Centre Daily Times from State College, Pennsylvania • 17

CENTRE DAILY TIMES SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26 1987 EYE-OPENER toll spurs research The abused and abusers Support New drug is controversial DEAR ABBY Abigail Va A support group of suffer from those whose family members meets locally The October meeting of Support Group of County will include a panel sion with three experts from College of Health and man Development The group will next meet hi conference room at Centra Com nity Hospital Oct 13 at 7:30 pm The panel discussion on gies of Caregiving" wt Richard Birkel assistant of human development Joy graduate student in human ment and family studies and Zarit professor of human ment All three specialize in terns of aging meeting also will fifth anniversary for the Support Group BirHel and Zarit activities of the group For information call 865-1751 By RANDOLPH SMITH Knight-Ridder Newspapers AKRON Ohio The insidious process began when John Kane stopped being himself An easygoing carefree man who loved teaching biology at North High School in Akron Ohio Kane became moody and troubled in 1978 He began to hate his job and students only irritated him A psychiatrist blamed the personality change on depression and teacher burnout Then he began losing his memory and was forced to retire in 1980 Kane suspected something else was wrong in 1982 when he began stuttering and get his words out said his wife Barbara 50 of Akron they told me he was being tested for a possible brain tumor I went bananas Now I wish it had been because they probably could have done she said Kane has disease a progressively debilitating condition that destroys brain cells and slowly robs its victims of memory the ability to communicate or function and finally of life There is no cure and no treatment available to the public Five years after the diagnosis Kane 60 sits all day propped up in a chair staring blankly ahead with his mouth wide open his head tilted back and his hands arms and feet slightly twitching Occasionally he gazes at his wife his brother and a visitor and utters unintelligible sounds It seems as if he is trying to communicate but no one knows The sight of this healthy ex-runner reduced to a helpless infantlike state is more than his wife can bear reconciled myself to the fact never be the same but I still cry every Mrs Kane said The emotional and financial toll has given the search for a cure increasing urgency An estimated 25 million Americans have the disease Please see CURE page C-2 Dementia is an early symptom By RANDOLPH SMITH Knight-Ridder Newspapers A loss of memory or other signs of dementia don't necessarily mean you have disease the fatal brain disorder without effective treatment Four out of 10 patients showing signs of dementia have Alzheimer's Between one and three patients out of 10 will have other medical conditions that can be treated or reversed Neurologists Dr Howard Shapiro and Dr Thomas Strachan of Akron Ohio gave these tips on disease: Please see SYMPTOMS page C-2 DEAR READERS: Every day more than 2 million women in this country are abused physically and emotionally in their homes by someone they live with Domestic abuse is the most common violent crime in this country Every 18 seconds a woman is battered Any woman can be a victim of abuse: any age race culture sexual preference or class Abuse ranges from insults put-downs and threats to slaps punches choking rape stabbing and all too often death Why does a woman stay in an abusive situation? Because of FEAR: If she leaves he will find her and kill her GUILT: Somehow the abuse was her fault she asked for it or deserved it SHAME EMBARRASSMENT: She want friends or family to know admit that the marriagerelationship working LOW SELF-ESTEEM HELPLESSNESS: She feels she make it on her own support her children will never find someone else to her She may have no money no place to go no help or support from friends or family She may be physically ill Any or all of these factors make it difficult for a battered woman to escape the violence that rules her life Men who abuse come from every class race culture age and occupation They can be poor and unemployed or rich and powerful Many were abused as children or witnessed abuse Their anger insecurity and low self-esteem are expressed through violence and abuse Domestic violence exists because of centuries of sexist attitudes and beliefs that condone and excuse the abuse of women by husbands lovers fathers all men Some facts: Over 50 percent of sexual assaults take place in a residence of some kind 50 to 60 percent are the assailants know or are or relatives of the victims 71 percent of all types of sexual assaults are planned The FBI estimates that only one out of 10 sexual assaults are reported In 93 percent of sexual assaults the victim and assailant are of the same race and socioeconomic class Victims range in age from infancy to their 90s and every race class and culture Any time a woman is coerced or forced into sexual relations against her will and without complete and voluntary consent she has been sexually assaulted No woman asks to be raped No woman deserves to be sexually assaulted What to do if you are sexually assaulted: Call the police They will take you for medical treatment if you need or want it They will ask for a description of the assailant and the attack Get medical treatment immediately at an emergency room clinic or from your personal physician You may have received internal injuries or been exposed to venereal disease and there is the possibility of pregnancy Remember: Do not bathe or shower Valuable evidence will be destroyed Save the clothes you were wearing at the time of the assault As soon as you are able write down as many of the details of the attack as you can remember (c) 1987 Universal Press Syndicate AP photo LINK-UP: Dr Octo Barnett of Harvard Medical School and Massachuetts General Hospital stands at a display of a medical computer service The service which doctors may subscribe to was introduced this summer