Olivia Munday is proud of her Burmese roots and works to make others feel comfortable seeking medical care.

By Maureen Gilmer, IU Health senior journalist, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org

Olivia Munday has come a long way since arriving in the United States as a refugee from Burma in 2008.

The IU Health nurse works in the Epler Parke primary care office on the south side of Indianapolis, where, as a Burmese immigrant, she is a welcome presence for the growing number of people who have come to this country, many fleeing ethnic and religious persecution in their homeland.

Munday worked hard to get her nursing degree while living in Pennsylvania, then moved to Battle Creek, Mich., for a job, before coming to Indianapolis. Today (Jan. 7) marks her one-year anniversary as a nurse in the IU Health/Riley physicians’ office.

It’s a role – and a place – that suits her, she said.

Currently, an estimated 14,000 Burmese people live in Indianapolis, primarily in Perry Township and Southport on the city’s south side. Munday lives in the area as well, with her husband, Scott, and their two dogs and attends Burmese Baptist Church.

Because of its location, the Epler Parke office attracts a growing number of Burmese patients, both adult and pediatric. Munday understands the challenges they face.

“I kind of know what they went through and how the medical system works over there,” she said.

For one, there was no appointment system as is common in the U.S. People would walk into clinics and just wait for as long as they had to before someone would see them. Also, language is obviously a hurdle for many.

In Burma, also known as Myanmar, Burmese is the official language, but not everyone speaks it. There are eight dialects for eight states in the region, Munday said. She speaks Burmese and Falam, a Chin dialect, and does her best to welcome all who visit the office.

“I can help some of the people and understand the challenges of others,” she said.

Munday, who grew up caring for her mother in Burma, is a natural caregiver.

“I love helping people,” she said. “I like to explain things and share knowledge. And I want to be in a position where I can help people coming into this country.”

And if being a nurse is not enough, Munday is enrolled in a nurse practitioner program and expects to graduate in 2022 and work in family practice.

Photos by Mike Dickbernd, IU Health visual journalist, mdickbernd@iuhealth.org

As new IU Health Methodist Hospital nurse Rachel Ketelaar returns from vacation, her confidence increases in her eighth week.

Wednesday

• Back from my vacation and also back in the PCU unit. Today didn’t seem as nerve-wracking. I took on the 3-patient load and things went quite smoothly. I definitely am feeling more comfortable giving medications through a G-tube, which has always been a daunting task for me. Also feeling more confidence I can get all my charting done without feeling frantic.

Thursday

• Another T2P class for new nurses (Transition to Practice). Just to explain: In our orientation process, they give new nurses about 8 weeks on our unit and then bring us back to see how we’re doing and teach us about transitioning to work by ourselves. Today was the first of six sessions I’ll attend in the next few months.

• Today’s session was on mindfulness: being aware of our surroundings and turning our brains off to the thoughts running through our heads. It made me realize that even when doing an assessment or giving medications, I am constantly thinking of the next 10 things I need to do. Nurses must always look ahead but that’s not always the safest thing for the patient. It’s better to be present in the moment and focused on the task at hand. So the instructor had us sit with eyes closed for 10 minutes and focus on our breathing. I realized how many times my mind wanders and how many times I had to refocus on breathing. It was crazy! With practice, I hope to start practicing mindfulness at work, in relationships with friends and family, and with myself too.
• A second T2P lesson was on effective communication. We shared stories of where we hadn’t communicated effectively on our unit. The instructor gave us strategies on being comprehensive, yet clear, in what we communicate. These T2P sessions seem basic but are really helpful in interactions with patients and staff.

Friday

• Back in the PCU again and a big moment for me. Ty had a health appointment in the morning, so for the first time, I was completely on my own for about an hour! I felt nervous about this, but also more confident in my abilities as a nurse. When Ty came back and I gave her an update on our patients, I realized: I can do this, I can be an independent nurse in a few weeks!
• I have 3 more weeks until I’m on my own. That’s crazy! In these next 3 weeks, I have things to work on, including doing admissions/discharges on my own and calling physicians.

Read more:

New Nurse: Rachel’s Story – Week 1
New Nurse: Rachel’s Story – Week 2
New Nurse: Rachel’s Story – Week 3
New Nurse: Rachel’s Story – Week 4
New Nurse: Rachel’s Story – Week 5
New Nurse: Rachel’s Story – Week 6
New Nurse: Rachel’s Story – Week 7
New Nurse: Rachel’s Story – Week 8

Apply Yourself – Being a nurse at Indiana University Health means building a professional nursing career designed by you, with competitive benefits and a culture that embraces your unique strengths and supports your personal and professional goals. If you are seeking an organization where you can engage professionally, develop clinical expertise, embrace learning, foster new relationships and fuel your spirit of inquiry, apply today.

