Lung Cancer

Friends and family gathered on Friday to dedicate the Glendale Community College Nursing Resource Lab to a former nursing instructor, who died of lung cancer in January. Sally Black, 53, dedicated her life to teaching nursing students about the profession she loved, said Cynthia Dorroh, associate dean of the nursing program at the college. “She put her heart in this,” said Black’s husband, Patrick. “She was dedicated to helping her students.” To honor Black’s work at the nursing department, the college named the nursing resource lab after her. A plaque saying “Sally C. Black, GCC alumni and faculty member — What a woman,” was placed outside the lab’s door.

Heart disease is leading Glendale killer Coronary heart disease was the leading cause of death among Glendale residents in 2007, according to a Los Angeles County Department of Public Health report released on Tuesday that detailed mortality rates and top causes for premature death. In Glendale, 594 people died from heart disease; coronary heart disease was also the leading cause of death countywide in 2007, according to the report. In Glendale, the second leading cause of death was emphysema and chronic obstruction pulmonary disease, with 125 deaths, followed by stroke with 124, then pneumonia and influenza with 117 and lung cancer with 112. When age was factored in, the second cause of premature death for people younger than 75 was suicide, followed by motor vehicle crashes, lung cancer and then drug overdose, according to the report.

It is with the deepest sadness that the family of Newton Russell announces the passing of our adored and greatly loved husband, father, and grandfather (Pop Pop). He fought a difficult and courageous battle against lung cancer. He went home to be with his Lord and Savior on Saturday, May 18. His family was with him in his home during the last difficult days and final hours. He was a fifth generation Californian, a Naval Veteran and USC alumnus. He served on the California State Legislature for 28 years and retired from the Senate in 1996 with the honorable title of “the conscience of the senate.” He maintained a full and active schedule serving on numerous boards and committees, traveling and enjoying to the fullest his wonderful family and extensive circle of friends.

Buck Wargo BURBANK -- Jim Uitermark said he should have believed in omens when he was hired by Glendale on Friday the 13th in 1984. The former senior building inspector and Canadian citizen,who left the city in July 1998 to go work in Newport Beach, has been through a lot in the last five years. He was tainted with the El Tovar controversy when he was suspended for 36 hours. His wife, Wilhelmina, died of lung cancer in 1995, and he declared bankruptcy and lost his home after spending more than $25,000 on his legal defense.

Smokers should quit for them, us Regarding “Smoking ban goes back to council,” Tuesday: I have a neighbor who smokes. He cares for his family, he smokes outside. Every morning I wake to cigarette smoke in our bedroom. The air carries it into our house. Every evening it wafts into our living room. I close the windows, close the doors. We live in the suburbs in nice houses that are spaced apart. Yet I’m a prisoner while he smokes. My mom and dad both died of cigarette-induced lung cancer and heart diseases.

It was a perfect fit. Dozens of women who participated in a special bra-fitting event at the Glendale Galleria Nordstrom on Thursday did something for themselves and for all of woman-kind. "One million dollars, one million reasons, one cure — that's our theme for this event," said Beth Ailman-Hart, a sales consultant for the Wacoal bra-manufacturing company, which put on Thursday's fundraiser — "Fit for the Cure." The event offered complimentary bra fittings for women and helped raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Claudia Peschiutta SOUTHWEST GLENDALE -- While other hospitals struggle to keep their doors open, Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center on Thursday celebrated the groundbreaking on a $15-million expansion. Taking turns wearing the handful of bright red hard hats available and holding golden shovels, hospital officials, former patients and others kicked off the beginning of a construction effort that will bring a third medical building to the campus and expand the parking lot and Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Gary Moskowitz Watching her father deal with clogged arteries and open-heart surgery as a result of smoking cigarettes motivated Annie Arakelian to stop other people from lighting up. Annie and nine other members of Clark Magnet High School's Kids Against Tobacco Smoking Club Education Team spent Wednesday morning talking to a group of fourth-graders at Fremont Elementary School about the dangers of tobacco and...

Gary Moskowitz A neighborhood kid recently approached 13-year-old Vahan Sarkisyan and told him that if he didn't smoke cigarettes, he was wasn't "cool" and the kid was going to beat him up. "I just told him I wasn't going to smoke it, and he was the one who wasn't cool because he was smoking, and he walked away," Vahan said. Since participating in Roosevelt Middle School's Project ABCD -- Analyze, Beware, Create and Disseminate -- anti-tobacco program, Vahan has become more adamant about encouraging people who smoke to stop.

Tim Willert MONTROSE -- The Montrose post office reopened Wednesday after repairs finally were completed to remove ceiling tiles containing asbestos. "We understand the job was finished," Bill Kelly, a South Coast Air Quality Management District spokesman, said Wednesday. "Samples of the air were taken and found to be free of asbestos." The AQMD is the agency that regulates renovation or demolition of any buildings containing asbestos, a fibrous mineral used in construction materials that is known to cause lung cancer.

