- Uncategorized, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAn unexpected tragedy “It was the worst day of my life.” That’s how Greg Meyer remembers Nov. 23, 2012. The night before his wife Leah had her first contraction. She was pregnant with their first child after two years of trying to have a baby. They were one week away from their due date. With a mix of nerves, excitement and disbelief, Greg and Leah arrived at Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) to deliver their son, Talon. Their nurse began performing a final ultrasound before moving them to the labor and delivery unit. After looking at the machine for a few moments, she told Greg and Leah she needed to get the doctor. “It was then that something just didn’t feel right,” says Leah. “When the doctor came in, he told us the most gut-wrenching news we had ever heard: ‘Your baby doesn’t have a heartbeat.’” Leah describes the rest of the day as a blur. “From that moment on, we were physically present, but our minds weren’t fully aware of what was happening.” At 3:05pm that day, Leah delivered their stillborn son, Talon. “He was 5 pounds, .05 ounces and 19 inches long. He had a head full of dark hair like me, and long fingers and toes like his dad. We had no idea what we were doing … never in a million years did we think we would have to welcome our son into the world and say goodbye to him on the same day,” says Leah. The nurses encouraged Greg and Leah to take pictures and imprints of Talon’s hands and feet, dress him and cut a lock of his hair to keep in a memory box. After holding him for a few hours, Greg and Leah said a final goodbye to their newborn son. AAMC Labor and Delivery Nurse Tina Raab was one of the nurses who cared for Greg and Leah. “It’s a very humbling experience to be with those patients in the darkest moment in their lives,” says Tina. “Giving them tissues, hugging them, holding the mom’s hand when everyone goes to be with the baby … simple acts like that really go a long way in those situations.” “The little things our nurses did, like giving Leah a hug, meant the most to us,” says Greg. “What was an awful day could have been exponentially worse without their care.” Silence instead of support Greg and Leah aren’t alone. Each year at AAMC, roughly 60 couples experience perinatal loss after their first trimester. Perinatal loss is the non-voluntary loss of a baby from conception to 28 days of life. In the U.S., one in four couples will experience perinatal loss. And each year, 26,000 couples have a stillborn baby, a baby that dies in the womb after 20 weeks of pregnancy or later. For these couples, sources of support are difficult to find. “Perinatal loss is not a comfortable conversation that people want to have,” says Ann O’Sullivan, AAMC’s perinatal loss program coordinator. When someone dies, their loved ones remember them by telling stories and sharing memories. But when a baby dies, people tend to avoid the subject altogether, Ann explains. “Any family’s biggest fear is that nobody will remember their baby,” says Ann. “Families find different ways to remember their baby: some have birthday parties, some sponsor remembrance events and some plant gardens.” Greg and Leah went beyond that. While they remember Talon each year by lighting a candle, they have extended their efforts to give back to other people. “They took their grief and turned it completely inside out to help others,” says Tina. Choosing hope Left without their son at the beginning of the holiday season, Greg and Leah returned to AAMC weeks later during the holidays to hand out gifts to patients in the pediatric unit. And, for the past two years, they organized a concert to benefit First Candle, a Baltimore-based charity focusing on perinatal loss research. Greg and other local musicians perform, and local sports teams and businesses donate raffle items. The concert, Still Singing, has raised more than $6,000 to date. “We can choose to be permanently bitter or we can choose to try, in some weird way, to create positive change from this and make Talon’s life meaningful,” says Greg. For Greg, that choice inspired a career change. Moved by the compassion and care he and his wife received from their nurses, Greg enrolled in nursing school months after he lost his son. He now works in the heart and kidney unit at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. “Our stories aren’t the same, but I can make a deeper connection to what [my patients] might be going through, and what their families might need, after losing my son,” says Greg. “It does get easier” Nearly three years after losing Talon, Greg and Leah returned to AAMC’s labor and delivery unit. On Oct. 30, 2015, their son Emory was born. “Having Emory in our arms seemed like the fulfillment of a dream many years in the making,” says Greg. “Having a healthy baby is an amazing miracle.” Marcus Penn, MD, OB-GYN at AAMC, delivered Emory and cared for the Meyers throughout their pregnancy. “Dr. Penn is one of the most compassionate, caring and dedicated doctors I have ever met,” says Leah. “Before we had Emory, he was there for us during two miscarriages and encouraged us not to give up hope.” In order to be part of Emory’s delivery, both Tina and Dr. Penn stayed at AAMC well after their shifts had ended. “It meant so much to