June 29, 2018

Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights for June 29, 2018

By Emily Blahnik

CNN, Sunscreen 101: Your guide to summer sun protection and sunburn care by Maddie Bender — The active ingredients of sunscreens are regulated by the FDA, so FDA-approved sunscreens are safe for adults and children over 6 months. However, Mayo Clinic dermatologist Dr. Dawn Davis previously told CNN that people with sensitive skin or allergies might want to look for physical sunscreens containing zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, as they are usually hypoallergenic.

CNN, A doctor said it was all in her head, but it was 'the most common condition you've never heard of' by Sandee LaMotte — POTS is a malfunction of the automatic nervous system, which controls the involuntary functions of the body, such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, breathing, blinking and urination... "Research from Mayo Clinic shows that the quality of life in POTS patients is similar in what is seen in congestive heart failure, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease," said Dysautonomia International co-founder and President Lauren Stiles, who is also a POTS patient. Additional coverage: AZFamilyPhilly Voice, WTKR

New York Times, Breathing Tubes Fail to Save Many Older Patients by Paula Span — A tightfitting mask over the nose and mouth helps patients with certain conditions breathe nearly as well as intubation does. But they remain conscious and can have the mask removed briefly for a sip of water or a short conversation. When researchers at the Mayo Clinic undertook an analysis of the technique, reviewing 27 studies of noninvasive ventilation in patients with do-not-intubate or comfort-care-only orders, they found that most survived to discharge. Many, treated on ordinary hospital floors, avoided intensive care.

BuzzFeed, 27 College Health Tips They Won't Teach You At Orientation by Caroline Kee — BuzzFeed Health spoke to Dr. Pritish Tosh, infectious disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and germ expert Kelly Reynolds, PhD, director of environmental health sciences at the University of Arizona, about how college students can stay healthy when the odds (and germs) are against them.

Wall Street Journal, Should the Government Limit a Physician’s Ability to Treat Patients With Opioids? — Halena M. Gazelka, an assistant professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine and practitioner of pain medicine at the Mayo Clinic, counters that legislated limits on prescriptions can do more harm than good... NO: Limits will deprive suffering patients of pain relief by Halena M. Gazelka — This isn’t only a matter of the different needs of patients facing acute, or short-term pain, such as those recovering from surgery, but also patients in need of chronic pain management, like those with cancer or back pain.

Today, Family of college football player who died of suicide reveals he had CTE by Scott Studmp — The parents of Tyler Hilinski, the Washington State quarterback who died by suicide at 21, said an autopsy of his brain found evidence of a degenerative disease…His family was contacted by the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota following his death and agreed to give the hospital his brain for an autopsy…The report from the Mayo Clinic came back positive for CTE, which one study last year found present in the brains of 99 percent of 202 deceased NFL players. Additional coverage: PeopleSports Illustrated, HuffPost, Arizona Republic, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, ABC News, FOX News, Chicago Tribune, KING 5, New York Daily News, BBC, Tampa Bay Times, KOMO News, Seattle Times, Salt Lake Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times

NBC News, Can a cheap and widely available TB vaccine help diabetics? by Maggie Fox — Researchers said Monday that a few diabetics who got the vaccine had much better control of their blood sugar after eight years than people who did not get it… “This could be something that happened by chance because people were a bit more diligent or leaner or more compliant with diet,” said Dr. Adrian Vella, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic. Additional coverage: FortuneTIME

US News & World Report, What You Need to Know About Heat Stroke by Ruben Castaneda — … Dousing the person with cold water from a hose or putting him or her in a cold shower can be effective. Wrapping a heat stroke victim in cold towels is also a good measure. Cooling the body of a heat stroke victim is crucial to reduce damage to the person's brain and vital organs, according to the Mayo Clinic.

