's mother found a website giving details of pioneering surgery being carried out by a team at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Although the results have not yet been endorsed in medical journals, they looked encouraging to Mr. And Mrs. Armas. Their doctor put them in touch with Dr. Joseph Bruner (it is his finger in the photograph). A race against time had begun. Because it affects the spinal cord, spina bifida can lead to a condition that causes brain damage. Mr and Mrs. Armas were told that if they were to avoid the condition, which was not then present in Samuel, they had to act fast. ``I wasn't concerned about a child who couldn't walk,'' said Julie, ``but I want a child who knows me.'' The theory behind the surgery is that attention to he spine disorder before the baby is born prevents or limits brain damage, and gives a better chance of healing. It does not cure spina bifida, but it is said to provide a strong chance of limiting the damage through early intervention. The risks, however, are enormous. Controversy surrounds the use of such surgery because it goes against the general medical rule that the risk should not outweigh the benefit. Mr and Mrs Armas were fully aware that if anything went wrong, no attempt would be made to deliver Samuel by Caesarean section. Medical science does not yet have the capability to keep a 21-week-old foetus alive outside the womb. The crash-cart was on standby for Julie, not Samuel. ``If he dies, that's horrible for me and for us,'' said Julie before she went into theatre. Wiping tears she added: ``But not for him. The worst thing might be if we don't do this, and this is standard treatment when he's 21, and he says: ``Why didn't you know about that?'' And we say: ``We did, but we didn't do it for you.'' The other major dangers were turning him in the womb to get his back in line with an inch-long cut in the wall, through which Dr Bruner would operate, and that the surgery might involve releasing the fluid around Samuel. The movement posed the risk of sending Julie into labour contractions, which would have been fatal for Samuel. Thus, one morning at the beginning of last month, Dr Bruner could be heard urging his team to keep quiet. ``Shh!'' he said. ``You'll wake the baby!'' Robert Davis, who reported on the operation for USA Today newspaper, said the lesion that exposed Samuel's spine was found low on his backbone, decreasing the chance of nerve damage. Although Samuel is believed to have been the youngest patient for such an operation, it was apparently routine enough for Dr Bruner and paediatric neurosurgeon Noel Tullpant to talk about the weather during the operation. An hour later, the womb is gently eased back into place. ``Beautiful,'' said one of the technicians and relief swept the room. Julie was allowed home with Alex within days. The baby is due on December 28. He has not yet felt the touch of his mother's skin against his own and he knows nothing of life outside her womb. But perhaps Samuel Alexander Armas will be able to shake Dr Bruner's hand again.<h2>Update</h2>Many people have written asking what happened to Samuel. Happily, both Samuel and his mother are doing well. Below is the letter that Samuel's mother sent out after his birth. <blockquote> <center><img src=smsamuel.jpg alt="newborn samuel - click to enlarge" width=107 height=130><img src=smsamuel2.gif alt="another pic of newborn sam - click to enlarge" width=145 height=147></center>Dear Friends and Family, Samuel arrived on Thursday, Dec. 2 at 6:25 pm at Northside Hospital weighing 5 lbs 11 oz and 20 1/2 " long. He was born at 36 weeks but came into the world screaming his head off! He did not have to spend any time in a neonatal unit and came home with us on Monday, Dec. 6. After viewing an ultrasound of his brain, Samuel's neurosurgeon was very optimistic as he does not have any hydrocephalus and the brain malformation has resolved. He is moving his legs very well from the hips and some from the knees. He was frank breech (folded in half) in the womb and the orthopedist feels that he has a good chance for walking. He will begin physical therapy next week in order to work out some of the stiffness in his legs that was a result of his being folded in half in the womb. He is also nursing very well. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We are happier than we ever dreamed possible! All our love, Julie, Alex and Samuel Armas</Blockquote><Hr><h3> [This message has been edited by livingentity (edited 09-01-2001).]

Yep, me too! The water gets sooo hot in my washer that all my clothes have shrunk then I tried a new detergent and it got worse. Here is a really quick way to lose weight: go out and buy some clothes that are too big for you. Make sure they are big enough that people comment on it and you can say Yeah, I must have lost some weight - these fit me perfect last week!

I have not checked in on this topic for quite sometime and want to thank everyone for their responses - my doctor now tells me that I have psoriatic arthritis which is much rarer and harder to treat - will this also work for that?

I do now!

I gotta agree with you on that because it seems that the participants on the dm are also posting here so the crossposts are becoming redundant. Personally I am just skipping over that kind of stuff anyway.