have them there,” says Greg. “It was kind of like a moment of bringing our miracle full circle.” Tina Raab, RN, (center) receives a DAISY Award for excellence in nursing. Leah and Greg Meyer and their son Emory attend the ceremony. Since Leah’s pregnancy with Emory was considered high-risk, the Meyers also visited a specialist at the Center for Maternal and Fetal Medicine. “Couples who have experienced a loss are often extremely nervous in subsequent pregnancies,” says William Sweeney, MD, director of maternal-fetal medicine at AAMC. “To provide peace of mind and ensure normal fetal health, we schedule frequent visits and fetal tests. We try to respond quickly to any parental concerns to ensure couples are at ease throughout their entire pregnancy.” While Greg and Leah celebrate their healthy pregnancy and newborn son, they will always remember Talon and continue to bring meaning to his life. “He’s our guardian angel now,” says Greg. “We won’t ever forget, but it does get easier.” “There is hope for families that are out there grieving,” says Ann. “We do offer perinatal loss support, and it’s important for people to be aware of that. No one has to go through this alone.” For more information about AAMC’s perinatal loss support services, contact Ann O’Sullivan, perinatal loss program coordinator at 410-570-2164. Visit www.aahs.org/birth for more information about AAMC’s birth and baby services. Read about our perinatal loss program in The Wall Street Journal. Contributors Marcus Penn, MD, is an OB-GYN at AAMC and can be reached at 410-571-9700. William Sweeney, MD, is the director of maternal-fetal medicine at AAMC and can be reached at 410-224-4442.0
- Cancer Care, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogEach cancer journey is unique. At Luminis Health, we want to shine a light on these journeys from the perspective of our own patients and staff. That’s why we’ve started this new series – bringing hope and comfort to those who have been touched by cancer. Carol Brumsted’s story: I’ve worked as a registered nurse at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center (LHAAMC) for 20 years. For the first 14 years, I performed in-patient IV therapy. Then I moved to the outpatient infusion center in the cancer institute where I still work. LHAAMC has grown since I’ve been here, but some things have remained the same — like its commitment to patients and the community. The outpatient infusion center has really grown since I’ve been here. When people come to us for treatment, they’re not coming to see just the surgeon or medical oncologist. They’re also meeting with a social worker, dietician, nurse navigator, oncology rehabilitation specialist, and a financial social worker. We don’t turn anyone away based on what they can afford. Our finance coordinators will do everything they can to help a patient with costs, like working to find less expensive alternatives to medicines or helping patients apply for aid through state or federal programs. A couple of my colleagues are cancer survivors themselves. Several have been caregivers to family members, which gives them an extra connection to their work. I lost my husband to pancreatic cancer two years ago, and he received excellent care here at LHAAMC. Knowing what I know as an oncology nurse, I wouldn’t have had him go anywhere else. LHAAMC has always had a community hospital feel, and even though we’ve grown in scope over the years, I think we still have that feel. My own team and I work with homeless shelters in the area and people in need in the community. We’ve provided lunches, holiday meals and have filled backpacks with school supplies. I also love that we’ve continued to expand community outreach, offering preventive medicine and wellness programs including mental health care. Being there for our patients and community, making sure they’re safe and have consistent, first-rate care, is what it’s all about.0
- Cancer Care, Women's Health, Uncategorized, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3Blog“As far as I know, there is no breast cancer in my family history,” says Annapolis resident Aileen Carlucci. But in the summer of 2008, she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 49 after a routine mammogram. Aileen’s early-stage cancer was treated successfully with surgery and radiation at The Breast Center at Anne Arundel Medical Center’s Geaton and JoAnn DeCesaris Cancer Institute. She completed her final radiation treatment on November 1st, 2008—the 18th birthday of her daughter, Christina—and has been cancer-free for more than five years, which means she is at low risk for her cancer to return. “Fast-forward a few years, and you begin to forget,” says Aileen. “One day you wake up, and it’s not the first thing you think about, that, my God, I had breast cancer.” But earlier this year, her friend Cynthia lost a battle with stage IV breast cancer. Before she passed away, Cynthia talked to Aileen about genetic testing. “She made me promise that I would inquire about genetic testing at my next oncology appointment.” Uncovering Hidden Risk In March, Aileen met with Ashley Allenby, a certified genetic counselor at the DeCesaris Cancer Institute. “We met in a comfortable room and sat on the couch,” says Aileen. “Ashley and I went through my family history, and I