E A ST COUNTY
Obser ver
Health Matters DECEMBER 2019
Observer Lakewood Ranch’s weekly newspaper since 1998
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
HOLIDAY BLUES Handling seasonal r grief is a step easie with support. PAGE 2
INSIDE
CANCER CARE
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New facilities and services come to SMH.
PAGE 5
BALANCING YOUR DIET
Tips to stay on track during foodie season.
PAGE 8
PICTURE OF HEALTH
Aging doesn’t equal stopping daily exercise.
PAGE 12
FREE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2019
VOLUME 22, NO. 5
Boats row, funds flow into park
YOUR TOWN
Liz Ramos
Ringing endorsement
Team training revenues at Nathan Benderson Park triple since fiscal year 2015. PAGE 3
Kaylee Eckelman (above), a senior at Lakewood Ranch High School, stood outside Publix for four hours Dec. 11 to ring in holiday cheer and money. Eckelman, a member of the school’s Key Club, served as a Salvation Army bell ringer to collect donations for the organization. “It’s a good way to help the community,” she said. “It helps establish a feeling of community while bonding with people who donate.”
BLESSED
WITH ANOTHER CHRISTMAS Pam Eubanks
Her sweater’s not ugly enough Lakewood Ranch resident Jan Martin (above) found her holiday inspiration on the half-off rack at a department store. It was a black sweater with a pink flamingo wearing a Santa hat. Because she had found the perfect ugly sweater, she decided to host a sweater gathering at her home Dec. 4 in the Esplanade Golf and Country Club. More than 30 friends arrived in sweaters of all styles and colors to participate in a friendly competition. After strutting down a red carpet, winners were announced, and Martin didn’t take the top prize. Dianne Frestel won for “cutest,” Alice Busch was the best in “glitziest,” and Leslie Acquaviva took the coveted “ugliest” sweater category.
Courtesy photo
Sixty coaches and about 400 students honed rowing skills during the USRowing Youth Regional Challenge Training Camp at Nathan Benderson Park last month.
A ‘living long shot’ tells his story of faith in surviving pancreatic cancer. PAGE 7 Jay Heater
David Fazzone has beaten the odds after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003.
Proposed sale to the rescue Liz Ramos
The Birds of Paradise rescue won’t have to leave its current site if a land deal closes as expected.
Prospective owner strikes deal with bird sanctuary. SEE PAGE 4
A+E Artist retreat bids leader goodbye. INSIDE