Sign up and check it out! It is alive and worth visiting.

Sex and the TV Indian Minister Calls for Cheap TVs to Lower Population Aug. 31 — India is hoping to slow its ever-growing population by giving folks something else to do in the bedroom — in addition to sleep, that is. Call it birth control by the airwaves. At the prodding of its health minister, India has decided to make TV sets cheaper, hoping to keep couples glued to the shows — and away from each other. "Entertainment is an important component of the population policy," the Times of India quoted health minister C.P. Thakur as telling lawmakers in parliament. "We want people to watch television." India population's passed 1 billion in May, and law makers have expressed concern that the country would soon overtake the world's most populous nation, China.

Off the topic for one quick second - question to Janus - Did you live in Milwaukee? I knew a Janus there and have been very curious and wanting to ask you. Sorry to stray off the topic there but had to ask.

He is asking "Are most of Srila Prabhupada disciples non-indian?" Not a racist question I am sure!

Please share the receipe with us! [This message has been edited by livingentity (edited 08-31-2001).]

tee hee touche'

Fantastic!

Cloning around is going to have serious repercussions that we can not even imagine yet. This whole thing is morbid and frightening to me.

I am not eeeven going to tell you how many of these items I am guilty of - and yes, I am going to forward it to friends!!

Yes, that is a new virus and it is called the sircam or something like that. If you open it will attach itself to many different files in your computer and fill up your drives until your computer crashes. I have mcafee and they sent me an alert on that one yesterday.

Report: Ex-Beatle Treated for Tumor BELLINZONA, Switzerland (AP) - Former Beatle George Harrison is reportedly being treated for a brain tumor in Switzerland - just two months after receiving lung cancer therapy in the United States. Luca Borner, director of the Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland in Bellinzona, declined to confirm the report of the weekly Sonntagszeitung. He told The Associated Press on Monday he could not comment because of patient confidentiality. The paper said Harrison has visited Switzerland's Italian-speaking region of Ticino regularly in the past two months. It said he rented a house in Luino, Italy - a 40-minute drive south from Bellinzona - and was treated at the institute during May and June. Harrison received cobalt treatment, a form of radiation therapy, the paper said. Harrison, 58, has a history of cancer. He had surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., at the beginning of May to remove a cancerous growth from one of his lungs. His lawyers said that after the successful operation he had traveled to Italy to rest. He also was treated for throat cancer in the late 1990s after he found a lump on his neck. He had surgery followed by two courses of radiation therapy at the Royal Marsden Hospital, Britain's leading cancer treatment center. ``Luckily for me they found that this nodule was more of a warning than anything else. There are many different types of cancerous cells and this was a very basic type,'' he said at the time. In 1999, Harrison also suffered a punctured lung when he was stabbed by a man who broke into his home west of London. Michael Abram, 34, was acquitted by reason of insanity and confined to a mental hospital. Earlier this year, the intensely private Harrison said: ``I had a little throat cancer. I had a piece of my lung removed in 1997. And then I was almost murdered. ``But I seem to feel stronger. I don't smoke any more. I'm a little more short of breath than I used to be, so I don't see myself on stage lasting a full 14 rounds.'' The Beatles broke up in 1970 and Harrison, the youngest and quietest of the Fab Four went on to a successful solo career with hits including ``My Sweet Lord.''

Haribol, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada Hare Krsna I want to take a moment to offer many thanks to JNdas for keeping this forum an oasis from the chaos that seems to overrun the web and similar sites. I am not sure if this is the proper category for this post and if not, I will move it elsewhere if JNdas ask me to do so. your humble servant

"He is the God of forms infinite, in whose glory all things are, smaller than the smallest atom, and yet the creator of all, ever living in the mystery of His creation. In the vision of this God of love there is everlasting peace." Krishna Yajur Veda, Svetasvatara Upanishads 4.14

"May God - who, in the mystery of His vision and power, transforms His white radiance into His many-colored creation, from whom all things come and into whom they all return - grant us the grace of pure vision." Krishna Yajur Veda, Svetasvatara Upanishads 4.1

My hair is very curly and outta control!! Wanna trade Jrdd!!

I pretty sure that it is. Tumeric is great for a number of things including the skin. Good antiseptic.

Haribol, Took a break from the forums and just dropped in to see what has been going on - I am going try your salt, baking soda, peroxide mixture myself. Sounds like a good solution for the gums. If you are using this I think it is ok to forgo the Bronners!