was surprised to learn that I did have risk factors for breast cancer.” “People are referred for genetic counseling if they have certain red flags that mean they could have a genetic mutation that predisposes them to developing cancer,” says Ashley. “In Aileen’s case, she had been diagnosed with breast cancer before 50, which is one of the clues that we look for. She also reported Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry on her father’s side.” About 1 in 500 people have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene that is mutated. This frequency is even higher in individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish (Central or Eastern European) ancestry, with 1 in 40 people carrying a mutation. People with a BRCA mutation have a higher risk for breast, ovarian and other cancers. Experts estimate women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation have a 45 to 84 percent lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. In the general U.S. population, 12 percent of women develop breast cancer over their lifetimes. Moreover, women with either of these mutations have up to a 44 percent chance of developing ovarian cancer, compared to the general population’s risk of around 1.5 percent. Questions to ask your blood relatives • Who has had cancer in our family? • What types of cancer? • At what ages were they diagnosed? • What ethnicity are my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents? • Has anybody in our family had genetic testing, and what were the results? Empowering Information “Ashley gave me an enormous amount of information,” says Aileen. She learned what the results of a genetic test would mean for her risk for other cancers, as well as the implications for her siblings and her children. After the counseling session, she had her blood drawn. Four weeks later, Ashley called with the results: Aileen carries a BRCA2 mutation. “In a way I felt vindicated,” says Aileen. “Now I know why I got breast cancer, and it was nothing that I did. It’s a family heritage. My biggest concern is my children.” Her daughter and son each have a 50 percent chance of inheriting the BRCA2 mutation from her. This is of special concern for Christina, who is now 24, as experts recommend that women with a BRCA mutation begin enhanced breast cancer screening around age 25. These women may also want to consider preventive surgery or other methods to reduce their cancer risk. Aileen accompanied Christina to her own genetic counseling and testing session in July. Christina was relieved to find out she does not carry the BRAC2 mutation. “The goal, if we find a genetic mutation, is to reduce the risk for cancer or aid in early detection,” says Ashley. “I think it’s powerful information to have these genetic test results to be able to be informed and make proactive decisions.” Four Ways to Help a Friend with Breast Cancer You may wonder what the right things to do for a friend with breast cancer are. Read more to find out a few tips. Giving Back Even before she was diagnosed, Aileen and her husband, Bob, were involved with Bosom Buddies Charities, which raises money to support early detection and treatment of breast cancer in Queen Anne’s County. On January 9, she will be the honoree at the 2016 Bosom Buddies Ball at the Westin Hotel in Annapolis. Since 2007, the charity has donated more than $900,000 to support breast cancer care and treatment at AAMC. “When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was in such a great place,” says Aileen. “It was because of the hospital and the encouragement they gave me, my friends in Bosom Buddies, and my family. I know how lucky I am. And I think early detection truly saves lives.” Contributor Ashley Allenby is a certified genetic counselor at the DeCesaris Cancer Institute. Make an appointment for genetic counseling at 443-481-5864.0
- News & Press ReleasesGeneral Page Tier 3Blog(Lanham, MD) – Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center (LHDCMC) will host its annual Pink Ribbon Rally on Saturday, October 4, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., to kick-off Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year’s celebration carries added significance as the hospital marks its 50th anniversary of serving Prince George’s County with a deep commitment to women’s and maternal health. The Pink Ribbon Rally is designed to raise awareness about breast cancer and highlight the lifesaving power of early detection through mammograms. To make the event more accessible for families, neighbors, and survivors, LHDCMC now holds the rally on Saturdays. The day will feature walk-up mammograms along with vital information about the signs, symptoms, and early detection of breast cancer. Since about one-third of the cancers Luminis Health treats are breast cancers, attendees can learn about treatment options and meet our experienced team of specialists. The event is also a celebration, with pink attire and decorations to raise awareness about breast cancer, along with uplifting survivor stories, community resources, food, and games. “Breast cancer continues to profoundly affect the lives of women in Prince George’s County,” said Deneen Richmond, president of LHDCMC. “This year, as we celebrate 50 years of service to the community, we’re also reaffirming