When Florida resident Steve Rennick received a cancer diagnoses and was too sick to travel it was his big brother who came to Indiana to meet with IU Health Dr. Lawrence Einhorn. His brother continues to travel back to the Midwest with Rennick for check ups.

By IU Health Senior Journalist T.J. Banes, tfender1@iuhealth.org

There’s a picture that says much about the relationship between Steve Rennick and his older brother Ron Rennick Jr. On one of the coldest days of 2019 – a day people were calling a “polar vortex” – Ron Rennick and his 5-year-old son James stood outside in frigid temperatures looking up at Steve Rennick’s hospital room at IU Health Simon Cancer Center. Young James wore blue foam Colts #1 on his hand and waved up at his uncle.

It was flu season and Steve Rennick was in isolation, but he could see that blue hand waving in the snow and the smiling faces of his brother and nephew. It meant the world to him.

It wasn’t the first time or the last time that Ron Rennick traveled from his Florida home to support his younger brother. In fact, when the late stage tumor was discovered in Steve Rennick’s chest, spreading to both his lungs and beginning to migrate to his brain, Ron Rennick helped research the best doctors and hospitals for treatment. That research led them to IU Health Simon Cancer Center and Dr. Lawrence Einhorn known around the world for his successful treatment of germ cell tumors using a mix of high dose chemotherapies and peripheral stem cell transplant.

Specifically, Steve was diagnosed with late stage Choriocarcinoma germ cell cancer, a rare form of testicular cancer that typically affects men between the ages of 20 and 40 years old. He was 39 when he was diagnosed.

Six and half years separate the brothers but growing up they played a little tennis and threw a few footballs. Later in life, they served as best man in each other’s weddings and now work together at the same real estate firm. When Steve was named “Realtor of the Year” his older brother was one of his biggest supporters. And recently when Steve Rennick was recognized at the American Cancer Society Treasure Coast Hope Gala, his older brother shared a video of Steve talking about his cancer journey.

Over the years the brothers often passed through Indiana heading to a family home in Missouri. They often returned with their families and the brothers enjoyed bird-hunting trips.

“We’ve made a lot of nice memories with those trips north over the years,” said Ron Rennick. There were more to come.

When Steve was too sick to make the trip to Indiana Ron came armed with a phone book size stack of his brother’s medical records. Steve was unable to talk because the tumor was pressing against his voice box. Ron connected Steve and his wife Renee with Dr. Einhorn via Face time. The Rennicks are the parents of a daughter GiGi, 11, and twins Colton and Caitlin, 8.

“Thank heaven for Dr. Einhorn and his life’s work. His dedication to his patients and his expertise (and that from his team) have earned his gratitude of survivors’ families worldwide,” said Ron.

When Steve was strong enough he and Renee traveled the 1,000 miles north to Indiana where he began high dose chemotherapy followed by a bone marrow transplant. A side effect of the high dose chemo was hearing loss. He now has a chochlear implant.

Since last March Steve has returned to Indiana every two months for follow up visits with Dr. Einhorn. In December Ron was back in Indiana with his brother when they heard the news – his blood tests were normal.

“Dr. Einhorn did see some scar tissue on my lungs but the only concern he saw was on my left lung about the size of a shirt button,” said Steve. “I’m in remission and I’m back to coming every four months in 2020.”

The families celebrated Steve’s road to recovery and his 40^th
birthday in July with a dinner on the beach at Costa d’Este Resort. As a bonus the resort’s owner Gloria Estefan joined them for part of the celebration.

“I feel good. I think I’ve beat it and I have Dr. Einhorn and IU Health to thank,” said Steve.

If quitting smoking tops your New Year’s resolution list, you’re not alone. Nearly 75% of smokers say they want to become former smokers.

There’s good news—more and more people are! According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are more former smokers today than there are smokers.

What’s behind the success? Probably not a finger-wagging lecture, more alarming stats or shaming judgment. If you’re a smoker, you’ve had more than your share of those.

You can join the ranks of former smokers who’ve quit for life, said Patricia Colon, MPH, the tobacco prevention coordinator with IU Health Bloomington Community Health. What makes the difference is a plan and support.

Fortunately, Hoosiers have free access to both through the Indiana Tobacco QuitLine.

“When smokers decide to quit, they face a mix of physical and psychological issues along the way,” said Colon. “The QuitLine provides any Hoosier phone, online and text access to a Quit Coach® and resources – all totally free. Throughout the journey, the program provides support when issues and stressors hit.”

