Inside a ‘Secret World’
Parenting
SCHOOLS PRESSED
TO KEEP KIDS FIT D3
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Life
Monday
PEOPLE,
STYLE AND
ENTERTAINMENT
FEBRUARY 20, 2012
SECTION
D
HAVING A
BALL
READING EAGLE: RYAN MCFADDEN
James M. Bohn of Fleetwood is confined to a wheelchair but bowls regularly, among the many activities that keep him busy.
A Fleetwood man keeps up his active lifestyle after being confined to a wheelchair
By Susan Shelly
Reading Eagle Correspondent
L
ife hasn’t turned out
the way he’d anticipated
it would, but James M.
Bohn of Fleetwood is doing
his best to live it to the fullest.
Bohn, 71, has been confined
to a wheelchair since 2005
when a staph infection settled
in his back, causing paralysis.
He knew before he left the
hospital that he wouldn’t
walk again.
“I couldn’t move my legs and
I didn’t have any balance, so I
knew I wasn’t going to walk,”
Bohn said. “They didn’t tell
me that then, but I knew it.”
While undergoing a month
of physical therapy at HealthSouth in Cumru Township,
Bohn realized he was going
to have to make some adjustments in his life.
The first thing he did — and
perhaps the most difficult —
was to sell the Harley-Davidson motorcycle that he and
his wife, Grace, had loved to
ride.
Bohn had retired from East
Penn Manufacturing Co. Inc.
in Lyons just a few months
before the infection occurred.
He and Grace had completed
one bike trip through Ohio,
Kentucky, Virginia and West
Virginia, and had hoped to
take many more.
But that, along with many
other plans, would not happen.
“I thought we’d go to Florida
in the wintertime, but that’s
not the way it turned out,”
Bohn said.
He also sold his pickup
truck, knowing he could no
longer drive it.
A turning point began for
Bohn when he decided to
accept a therapist’s offer to
teach him to drive a handcontrolled vehicle. Until that
point, he’d depended on Grace
to drive him.
“I decided that I’d better
learn to drive myself because
there were times when she
was going to be busy and not
able to take me where I wanted to go,” Bohn said.
He quickly mastered driving with hand controls and
bought a used van. With renewed mobility and independence, Bohn started thinking
about what else he could do.
An avid bowler, Grace en-
couraged her husband to
join her. While bowling isn’t
Bohn’s first love — he’s much
more comfortable at a trap
shooting event — he agreed
to give it a try.
These days Bohn and his
wife can be found in local
bowling alleys on Mondays
and Wednesdays, with Bohn
averaging a score of 136 a
game.
He works out at Body Zone
in Spring Township three days
a week, lifting weights to keep
his upper body conditioned.
And on weekends he packs
[ See Fleetwood man >>> D3 ]
Making the
best of
every day
By Susan Shelly
Reading Eagle correspondent
James M. Bohn of Fleetwood was born and raised in
Berks County. He graduated
from Oley Valley High School,
where he played soccer and
basketball and participated
in track.
Bohn, 71, worked at the
Firestone plant in Pottstown
for 15 years before it closed,
then spent 11 years at East
Penn Manufacturing Co. Inc.
in Lyons. Always active, he
and his wife enjoyed riding
Bohn’s Harley-Davidson motorcycle, shooting pool and
bowling. Bohn is an avid trap
shooter.
On Jan. 4, Bohn observed
an anniversary, of sorts. That
marked the day he’d been for
seven years dependent on a
motorized wheelchair to get
around. Just a few months
after Bohn retired, a staph
infection settled in his back,
causing paralysis.
“Nobody knows what happened, or why, but the bottom
line is I can’t walk anymore,”
Bohn said.
While he can no longer ride
his motorcycle or enjoy some
other activities, Bohn makes
the best of every day. He
works out three days a week,
bowls twice a week and still
enjoys trap shooting on weekends. He and his wife go out
to dinner, and Bohn meets up
with some buddies for breakfast twice a week.
“You have to keep going,”
Bohn advised. “It was really,
really hard for me in the beginning, but I realized that I
was just going to have to do
things differently. “There are
things I used to do and I can’t
now, but I do other things.
Just keep living.”
Chris Isaak goes ‘old school’ with Memphis album
By Hilary Fox
and Reetu Rupal
The Ass ociated Press
LONDON — Chris Isaak is
returning to the roots of rock
’n’ roll and doing it old-school:
All in one take.
