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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 20, 2000)
September 20, 2000 Page B3 ¡Elje ÿnrtüxnb Gläserner {Jur Hand (D b te ru e r Metro/Sports Teaming Up for Health Awareness LPGA Stars Launch Campaign About Severe Bladder Condition Afflicting Thousands Terry Jo Myers, a three-tim e LPGA Champion will be participat ing in this year’s Safeway LPGA G olf Championship at Columbia Edgewater Country Club, recently gave a talk in Portland about her 15- year struggle and eventual triumph over interstitial cystitis (IC ), a chronic and frequently m isdiag nosed bladder condition. Myers also discussed her role in “On Course for Better Health,” a national educational campaign de signed to raise awareness about IC and its treatment launched by the American Foundation for Urologic Disease (A.F.U.D.). While a student at Florida Inter national University, Myers com plained about a recurring pain in the bladder that felt like a papercut - making it difficult for her to urinate. Over the years, her condition wors ened. Her physician’s only advice was that she live with the mysterious bladder problem. A c c o rd in g to Dr. Susan McSherry, a urologist in New O r leans, “her pain level was enormous.” Despite her disability, Myers stayed true to her goal o f wanting to join the ranks o f women in the LPGA. It was through her competitive spirit and strong frame o f mind that was a m a jo r fa c to r in h a n d lin g the embarassing discomfort. It was later revealed through in tensive medical tests that M yers’ condition is called Interstitial Cys titis. It occurs when portions o f the urinary bladder lining - known as the glycosaminoglycans or “GAG layer” - fail in their normal function to provide a buffer against the ef fects o f highly acidic urine stored there. Terry-Jo Meyers will be competing in the 29th annual Safeway LPGA Golf Championship from Sept. 19-24 at Columbia Edgewater Country Club. 144 o f the LPGA's best will compete for a purse of $800,000. Cardinal sym ptom s include: bladder pain, lover abdominal or pelvic pain, frequent need to uri nate, continuing pressure in the lower abdomen and painful sexual intercourse. In te rstitia l c y stitis (IC ) is a chronic and often painful bladder condition that affects more than 450,000 people in the United States, 90 percent o f whom are women. Classic IC symptoms include the urgent and frequent need to urinate, as well as pelvic or bladder pain. Doctors frequently misdiagnose 1C as a urinary tract infection and pre scribe antibiotics, which prove in effective. As a result, IC patients can often endure years o f pain and frustration and consult numerous physicians before reaching an IC diagnosis. Myers, who first revealed she suffered from 1C in 1994, has worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the condition. “IC had a significant impact on both my personal life and career,” Myers said. “For 10 years, my family and my golf career took a back seat to my struggle with IC. I suffered in si lence, thinking there was nothing I could do to relieve the pain, but I know now that there is effective treatment and support for people with IC. ‘On Course for Better Health’ will help those who may have the condition and their physi cians recognize IC so it can be prop erly diagnosed and treated.” Dottie Pepper, a 16-time LPGA' since the Summer Games in Atlanta four years ago. while Saturday ’ s rates as its best since Game 1 o f the World Series last October. C B S ’ r e p e a ts o f s u m m e r sm ash “ S u rv iv o r” d o n ’t appear to be posing m uch o f a ch al Saving up to 20% on auto insurance is as easy as one-plus-one. If you insure both your home and auto with American Family, you could save up to 20% on your auto insurance. 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According to p re lim in a ry n a tional d ata from N ielsen , the p rim etim e p o rtio n o f F rid a y ’s O p e n in g C e r e m o n y fro m S ydney, A u stra lia , d e liv e re d a 16.1 ra tin g in hom es and a 29 share. T h a t’s a 17% increase o v e r th e 1 3 .8 /2 9 fo r th e B arcelo n a gam es in 1992 and 6% b e tte r than the 15.2/29 for Seoul in 1988. Saturday’s preliminary 13.6/25 primetime rating was o ff 12% from the 15.4/29 for 1988. There is no meaningful comparison to 1992 because the Opening Cer emony was held on Saturday that year. This year’s taped Games, o f course, d on’t figure to challenge the ratings delivered by the 1996 Summer Olympics from Atlanta, which featured plenty o f live ac tion. The live telecast o f the open ing night from Atlanta, for ex ample, garnered a whopping 23.6/ 45 — the second-highest-ratcd Opening Ceremony ever (W inter or Summer). NBC is shooting for roughly a 17.5 homes rating for its 16 nights o f primetime coverage, about on par with 1988 (17.7) and 1992 (17.1) but well shy o f 1996 (21.6). Network execs should have a bet ter idea o f where these Games will rank after the numbers come in for the first few days o f this week, when the Olympics face formidable competition from the likes o f “Monday Night Football” and “Who Wants to Be a Million aire.” N B C ’s 2000 S ydney O ly m pics first tw o -d ay s o f c o v e r age stands at an estim ated 14.5/ 27 — dow n 30% from 1996 (2 0 .5 /4 1 ), up 5% from 1992 (1 3 .8 /2 9 ) an d o f f 6% from 1988 (1 5 .4 /3 0 ). N BC’s showing on Friday was its best in homes and key demos winner, has known Myers for more than 10 years, even before her pro career began in 1988. “On tour, I witnessed the hard ships Terry-Jo experienced while battling IC,” Pepper said. “I was amazed at the courage she demon strated and impressed by her re markable comeback from the con dition. Her commitment and deter mination inspired me to lend my support to this campaign.” The “On Course for Better Health” program includes a public service an nouncement (PSA) campaign featuring Myers, as well as educational materials that will be distributed to patients and their families through physicians na tionwide. A.F.U.D. has also established a toll-free confidential hotline, 1-877- ON-COURSE, and a W eb site, www.oncourseforbetterhealth.com. where people can obtain information about 1C and ways to treat the condi tion. lenge to the O lym pics. O n F ri day, for exam ple, a repeat o f the first ep isode o f “ S u rv iv o r” (4.6) m anaged ju st about one-fourth the o v ernight score o f the O lym p ic s fo r th e 9 o ’c lo c k h o u r (1 8 .2 ). BE HEARD. Visit o u r website: www.integrateiecom.com LOCAL, LONG DISTANCE & INTERNET FOR BUSINESSES Call Integra Telecom today at 503-748-7777 NEED A CAR? BANKRUPTCY? BAD CREDIT? NO CREDIT? 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