Health Notes: Carlton woman's healthy lifestyle efforts pay off

• Addie Clyde

Addie Clyde

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When Addie Clyde goes to a grandchild’s wedding in October, she plans to wear a dress that hasn’t fit her in 40 years.

The Carlton woman, who has lost 49 pounds in the past year, will be recognized on Saturday as the American Heart Association’s 2011 Lifestyle Change Award Winner at Bayfront Festival Park. The honor is in conjunction with the Northland Heart Walk.

A news release from the American Heart Association depicts the changes in Clyde’s life. A year ago, at 61, Clyde had a family history of heart disease. She had type 2 diabetes, never exercised, ate on the run and weighed 212 pounds on a 5-foot, 2-inch frame.

Clyde saw an ad for a boot camp and decided to try it. She went from barely being able to walk a quarter mile to running up flights of steps and doing strength training. She joined a gym and started an exercise log and looked for more healthy ways to feed herself and her family.

Not only has she lost weight, she cut her cholesterol medicine down to a quarter of what it once was and no longer needs medicine for diabetes. (And that dress has come back in style, the Heart Association says.) She was nominated by her grandson, Parker Winter.

Walking for heart health

Heart Walk festivities begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. The walk itself starts at 10 a.m. Volunteers hope to raise $135,000, and more than 1,000 walkers are expected. There is no cost to participate, but walkers are encouraged to raise money. Every walker who raises $100 or more will receive a commemorative T-shirt.

There’s more information at www.northlandheartwalk.org.

Future doctors invited

High school students are invited to “Examine the Field of Medicine,” a free, two-hour event on the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth campus.

The event begins with a panel discussion at 6 p.m. Sept. 29 in Room 142 of the medical school, followed by a tour of the school and then a question-and-answer session with doctors.

Space is limited. To register, call (218) 727-3325 by Tuesday. The event is hosted by the Lake Superior Medical Society.

Dogs and mental health

Catherine Roach will talk about psychiatric service dogs when the

Duluth area National Alliance on Mental Illness meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Miller-Dwan meeting rooms 1-3, 502 E. Second St. She’ll be accompanied by her canine partner, Taylor.

Roach will discuss what a service dog can do for you, the training/

certification your canine partner (and you) may need, how to educate your physician and work colleagues and cultivate their support, and the traits that make our dogs unique for their roles.

Roach has successfully managed her bipolar disorder for 27 years. She has a master’s degree in statistics and a Minnesota secondary school teaching license in math. She runs Insights Taught Inc., a relational marketing business.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

Nurse earns state honor

Deb Smith, public health coordinator for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, was one of five people receiving awards for significant accomplishments in public health in Minnesota.

The awards were presented Sept. 14 by Dr. Ed Ehlinger, Minnesota commissioner of health.

Smith received the Jim Parker Leadership Award. A news release from the Minnesota Department of Health said she has been instrumental in collaborating across tribes and with surrounding counties on measures to improve the health of tribe members of all ages. She serves on advisory boards and associations and is the first American Indian nurse to serve as a reviewer for the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.

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