Adolescent Mental Illness (Part 1): Health Issues on the Rise Laura Jackson Roberts December 13, 2019 The need for mental health care and awareness is a growing problem in our state and the Ohio Valley. Now, with the closure of Ohio Valley Medical Center, Hillcrest and the Robert C. Byrd Child & Adolescent ...
Long Haul: Police, Mental Health Pros Grapple With OVMC Closure Nora Edinger November 12, 2019 Editor’s note: As part of ongoing coverage of the fallout from regional hospital closures, Weelunk looks today at what is happening to some of the most vulnerable patients who used to come through the doors at ...
Hope and Healing: Serenity Hills Life Center Offers New Recovery Option Ellen Brafford McCroskey October 30, 2019 “Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don’t give up.” — Anne Lamott All Sharon Travis was...
The Invisible Epidemic: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Christina Fisanick July 23, 2019 Editor's note: The goal of our Our Hope in Recovery series is to shed light on various diseases, conditions and ailments, in an attempt to help others who are struggling. I was 27 years old and halfway throu...
BILL HOGAN’S MUSINGS: A Binge and a Spree Bill Hogan July 7, 2019 I have lived in two universes; they overlap or maybe coincide. It's a paradoxical thing I don’t understand and don’t try. The first was a straight line sort of thing — a loving family, schools, university, Mili...
Second Annual Conference to Shed Light on Mental Illness Laura Jackson Roberts May 31, 2019 If there’s one word that describes Amy Gamble, the executive director of the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) Greater Wheeling, it’s open. She’s dedicated her life to mental health awareness, and thr...
David Sheff Shares ‘Beautiful’ Message of Hope Ellen Brafford McCroskey March 25, 2019 Editor's note: David Sheff, author of the New York Times bestseller, "Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction," will be the guest speaker at West Liberty University’s Hughes Lecture Series...
Perspective Is Everything: Living with Multiple Sclerosis Laura Jackson Roberts March 15, 2019 Editor's note: In this series, we’ll talk to locals who struggle with autoimmune disease and share their stories. Below, Ohio Valley resident Michele Meeks shares her experiences with Multiple Sclerosis. WHA...
The ‘Hope Factor’ Drives the WIND Recovery Program Ellen Brafford McCroskey February 20, 2019 Laura Albertini-Weigel calls it the "hope factor." It's the belief that addiction can be overcome. And that is what keeps her going. Laura is the director of the Women In New Directions (WIND) program at the...
Health Department Works to ‘Reduce Harm’ Among Drug Users Ellen Brafford McCroskey February 5, 2019 To those not suffering from substance use disorder, the solution to the current opioid epidemic seems perfectly obvious — users should pull themselves up by their proverbial bootstraps, kick their addictions co...
Driven to Action: Fighting Addiction and More Through Prayer Nora Edinger January 23, 2019 Editor’s note: In a continuing series about how valley residents express their spirituality, Weelunk hit the road with a trio of New Martinsville residents who consider the opioid epidemic a soul battle worthy ...
Pennies From Heaven … Thanks to Kenny? Ellen Brafford McCroskey January 16, 2019 Call it karma, or cause and effect, or the result of living by the Golden Rule. However you label it, good things often come to good people. That was certainly the case this week when Project HOPE received a...
AS I SEE IT: Cold Hands Helped by Warm Hearts Ellen Brafford McCroskey January 12, 2019 If you happened to be in the area of 20th and Eoff streets in Center Wheeling recently, you may have spotted something heartwarming through the falling snow showers. Attached to the fencing of the bridge spanni...
Recovery Center Puts the UNITY in CommUNITY Ellen Brafford McCroskey January 2, 2019 “People are making positive choices every single day when they walk through our doors,” says Mary Hess, executive director of the Unity Center in Benwood. The Unity Center is a place of community, support and e...
‘Shaking the Family Tree’: A Recovering Alcoholic’s Memoir Provided December 31, 2018 Editor's Note: Dallas H is the author of “Shaking the Family Tree,” an anonymous personal memoir/poetry offering of a recovering alcoholic. Interlaced with relative poetry, it addresses the ramifications of the...