The U.S. soul singer headed
back to the original Sun Studios in Memphis to record a
collection that includes cover
versions of hits by Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. The album, “Beyond the Sun,” was
released recently, and Isaak
has embarked on a string of
U.S. concert dates.
The 56-year-old, well
known for his mesmerizing
vocals on the now-classic 1989
hit “Wicked Game,” said the
decision to make the new album was easy.
“I just went, ‘I’ll sing a
bunch of those songs I like
singing. I got a band, I’ll just
call them up and tell them to
come over,’ ” he said during
an interview in London.
©2012 READING EAGLE COMPANY
To make it truly authentic,
Isaak and his band recorded
with no headphones, no separate takes, just everyone listening to each other and going
with the flow.
“It scared the hell out of the
band because they go, you
know, ‘If I screw up the guitar
solo then everybody is going
to look at me,’ ” Isaak said.
Sun Studios, the record
label owned by Sam Phillips,
launched the careers of some
of the greatest U.S. singer/
songwriters — including Elvis, Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and
Roy Orbison.
Influenced by those big
names while growing up as a
child in California, Isaak delivers his interpretations of
“Ring of Fire,” “Great Balls of
Fire,” “Can’t Help Falling In
Love,” “Oh, Pretty Woman,”
while also penning his own
original songs.
The first single to be released is one of Isaak’s own,
“Live It Up.”
Fortunately for the band,
the old-school approach to
recording meant they ended
up producing more songs
than they had bargained for.
Even Isaak’s manager was
surprised at the speed of
production.
“She goes ‘38 songs? You finished 38 songs?’ I said ‘Yeah.’
She said ‘Well, you have to mix
all those, that’s going to cost a
fortune.’ I said ‘No, they’re all
done. We just did it all at one
time in a room.’ ”
The singer said he never
has missed a show and neither has his drummer Kenney Dale Johnson or his bass
player Rowland Salley in the
27 years they have been playing together.
“I’m very proud of them,”
he said.
Before forging a career in
music, Isaak tried his hand at
many different occupations:
roofing, truck-driving, being a
bouncer and even a boxer. He
claims he was “lousy” at all of
FEATURES EDITOR KATHY FOLK: 610-371-5051
any pressure. I just feel like I
get to sing, you know. It’s fun,”
he said.
While many musicians decry the strain of touring, Isaak
said he’s lucky to be able to
travel the world doing what
he loves.
“I come from a small town,
and I come from a background
where we didn’t have money
to travel,” he said. “I thought
I’d have to join the military to
get to Europe. So I’m thrilled
to travel.”
U.S. fans will get a chance
to see Isaak in action starting this month and ending in
Napa, Calif., on April 27.
But, despite the rocker
stereotypes, don’t be expecting him to be raising hell on
tour.
“I liked the rock ’n’ roll, I
never wanted the drugs and
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
I never saw the sex because …
Musician Chris Isaak
nobody ever suggested any“Singing is something that thing wild to me!” he said. “I
them, it was only with music
that he finally found a job he I’m always happy to do it, and think I look too much like a
going in the studio I never felt cop.”
can do well.
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR GEORGE HATZA: 610-371-5075
FAX: 610-371-5098
READING EAGLE, READING, PA.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2011
D3
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HealthSouth offers driver education
program to test people’s driving skills
[ From D1 >>> ]
“I want to be an excellent
driver,” he said.
He started his evaluation
with a quick walk and answering questions about his driving habits and health. Then
there’s a vision test with eye
charts and sections for depth
perception and peripheral vision.
Cage noticed Kline’s right
eye was worse than his left
eye, which might explain his
depth-perception issues.
“It’s not a reason for you not
to drive, but you need to be
aware of it,” Cage said. “And
it’s probably a good idea to
get your eyes checked real
soon because you probably
need some glasses to correct
that.”
She brought out a machine
that measured Kline’s reaction times using a fake gas
pedal and brake.
“We like it to be under half
a second,” Cage said.
Kline passed that portion
with an even better average.
Next, Cage started a computer game with a steering
wheel and a gas pedal. She
tested Kline’s reaction time
and then started a driving
program. As Kline steered,
the white car on screen followed a winding road.
Further tests added distractions and made Kline flip signals to measure his reaction
time.
After a few practices and a
little worry over the curves,
Kline passed the tests.
