JULY 2019

This Issue:

My Tribute to the Nurse Who Changed My Life

A Nurse's Health: The Gift that Keeps on Giving

July is Cord Blood Awareness Month

July is International Group B Strep (GBS) Awareness Month
 
July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month

Bruschetta Chicken Stuffed Avacados recipe

July Fun Family Activities



 










Newborn Nurses Don't Forget These Important Tools 

 
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My tribute to the nurse who changed my life
(Content courtesy of the  National Breast Cancer Foundation)
By Janelle Hail


At 12:05 a.m. light streamed across my bed as the door opened into my hospital room. It was not unusual for nurses to come and go at all hours. I was wide awake, anyway, since I could find no peace and rest from my inner turmoil. My nearly perfect life had been wrecked by the intrusion of breast cancer. I couldn't understand what had happened. Neal and I had been married 15 years and had three sons ages 13, 10 and 3. We were about to move into a new home Neal had custom built for us. Now, one day after a mastectomy, I was picking up the pieces of my life and trying to figure out how to cope.

The nurse who entered my room had a familiar face. I knew her from church, where she seemed quiet and reserved. For some reason our lives had not intersected, except for an occasional greeting in the crowded church foyer.

That night she took my vitals and then did something extraordinary. She pulled up a chair and sat at my bedside, and without saying a word, took my hand. For about five minutes, she held my hand in silence. She was sensitive that I had cried away all my words and had nothing more to say.

Others had offered encouraging, sometimes clumsy, words and well wishes for my broken heart. Even an occasional book was left for me, which meant nothing in this dark hour of my life. This dear lady gave me the gift of understanding and hope by not making me struggle to hold a conversation or make excuses for why such a terrible thing happened to me. With her silence, she let my soul rest and gave me comfort with her kind touch. It was like having Jesus holding my hand and enveloping me with His love.

The dark days passed and my life moved on - a life filled with family, friends and a future. Little did I know that during my hospital stay God would drop something in my heart, a deepened compassion that started with that sweet nurse. My husband and I founded NBCF several years later to help women with no means of helping themselves get free mammograms and medical assistance while facing breast cancer.

A couple of years ago, Neal and I were having lunch with his brother, Don, and his new wife. We knew her years ago when we all went to the same church. In fact, Don and Debbie dated as young teens and reconnected many years later. I told Debbie of the kind nurse whose name I couldn't remember. I always wanted to tell the nurse what her kindness had meant to me. Debbie's face became somber and her mouth fell open.

"That was my mother, Frances Gieger," she said. There was a stunned silence at the table. Silence again had spoken more than any words could have. Frances was no longer living, but her silence left a legacy.

Why do we feel we have to fill the atmosphere with words, as though everything we say will make things right? When talking with someone facing breast cancer, observe their needs and allow them to tell you what is important to them.

Janelle Hail, co-founder and CEO of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, underwent breast cancer treatment in 1980. She wrote this tribute as a powerful reminder of the impact nurses make through their compassion.
A Nurse's Health: The Gift that Keeps on Giving
NurseJournal.org


Nurses live to take care of others. In addition to spending their professional careers caring for patients many nurses extend this caring into their home life. They care for spouses, children, aging parents, and often family and friends. They enjoy taking care of others and see great value in this work. But unfortunately, many nurses forget to take care of someone very important: themselves.
Somehow in the hustle and bustle of patient care and family life it can be easy to forget that your first patient should always be yourself. If you plan to have a long and fruitful nursing career you have to make sure that you are taking care of your body, mind, and soul. This is the only way to ensure that you have a happy and fulfilling nursing career.

Taking Care of Your Body
The very first rule of self-care for nurses should be to put good things in their bodies. This includes  eating a healthy dietof fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and lots and lots of water! Processed foods should be avoided and sweets kept to a minimum. In addition, an active lifestyle should be maintained. This doesn't mean that you have to run miles each day, but you should take the stairs whenever possible, park a little farther from the grocery store, and complete 20-30 minutes of exercise 3-4 days a week.

Taking Care of Your Mind
Stress can cause you to feel as bad as poor diet and sedentary lifestyle. It's important that you manage your stress levels and identify when situations are too stressful and do your best to remove yourself from them or ask for assistance to help you get the situations under control more quickly. There are many ways to reduce stress. Some of the easiest and most popular include pleasure reading, meditation, walking, hot baths, yoga, and breathing exercises.

