Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Longevity.

It Only Takes a Moment
In 1995, located somewhere in a bitter, wintry town in Illinois, a young couple and their 9 year old son were about to have their second child. Following a standard C- section procedure, their seemingly healthy baby girl was delivered on November 21st at 9:30 am. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, she finally busted into an uncontrollable cry while being cleaned off and examined by the pediatrician. As if by instinct, her mother spoke words of love and compassion; resulting in the infant going silent, looking in the direction of a very familiar voice. Just like all newborns, she had a hole in her heart; one of the doctors announced to the parents his desire to crack open their baby's chest to fix the hole. Utterly horrified, her father kicked him out of the room, looking at his new baby worried about her health. Now, at the time, what they didn't realize is that approximately 75% of the hearts of babies heal themselves on their own, while the other 25% live on with the hole, exchanging blood between the two chambers of their hearts; often never experiencing any health complications. And so, with their baby girl, they brought her home on Thanksgiving day and celebrated the creation of a new life!
By emily green8 years ago in Longevity
Too Young, Yet Too Old
College is the best and worst time of your life. I'm not saying college sucks—because that is just a straight up lie. We have little to no responsibility, party at unacceptable times, and just have to really show up to class and sit there. The age frame is not always ideal at this time in our lives though. One second you are having the time of your life, but then the life haunting questions begin to pop into your mind making you slowly but surely want to cry and hide forever. All of a sudden you go from pregaming for a party and dancing to "Buy U A Drank," to having a panic attack in the bathroom four shots deep wondering what you are doing with your life. As a current 19-year-old in my sophomore year at college, I can honestly say that I have no clue what the rights and wrongs of this age are supposed to be. It shouldn't be confusing as hell, yet welcome to my world, ladies and gents! Let’s hope I’m not alone on this topic; I doubt I’m the only one.
By Carly Polay8 years ago in Longevity
High School Me
Dear High School Me, I still remember the day we met: I was 13 and I saw you standing behind me as I stared at myself in the mirror. You pointed out the fat in my stomach and the jiggle in my thighs with a frown. As I began to cry, you put your arm around me and whispered that it would all be OK if I followed your commands. Before long you had trained me well and weight began to fall off. I perfected the art of fooling my friends and family, mastering the phrases "I already ate," or "no thanks, I'm not hungry." The compliments of others and my new ability to fit into size zero jeans were only a bonus to the satisfaction that came with feeling as if I had total control. Sure, my stomach growled constantly and I didn't sleep anymore due to the constant pains, but I finally felt like I was doing something well.
By Brittany Stanton8 years ago in Longevity
Maria Menounos Tells Women To 'Put Themselves First' After She Exits E! News To Treat Brain Tumor
Maria Menounos had been an E! News anchor since 2015, but after stepping down to deal with a benign brain tumor, now removed, she's encouraging women to put themselves first and listen to their bodies.
By Rachel Carrington8 years ago in Longevity
The Crisis of Canadian Healthcare (Pt. 2)
Alright, after touching on waitlists and wait times in the last segment I wanted to address a specific aspect of this. There is a strange phenomenon in the Canadian healthcare system when it comes to family doctors and specialists.
By Samantha Reid8 years ago in Longevity
Demented
My great-grandmother has severe dementia and has over the last couple of years told some fabulously wild tales. Her stories both entertain us making us smile and sadden us as we watch her awareness slip more and more. In addition to hearing my grandmother’s stories I also got to hear some stories from the residents where I worked. Without naming people I decided it would be great to share some of the tales and bring a little light to something that is actually quite tragic. Most of the stories come from people who were very sharp and at one point extremely aware.
By Courtney Seever8 years ago in Longevity
The Crisis of Canadian Healthcare (Pt. 1)
Everyone is always going on and on about how lovely and wonderful and perfect the Canadian healthcare system is. However, most of the people who speak about our healthcare system have not really experienced it. All they know about it is the concept of "free" healthcare and that seems pretty appealing, I will give you that.
By Samantha Reid8 years ago in Longevity
Millennial with Invisible Illness
When you turn 21, your expectation is to get your "adult ID" and go to clubs and bars with your friends, drink on a Thursday even if you have to wake up at 5 AM the next day for work. Unfortunately, my reality, my 21st birthday, I was always exhausted, I fell asleep almost everywhere, my only dates were with doctors and the only mood modifying substance was the cocktail of 21 pills I was taking daily.
By Yessenia Ivone8 years ago in Longevity
Food to Feed a Village
The first time I saw this fruit, I wondered how hard it would be to hack it open and how it tastes. It's called jackfruit, and it's big! It is native to India and is related to figs. It's about the size of a human head, with a more oval shape. It has dull spikes all over its surface. Due to its size (up to 80 lbs!!) and high nutritional value, it has been called "the fruit that could eliminate world hunger." The seeds and flesh inside are edible. The three best nutritional qualities that stood out to me were the potassium (739 mg), vitamin C (37 percent) and B6 (25 percent) per serving, which is one cup of sliced fruit/seeds. There are 31g of sugar, but that is raw, plant based sugar, which is a lot healthier than processed sugar.
By Holly Leatherman8 years ago in Longevity
Our Untapped Inner Power
Have you ever awakened one day, from a restless night of sleep, thinking that something was missing or something was wrong? However, you didn't know or could not even figure out what this emptiness feeling inside is. Many of us feel an emptiness inside, a hole, lack, missing or misplaced in life. This can manifest even further to not knowing how to find one's purpose in life and end up completely lost in the Universe.
By Alexander Howard8 years ago in Longevity
Rock Painting: A Cure for the Soul
Graham Greene (1980): "I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness" Mental Health is equally important to physical well-being. A positive attitude and a general feeling of accomplishment can be just as beneficial as a healthy diet and regular exercise. While there are many guides to a healthy lifestyle, in magazines, blogs and websites, there has been a debate as to what truly benefits the mind.
By Rainy Marie8 years ago in Longevity
The Low-Down on Squatting
The barbell squat should be your desert island exercise. If you had to choose one exercise to do for the rest of your life it should be the squat. The barbell squat will build a fantastic platform for overall body strength. While focussing on your leg power, the barbell squat will also engage many muscles head to toe. Done properly, it will build a massive leg power, stronger back, and a powerful core. However, if done improperly, it can cause injury, irritating pain, and muscular imbalance. The squat is not by any means hard to learn, or unsafe to learn on your own, but it is imperative that you take a smart and well-informed approach to learning this exercise. Some important aspects to pay close attention to are bar position, depth, and platform.
By daniel a8 years ago in Longevity