But he still had the driver
portion to go before Cage
would make her recommendation. When his wife, Maryanne picked him up, Kline
said he planned to make an
appointment with his eye
doctor.
“It’s an excellent program,”
he said.
Every week, Cage tests a
few people in the driver program.
And this isn’t a pass-fail
test. Some people might need
adaptive equipment for their
vehicles, such as hand controls or left-foot controls.
Cage can also recommend
therapy and retest later.
“Some people just have so
much difficulty with it that
we recommend that they not
continue to drive,” she said.
Cage makes the recommendation to the client’s
physician, who will make the
final recommendation to the
state. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s
medical unit then will do an
evaluation and can recall a
driver’s license.
Contact Erin Negley: 610-371-5047 or
[email protected].
COPD: It takes the breath away
Dr. Philip
Wexler
Breaths of fresh air
C
OPD is the third-leading cause of death in
America, and there is
no cure.
This is a frightening statement.
COPD stands for Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. It causes physical impairment, weakness, reduced
quality of life and death. Most
people with COPD are current or former smokers. The
symptoms of COPD include
a chronic cough with mucus, shortness of breath often worse with any activity,
wheezing and tightness in the
chest.
In emphysema, the air sacs
in the lung that allow for oxygen to enter the bloodstream
are damaged. They become
enlarged, floppy and often join
Berks County blood-drive sites are announced
R e a d i n g E ag l e
The Miller-Keystone Blood
Center, 2745 Leisz’s Bridge
Road, Bern Township, has
scheduled the following
blood-drive sites:
■ Thursday: Kutztown University Community Outreach,
281 McFarland Student Union,
Kutztown, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Berks Technical
HEALTH Institute, 2205
DIGEST Ridgewood Road,
Wyomissing, 8
a.m. to 1 p.m. Utilitech Inc.,
3020 Penn Ave., Spring Township, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
■ Saturday: St. Michael’s
Church, 529 St. Michael’s
Road, Tilden Township, 8 a.m.
to 12:40 p.m. St. Benedict’s
Roman Catholic Church, 2020
Chestnut Hill Road, Robeson
Township, 8 a.m to noon. Frieden’s United Church of Christ,
337 Main St., Oley, 8 a.m. to
noon.
■ Sunday: St. Peter’s United
Church of Christ, 2901 Curtis Road, Spring Township,
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wyomissing
Foundation, 960 Old Mill
Road, Wyomissing, 9:30 a.m.
to 2:10 p.m. FirstEnergy Stadium, 1900 Centre Ave., 11
a.m. to 2 p.m.
■ Next Tuesday: Stevens &
Lee, 111 N. Sixth St., 9 a.m. to
1 p.m. Lords and Ladies Salon and Medical Spa, 15 Old
Swede Road, Amity Township,
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The MKBC has appointments available for the following hours: 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Mondays through Thursdays,
6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Fridays
and 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.
Appointments are required
and may be made by calling
the blood bank at 610-9266060.
•••
Reading Hospital will present the following classes and
support groups:
■ We d n e s d a y : F L O W:
Friendship, Laughter, Openness and Workout, 1:30 p.m.,
Reading Hospital for PostAcute Rehabilitation, 2802
Paper Mill Road, Spring
Township. Combats feelings
of isolation, fatigue, pain and
low self-esteem, as well as
muscle weakness and balance
concerns. Life After Stroke, a
stroke support group, 3 p.m.,
Post-Acute Rehabilitation.
Lung Cancer and Nutrition,
4 p.m., Reading Hospital Conference Center, Fifth Avenue
entrance, $5. Tai chi, 5:30 p.m.,
Post-Acute Rehabilitation.
Birthing Class Series, 6:30
p.m., Conference Center, $75.
For expectant parents 29 to
34 weeks of pregnancy.
■ Thursday: Healing Yoga
Classes, 6 p.m., Post-Acute
Rehabilitation. Counter stress
with gentle movements, postures, slow deep breathing,
meditation and relaxation.
Birthing Class Series, 6:30
p.m., Conference Center.
■ Friday: CPR Anytime, 1
p.m., Conference Center.
Designed to increase CPR
knowledge and teach the
skills necessary to administer effective CPR. Healthy
Holiday Cooking Demonstration, 4 p.m., Conference
Center, $5.