National Geographic, Think Your Body Is Infested With Insects? You're Not Alone. by Erika Engelhaupt —For years, entomologists have insisted that these delusions aren’t as rare as psychiatrists and the public may think. And now, a study by the Mayo Clinic suggests they’re right. The first population-based study of the condition’s prevalence suggests that about 27 out of a hundred thousand Americans a year have delusions of an infestation. That would mean around 89,000 people in the U.S. right now are plagued by the condition. Additional coverage: Science Alert, Newsweek

Post-Bulletin, Avoid bug-borne diseases this summer by Anne Halliwell — Planning to hike over the summer? Don’t forget the Deet — and maybe pack tweezers, while you’re at it. There are plenty of diseases that can be transmitted by bugs such as ticks and mosquitos. We talked to Dr. Bobbi Pritt, a Mayo Clinic pathologist, about Lyme disease and West Nile virus — two prevalent vector-borne diseases in the U.S. Read on to learn why Minnesota Lyme disease is the worst, and how to follow the “ABCs of bite prevention.”

Post-Bulletin, Can art and science co-exist? RAC exhibit says yes by Anne Halliwell — When you walk into Rochester Art Center this summer, prepare to interact with the exhibits, as well as your own genetic code. “Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code” is meant to teach visitors about their genes. The exhibit was developed by the Smithsonian Museum and is presented and sponsored by the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine. Additional coverage: Med City BeatMPR

Post-Bulletin, Mayo Children's Center ranked among best by Anne Halliwell — Mayo Clinic’s Children’s Center is ranked as a top-performing children’s hospital in Iowa, Minnesota, and the Dakotas, according to a new report by U.S. News and World. Of 118 children’s hospitals in the U.S., Mayo Clinic ranked as a top-performing provider in seven of 10 pediatric specialties…“It is rewarding to see the efforts of our multidisciplinary team in Neonatology recognized in these rankings,” Christopher Colby, division chairman for Neonatal Medicine, said in a press release. “We had excellent performance in the quality and process domains in the U.S. News survey. The growth and support of the Fetal Care Center, along with the Teleneonatology Program generated a higher volume of newborns with complex medical and surgical conditions.”

Post-Bulletin, Avoid bug-borne diseases this summer by Anne Halliwell — There are plenty of diseases that can be transmitted by bugs such as ticks and mosquitos. We talked to Dr. Bobbi Pritt, a Mayo Clinic pathologist, about Lyme disease and West Nile virus — two prevalent vector-borne diseases in the U.S. Read on to learn why Minnesota Lyme disease is the worst, and how to follow the “ABCs of bite prevention.”

KIMT, The Road to Rehab: Life after a traumatic brain injury by Katie Lange — Mariela Rivera is a Trauma Surgeon at Mayo Clinic and told KIMT you can't argue the data that proves helmets can greatly decrease a brain injury. Symptoms of a brain injury can range from mild such as a headache and nausea to re-learning how to walk and talk, it could even result in death.  "When you're having an injury to your head and you’re wearing a helmet it is a protection. There is no question about it and that can affect the impact that you are going to get into your brain and the consequences of that which we will call traumatic brain injury which can be completely different," said Rivera.

KAAL, Free College Program Will Help Fill Workforce Needs by Dan Conradt — It's a program that's going to have an immediate impact on high school graduates and a long-term impact on the job market and the economy. It's called the Assurance Scholarship program. The Hormel Foundation will make two years at Riverland community college tuition-free for graduates of Austin public schools and Pacelli Catholic schools who meet educational and community service requirements. …“There's a rural health care issue as far as having qualified employees," Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Mark Ciota added. “But we find the Riverland students are eager to learn and are good learners and are excellent employees."

Star Tribune, Medical milestone: US OKs marijuana-based drug for seizures by Matthew Perrone — Physicians say it's important to have a consistent, government-regulated version. "I'm really happy we have a product that will be much cleaner and one that I know what it is," said Dr. Ellaine Wirrell, director of the Mayo Clinic's program for childhood epilepsy. "In the artisanal products there's often a huge variation in doses from bottle to bottle depending on where you get it." Additional coverage: KSAZ, KKTV, CBS News, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Modern Healthcare, News ABC 10, WBAY, WTOP

MPR, As transgender people seek change, hospital doors open by Catharine Richert — Fourteen-year-old Grayson has a lot going on this summer — baseball games to attend, friends and prepping for his first year of high school. His immediate focus, though, is learning how to inject himself with testosterone, the next step in a continuing medical process that's transforming him from a girl. It's a skill he needs to learn because he'll be giving himself these shots for the rest of his life. "You can do it on the leg on the outside of the thigh," Becky Spee, a nurse at Mayo Clinic's Transgender Intersex Specialty Care Clinic, instructed on a recent visit. "You don't want to do it on the inside because that will hurt."…He and Mayo, though, are at the front of a revolution in care for transgender people driven by the federal Affordable Care Act. The law effectively stopped insurers from refusing to cover hormone therapy and other interventions involved in the transition. Suddenly once-unaffordable medicines and procedures were within reach.

