By Brandy Neth

If any of you have ever completed a 100 day challenge of any kind, you know this process is intense, exciting, exhilarating, scary, sad and rewarding all at the same time. I’ve completed two 100-day challenges in my life, and I don’t regret either experience.

For my most recent challenge, I decided to “enjoy” a completely raw food diet for 100 days. I know it sounds a little crazy, but everyone knows I’m a bit of an over-achiever at times. So, why exactly did I choose this as my challenge? Simple: it scared the bejezuz out of me. It scared me bad.

 ... Read More

Last year, the pediatrics department at Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center was looking for a way to spruce up its space while also providing a visual sense of the personalized, nurturing care that its physicians and staff strive to provide. A series of murals on the walls turned out to be the perfect endeavor.

“It really speaks to what the providers want for their patients in terms of making them feel comfortable when they come in,” said Christie Monette, director of pediatrics. When the search for an artist began, Sean Cooke, MD, the department’s assistant chief at Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento, recommended his mother for the job.

Leann Cooke, a 70-year-old artist and retired school teacher, was excited to volunteer her time to the project—a farm scene mural—but admits to having been awed by the size of the wall space she’d been handed.

April is National Autism Awareness Month and the UC Davis MIND Institute, an institute respected internationally for its groundbreaking research into therapies for autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, is holding a series of free, inclusive events in recognition of the month-long observance. The events also mark the 15-year anniversary of the MIND Institute, founded in 1998.