Taking Care of the Soul
While many may feel that your body and mind are the only things you have to worry about, taking care of the soul is just as important. This means different things to difference people but ultimately it involves exercising your spirituality and connecting to whatever higher power you feel exists. This power can help you to deal with difficult situations and feel greater appreciation for life in general.

The Gift That Keeps on Giving
As a nurse when you take care of yourself you are really taking care of others. Prolonging your life and livelihood in nursing means that you will have the ability to positively affect more patient lives. Although you might not realize it at the thing, the few activities that you do to pamper yourself are actually indirectly benefiting the patients you serve. Take care of yourself so that you can continue to share your compassion and care with patients.

https://nursejournal.org/community/a-nurses-health-the-gift-that-keeps-on-giving/
 
July is Cord Blood Awareness Month
"July is Cord Blood Awareness Month Across the Nation and we are proud to support our friends at BE THE MATCH (National Marrow Donor Program) in their efforts to reach expectant parents across the nation with useful facts and tips on why and how to save a newborn's cord blood."

"Today, stem cells are mainly used in the treatment of disease and in tissue regeneration. They largely come from one of three sources - cord blood, bone marrow and peripheral blood. Cord blood stem cells are found in the blood of the umbilical cord."

Understanding your cord blood options
As an expectant parent, you have many options when donating cord blood. This includes donating to a public cord blood bank, storing cord blood in a family cord blood bank or saving cord blood for a sibling who has a medical need.

Cord blood can be used to treat more than 70 diseases, including blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. If you're an expectant parent, you have several options when donating cord blood to help treat blood cancers and other life-threatening diseases. Unless you choose one of these options, the umbilical cord and placenta are typically discarded after the baby is born.

Donate to a public cord blood bank. When you donate to a public cord blood bank, your baby's cord blood is available to any patient who needs a transplant. It is not reserved for your family. Currently only certain hospitals are able to collect umbilical cord blood for storage in public cord blood banks.

Store in a family (private) cord blood bank. Family cord blood banks often store cord blood exclusively for use by the family. A fee for collection as well as annual storage fees will be required.

Save for a sibling who has a medical need. When a biological sibling has a disease that may be treated with a cord blood transplant, parents can choose to save their baby's cord blood for the sibling. Collecting and storing cord blood for sibling-directed donation is offered at little or no cost to eligible families. Contact a participating public cord blood bank or a family cord blood bank.

Cord blood banking: Public donation or family storage - what's the difference?

Public banking 
  • When you donate your baby's umbilical cord for public use:
  •  It's available to any patient in need of a transplant; it is not reserved for your family members.
  • There is no cost to you because public cord blood banks cover the fees associated with processing, testing and storing donated cord blood.
  • It's collected under strict quality standards to make sure the cord blood unit is usable for transplant. If standards aren't met, the cord blood unit may be used for research to improve the transplant process for future patients, or the unit will be discarded.

Private storage
  • If you store the cord blood in a family (private) cord blood bank, it is reserved for your own family members. Family cord blood banks are available throughout the country for anyone. 
  • You are charged a fee for the collection and an annual fee to store the umbilical cord blood. 
  • More information about family cord blood banks can be found in our cord blood FAQs.
 
Resources for Parents
The following resources provide more information that can help you make a decision that's best for your family:

  • American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Frequently Asked Questions and Committee Opinion on Umbilical Cord Blood Banking and Committee Opinion on Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping After Birth.
  • American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Should You Store Your Baby's Umbilical Cord Blood? Some Facts to Help Guide Your Decision.
  • Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation
  • Save the Cord Foundation
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Cord Blood Information
  • American Academy of Pediatrics, Cord Blood Banking for Potential Transplantation

Additional Research and Medical Journal Publications:
 
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, committee opinion on umbilical cord blood banking
American Medical Association ethical guidelines for physicians about umbilical cord blood
American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation position statement and committee report on cord blood collection and preservation


July is International Group B Strep (GBS) Awareness Month


Approximately 1 in 4 pregnant women carry GBS, the leading cause of sepsis and meningitis in newborns according to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). GBS can also infect babies during pregnancy and the first few months of life.

Not all babies exposed to GBS become infected, but, for those who do, the results can be devastating. GBS can cause babies to be miscarried, stillborn, born prematurely, become very sick, have lifelong handicaps, or die. Even babies born to mother who test negative can become infected by group B strep.