■ Saturday: Program Discovery Day, 10 a.m., Reading
Hospital School of Health Sciences, 1025 Old Wyomissing
Road. For those considering a
career in health care. Becoming a Big Brother/Big Sister,
10 a.m., Conference Center,
$15. Prepares children ages
3 to 6 for the arrival of a new
baby. ChiariPeople of Pa. Support Group, 10 a.m., Conference Center. For Chiarians
and their loved ones.
■ Monday: FLOW: Friendship, Laughter, Openness and
Workout, 6 p.m., Post-Acute
Rehabilitation. Hatha Yoga,
6:30 p.m., Post-Acute Rehabilitation. Birthing Class Series, 6:30 p.m., Conference
Center.
■ Next Tuesday: RN Meet
and Greet, 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.,
Conference Center. Talk with
nurse recruiters. Aphasia
Support Group, 3 p.m., PostAcute Rehabilitation. For
Your Health: Rotator Cuff
Shoulder Tears, 6:30 p.m.,
Conference Center. Breastfeeding and Working, 6:30
p.m., Conference Center, $20.
Stay Quit Support Group, 7:30
p.m., K-Building conference
room. For those who have
quit smoking.
Except where otherwise
noted, call 610-988-4357 for
information or to register.
•••
Country Meadows Retirement Communities, 1802
Tulpehocken Road, Wyomissing, will host two events for
caregivers of someone with
Alzheimer’s disease:
■ Wednesday: Dinner and
a movie, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Enjoy dinner and discussion
while watching the Academy
Award-nominated documentary “Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter.” Told from a
daughter’s perspective, this
documentary chronicles the
various stages of her mother’s
Alzheimer’s disease and the
evolution of her response to
the illness.
■ Wednesday, Nov. 16: “Is
Now the Time for a Memory
Support Program?” Luncheon,
noon to 2 p.m. Discuss what’s
best for your loved one.
Complimentary adult
care will be provided at both
events.
•••
The Alzheimer’s Association has scheduled the
following family supportgroup meetings:
■ Thursday: Lutheran
Home at Topton, Reinert
Building multipurpose room,
1 S. Home Ave., 6:30 p.m.
■ Next Tuesday: Phoebe
Berks Village Chapel, 1 Reading Drive, Wernersville, 1
p.m.
For more information, call
800-272-3900.
•••
A 12-week Grief Support
Group for adults dealing
with the death of a loved one
is held Tuesdays from 6:30
to 8 p.m. in Good Shepherd
United Church of Christ, 170
Tuckerton Road, Muhlenberg
Township. Register at 610562-1520.
•••
Gam-Anon, a support
group for families of compulsive gamblers, meets
Tuesdays from 8 to 9:30 p.m.
in Christ United Church of
Christ, Kutztown Road and
Euclid Avenue, Temple. Contact Shirley at 717-335-3711.
•••
Family & Friends Coping With Incarceration, a
support group for people
with a loved one in prison
or a juvenile facility, will
meet Thursday at 7 p.m. Call
Christine at 610-478-6920 ext.
3929 for meeting location or
further information.
•••
Overeaters Anonymous, a
12-step recovery group, meets
at the following times and locations:
■ Wednesdays, 1:15 p.m.,
Reformation Lutheran
Church, 3670 Perkiomen Ave.,
Exeter Township.
■ Thursdays, 7:30 p.m., annex of Atonement Lutheran
Church, Wyomissing.
■ Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.,
Reading Hospital Education
Center, B-Building, Sixth and
Spruce streets.
For more information, call
610-780-2170 or visit www.
scpoai.org.
•••
Classes on tai chi for arthritis and/or diabetes will
be given Tuesdays from 7 to
8 p.m. in Trinity Lutheran
Church, 108 S. Robeson St.,
Robesonia. For more information, call 610-823-3879 or
email trinitytaichi@yahoo.
com.
Health Digest appears Tuesday. Items
for publication must be submitted, in
writing and at least one week in advance,
to Health Digest, Reading Eagle Company, P.O. Box 582, Reading, PA 19603. Or
email [email protected]. Include a
contact name and phone number.
with other air sacs further reducing the ability of the lung
to oxygenate the blood.
In chronic bronchitis, the
lining of the airways is constantly irritated and inflamed,
producing stiff, thick tubes
filled with mucus. This blocks
air from entering and leaving
the lung.