at the American Medical Association meeting in Chicago It provides data on over 2000 diseases The diagnosis of often requires a CAT scan brain wave tests spinal fluid studies blood tests and psychological tests Soccer GOOD SPORT myself Although Penn State has a good soccer club Gordon her coach Laurie Pinchbeck and teammates would like to see it become a varsity sport miss the recognition from the university and people on campus that varsity teams get frustrating to see the field hockey team with big buses uniforms and all these people coming out to see the The soccer club Gordon said gets $5000 a year which pays for travel and meals for away games referees and uniforms Gordon has enjoyed her four years with the club playing soccer as a team not the pressure like soft-ball when you get up to bat and all alone You can still shine as a player but mainly consistant teamwork No one person can win or lose a game like a machine You have to get it running correctly and it takes a while The challenge is to get out and do the best you can While Gorden is serious about soccer above all she has fun with the sport definitely an aspect of fun out there even if a one-line By LAURIE FEDON Times Staff Writer Profile Mary Jo Gordon 21-year-old speech communication senior at Penn State from Bucks County one of three captains and vice president of Penn State Soccer Club practices with the team two hours a day plays sweeper and center half positions other interests Penn State Advertising Club and trying to start a Women in Communications chapter on campus Action Mary Jo Gordon imagine not playing soccer just love it I like playing on a team being outside the freedom on the Oldest in a family of eight soccer players four boys four girls with a father who coaches Mary Jo Gordon began playing in fifth grade Her sister Stephanie a junior is on Penn club and Mary Jo's three apartment mates also play with the club is usually a topic of conversation all the she said friends on and off the Before coming to Penn State Gordon played soccer basketball and softball for her high school Archbishop Wood High School for Girls and soccer for her parish club St I came up here I knew soccer was the only sport 1 wanted to devote YOUR CALENDAR Penn State Soccer Club works out weekdays 4 to 6 pm at Pollock field on campus About 35 to 40 students are on the team which has a 19-game schedule The next two home games are West Chester University Oct 3 at 10 a and University of Delaware Oct 17 at 2 pm Each member pays dues of $30 CDT photo Pat Little TODAY Music: The Kronos Quartet at Schwab Auditorium on the Penn State campus 8 pm PS Feel free to waste some time HER STYLE: Mary Jo Gordon is on the Penn State soccer team No surprise: Marriage has plenty of loyal fans THE FAR SIDE TALES FROM understanding of what is going on with each other's job head life or body we get instant relatives "Even when things are absolutely rotten between us we know that we ll both come home every night and we ll deal with it and eventually it will get better because we're committed to staying married the rest of our And just to end on a slightly bittersweet note one less-than-happy spouse says the best part of being married is know that all my single friends at least the ones who wish they were married are naively imagining that I'm leading an idyllic life and enjoying constant love and affection admiration and support from my husband Little do they know" Another reader finds that the best thing he can say about the married state is know you can always get a can go to bed with my mascara on and wake up with raccoon have someone who waits with me at the emergency room or in the surgery waiting area when one of our kids is getting fixed and feels it as deeply as I can tease him about mispronouncing 'gyros' without worrying that he won't call the next can both laugh at the same thing and no one else in the room knows what you're laughing about" get hugs on demand comforting supportive lovable hugs whenever the urge arises 'Mrs' next to my name gives me a certain air of respectability that Miss' or don't have" "The level of intimacy achieved after sleeping in the same bed every night makes sex grand and glorious because we know exactly how to pleasure each other the best can have a child and he won't be called a feeling of security emotional and financial too sometimes that you can never feel hen you're single when we don't have the foggiest 1 By CHERYL LAV1N and LAURA KAVESH One thing we've learned since we started writing "Tales From The Front" more than two years ago is that there are a lot of happy marriages out there A lot We get so many letters recounting romantic encounters that end and that was 30 years and six grandchildren ago and we still hold hands in the movies" So we weren't surprised that when we asked you what the best parts of being married were the answers were so rosy The best part of being married is don't have to I worked up the nerve to have my teeth straightened at age 30 and had to wear a full set of metal braces and headgear eery night he still thought I was beautiful" don't have to rely on pets for thunderstorms at night which never wake him but always terrify me I can slide my leg over and hook my ankle around his and go back to "You never have to buy Soup for One'" "You can have sex as often as you want and know that it's safe sex I can look across the bed see his sleeping boy' bearded face and know that he's dreaming about me can ask my wife to get something from the fridge while she's up' have someone to grow old with" night is a slumber party "You always have a date for Saturday night" have someone who loves me as 1 am faults and all" have someone who pretends that my body turns him on it couldn't" and who never makes fun of my legs which have always been hideous He respects me for my mind too but everyone always did Send your tales along with your nan addresses and phone numbers to Lavi Kavesh Tales From the Front Chic Tribune 435 Michigan Av Chicago 60611 Chicago rfcun If me Cleavers hod been Eskimos.