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, Black cardiologist celebrates 10 years of stronger hearts and communities by Stephenetta Harmon — What began as a simple class project for LaPrincess Brewer in Baltimore, Maryland 10 years ago has now flourished into a multi-city movement intersecting faith and heart health awareness in the Black community. Dr. Brewer, a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic, launched FAITH! — an acronym for Fostering African American Improvement in Total Health — as a fun and engaging way to address heart disease, the number one killer of African Americans. As part of the program’s 10th anniversary, Dr. Brewer will host a FAITH! Celebration and three-mile “Walk by FAITH!” community outing in North Minneapolis on Saturday, June 23.

Florida Times-Union, Nonprofit Center honors journalist, hospital partnership, race-relations group — The Nonprofit Center also paid tribute to a health care partnership that offers free mental health first-aid training and a volunteer group formed to build a more inclusive Jacksonville. The Collective Power Award went to the Jacksonville Hospital Partnership — Mayo Clinic, Baptist Health, St. Vincent’s Health Care, UF Health Jacksonville and Brooks Rehabilitation, the largest area hospitals — for its initiative to train about 10,000 residents to recognize and help people in a mental health crisis.

First Coast News, Promising treatment for a type of muscular dystrophy gives hope to patients by Heather Crawford — Jeana Kinley of St. Johns County was the first adult in Florida to receive a drug called Sprinraza, which was approved by the FDA in late 2016. It's the first approved treatment for SMA. Not only has she stopped getting worse, but she has actually been improving and regaining strength...Every four months, Chris Kinley brings his wife to Mayo Clinic's Jacksonville campus so she can have a lumbar puncture. It's expensive: $125,000 per injection.

News4Jax, Kidney removed from St. Augustine veteran who donated to stranger by Mary Baer — The U.S. Marine Corps veteran from St. Augustine who agreed to donate his kidney to a stranger had a successful surgery, News4Jax learned Thursday. Nicholas Flores, 29, was resting at the Mayo Clinic Thursday evening after the early morning procedure. Flores gave his kidney to someone else through the hospital's Paired Donation program.

South Florida Reporter, Are Your Headphones Too Loud? — Exposure to loud sounds can damage the cells of your inner ear. Symptoms and injury can occur from a short blast of noise or with long-term exposure to excessive sounds. In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr. Greta Stamper, a Mayo Clinic audiologist, explains a simple test you can do to find out if your headphone volume needs adjusting.

ABC 15 Arizona, Summertime sadness is real, here are 3 ways to deal with it by Allison Rodriguez — Summer is here but not everyone is excited about it — specifically those dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Typically, SAD is associated with the winter blues because people can get depressed or upset because of shorter and gloomier days. But for that summer-onset SAD, the sun is part of the problem and can even lead to insomnia in some cases. According to the Mayo Clinic, some other symptoms include poor appetite and weight loss.

KTAR, Off Central: Phoenix firefighter grateful after lifesaving heart transplant by Kathy Cline — Dave Wipprecht, a 41-year-old firefighter with tattoos who stands over six-feet-tall. He’s a motorcycle lover, a loving husband and is helping raise his infant grandchild. He has also received a heart transplant…After emergency surgery to remove blood clots in his legs, Wipprecht said he settled into a bed at the Mayo Clinic Hospital to await a new heart. His family and faith kept him going, especially his three young sons.

Scottsdale Independent, Hope: Scottsdale Charros fuel Partners that Heal expansion by Terrance Thornton — At the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale the youngest of us afflicted with some of the most devastating diseases known to mankind are given specters of hope, joy and laughter through a unique program unlike anything that came before it. Phoenix Theatre, Arizona’s largest producing professional theater, has expanded its Partners That Heal, A W.O.N.D.E.R. Project to the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, 13400 E. Shea Blvd. where professional actors perform bedside for children overcoming difficult circumstances.