COPD develops slowly, over
many years. However, symptoms only become apparent
after the disease has already
progressed. It can be devastating on a patient’s quality of
life. It can interfere with the
ability to perform even the
most basic of activities, getting dressed, bathing, cooking
and cleaning.
A pulmonary specialist can
diagnose COPD based on the
signs and symptoms, medical
and family histories and test
results. Questions regarding
smoking and contact with
lung irritants, such as secondhand smoke, air pollution,
chemical fumes or dust, are
important to the investigation
of this disease.
The pulmonologist will
perform a physical exam and
use a stethoscope to listen for
wheezing or other abnormal
chest sounds. Lung function
testing to measure how much
air can be inhaled and exhaled
will help to diagnose and predict the course of the disease.
The most important treatment in COPD is to stop smoking. This is important advice
to prevent the disease from
occurring and progressing.
Getting the flu and pneumonia vaccine is very important
as well. Inhalers can help to
open up the airways, dry up
the secretions and improve
exercise tolerance and symptoms. Some patients may require oxygen with sleep and
exercise, which can improve
symptoms and can make them
live longer.
Breaths of fresh air appears the first
Tuesday of the month. Dr. Philip Wexler
is an associate at Respiratory Specialists,
2608 Keiser Blvd., Spring Township. He
is accepting new patients and can be
contacted at 610-685-5864.
Here are 10 foods
every dieter should eat
M c C l at c h y-Tr i b u n e
Studies have found that
these foods help curb cravings,
fight certain food addictions,
boost metabolism and burn
fat. And you actually get to
chew and savor these slimming sensations.
1. Eggs: Averaging 6 grams
of protein per egg and only
4-5 grams of fat and 30 calories, eggs have been superstars in many dieting studies.
One study found that obese
women who ate two scrambled eggs for breakfast accompanied by toast ate less
in the next 36 hours than
those who ate a bagel of the
same calories. That is a long
time to control your cravings
— wouldn’t it be nice to have
your food do it for you?
2. Beans: Keeping food in
your stomach longer is the
key here. That might sound
like bloat waiting to happen,
but actually slower-digesting
foods will lead to a tighter
tummy in the long run. Beans
contain a digestive hormone
called cholecystokinin, which
is known as an appetite suppressant.
3. Salad: Everyone enjoys
the process of eating. Cutting
up your food, creating that
perfect bite and savoring the
flavor is most of the fun. That
could be why one study found
that women who ate a large
salad before a meal consumed
12 percent less pasta than the
women who just dived into
the carb-heavy plate. Just
the sheer volume and effort
of eating the salad made the
women feel full.
4. Apples: The saying is “an
apple a day” but change that
to three apples a day if you’re
trying to lose weight. With 3
grams of fiber per mediumsized apples, and the bloodsugar stabilizer pectin, apples
can greatly curb inter-meal
cravings. In one study, women
who ate just three small pears
or apples a day lost more
weight than women on the
same diet who did not.
5. Lean beef: Muscle loss
is a big problem for dieters.
Fight this unwanted side effect with 9 to 10 ounces of
beef a day. The amino acid
leucine — found in lean meats
and fish — helps you lose more
weight and fat without losing
muscle.
6. Green tea: This could
be why the Japanese don’t
struggle with obesity nearly
as much as Americans — they
consume the stuff with almost
every meal. The antioxidant
called catechins helps speed
up metabolism and burn fat.
7. Olive oil, for breakfast:
Mixed with cereal, it sounds
a little funky. But one study
found that women who ate
muesli cereal with oil-laced
skim milk benefited with a
boosted metabolism. Not to
worry, the stuff is just as great
on salads and grilled vegetables, too.
8. Grapefruit: Drop 3
pounds in 12 weeks. No, this
isn’t an infomercial. This is
what 91 obese people did in a
study observing the benefits
of eating half a grapefruit before each meal. Three glasses
of the juice per day will result
in the same weight loss.
9. Vinegar: Not just for salad dressings, this tangy stuff
contains natural acids and enzymes that act as an appetite
suppressant and boost your
metabolism. Research has also
found a link between vinegar
and insulin response, showing
vinegar’s power to slow down
blood sugar rise after a meal,
keeping you full longer.
10. Cinnamon: You may
associate it with unhealthy
foods like holiday cookies, but
cinnamon has actually been
found to help fight diabetes by
increasing your body’s insulin
response.