Fortunately there are many ways to help protect babies from group B strep. The website contains resources for you learn more about GBS and help prevent its devastating effects. 


July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month

300,000 CHILDREN
IN AMERICA HAVE ARTHRITIS
 
JULY IS JUVENILE ARTHRITIS AWARENESS MONTH
 
That's right, kids get arthritis. It is a common misconception that only "old" people are afflicted with arthritis. Nearly 300,000 children in America have been diagnosed with  juvenile arthritis.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), one form of juvenile arthritis, is actually quite prevalent, affecting more than 50,000 children in the United States alone. JIA is often referred to as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) in the United States. Other specific names and forms of juvenile arthritis include:
  • systemic onset JIA or Still's disease
  • oligoarticular JIA (affecting fewer than 5 joints)
  • polyarticular JIA (affecting five or more joints)
  • enthesitis-related arthritis
  • juvenile psoriatic arthritis 
When juvenile arthritis first shows its symptoms in a child's body, many parents write off swollen joints and fever as a flu bug, or think that a sudden rash might have occurred from an allergic reaction. The symptoms might even recede slightly before showing up again, sometimes delaying diagnosis for quite some time. After all, who expects a small child to have arthritis?  

Most people don't know that kids get arthritis. A child's immune system is not fully formed until about age 18; so an "autoimmune" form of arthritis is especially aggressive in children, compromising their ability fight normal diseases and leaving them open to complications that may affect their eyes, bone growth, etc.

Bruschetta Chicken Stuffed Avocados


Avocados  make the perfect snack bowls. Therefore, stuffing them full of bruschetta chicken was one of easiest decisions we've ever made. You don't need to take off the skin completely - we just think it's super pretty that way. Plus, it make it's easier to to attack with a fork and knife. 

Ingredients

3 avocados, halved and pits removed
1/2 Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 c. cooked and shredded chicken
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Balsamic glaze, for garnish
Thinly sliced basil, for garnish

Directions

1. Remove skin from avocados then squeeze lemon juice all over to prevent browning. 

2. In a large bowl mix together chicken, tomatoes, red onion, oil, and red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper

3. Spoon mixture into avocados then drizzle with balsamic glaze and garnish with basil to serve.



July Fun Family Activities

July 3, 2019
Haddon Twp. Fireworks 
Fireworks at Haddon Township High School football stadium. Gates will open at 7 p.m. with live music, bounces and refreshments for sale. Fireworks go off at dusk.  No admission fee. Rain date is July 5.
 
July 4, 2019
Camden Waterfront Freedom Festival and Fourth of July fireworks display 
5 to 9:30 p.m. July 4. Wiggins Waterfront Park, Riverside Drive and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard. Salute to America celebrates our country's veterans at 5 p.m.; The Spinners perform at 6:30 p.m.; Eddie Money concert at 8 p.m; followed by fireworks show over the Delaware River at 9:30 p.m. The Freedom Festival also will feature food vendors and a beer garden.  camdencounty.com

July 4, 2019
Collingswood Independence Day fireworks, bike parade and concert 
July 4. Bike parade at 10 a.m. starting at Haddon and Zane avenues and ending at Knight Park. Kids, families and cyclists are encouraged to decorate their bikes, wagons, strollers and scooters patriotically. Tatem Shields American Legion Post 17 will distribute free ice cream, ice treats and flags. Collingswood's Roberts Pool welcomes those with a membership or day pass for kids' events starting at 2 p.m.: water games, raft races, coin toss, watermelon games and more. TO THE MAX band will play patriotic tunes before and during the fireworks. Admission is free. Gates open at 6:30 p.m.; show starts at 8 p.m. Fireworks kick off around 9:15 p.m. at the high school stadium (424 Collings Ave.). Stadium seating will not be available so bring a blanket. Fireworks rain date is July 5. Check website for changes to parking restrictions and road closures.  collingswood.com
 
July 4, 2019
Haddonfield Independence Day fireworks and parade "Yankee Doodle Do!" family-friendly events and fireworks on July 3. Inflatables and food trucks on Kings Highway from 6 to 9 p.m.; live music at 7:30 p.m.; fireworks at 9:20 p.m. The display will launch at Central School and be viewable on Kings Highway, which will be closed to traffic from Haddon Avenue to the PATCO station. Parade begins at 10 a.m. July 4 at the corner of Chestnut Street and Kings Highway.  downtownhaddonfield.com
 