KXLT FOX, Telemedicine: the new wave at Mayo in Adams by James Bunner — The Mayo Clinic is working with the Adams community to meet the healthcare needs of people. They held an open house Tuesday to let people know more about a new way to provide care…"People are thankful that we're having labs and some services provided here in the Adams clinic," says Certified Nurse Practitioner Jane Myers, "and the phase two will be the telemedicine which will start later this summer or early this fall. So we're excited to provide that service as well." Additional coverage: KTTC

Mankato Free Press, Mankato Clinic training puts 'team' in 'team-based care' by Brian Arola — Simulation trainings are helping Mankato Clinic expand its team-based care options. In a team-based care model, a nurse accompanies a doctor to their appointments with patients. The nurse will listen in, take notes and arrange follow-ups if needed…Mankato Clinic’s trainings Thursday at Minnesota State University’s Clinical Sciences Building were recorded and will be used for further education, said Dr. Andrew Lundquist, Mankato Clinic’s chief medical officer. “We’re really excited to have this available to us because it makes our training easier,” he said. “It makes it standardized; it makes it so we can roll it out a lot more quickly.”

Mankato Free Press, Mayo in Mankato showcases new children’s center by Brian Arola — Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato’s new children’s center will welcome its first patients Monday. The $3.4 million expansion to the Eastridge clinic will house the health system’s pediatric and adolescent medicine department, pediatric specialists from Rochester, and eventually the region's new family and child advocacy center. Dr. Katie Linnemann, Mayo Clinic Health System’s regional department chair of pediatric and adolescent medicine, said the expansion will ensure more area families receive the care they need close to home. “It’s a win for the community,” she said. “I think it shows Mayo Clinic’s commitment to Mankato and keeping the resources here.”

Owatonna People’s Press, Mayo Clinic Health System welcomes a new audiologist by Allison Miller — Karen Brennhofer, Au.D., has joined the practice at Mayo Clinic Health System in Owatonna. As an audiologist, she helps diagnose and treat patients of all ages with hearing and balance issues. “I am excited to learn more about the Owatonna community and work alongside an excellent Ear, Nose and Throat Department,” says Dr. Brennhofer. “The experiences I have had with the staff at Mayo Clinic Health System in Owatonna have been wonderful, and I am thrilled to be able to join such a tremendous team of professionals caring for adult and pediatric patients.”

WKBT La Crosse, With the sun shining brightly in the summer months, it's important to keep your eyes protected by Alex Fischer — Misty Watters, an Optometrist with the Mayo Clinic Health System in Sparta, said it's necessary to use sunglasses with a larger size frame to properly block out the sun. Watters also said 100% protection from UVA and UVB rays is what's important, not the darkness of the sunglasses' lenses.

Live Science, A Man's Testosterone Levels May Depend on Where He Spent His Childhood by Rafi Letzter — Dr. Landon Trost, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic who was not involved in the study, said that the findings suggest that something happens in childhood — something related to the environment — that can have lifelong effects on men's testosterone production. That fits with what doctors already know about how childhood diseases can impact testosterone production, Trost said. "We see examples in infertility, where the timing of certain infections — mumps, for example — will impact long-term [sperm production]," Trost told Live Science.

MedPage Today, Herpes Virus May Play Role in Alzheimer’s Disease by Judy George — In this study, researchers initially performed RNA sequencing on more than 600 samples of postmortem tissue of people with and without Alzheimer's, looking to quantify which genes were present in the brain and whether any were associated with the development of the disease…The researchers confirmed their findings with sequencing samples collected by other brain banks, including the Mayo Clinic in Florida and the Religious Orders Study at Rush University in Chicago, observing a persistent abundance of HHV-6A and HHV-7 among Alzheimer's disease patients in those cohorts, too. Additional coverage: US News & World Report

Medscape, Can We Afford the Cost of Myeloma Therapy? — S. Vincent Rajkumar, MD, professor of medicine, Department of Hematology, at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, argued that the cost of care is not affordable and that action needs to be taken. "I don't like this debate, and I don't think that there is anything here to debate," he said as he opened his talk. "It's like debating whether the earth is flat or not — these drugs are expensive." Rajkumar reported that although he has no conflicts of interest, he has stated that he is "very interested in this topic" of drug prices, and he pointed to an article that he and his coauthors wrote in 2012 concerning the high cost of drugs in the United States.