One-on-one Quit Coaches® help set you up for success. Studies show you’re more likely to quit and not start again if you work with a coach. Quit Coaches are trained in how to make a big life change, and in the science of smoking cessation.

Like the free, eight-week Beat Tobacco course Colon helps promote through IU Health Bloomington, QuitLine recommends setting a quit date no more than 2-3 weeks away. That gives you time to develop a plan that identifies challenges that you will face and how you’ll deal with temptations to smoke.

Colon said challenges can be different for everyone. How will you deal with the stress of traffic during your daily commute without smoking your way through it? What about the cigarette that goes hand-in-hand with your first cup of coffee every morning? “A plan has to focus on your challenges and what works best for you to get around them,” she said.

Many Quit Coaches are former smokers, so they’ve stared down the same kind of challenges you’ll face. Like Colon, they know it’s not always easy, and your craving to smoke may still try to convince you “just one won’t hurt.”

“Short-term goals help you stay focused,” said Colon. “Maybe your cravings never totally go away, but your confidence level goes up every time you say no to a cigarette. It motivates you to keep going.”

Ready to become a former smoker? It’s never too soon to get ready. Go to QuitNowIndiana to get started. 2020 is your year!

Diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, Gary Wilcoxen is in the care of Dr. S. Hamid Sayar and is looking forward to getting back to his life in Vermillion County.

By IU Health Senior Journalist T.J. Banes, tfender1@iuhealth.org

He was sitting in his red Chevy Silverado. He started the engine but he didn’t know what to do next. He was leaving his shift at Thyssenkrupp, a German steel manufacturing company.

But Gary Wilcoxen couldn’t remember how to operate his vehicle. Minutes before he climbed into the driver’s seat of his truck, he had a co-worker explain to him how to operate a machine that Wilcoxen had been running for more than 20 years.

His mind was blank.

“He showed me how to run the machine and about 10 minutes later he showed me again,” said Wilcoxen, 53. “After my shift, I’d just sit in my truck. I didn’t know what to do next.”

Those alarms rang loudly in Amy Wilcoxen’s ears. Married 16 years the couple met through a mutual friend. They both grew up in Perrysville, a small community on the Indiana/Illinois state line on the west side of the Wabash River. Gary spent years farming for his dad. In his youth he was an active 4-H member – showing cattle and sheep. One of his hobbies is collecting toy farm tractors – primarily Massey Ferguson.

He’d been healthy all his life. When he wasn’t working around the house or at his dad’s Gary was lending a hand shoveling snow, mowing fields, or unloading rock for friends and neighbors. Those same friends, neighbors, family and coworkers purchased orange t-shirts with the message “His fight is our fight” on the front. They call themselves the “Wilcoxen Warriors.”

When Amy learned that Gary was disoriented, she got him to a hospital near his home.

“They did a blood work up and his white cells were through the roof. The next day they did a biopsy that confirmed leukemia,” said Amy. He spent three nights in a Danville, Ill. hospital before coming to IU Health Simon Cancer Center, where he is in the care of Dr. S. Hamid Sayar. He started chemotherapy in August and will complete his treatments on January 2.

“I’m not as confused now so I know something is changing in my body,” said Wilcoxen. Since September he has been having consolidation chemotherapy hoping to sustain remission, said his wife.

“We’ve been so blessed with everyone at IU Health,” said Amy. “They are like family away from home. We’ve gotten to know so many of the nurses. They come to see us even if Gary isn’t their patient.”

You’ve resolved that 2020 is your year: You’re losing weight and learning how to keep it off.

Maybe you’re done battling the extra 25 pounds that stuck around after having kids. Or you don’t like what your nightly Netflix and ice cream habit has done to your waistline. And you know climbing the stairs with a basket of laundry shouldn’t leave you breathless.

Whatever fuels your commitment, you can make 2020 the year you shed extra weight and poor eating habits. Theresa Rohr-Kirchgraber, MD, an IU Health primary care physician, offers a simple guide to making it happen.

1. Know your “why”

Ask yourself why you want to lose weight. You may say, to hit a certain number on the scale or to look better in a bathing suit.

Keep asking why your reason is important until you drill down to your real motivation. That’s where you’ll uncover your key to long-term weight loss. Wanting to enjoy, not dread, family beach vacations, or be healthy enough to see grandkids grow up can help keep you on track when your motivation lags.

2. Think lifestyle, not diet

Most “diets” work, if you stick to them. It’s the sticking-to-them that makes it tough to keep weight off. Diets that promise quick weight loss usually involve strict eating rules or eliminating whole food groups. Hit your goal weight, return to “normal” eating and watch weight return.