Recovery Coach Certification Now Offered Locally Ellen Brafford McCroskey December 12, 2018 “Transformed people transform people.” Those words coined by spiritual author Richard Rohr are the motto of the Center for Addiction Recovery Training’s Recovery Coach Academy, now being offered locally. ...
All Things Under the Rainbow — A Discussion and Support Group Ellen Brafford McCroskey November 20, 2018 LGBTQ+ friends and neighbors, meet Heather Sexton, CT (counselor trainee). Heather, a wife, mom and native of eastern Kentucky, has relocated to Wheeling and is finishing her master's degree in counseling. Once...
United Way, Southwestern Energy Fund Mental Health Program in Schools Provided November 14, 2018 A charity clay shoot fundraiser hosted earlier this year by Southwestern Energy and the United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley will help to fund a much-needed program in the Ohio Valley — the Expanded School Menta...
Lupus: Cruel and Hard to Diagnose Laura Jackson Roberts October 23, 2018 In this series, we’ll talk to locals who struggle with autoimmune disease and share their stories. Below, Ohio Valley residents Ashley Suder and Allison Stoner open up about their experiences with lupus. Wha...
Angela Was ‘More Than Her Addiction’ Phyllis Sigal October 5, 2018 There's a line in the song “Wait for It” from the musical “Hamilton” — “Love doesn’t discriminate between the sinners and the saints. It takes and it takes and it takes.” The same can be said for addiction. _...
HOPE for the Homeless — Street Medicine Team Cares for Wheeling’s Most Vulnerable Ellen Brafford McCroskey October 3, 2018 1 Imagine that you’ve just had your leg amputated. It’s an emotionally devastating and life-altering event that will change the way you go about your daily routine. Staying mobile, performing simple self-care and...
‘Recovery Boys’ Screening Launches Community Discussion on Addiction Ellen Brafford McCroskey September 26, 2018 As a mom myself, my heart kept breaking for their mamas — the mothers of these four young men. Jeff, Adam, Ryan and Rush are profiled in “Recovery Boys,” a Netflix film depicting the struggles of recovery in We...
AS I SEE IT: Acknowledging the Addicts Among Us Ellen Brafford McCroskey September 22, 2018 By now, most of us are well aware of the enormity of the opioid crisis in our state. But I've noticed that plenty of people believe that their lives haven't been touched by it personally. I would argue that we ...
Mother Finds Her Passion Along Road To Recovery Ellen Brafford McCroskey September 18, 2018 “Sometimes, the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.” – Barbara Kingsolver No mother plans to raise a child who struggles with substance use disorder; that is not among the hopes and dreams o...
Uniting the Community with Jessica Rine Phyllis Sigal September 11, 2018 Last year during Oktoberfest at Centre Market, Jessica Rine “had a moment,” as she stood looking at the crowds lining the streets. “This event brought the whole community together,” she said. “And as the Uni...
Hope and Community in Abundant Supply at Lazarus House, Mary & Martha House Ellen Brafford McCroskey September 10, 2018 Pat Condron, co-founder and executive director of Lazarus House and Mary & Martha House, believes that addiction is a “disease of isolation.” Recovery, he has come to learn, is best achieved in a setting of...
Aromatherapy: Olfaction and the Opioid Crisis Marni Reven September 2, 2018 “Smells are surer than sights or sounds to make your heartstrings crack.” — Rudyard Kipling Few would argue that a whiff of fresh coffee or of an orange being peeled evokes swift reactions and emotions....
Judge Tells Teens: Keep Your Brain Off Drugs and Alcohol Phyllis Sigal August 31, 2018 “Don’t do alcohol or marijuana until you’re 25.” If Magistrate Judge James E. Seibert has one piece of advice for teens, that is it. With the caveat … “And then, only in moderation.” When he speaks to ...
House of Hagar Sees Christ in Each of Us Ellen Brafford McCroskey August 21, 2018 “I call them ‘transients,’ but you call them ‘friends.’ And we’re talking about the same people.” Kate Marshall, who operates the House of Hagar-Catholic Worker in East Wheeling, heard these words recently f...