Healio, Targeted interventions increase OSA screening rates in stroke patients — “As we learn more about the relationship between sleep and stroke, screening patients for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is becoming an important part of secondary stroke prevention,” Abby Metzler, MD, neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, told Healio Internal Medicine. “We know that the prevalence of OSA is quite high in stroke patients, but in clinical practice, it is not frequently diagnosed in this vulnerable population.”

AccuWeather, Tips to prevent migraine headaches triggered by the weather by Andy Kalmowitz — According to the Mayo Clinic, migraines can be triggered by changes in the weather. People who have migraines can be more sensitive to bright sunlight, extreme heat or cold, sun glare, high humidity, dry air, windy or stormy weather and changes in barometric pressure. “For some people, weather changes may cause imbalances in brain chemicals, including serotonin, which can prompt a migraine,” writes Jerry Swanson, M.D. “Weather-related triggers also may worsen a headache caused by other triggers."

Scientific American, The Healthy Addiction? Coffee Study Finds More Health Benefits by David Noonan — …Tea drinkers might wonder if they are missing out on a potential health benefit and should start drinking the other stuff. “Absolutely not,” says Donald Hensrud, medical director of Mayo Clinic's Healthy Living Program. “You have to enjoy life, and if you enjoy tea, keep on enjoying it. It’s all good. There are health benefits to coffee, to black tea and to green tea.” But there can also be problems associated with higher doses of caffeine, he notes. The amount in more than two cups of coffee a day, for example, can interfere with conception and increase the risk of miscarriage. And, he says, because individuals metabolize caffeine at different rates, slow metabolizers may be more susceptible to side effects such as heartburn, insomnia, heart palpitations and irritability.

HealthLeaders, 4 Insights From Atul Gawande’s Influential ‘Cost Conundrum’ Article by Jack O’Brien — We Should Look at the Mayo Clinic Model. Gawande cites the Mayo Clinic as the standard for breaking through the financial incentives for physicians to shift focus from patient to profit. While admitting it is not an easy task, Gawande said the Mayo Clinic recognized the need to eliminate financial barriers by pooling the system and physicians' money together and paying by salary. "Mayo promoted leaders who focussed first on what was best for patients, and then on how to make this financially possible."

Romper, 8 Signs Your Child Has A Stomach Bug So You Can Plan Accordingly by Steph Montgomery — While gastroenteritis can be dangerous, if parents know what to look for they can generally manage their child's symptoms at home and let it run its course. Mayo Clinic does advise parents to call their child's doctor if they have symptoms of gastroenteritis with a fever higher than 102 degrees, seem unusually irritable or in pain, show signs of dehydration, have blood in their stool, or their vomiting lasts more than a few hours in babies.

Herald-Standard, Allergies continue to hit hard early into the summer season by Rachel Basinger — Tree pollen peaks in the spring and, along with grass pollen in the summer and weed pollen in the fall, is one of the main types of allergens, according to Dr. Martha Hartz, chair of pediatric allergy and immunology at the Mayo Clinic Children’s Center in Rochester, Minnesota.

EHR Intelligence, Top Epic EHR Implementations in First Half of 2018 — Mayo Clinic: Rochester, Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic went live with an Epic EHR on May 5, totaling $1.5 billion. Facilities in southern Minnesota and Wisconsin had previously implemented the new system, with the Rochester campus being the third one.