It is with the deepest sadness that the family of Newton Russell announces the passing of our adored and greatly loved husband, father, and grandfather (Pop Pop). He fought a difficult and courageous battle against lung cancer. He went home to be with his Lord and Savior on Saturday, May 18. His family was with him in his home during the last difficult days and final hours. He was a fifth generation Californian, a Naval Veteran and USC alumnus. He served on the California State Legislature for 28 years and retired from the Senate in 1996 with the honorable title of “the conscience of the senate.” He maintained a full and active schedule serving on numerous boards and committees, traveling and enjoying to the fullest his wonderful family and extensive circle of friends.

Constance Ann Wren died peacefully on the morning of January 3, 2013 after a long and heroic battle with lung cancer. She was 76 years of age and died in San Gabriel, California. She was born in Berkley, California, June 18, 1936. She was the daughter of Marian Burgess Holcomb LaFranchi and Dr. Edward Henry LaFranchi. She is survived by her brothers Charles LaFranchi, Stephen LaFranchi and a sister Caroline Meredith Gracis. Longtime friends include Marge Zaun and Lynn Rossi. She was married to Edward Wren for over 20 years.

Glendale Police Capt. Carl Povilaitis received the most online votes, garnering him the Man in Pink title in Glendale Adventist's Army of Pink campaign, a biennial event created to call attention to breast cancer awareness and the importance of early detection. He participated in the campaign, he said, because he has friends who have had breast cancer and other friends who had long battles with lung cancer and did not survive. “You can't go through life without running into those issues, and you see how it impacts people and families,” he said.

"It is not flesh and blood, but the heart that makes us fathers and sons. " - Johann Schiller Though you would have a difficult time finding one, there is a little known album by Nat King Cole entitled "Goodnight, Little Leaguer. " If you ever catch a glimpse, my Dad's the Little Leaguer on the right with the thin smile and the red cap. He grew up to be the man who took me on my first fishing trip, the man I had my first catch with, the man who told me how proud he was after my first karate tournament, the man who taught me how to get in front of a groundball during Little League and the man who was one of my two biggest fans when I put on a pair of shoulder pads.

Heart disease is leading Glendale killer Coronary heart disease was the leading cause of death among Glendale residents in 2007, according to a Los Angeles County Department of Public Health report released on Tuesday that detailed mortality rates and top causes for premature death. In Glendale, 594 people died from heart disease; coronary heart disease was also the leading cause of death countywide in 2007, according to the report. In Glendale, the second leading cause of death was emphysema and chronic obstruction pulmonary disease, with 125 deaths, followed by stroke with 124, then pneumonia and influenza with 117 and lung cancer with 112. When age was factored in, the second cause of premature death for people younger than 75 was suicide, followed by motor vehicle crashes, lung cancer and then drug overdose, according to the report.

Last year, I ran into a man who was my very first mentor, 25 years after we first met at a backyard barbecue. It is such a small world. He was a great teacher, he had daughters about my age and he had a great influence on my career. At the barbecue, I met his wife and oldest daughter; it was so nice to catch up after so long. On Saturday, I went to funeral services for his oldest daughter, Diana. I thought I should pay my respects. She was 51 years old, just a bit older than me. I am sure she loved her daughter, 19, just like I love my own children.

DOWNTOWN — A government study showing that a partial smoking ban had a dramatic effect on reducing heart attacks in a Colorado town may have implications for Glendale and Burbank, where similar ordinances have been passed in recent years, experts said. The study, published Dec. 30 by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, was the first conducted over a period as long as three years and showed a sustained decrease in hospital admissions for heart attacks, said Christine Nevin-Woods, the lead researcher on the study and the director of the Pueblo City-County Health Department in Pueblo, Colo.

Smokers should quit for them, us Regarding “Smoking ban goes back to council,” Tuesday: I have a neighbor who smokes. He cares for his family, he smokes outside. Every morning I wake to cigarette smoke in our bedroom. The air carries it into our house. Every evening it wafts into our living room. I close the windows, close the doors. We live in the suburbs in nice houses that are spaced apart. Yet I’m a prisoner while he smokes. My mom and dad both died of cigarette-induced lung cancer and heart diseases.

Friends and family gathered on Friday to dedicate the Glendale Community College Nursing Resource Lab to a former nursing instructor, who died of lung cancer in January. Sally Black, 53, dedicated her life to teaching nursing students about the profession she loved, said Cynthia Dorroh, associate dean of the nursing program at the college. “She put her heart in this,” said Black’s husband, Patrick. “She was dedicated to helping her students.” To honor Black’s work at the nursing department, the college named the nursing resource lab after her. A plaque saying “Sally C. Black, GCC alumni and faculty member — What a woman,” was placed outside the lab’s door.