Spina

On February 13, 2003, THOMAS H. SR.; beloved husband of Laura Ann (nee Lowe) Williams; loving father of Lynn Williams, Sandra Kovic, Thomas H. Williams, Jr. and the late Brian P. Williams; devoted grandfather of Matthew Kovic, Justin and Sarah Williams. Also survived by his brother Ralph Williams. A memorial service will be held on Saturday at 11 A.M. in St. Peters Lutheran Church, Fullerton, MD. Interment private. Memorial contributions may be made to Spina Bifida of Wisconsin, 830 N. 109th Street, Suite 6, Wauwatosa, WI 53226.

On March 14, 2005, JANIE PALICH; beloved mother of Andrew and his wife Jennifer, Steven and Nicholas Palich; loving grandmother of Allyson Palich; daughter of Nancy Calvin and the late Donald Sooy; stepdaughter of David Calvin and sister of Donna Jones and Jean Putnam. A Memorial Service will be held Sunday, 2 P.M. at HARRY H. WITZKE'S FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, INC., 4112 Old Columbia Pike, Ellicott City. Donations in her memory may be made to the Spina Bifida Association of Maryland, 2416 Lampost Lane, Baltimore, MD 21234.

On April 27, 2007, JONATHAN DIXON; beloved husband of Virginia Dixon; devoted step-father of Frances Nussbaum, Elizabeth Morrill and David L. Gannon and the late James Gannon, III and Phillip Gannon. Also survived by eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Mr. Dixon was a proud member of The Free Masons. A Memorial Service will be held at 11 A.M., Wednesday, May 2 at Our Lady of The Angels Chapel, Charlestown Retirement Community. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Spina Bifida Association 4590 MacArthur Blvd, N.W., #250, Washington, DC 20007-4226

PHILADELPHIA -- At only $10,000 to $50,000, HUD homes are cheap. The federal government, which acquired them through foreclosure, is marketing these homes as great deals for first-time buyers. But are they?Real estate experts emphatically say no."I don't recommend HUD homes for 99 percent of the buying public. A HUD home is really a disastrous property in most cases," says Jay Lamont, director of Temple University's Real Estate Institute.Many HUD homes are vacant, boarded-up, require extensive repairs and are in rundown neighborhoods.

Women in the first month of pregnancy should stay away from hot tubs and spas to protect their fetuses from developing birth defects, physicians warn.Women who are exposed to such heat sources early in pregnancy have two to three times the normal risk of having a child with spina bifida or other neural tube defects, according to a report in today's s Journal of the American Medical Association. The finding appears to confirm earlier but unsubstantiated reports and anecdotal evidence.In addition to using a hot tub, if the mother-to-be also runs a fever caused by an infection during the first month, the total risk can be as much as six times higher than normal, according to results of the largest study of birth defects so far undertaken.

The U.S. Public Health Service recommended yesterday that all women of childbearing age should take extra folic acid, a B vitamin, to prevent neural tube defects that affect 1 to 2 of every 1,000 babies born each year. The effects of these birth defects include paralysis and death.Researchers on birth defects and nutrition said that if the advice was followed the incidence of neural tube defects like spina bifida and anencephaly should fall to between a quarter and a half of the current figure of 2,300 cases a year.

Sixty million American women of childbearing age are at risk for having a baby with easily preventable birth defects.Many women want to have babies, but for some it happens sooner than they expect. In the United States, half of all pregnancies are unplanned, and one of every 20 girls becomes pregnant the first time she has sexual intercourse.Within 28 days of conception, before a woman has missed her menstrual period, the baby's brain and spinal column are completely formed. It's already too late to take the simple nutritional steps that will prevent two serious birth defects -- known as neural tube defects -- that happen to one of every 1,000 infants born in the United States.

In a new twist on the age-old question of nature vs. nurture, Johns Hopkins scientists following 14 boys who were surgically altered as infants and raised as girls found that the majority grew up identifying strongly as males. Some of the patients spontaneously took on boys' names and began wearing male clothing before anyone told them the circumstances of their births - while others decided to live as boys once they found out. Warning against sweeping conclusions about the foundations of gender identity, the researchers noted that the study was limited to boys who were "assigned" to the female gender because of a severe birth defect involving the abdominal organs and penis.

Claude figures he's found an easy mark.''A little one-on-one?'' he asks, bouncing a basketball with his right hand and looking like Sergeant Bilko used to look when he'd innocently inquire, ''Oh, is this game called poker?''''You trying to hustle me?'' I ask.''Yup.''''You didn't get enough satisfaction the other night?''''Nope,'' Claude says, and lofts a set shot from somewhere around the free throw line.Swish.''Lucky.''''Wanta see it again?'' Claude says.You might say Claude's on a roll.

Chelsea Stanton hasn't begun kindergarten yet, but already she has used up nearly $200,000 of a $1 million lifetime health insurance policy -- and charmed President Clinton with her perseverance.The 4-year-old Dayton girl, whose plight earned her a visit to the ++ White House this month, was born with a number of problems that force her to wear a bag that collects abdominal fluids, use cumbersome leg braces and a walker.Fearful that Chelsea's health insurance won't be renewed because of her pre-existing medical condition, the Stantons are anxious to see the president's health reform plan become reality.