WASHINGTON - A fog is slowly creeping over Dr. William Deutsch's brain. He'd try a risky experiment, even one requiring brain surgery, in hopes of at least stalling his incurable dementia. But scientists have little to offer.

If you or someone you love has cancer, you know how painful and stressful it can be. The Cancer Center at Chandler Regional Medical Center wants to help.

September 23, 2004

They began as a mom-andpop company eight years ago with a dozen or so walk-in clients mostly from the East Valley.

Bloodlines and passions run deep in the Kalitta family tree, whether it's NHRA racing, aviation or being a spiritual presence from above.

An old, broken chair changed Kelee Katillac’s life when she was 22 years old. At a thrift store in Kansas she saw the chair that she says mirrored the way she felt about herself — broken and beyond hope.

Recuperating after a stroke can be difficult for both patients and their caregivers, sometimes even more so because of communication problems caused by the lack of blood flow to the brain when a stroke occurs. The Banner Boswell Rehabilitation Center offers patients and their families a stroke support group to help them cope with the aftereffects of a stroke, including aphasia, the inability to speak, and dysarthria, slow or slurred speech.

Mentally disabled kids and adults can sharpen their awareness of the world at a newly built pond designed to delight the senses.

September 27, 2004

A piece of felt can bring back memories of childhood.

The homeowners association at Sunland Springs Village in Mesa prohibits condo owners from having dogs on their property. They are pretty serious about this, apparently. Just ask Julia Houck.

Parents who know how difficult it is to get therapy for their special needs children are helping to fill the gap with two centers they've opened in Gilbert over the past year.

March 8, 2005

The Helen S. Boylan Foundation has awarded a $10,000 grant to Hospice of the Valley for its pediatric music therapy program.

LOS ANGELES — There's a new breed of airport dog. They aren't looking for drugs or bombs — they are looking for people who need a buddy, a belly to rub or a paw to shake.

Don’t Stop the Music: Local musicians including Unified Fusion, Yourchestra and All Together Now, play continuously for 24 hours at this family event to raise money and awareness for music therapy. Prizes will be raffled off every hour and at midnight there will be a Midnight Madness Drum Circle, led by Frank Thompson of AZ Rhythm Connection.

Banner Boswell Medical Center began a pet therapy program in September to bring tail-wagging smiles to patients and families in the Sun City hospital.

Phoenix resident Lyndy McKay has been a pet therapy volunteer for 15 years, visiting patients at Banner Boswell Rehabilitation Center in Sun City and the Banner Alzheimer’s and Special Adults residences in Peoria.

Travis Hardee tested into Mountain Pointe's special program for gifted students, but struggled with Honors English. He procrastinated completing assignments and complained that reading made him fall asleep. His mom, longtime Ahwatukee Foothills resident Linda Hardee, was less than sympathetic. Conflicts and lectures about the value of good study habits were frequent.

Dr. Eli Hammer was talking with a patient in the conference room of his north Scottsdale office when seven federal drug agents wearing bulletproof vests walked in and handed him a search warrant.

Two years ago, Mary and Mark Smith attended a marriage counseling session to lend support to their son and his wife. They found out it was their own marriage that benefited.

The Cancer Center at Chandler Regional Medical Center provides cancer patients and co-survivors (family and those in the caregiving role) with music therapy, journaling, and art therapy free with the goal to increase positive mood, decrease anxiety and build social networks for support.