This month, Beth Anne Dorman, CEO of For All Seasons, makes the compelling case that at a time when state and federal budgets are being cut or suspended, the need to support For All Seasons in all seasons is literally true these days.

In their “Give With Your Heart” campaign, running in April, For All Seasons in taking the opportunity to remind the Mid-Shore  The campaign highlights how mental health affects everyone—regardless of age or circumstance—through powerful, real-life stories of healing and hope. As Dorman explains, this initiative is more than a fundraiser—it’s a reminder that no one should face trauma, depression, or anxiety alone.

This video is approximately six minutes in length. For more information about For All Seasons, please go here. 

It is very much the case that society’s health war against cancer has made significant, sometimes astonishing progress in this century, but there remain certain forms of this dreaded disease that simply are harder for modern science to conquer, and one of them is lung cancer.

Despite significant investment in research and care, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States and accounts for nearly 25% of all cancer fatalities. Despite advancements in early detection and treatment, the disease takes a severe toll on Americans, with smoking remaining a major contributor.

Nonetheless, progress is taking place. Early detection, such as low-dose CT scans and targeted therapies, have significantly improved lung cancer outcomes in the United States in 2024, leading to earlier diagnoses and more effective treatments. As a result,  survival rates have steadily increased, offering hope to patients and families alike.

In the Spy’s continuing series on Mid-Shore health, we asked local experts, Dr. Rashmi Benda, the medical director of UM Shore Regional Health’s Requard Radiation Oncology Center, and Dr. David Oliver, its director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program at UM Shore Regional Health, to talk about the state of lung cancer on the Eastern Shore and how early detection remains the key factor is survivability.

Suicide might be the last taboo, even as many American families are becoming more comfortable in talking about mental illness these days. While conditions like depression and c crippling anxiety are more freely discussed with parents and children at home, the taking of one’s life remains too difficult for many.

Beth Anne Dorman and the organization she leads want to change that reality.

In our continuing series in partnership with For All Seasons, the Mid-Shore’s largest mental health provider, Beth Anne addresses the subject head-on as the region begins the annual Suicide Prevention Month.

This video is approximately six minutes in length. For more information about For All Seasons, please go here. 

The Cancer Center at the University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is now offering easier, shorter radiation treatment for patients with early-stage breast cancer. 

Known as Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI), this course of treatment is limited to the immediate area surrounding the tumor and minimizes radiation exposure to the rest of the breast, skin, ribs, lungs and heart. UM Shore Regional Health is a member organization of University of Maryland Medical System.

“Along with more precise targeting of the immediate area surrounding the original tumor, a significant advantage of APBI is that it is accomplished in five sessions over five treatment days, as opposed to 15 to 20 sessions over several weeks,” said Rashmi Benda, MD, Medical Director of the Cancer Center’s Requard Radiation Oncology Center. “In addition, patients experience little to no pain, swelling or skin redness with the treatment.”

Rashmi Benda, MD

APBI treatments begin after the patient’s lumpectomy and a CT scan that pinpoints the tumor site for the radiation oncology team. In an outpatient procedure, tiny gold markers are placed in the breast. After a second CT scan, a treatment plan is generated, and the patient returns for five treatments. The gold markers are tracked during each treatment, allowing radiation to focus on a smaller volume of breast tissue.

Rebecca Bartholow of Kent Island completed APBI treatment in early July of 2023.\ “I received five treatments that lasted about an hour, with a day in between each,” she said. ”The experience was awesome – it went great! Other than being a little tired, I felt really good. I couldn’t have been happier.” 

APBI has been shown to be effective compared with traditional longer and more intensive treatment regimens. “We are pleased to offer this innovative and beneficial treatment to our patients in the Shore community,” said Dr. Benda.