Zieggy Tribe Honored at YSS Good Samaritan Dinner NIck Musgrave August 19, 2018 1 Wheeling Park’s White Palace Ballroom was packed Friday night for the annual Youth Service System (YSS) Good Samaritan Tribute. The event honored Lisa and Barry Allen, leaders of the Ziegenfelder Company — a co...
Weelunk Writers Drum Up Some Fun and a Story Christina Fisanick and Laura Roberts July 27, 2018 1 As friends and writers, we share many experiences together. Some are pleasant diversions, like sipping beers on our decks; banal requirements, like brainstorming article ideas; still others are otherworldly. As...
Sjogrens Syndrome Betrays The Body Laura Jackson Roberts July 18, 2018 5 In this series, we’ll talk to Ohio Valley residents who struggle with autoimmune problems and share their stories. Series author Laura Jackson Roberts opens up about living with Sjögren’s Syndrome in this inaug...
To Life! West Virginia Wellness Inc. Offers Alternatives Kathryn Thalman July 3, 2018 2 Wheeling has always been the home of titans of commerce and innovators in business. Throughout the valley’s history, we have seen captains of industry, outstanding athletes and medical innovators make the news....
Discovering Reiki: a Path to Healing Laura Jackson Roberts June 18, 2018 My hands have been tingling on and off for three days. They tingle as I write. At times the sensations move down to my feet or through my arms. Three days ago, I would have Googled the symptoms, diagnosed mysel...
THE UNITY CENTER LAUNCHES SHOE DRIVE FUNDRAISER Jeremy Morris June 15, 2018 The Unity Center ( ohiovalleyrecovery.org ) board of directors is conducting a shoe drive fund to raise funds for the Unity Center at 4850 Eoff Street, Benwood, WV. The Unity Center will earn funds based on the...
Conference Goal to Reduce Stigma of Mental Illness Provided June 14, 2018 West Liberty University recently partnered with several local organizations in presenting a two-day mental health conference at The Highlands Center that drew hundreds of participants and featured a timely appe...
The Autoimmune Sisterhood Laura Jackson Roberts June 12, 2018 Autoimmune disease is on the rise in our country. In decades past, the term “autoimmune” wasn’t widely known, but today, 50 million Americans live with an autoimmune disease. That number is climbing, and women ...
Conference to Shed Light on Mental Illness Christina Fisanick May 30, 2018 In the late 1970s, two Wisconsin mothers, Harriet Shetler and Beverly Young, had grown weary of community backlash against their sons who struggled with schizophrenia. As they worked to find care for their s...
POSTSCRIPTS FROM THE EDGE(WOOD): Her Name Is Delores Christina Fisanick May 19, 2018 4 “Not all those who wander are lost.” J.R.R. Tolkien At times it seems that she is everywhere. Walking down Walnut Avenue, crossing National Road by Vance Church, strolling through Wheeling Park. She is alway...
Addict Now Addicted to Motherhood Steve Novotney May 13, 2018 This mother stole her daughter’s piggy bank and the savings inside. The paper and coins totaled about $100, enough to chase those dope-sick days away for a week, and those seven “good” days were rare for Bel...
Zieggy Tribe ‘Wanted’ by FBI Phyllis Sigal April 20, 2018 It was a pretty cool day for the Ziegenfelder Co. and its tribe — as cool as the sweet treats the company produces, as cool as their practice of compassionate hiring, for which they were honored in Washington, ...
National Speakers Announced for Wetzel County ‘Hope Through Recovery’ Event Provided April 19, 2018 In an effort to address the many issues currently plaguing our state and local communities, the Wetzel County Board of Education will be hosting a public event from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26, at the Mag...
Kelcie Says ‘Later’ to Drugs Phyllis Sigal March 9, 2018 1 Standing in prison with her infant daughter Reagan in her arms, Kelcie Rauscher read a newspaper article about a couple who had overdosed — a few days later, their baby starved to death in her bassinet next to ...