July 4, 2019
Haddon Heights Parade and Baby Parade 
Parade steps off 9 a.m. at Station and 2nd avenues to 10th Avenue to High Street to Hoff's Park. Baby parade starts at Sycamore and 10th. Registration begins at 8:45 a.m., judging ends at 9:15 a.m. and then joins into the main parade. Categories are Best Dressed Individual or Couple, Best Decorated Bike without training wheels, Best Decorated Bike with training wheels, Best Decorated Wagon and Best Decorated Baby Stroller. Festivities including face painting, inflatable games and bounces following parade, plus treats for sale until noon at the park. Rain date July 7.

July 5, 2019
Berlin Market Family Fun Fridays
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Free
The Berlin Farmer's Market Hosts a free Family Fun Night every Friday night from 5 pm - 7 pm. What's better is this Berlin event is an indoor event. Rain or shine join the free family fun.
1st Friday of every month - free face painting!
2nd Friday of every month - free glitter tattoos!
3rd Friday of every month - free animal balloons!
4th Friday of every month - free airbrush tattoos!
Get some shopping done, eat some good food and show your kids the great tradition of spending a day at the Berlin Market!

July 19, 2019
LEGO Free Build at Cherry Hill Public Library
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Free
Cherry Hill Public Library - Children's Story & Craft Room, Upper Level
Bring a friend or make one here and see what you can build.
Join us for an hour of creativity with our LEGO collection. See what you can design! Ages 4 and up. (Parents are welcome to join in the fun!)

July 22, 2019
Story Time at the Camden County Environmental Center
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Free
Pop Up Programming: Story Time at the Camden County Environmental Center
Follow our librarians out of the library and into the community.
Join Miss Christen from the Merchantville Branch of the Camden County Library System for an all ages family friendly story time at the Camden County Environmental Center.
The Camden County Environmental Center is located at:
1301 Park Boulevard
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002

July 29, 2019
Crafting with Nature
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Participants will be able to incorporate elements of nature into unique masterpieces to take home. Each craft is adaptable to the age level of the participant from elementary to high school students.
To Register for this event, click here: https://sparkcreative.wufoo.com/forms/zu01pzt1eefp1v/
Camden County Environmental Center
1301 Park Blvd, Cherry Hill, NJ, 08003, United States

 
PAWS DISCOVERY FARM!
1105 HAINESPORT-MOUNT LAUREL ROAD
MOUNT LAUREL, NJ 08054
Open 10AM to 4 pm Monday - Friday
10am to 6pm Saturday & Sunday 
Enjoy acres of family fun! Paws Discovery Farm promotes a special relationship between people, their local history, and their environment, with an emphasis on reaching out to children. Learning is designed to be fun at PAWS DISCOVERY FARM!
We offer classes and story hours, animal programs and birthday parties, as well as special events throughout the year. All visitors enjoy and learn from many interactive exhibits and over 80 birds and animals housed here.
 
Paint a Treasure
615 Station Ave.
Haddon Heights, NJ 08035
856-617-0602
For ages 5 and up. Come in and get creative anytime during our normal walk in studio hours.  You choose how to play - Pottery Painting or Canvas Painting!  Reservations are suggested for groups of 4 or more.  
Wednesday:  10am - 5pm 
Thursday - 10am - 9pm
Friday:  10am - 9pm
Saturday:  10am - 9pm
Sunday: 12 - 5pm
 (Closed Mon. & Tues. for Private Event Bookings)
 
We Rock the Spectrum
3111 NJ-38, Mt Laurel Township, NJ 08054, USA
856-242-9354 
We Rock the Spectrum Mount Laurel is committed to providing a safe, nurturing, and fun environment to foster learning, exploration and safe sensory experiences. Through our nonprofit My Brother Rocks The Spectrum Foundation, we provide social skills groups and activities for children across the spectrum.
We Rock the Spectrum Mount Laurel provides children with a fun and motivational environment to help them in the areas of strength, movement, sensory processing, communication, positive behavior modification, social interactions, and self-care skills. Our unique equipment assists all children in their neurological growth and development.
 