our commitment to advancing women’s health, from breast cancer prevention to maternal care. We invite women and families to join us for the Pink Ribbon Rally, be inspired and take important steps to protect their health.” Prince George’s County has one of the highest breast cancer mortality rates in Maryland. To address this urgent need, Luminis Health is in the third year of a $1.3 million state grant to provide breast and cervical cancer screenings. With this support, more than 3,400 county residents have already received timely, life-saving care they may not have otherwise had been able to access. “Mammograms save lives. When breast cancer is caught early, survival rates are extremely favorable. That’s why it’s crucial for women to begin screenings at age 40, or sooner, if they have a family history,” said Dr. Allison Bruff, breast cancer surgeon at LHDCMC. “Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death in Prince George’s County, particularly among Black and Latino women. I look forward to wearing pink, celebrating survivors, and empowering more women to take action. Together, we can continue to fight against this devastating disease.” Event Details: Date: Saturday, October 4, 2025 Time: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Location: 8118 Good Luck Road, Lanham Admission: Free and open to the public0
- Heart CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogIt’s time to show your heart some love, especially if you are a woman. When most of us think of someone having a heart attack, we picture a man clutching his chest and struggling to breathe. But did you know that, contrary to common belief, heart disease—which is commonly manifested in the form of heart attacks—is just as common in women as it is in men? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the most common cause of death in women in the United States. Approximately one in every five female deaths is attributed to heart disease. Heart attacks in women are common. What Is Heart Disease and How Does It Relate to Heart Attacks? The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions. The most common type of heart disease in the United States—and the main cause of heart attacks—is coronary artery disease, which is a buildup of plaque in the walls of arteries that supply blood to the heart and other parts of the body. The heart is a muscular pump that sends blood to the entire human body. As with any other muscle, the heart needs a steady supply of blood and oxygen to function properly. When blood flow to the heart is reduced or blocked, the heart muscle is deprived of necessary oxygen, resulting in a heart attack. Do Genetics Play a Role? Although there aren’t specific genes that have been identified as making some women more prone to heart attacks, there are trends that can occur in families. Family history of coronary artery disease, particularly at a younger age (30 to 50) is a strong predictor of increased potential for heart attack, as is race and other inheritable illnesses such as diabetes and high cholesterol. A heart attack can occur at any age, but the average age for women is 70. Heart Attack Symptoms Symptoms of a heart attack are most commonly described as an intense pressure/ache in the chest that may or may not extend to the arms, neck, jaw or stomach. Sometimes, particularly in women, pressure/ache is replaced with more vague symptoms such as: Nausea/vomiting Shortness of breath Pain in both arms Jaw pain Back pain Stomach pain Sweating Lightheadedness Extreme fatigue Risk Factors and Prevention Heart attack risk factors can be grouped into two main categories: modifiable and non-modifiable. Familial history, race and gender are non-modifiable. Modifiable risk factors include other medical diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and tobacco use. Heart attack prevention in women is the same as for men: Properly manage diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol with physician-prescribed medications Make heart-healthy food choices Maintain a normal body mass index Perform regular physical activity Quit smoking — Women who smoke are four times more likely to have heart disease than non-smokers Love Your Heart February is American Heart Month, a time when we can all focus on our cardiovascular health. It’s important because an estimated 80% of cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, is preventable. To raise and spread awareness, Luminis Health invites you to learn about heart health risks while entering for a chance to win a Lululemon studio mirror (so that you can bring the gym experience to your home). Visit Luminis.Health/MirrorGiveaway for details and to register for a chance to win. Now, that’s something we can all love. Authors Murtaza Dawood, MD, is a cardiothoracic surgeon at Luminis Health. He is recognized for performing operations for complex valve disease and atrial fibrillation. Prior to joining Luminis Health, he was the surgical director for the University of Maryland atrial fibrillation and structural heart programs. Jennifer Brady, MD, is a cardiologist at Luminis Health who is board certified in cardiovascular disease and electrophysiology. She has a special interest in adult echocardiography and heart failure.0
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