Treva Lind

Isaac Brincken, who spent much of his 5 months of life in the hospital, loved being read to by his family. After he died in October of complications from a heart condition as well as CHARGE syndrome, his parents Cody and Laura Brincken worked to launch Isaac’s Bookshelf, a wheeled mobile bookshelf to hold newly purchased books for patients in Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Spokane’s Go Red for Women Luncheon is scheduled Wednesday at the Spokane Convention Center.

So your fitness tracker calls for 10,000 steps a day. Is that a random number? Turns out that measure can be traced to a decade’s old Japanese marketing campaign. But the suggestion of walking 8,000 to 10,000 steps daily is shown in studies to be beneficial, said Glen Duncan, with Washington State University Spokane’s department of nutrition and exercise physiology.

Your kid shows a passion for years in a sport or activity. Then you hear the words, “I want to quit.” Are there questions parents can ask to help guide whether that decision means giving up too soon in the face of challenge, or if it’s really the right time to leave?

When news erupts about global health threats, it might be easy to discount them as distant problems typically found in developing countries. But Spokane health district officer Dr. Bob Lutz can draw many local comparisons to the 2019 World Health Organization’s

Ana and Curt Warner recently published “The Warner Boys: Our Family’s Story of Autism and Hope.”

With a range of styles and different types of RV, consumers have plenty of choices. Should you go with a tiny pop-up, or stretch a bit for a fifth-wheel? Will a truck camper or toy hauler be better? Each RV type has their pros and cons.

As a child, Wendi Eva loved organizing. As a busy Spokane Valley mom, she struggled having time for that until finding inspiration again in

CBD ads pop up everywhere these days on social media, radio and street signs. They hawk pain relief and other remedies from cannabidiol, known as CBD, a cannabis extract that doesn’t cause a high.

Planning to start a family next year or a stint as caregiver for an aging parent? New family and medical leave benefits for workers in Washington state start in 2020, but premiums are coming out of paychecks now to help pay for the statewide program. Here are a few highlights.

A recent U.N. panel’s report estimates we have about 12 years to get global carbon emissions under control. Its call for “rapid and far-reaching” change seems overwhelming. Here are some realistic ideas for families, maybe marked as your eco-friendly 2019 resolutions.

Retirement community Touchmark on the South Hill has developed a 10-week course to improve people’s balance, called Aspire to Better Balance.

Vladislav and Svetlana Khashchuk won the Tree No. 1 package with $4,500 cash at Christmas Tree Elegance, just a month after launching a GoFundMe to help pay for diabetes treatments for two of their four children. Two sons have Type 1 diabetes, including their youngest child recently diagnosed, and the parents hope to pay for new stem cell treatments after learning about some positive results.

Parents immersed in the season’s activities often wonder how they also can instill lessons of generosity and thankfulness for their children – that Christmas spirit of giving. Here are some ideas.

Luke Johnson’s childhood was atypically quiet. His parents were deaf, and he only spoke in American Sign Language at home. He didn’t start to hear English consistently until preschool, and he needed academic help to catch up. Today, he’s one of 60 medical students who started fall 2017 in the University of Washington School of Medicine’s program in Spokane. His background fueled dreams of being a doctor who serves others who struggle or have limited access to health care.

We all experience times of temporary loneliness – often during the holidays or after major life change like divorce – but a new study suggests it’s best to avoid forcing connections right away when you’re feeling negative. Gonzaga University psychology assistant professor Sarah Arpin collaborated on new research that examined the social consequences of temporary loneliness.

Mental Health First Aid: The eight-hour course that’s new to Spokane teaches people how to identify, understand and respond to people who show signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The class covers topics such as anxiety disorders, depression, trauma response and acute psychosis.

SNAP Essential Home Repair, a program for low-income homeowners provides minor, but essential repairs for low-income homeowners in the Spokane area. Last year, SNAP provided more than 900 home repairs and accessibility projects such as wheelchair ramps. Additional funding is available for projects through year-end 2018.

Parents might expect babies to start sleeping through the night by around 6 months old to a year, based on a common premise to look for that milestone. However, McGill University researchers in a study found that more than half of babies typically don’t have solid slumber, and it’s OK as far as infant development.

A new music video uses “The Price” song of ’80s band Twisted Sister for a diabetes awareness project backed by Mead resident Kris Maynard, a firefighter at Fairchild Air Force Base. He appears in the video for a cameo as does others – kids and adults – all who live with diabetes. Maynard has Type 1. He and his wife Paula spent about $12,000 to make the video for its release Nov. 1.

Medical equipment, shots and being in the hospital can be scary for children. Two students at Eastern Washington University created a kids workshop on Saturday, with activities and art projects, aimed at making children feel less frightened around health care.

Since the 1960s, more U.S. women have made successful gains in education, athletics and careers, including science and technology. But debate continues on if we’ve really reached gender equality. That’s just one part of the equation, says Spokane family counselor and author Michael Gurian. He calls for understanding science-backed differences in how boys and girls learn and emote.

Cracks on heels and overall dry skin problems usher in with colder weather, and often, people set themselves up to worsen issues in part because of those tempting long, hot showers that strip natural oils. You can take preventative steps to avoid dry skin problems, from use of an indoor humidifier and body moisturizers to wearing gloves.