What Is Having Long COVID-19 Really Like?



It wasn’t too long ago that COVID-19 threw life into chaos. Businesses shut their doors. Food and supplies ran low. We were separated from our loved ones and trapped indoors. Hospitals dealt with rising demand. Lives were lost. Years have passed since the pandemic and we’ve tried to distance ourselves from a time when distillers halted production to make hand sanitizer, grocery stores had lanes, and smiles were hidden behind masks. However, some are still living with a constant reminder of that time. For those with Long COVID-19, time hasn’t healed the wounds of the past as they still try to recover from the physical, mental, and emotional traumas of the condition. That’s why Health Confianza — a Bexar County health literacy initiative housed at The University of Texas ...

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1 in 5 People on Transplant Waiting List are Latino



More than 100,000 people are waiting for a life-changing organ transplant in the US, according to the American Heart Association.  The stark reality is that nearly 23% of those on the transplant candidate waiting list are Latino — that’s one out of every five people.   In fact, 59% of all transplant candidates on the waiting list are Black, Latino, or Asian. These populations are unevenly affected by chronic diseases, leading to the need for a transplant.   In 2023, Latinos received 8,540 of the over 46,000 transplants performed, including 580 hearts, according to the American Heart Association.   Despite the number of transplants performed and Latinos on the waiting list, organ donation remains low in the Latino community.  Latino Organ Donorship  While organs ...

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What Does Life Look Like with a Brain Tumor?



Of course, no one wants to hear they have cancer. But if you or someone in your familia has a brain tumor, it is natural to wonder what life will look like. This is what we call “quality of life” (QoL), or an individual’s sense of well-being and ability to enjoy and participate in life. “For those living with a brain tumor, QoL may encompass a wide range of physical, psychosocial, and emotional concerns stemming from loss of functionality and changes in personality,” according to the National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS). From rehabilitation to mental health to return-to-work resources, let’s dive deeper into QoL and what it means for someone with a brain tumor. Access this resource in Spanish! Facing a Brain Tumor Diagnosis A brain tumor or other cancer ...

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¿Cómo es la Vida con un Tumor Cerebral?



Por supuesto, nadie quiere escuchar que tiene cáncer.  Pero si usted  o alguien en su familia tiene un tumor cerebral, es normal pensar cómo será la vida con este diagnóstico.  Esto es lo que llamamos “calidad de vida”, o el bienestar y capacidad para disfrutar y participar en la vida.  “Para aquellos con un tumor cerebral, la calidad de vida puede incluir un rango amplio de dificultades físicas, psicológicas/sociales, y emocionales relacionadas a la pérdida de ciertas funciones y cambios de personalidad” según la Sociedad Nacional de Tumores Cerebrales (NBTS/SNTC). Desde la rehabilitación hasta la salud mental y recursos para volver al  trabajo, profundicemos en la calidad de vida y qué significa para alguien con un tumor cerebral.  Enfrentando un ...

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5 Big Accomplishments for the All of Us Research Program



For the last several years, the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) All of Us Research Program has endeavored to collect the health data of over 1 million Americans to ensure healthcare works for all of us.  Are they close to 1 million participants?  How has it helped boost research?  Let’s look at five notable milestones the program has reached in its mission to build a health data network that looks like all of us.  1. Increasing the Variety in Research Participation With help from local community partnerships, including UT Health San Antonio, across the country, over 790,000 people nationwide have decided to join the program’s expansive and inclusive research network, the program announced in a recent news release.  In addition, over 540,000 participants ...

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Para Su Familia: Entendiendo El Glioma de Bajo Grado



El soldado del Ejército Estadunidense,Tony Rentas, oriundo/originario de Puerto Rico, quien había soñado toda su vida con servir en el Ejército, sufrió una convulsión durante una misión en Kosovo. A Tony le diagnosticaron un glioma de bajo grado, un tipo raro de tumor cerebral. No tenía ni idea de lo que era un glioma de bajo grado. Así que empezó a buscar en Google. Encontró poco que le ayudará a entender este diagnóstico y lo que significaba para él y su familia, y aún menos estaba disponible en español. Por eso Tony está compartiendo su historia y participando en el Registro Internacional de Glioma de Bajo Grado, que tiene como objetivo  aprender más sobre las mejores formas de tratar estos tumores en diferentes grupos de personas, incluyendo a miembros ...

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Tony Rentas: Un “Soldado” Ayudando a Otros a Pelear la Batalla en Contra de Tumores Cerebrales



Durante su niñez en Puerto Rico, Tony Rentas soñaba con unirse al ejército de Estados Unidos. Quería servir a su país, dar un buen ejemplo a su hijo, y asegurarse que su familia tuviera el cuidado adecuado. En el 2009, se unió al Ejército de los Estados Unidos, haciendo realidad su sueño. Tony ejerció como especialista de inteligencia militar. A lo largo de una docena de años, fue desplegado dos veces, viajó alrededor del mundo, formó grandes amistades, experimentó diferentes culturas, ayudó a personas y proveyó para su familia. Luego, obtuvo una desgarradora noticia. Después de sufrir una convulsión del lóbulo temporal, Tony, -esposo y padre de dos hijos- fue diagnosticado con un glioma de bajo grado, un tipo de tumor cancerígeno en el cerebro, en junio del ...

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Tony Rentas: A ‘Soldado’ Helping Others Fight Battles Against Brain Tumors



Growing up in Puerto Rico, Tony Rentas dreamed of joining the U.S. military. He wanted to serve his country, set a good example for his son, and make sure his family was taken care of. In 2009, he joined the U.S. Army, making his dream a reality. Tony served as a military intelligence specialist. Over a dozen years, he deployed twice, traveled around the world, made great friends, experienced different cultures, helped people, and provided for his family. Then he got some harrowing news. After suffering a temporal lobe seizure, Tony – a husband and father of two children –was diagnosed with a low grade glioma, a type of cancerous brain tumor, in June 2020. “I remember walking out of that appointment, sitting in the car, just trying to process things. A couple of tears ...

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Healthy Vision Month: Reframe Your Future



This Healthy Vision Month in May, the National Eye Institute (NEI) is looking through a futuristic lens to bring awareness to eye health and share English and Spanish-language resources to protect the sight of your familia. Eye health and mental health go hand in hand, especially for some Latinos who lack access to eye care. “Reframe Your Future, aims to reach people with a visual impairment about steps they can take to thrive in their daily life, like seeking vision rehabilitation and mental health services,” according to an NEI news release. Here is what you should know about taking care of eye health for you and your family. What is Low Vision? Low vision impairs your ability to see. It makes it difficult to do day-to-day activities such as reading, driving, or see a screen ...

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