Changing your eating habits to support a healthy lifestyle will deliver the weight loss you want and can maintain. Along the way, you’re taking responsibility for your health, doing your part to keep your body going strong for as long as possible.

3. Log your food

Write down every bite and sip you take for one week. Track your emotions while eating too. It’s likely eye-opening. You may not think about the two creamers you add to your coffee and the calories that come with them. Who knew you were actually eating three servings of granola every morning?

You’ll see how nibbles add up and when you’re turning to food to “fix” how you feel. Seeing what you’re putting in and why allows you to assess what you want to change. Continuing to log your food keeps you accountable and helps make eating healthy a habit for life.

4. Eliminate added sugars

Jumpstart weight loss and healthy eating by cutting out added sugars. You know the usual suspects:

• Cakes
• Cookies
• Candy
• Ice cream

But the biggest culprit? Sweetened beverages:

• Sodas
• Sports drinks
• Flavored fruit drinks
• Sweet tea
• Pumpkin-spiced coffee and its syrup-laden family of coffee drinks

Sugar is naturally in many foods—fruit and dairy—but those whole foods come packaged with nutrients too. Foods with added sugar (any ingredient ending in “ose” hiding out on food labels) are empty calories. They have no nutritional value and can pack on the pounds and lead to chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

Make water your beverage of choice—plain, sparkling or dressed up with fruit slices or a splash of fruit juice. Choose the no-sugar-added versions of coffee and tea, too.

5. Use ChooseMyPlate

Make healthy eating a priority. ChooseMyPlate can help make that happen. It’s an approach that teaches you about good-for-you foods and how much of them to eat to lose weight.

It shows how choosing lower-calorie fruits and vegetables, lean protein and whole grains over high-calorie processed, high-fat, sugar-laden foods make for easy math. Fewer calories in equals weight loss, plus bonus points for good nutrition.

6. Eat mindfully

Pay attention to what’s going in. Eating without realizing how much you’re putting away is easy to do:

• Cleaning up the last bites of your kid’s mac-n-cheese
• Plowing through a tub of movie popcorn during the previews
• Treating a sleeve of Thin Mints® as a single serving

Mindful eating is essential to reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. Every bite matters. What does mindful eating look like?

• Eating only when you’re hungry (no matter how good it tastes!)
• Sitting down to eat with a focus on your meal
• Eliminating distracting screens—the phone, computer or television
• Eating slowly and savoring each bite

Mindful eating comes down to appreciating food and realizing it takes less than you think to be satisfied. Craving a sweet? Have one cookie and enjoy it in four bites instead of one.

7. Get moving

Supercharge your healthy-eating approach to weight loss with exercise. No, you don’t have to join a gym. Get moving and make a lifestyle change by looking for ways to move and include activity in your everyday life.

Walking the dog and cutting the grass (with a push mower, of course) not only gets you moving, they’re a healthy alternative to mindless eating, too. Just as every bite matters, so does every step.

You’ve made a New Year’s Resolution that 2020 is your year to make healthy eating a habit you keep. But it can be hard to know where to even begin.

Information seems to change all the time about what’s healthy or what’s not. And the amount of information can be overwhelming. Or it conflicts with each other – do any of these messages sound familiar?

• “Don’t eat meat.” “Eat mostly meat.”
• “Carbohydrates are bad.” “Carbohydrates are good.”
• “Eat less fat.” “Eat more fat.”

Healthy eating starts with understanding what it really is: eating a variety of foods with the nutrients your body needs. Nutrients to stay healthy, have energy and feel good. That means developing a healthy eating style, not following a diet, according to Theresa Rohr-Kirchgraber, MD, an IU Health primary care physician.

“Despite what they promote, fad diets that eliminate specific foods aren’t usually focused on a life-long healthy way of living,” said Rohr-Kirchgraber. “When you eliminate food groups, you’re eliminating important nutrients your body needs.”

That’s why ChooseMyPlate is her go-to recommendation for making healthy eating simple. It’s an easy-to-understand guide to what your body needs every day and in what amount.

The key to making MyPlate work for you is eating a variety of foods in each group. Steer away from foods that are processed, have added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium (salt).

Every healthy choice adds up

It’s not always easy to make the switch to eating healthy if you’re trying to break years of poor eating habits.