Miller Farms -Horseback Trail Rides & Lessons in Camden County!
Come enjoy the beautiful scenery at the only horseback/trail riding available in Camden County. Trail riding is offered Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 4pm year round (Weather permitting). Children must be at least 7 years old to trail ride. Cost is $30/person for approximately an hour-long trail ride. Hand-led rides are also available for those younger than 7 and cost $5.
Reservations are strongly suggested.
We offer a great place for family fun, birthday parties, girl scouts and youth groups. Summer horse camp, riding lessons, and horse drawn wagon rides are also available.
1 Hour Trail Rides are $30 Per Person | Call for reservations | Trail Rides Sat and Sun Only | Open Year round
Miller Farms
134 N. Grove Street, Berlin, NJ 08009
856-728-3500
 
ISC - ISC (International Sport, Skating & Fun Centre) Cherry Hill
650 Kresson Rd.
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
Classes: Sports
Camps: All, Sports
HOURS: Our offices are open 9 AM - 5 PM daily. Give us a buzz for more information!
CALL: 856-428-8588  
MORE DETAILS: ISC (International Sport, Skating & Fun Centre) Cherry Hill is any family's destination for fun!
Located off of Kresson Road (behind the 7Eleven) in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, we offer skating, a FunZone & Inflatable (10 & Under), and an arcade. Our facility also includes a cafè with pizza, hot dogs, popcorn, nachos, drinks and more!
ISC Cherry Hill offers activities for all ages, no matter the season.
Our youth & adult sports leagues run year round and include:
  • Soccer
  • Lacrosse
  • Field Hockey
  • Volleyball
  • Roller Hockey
ISC Cherry Hill also offers School & Summer Camp programs for ages 3 ½ through Grade 8. Call for more information!

Jellybean Jungle
Crispin Square Shopping Center  
230 North Maple Ave
Marlton, NJ 08053
Open Play Hours:
Monday - Wednesday 9:30 - 5:00  
Thursday 9:30 - 6:00  
Friday  9:30 - 8:00  
 Saturday  9:30 - 2:30  
Sunday - Closed for Private Parties  
Jellybean Jungle is a play and learn adventure that is exclusively for  children 5 and under. Our facility is a bright and stimulating environment  created just for your little ones.
Jellybean Jungle was designed by a New Jersey Early Childhood certified  teacher. Safe, age appropriate equipment has been selected for your  children's enjoyment. We offer a large variety of imaginative and  developmentally appropriate activities that will lead your child on an adventure  of social exploration! As your child plays, you will gain insight into their  development, as well as enjoy a great time of bonding.

Adventure Aquarium 
Mon. - Sun.: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
CALL:  (856) 365-3300  
1 Riverside Drive Camden, NJ 08103 PH: 844-474-FISH (3474)
Adventure Aquarium is just minutes from downtown Philadelphia on the  Camden Waterfront and features one-of-a-kind exhibits with more than 8,500 aquatic species throughout two million gallons of water. The Aquarium is home to the largest collection of sharks on the East Coast, including the only great hammerhead shark on exhibit in the United States, the only 
aquarium in the world to exhibit hippos, one of only six facilities in the US to have Little Blue penguins as permanent residents and exhibits the longest Shark Bridge in the world, a unique V-shaped rope suspension bridge just inches over Shark Realm. Adventure Aquarium is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), and is held to the absolute highest standards in animal care and exhibition.

Sensory Friendly Movies at AMC
AMC is proud to partner with the Autism Society to offer unique movie  showings where we turn the lights up, and turn the sound down, so you can get up, dance, walk, shout or sing! Our Sensory Friendly Film program is available on the second and fourth Saturday (family-friendly) and Tuesday evenings (mature audiences) of every month. Please check your local theater listings for specific show times, and don't forget to share your family fun with #AMCSensoryFriendly.

Battleship New Jersey 
62 Battleship Pl, Camden, NJ 08103-3302
866-877-6262
Located on the Camden Waterfront, NJ, across the Delaware River  from Center City Philadelphia the Battleship New Jersey Museum and  Memorial offers guided and self-guided tours. Climb inside the 16" gun  turrets, learn explore the captain's cabins and crew's quarters and  discover what life was like for a Battleship sailor. Group packages and  educational programs are available for school. You can rent space  aboard the Battleship for meetings and social events. Families and  youth groups can spend the night aboard the Battleship as part of the  overnight program. 


Newborn Nurses Newsletter 
The NBN Group
2 Pin Oak Lane
Cherry Hill, NJ 08003
(856) 669-0211