Fierce Biotech, Expanding gene testing in pancreatic cancer by Arlene Weintraub — Scientists at the Mayo Clinic have discovered six inherited gene mutations that raise the risk of pancreatic cancer, including BRCA1 and BRCA2, which are more commonly associated with breast and ovarian cancers. They made the discovery by sequencing the genes of more than 3,000 pancreatic cancer patients and 123,000 people without the disease. They found the mutations in 5.5% of all pancreatic cancer patients, which included 5.2% of patients with no family history of the disease, they reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association. They believe the finding justifies expanding gene testing to all pancreatic cancer patients—not just those with a family history of the disease. Additional coverage: GenomeWeb

SELF, Yes, Your Workouts Could Actually Be Triggering Your Migraines by Colleen Stinchcombe — …You may also deal with symptoms like nausea and vomiting, along with sensitivity to light, sound, and other sensory input, the Mayo Clinic says. For some people, migraines can even come on with no pain—just visual disturbances and other annoying symptoms.

AMA, These are 2018’s most influential physicians by Sara Berg — Through dynamic and challenging times, physicians in all sectors of health care are leading their organizations and the health care delivery system. To honor these physicians, the trade publication Modern Healthcare released its 2018 list of the “50 Most Influential Physician Executives and Leaders.”… Closing out the top 10 were John Noseworthy, MD, president and CEO of the Mayo Clinic set to retire at the end of this year, at No. 8; Troyen Brennan, MD, chief health officer at CVS Health, at No. 9; and Bechara Choucair, MD, senior vice president and chief community health officer of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, at No. 10.

Albuquerque Journal, Pregnancy after bypass surgery can be OK — Pregnancy after gastric bypass can be safe and healthy. Research suggests pregnancy after the mother has weight-loss surgery might be safer than having a pregnancy that could be complicated by obesity. While more research is needed, studies suggest that weight-loss surgery before pregnancy might protect women and their babies from obesity-related problems during pregnancy, including gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia. The latter features high blood pressure and potential organ damage — often the kidneys — after 20 weeks of pregnancy — Mayo Clinic News Network

Albuquerque Journal, A well-balanced diet can help with pain and inflammation — “Lifestyle modifications are very important for helping someone manage their overall pain,” says Dr. Tina Ardon, a Mayo Clinic family medicine physician. “Two important aspects to think about upfront are a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight. These two things can make great impacts on how someone deals with their pain. — Mayo Clinic News Network

Bustle, What To Do If You Get A Tick Bite, Because They Can Have Serious Consequences by Ayana Lage — Mayo Clinic recommends contacting your doctor if you're having trouble removing a tick. Once you're confident you've fully removed the tick, you should wash your hands and the area around the bite. Mayo Clinic also says to freeze the tick instead of throwing it away — if you have complications due to a tick bite, having the tick on-hand could help with a diagnosis.

Global Sports Matter, Cancer survivors reclaim their power through sports by Allison Torres Burtka — “In the past, people treated for cancer were told by their doctor to rest and reduce their physical activity,” said Anikar Chhabra, the director of Sports Medicine at Mayo Clinic Arizona. “What we’ve learned is that too much rest leads to loss of body function, muscular weakness, loss of motion in your joints and stiffness leads to pain,” and research has shown that exercise is beneficial, he said. Now, doctors are saying, “Go and try to do things,” he said. “When you’re going through cancer treatment, you often feel powerless,” said Switzer, a member of Empire Dragons NYC, a group of breast cancer survivors who paddle dragon boats. When Switzer joined the team, she found a group of fellow survivors who reaped the physical and mental benefits of engaging in sport.

Becker’s Hospital Review, The most overrated trend in healthcare? 'Big data,' says Mayo Clinic's Dr. Vitaly Herasevich — In this special Speaker Series, Becker's Healthcare caught up with Vitaly Herasevich, MD, PhD, associate professor of anesthesiology medicine at Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic. Dr. Herasevich will speak during the Becker's Hospital Review 4th Annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference on the "Limitations of Data Mining in Healthcare," at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19. Learn more about the event and register to attend in Chicago.

KWWL, KWWL Update: Baby McKenna recovering at home by Jessica Hartman — Sweet baby McKenna is at home in her mother's arms, a place Kassy and Lee Hovenga weren't sure she'd ever be again. On May 2, while at a softball game, McKenna was hit on the head by an overthrown softball. The impact caused a skull fracture and brain bleed. McKenna spent six weeks in the Mayo Clinic children's hospital. Her parents were unable to even hold their daughter.

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