For some people going all-in and changing everything at once is the way to success. Making small changes and working your way to a healthy eating style works, too. Every healthy food choice matters. Consider these small changes:

• Replace white breads and pasta with whole wheat versions
• Add lettuce, spinach and other vegetables to sandwiches
• Replace soda or sports drinks with water
• Snack on fruit or popcorn instead of chips

Eating more + eating less

Remember, a healthier style of eating doesn’t have to be complicated. It comes down to eating more of some things:

• whole foods
• fruits
• vegetables
• whole grains

… and less of others:

• processed foods
• added sugars
• saturated fat
• sodium

ChooseMyPlate is a complete guide to information that will help you become the healthy eater you want to be. You’ll find recipes, tips for eating healthy on a budget, and more, to make 2020 your year.

When they lost their son on March 14, 2014, Mark and Denise Patton began giving back to others in his memory – especially those diagnosed with kidney disease.

By IU Health Senior Journalist T.J. Banes, tfender1@iuhealth.org

Twenty-one-month-old Josiah Dickens doesn’t know Mason Patton. His mom, Kayla Dickens doesn’t know Mason Patton. But on a recent Wednesday morning, the toddler and his mom felt some of the affection that represented Mason’s life.

Mason was 38 when be died on March 14, 2014. Diagnosed with kidney disease, Mason received his first kidney transplant five days before his 21^st birthday. When that kidney – donated by his uncle Mike Patton – began to fail 10 years later, Mason began dialysis. Thirteen years after his first transplant he received a second transplant at IU Health University Hospital. Four years later, Mason’s body gave out.

His family – including his parents Mark and Denise Patton, and older sister Katina Curran – have made it their mission to keep Mason’s memory alive. They participate in the National Kidney Foundation events, an annual walk, Kidney Camp and fundraising gala. As “Team Mason” they work diligently to spread the word about kidney disease and make the lives of those battling the disease a little brighter.

Little Josiah, who is undergoing dialysis at Riley Hospital for Children, and his mom were recent recipients of that cheer. Mark and Denise Patton gave the family a gift card and also presented Josiah with a singing dog and a mini piano.

“These kids and the others who are suffering are the heroes,” said Denise Patton. “Team Mason is blessed to be able to help them and keep Mason’s love going.”

You’re motivated and ready to get more exercise in the New Year. Here’s good news: you don’t have to join a gym, sign up to run a 10K race, or brave Indiana’s cold, gray winter weather.

(Though kudos if any of those are part of your plan.)

Pumping iron, Zumba® classes and running can certainly help you meet your exercise goals said IU Health primary care physician Theresa Rohr-Kirchgraber. But there are also easy ways to move more that you probably haven’t even thought of.

“For a healthy lifestyle, getting more exercise is about incorporating activity into your daily living,” said Rohr-Kirchgraber.

It’s the approach consistently used by people living in Blue Zones, a name first used by author Dan Buettner. He studied areas of the world where people live exceptionally long lives. He found that people in Blue Zones don’t carve out daily time at the gym. They build exercise into their lives through gardening, walking and other daily chores and activities.

Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend adults get 150-300 minutes of exercise a week. That means 30-60 minutes of moving five times a week to raise your heart rate. They recommend adults get muscle-strengthening activity at least twice a week.

31 Ways to Get More Exercise

1. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
2. Park at the far end of the parking lot.
3. Stand instead of sitting to burn more calories.
4. Walk at lunch or on breaks.
5. Walk or bike instead of driving.
6. Use an exercise ball instead of a chair at your desk to build core strength.
7. March in place, stretch or ride a stationary bike while watching TV.
8. Move—march in place, sit-ups, jumping jacks, dance—during commercials.
9. Tighten your abdominal and glute muscles while driving or sitting at your desk.
10. Play outside with your kids.
11. Take the baby or kids for a stroller or wagon ride.
12. Walk or run as your kids ride their bikes.
13. Walk the sideline or bleachers during your child’s sporting event.
14. Get a dog and walk it.
15. Do squats, lunges or march in place while microwaving food.
16. Do squats while brushing your teeth.
17. Do calf raises while getting ready in front of the bathroom mirror.
18. Plant and tend a garden.
19. Take a walk with a friend instead of lunch or coffee.
20. Have walking meetings instead of office meetings.
21. Use hand weights while on calls or listening to webinars at work.
22. Crank the music and dance around the house.
23. Scrub the floor, run the vacuum, wash the windows.
24. Wash the car by hand instead of the drive-through car wash.
25. Get off the bus one stop early and walk to where you’re going.
26. Shovel snow instead of using the snow blower.
27. Rake leaves instead of using a leaf blower.
28. Ditch the golf cart and walk the golf course.
29. Get up and move after sitting for 30 minutes.
30. Sit at the end of your chair to use full body strength.
31. Wear a fitness tracker and aim for 10,000 steps a day.