Health

Amid shifts in the gum industry, a bit of Americana might be going away -- the colorful gum balls once sold for a penny from machines at drugstores, arcades and supermarkets.

The main problem with the classic, round gum balls is that although they're available in many flavors and colors, almost all of them have one thing in common -- a heavy dose of sugar. And t a time when child obesity has become a prime national concern, this product has come in for a drubbing.

SYRACUSE — The 3-foot-tall, extra-soft, stuffed monkey sat on Isabel Hadley’s lap.

The fourth-grader had dropped by her Cook Elementary classroom Wednesday to say hello to her classmates and to see firsthand what the animal — officially named Monkey — was up to.

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LAYTON — Maurice Simpson is one man who has learned to find joy in his challenges.

The 36-year-old has neurofibromatosis, a rare genetic condition that causes tumors to grow on the right side of his face and head. The tumors get bigger over time.

But since the story of the Washington Terrace resident first appeared in the Standard-Examiner two years ago, telling of his lifelong plight facing dozens of surgeries to cut away ever-growing tumor tissue, Simpson has enjoyed a newfound acceptance and recognition that allows him to help others. He has been asked to speak in front of school and church groups.

OGDEN -- Athletes often speak of the workout high -- a time of clarity and concentration, a clean feeling of purity and purpose. And that "high" is just what Dustin Hawkins is using to help former addicts change their lifestyle in the Workout Addiction Recovery (WAR) program that he designed based on his own recovery from addiction.

Hawkins, a Bonneville High School alumni, baseball standout, and former Houston Astro, became addicted to prescription drugs starting with a knee surgery. He was doing the drugs, playing baseball, and sinking further into it when he started seeing a therapist for his problems.

BRIGHAM CITY -- Dr. Lance Bryce trades one front line for another when he goes from a local hospital trauma unit to ride along on Brigham City Police SWAT calls.

LAYTON -- A local physician says there is an immune deficiency disorder that may predispose some people to meningeal infections, especially the severe bacterial type like the one that claimed the life of a Syracuse boy in January.