Lahey Hospital News

It’s probably not news to you that most of us aren’t sleeping enough. Doctors recommend getting eight hours every night, but the average person gets seven or fewer. The reasons why are complicated and varied, Lahey neurologist Paul Gross, MD, told the crowd during a recent free public lecture. The key to getting a good night’s sleep is good “sleep hygiene,” said Dr. Gross,

The walls of the Schwartz home in Andover are covered with colorful, abstract pieces of art. It’s not because Michael and Janet Schwartz are art buffs, though they do appreciate it. Their son, Alex, 25, has autism and uses art as a form of therapy that teaches him independent thinking and ways to express himself. Now two of his works will be featured in Lahey Hospital & Medical Center’s Healing Art Program.

What started with a letter from a grateful patient became a hospital-wide effort to beautify Lahey Hospital & Medical Center and create a calming space for patients. More than 1,000 pieces of art were installed this year in hallways, waiting areas and patient rooms as part of a philanthropy-funded Healing Art Program —  their beautiful images of nature inviting patients and visitors to linger, relax and feel better.

Getting a diagnosis of Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer could have ruined Priscilla Westaway’s 49th birthday and the rest of her life. But she refused to let it. “When I decided I was going to do something, I said, ‘I believe anything and everything is possible,’” Priscilla explained. “If you believe, you can make anything happen.” That is why she named her charitable foundation The Believe Anything and Everything is Possible Foundation.

At 33, Josh was active and healthy, working construction by day, and tinkering with his dirt bike into the night. But in 2016, he started to feel more tired than usual and then his skin started to turn yellow. Josh’s wife pushed him to go to a  hospital near their home in Western Massachusetts. A few days later, Josh got a deadly diagnosis.

On a dreary, rainy November day, Joanie O’Neil of Nashua, New Hampshire, sat in her hospital bed at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center. The weather matched her mood. What she didn’t know was that six nurses with big smiles on their faces were heading toward her room with a bright yellow bouquet of flowers.

Patients revered David James Bryan, MD, for his care and compassion. Peers and trainees sought him out for his skill and expertise during his 30-year career.  Now a generous family has honored his memory and distinguished career.

The line of people waiting to get in to the Burlington Senior Center extends out the door every Wednesday afternoon from May through October. These seniors are waiting for fresh fruit and vegetables that they get for free at an indoor, pop-up farmers’ market. The mission is to make healthy food accessible to seniors who live on fixed incomes and who aren’t as mobile as they used to be. Thanks to substantial support from Digital Federal Credit Union to Lahey Hospital & Medical Center’s Community Relations Department, this farmers’ market will be around for a while.

Generous donations from grateful patients have made it possible for Lahey ophthalmologists to diagnose eye problems before patients even experience symptoms. The gifts paid for high-tech cameras that let doctors see inside the eye and a research chair that will allow David Ramsey, MD, to innovate new ways of treating patients.