Latest news with #Bettencourt
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
This Toronto woman walked 26 km across the city and shared her 7.5-hour day on TikTok — all to spread the word about endometriosis
When Ana Bettencourt was around 14 years old, she recalls a night where she was in such excruciating pain she couldn't get a wink of sleep. Back then, the now-Torontonian was living in Angola, curling up with a heating pad in her bedroom with hopes of mitigating the intense cramps she'd been suffering. "I was literally up all night going to the washroom every couple of hours to change my pad. I was sleeping in my room with my two other sisters and they were like, 'Oh my God, I feel so sorry for you.' … That's the first time where I was like, 'This is diabolical,'" Bettencourt tells Yahoo Canada. This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle. A year or so later, Bettencourt moved to Canada. Over time, she believed her symptoms — ranging from harsh lower back pain to uncontrollably throwing up — were normal experiences of womanhood. She chalked up her pain during intercourse as a typical feeling people endure while having sex, turning a blind eye to her suffering with the help of pain medication she'd take each time she'd anticipate the start of another agonizing menstrual cycle. I thought that the pain that I experienced, ... I thought it was Bettencourt View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ana Bettencourt, MA, BSW 🇦🇴🇨🇦 (@anasdaringadventures) One of the most mortifying moments she can recall happened during a work day while she was helping a client. In preparation to be on-the-job for several hours, she'd wear both a tampon and pad in the thickest grades to ensure she could work comfortably. But the products weren't enough. "Two hours later, getting up from the chair, helping a client and the client's then telling me, 'Miss, excuse me, you're bleeding.' The embarrassment of bleeding through in two hours," Bettencourt shares. "I had to get a jacket, take the chair, put the chair aside, cover it with a garbage bag, label it that it needs to be washed and I have to get out of work and ask my manager to excuse me while I go buy a new pair of pants so I can continue my shift." It was around 2019 when she remembers she was at her wits' end. She started looking into her health, investigating whether she had a condition like lupus or needed to get a variety of hormone tests. She started disclosing her symptoms with other women, even new co-workers she hadn't really known, to get to the bottom of what might be causing her pain. Weight gain also became a problem, which led her to try a vegetarian diet and practice fasting some days. "I developed all these disordered eating habits, just wild, wild coping mechanisms in an attempt to get an answer." Her life started becoming cycles of minor panic attacks as she routinely anticipated nearly full months of excruciating pain. It'd be "one week of feeling like myself," she says, until she'd feel the oncoming anxiety of another "20 days of turmoil." From : Is mouth taping dangerous? An expert says the trend 'is not an appropriate therapy' for people with sleep apnea From : A busy doctor says he lost almost half his body fat in 3 months with small changes to his routine From : Bindi Irwin shares update on her 'crippling' endometriosis journey 2 weeks after emergency surgery Around the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, she recalls seeing a doctor around the time when phone visits began being implemented in accordance with physical distancing measures. She was explaining her suffering, asking if she could be referred to see specialists to help her find a diagnosis. "The doctor didn't want to refer me. … She was implying that it was all in my head, that the pain was in my head, or implying that I asked for too many referrals or too many things." Bettencourt ended the call and agreed that her doctor was right — she had been making everything up. By then, Bettencourt started putting in the work where she could. She began pushing herself and her body to counteract the problems a health-care professional had led her to believe were falsehoods. She'd set herself up at home amid lockdown, pressing play on fitness videos she could find on YouTube with determination to lead a healthier, pain-free life. It only led to her curling up in the fetal position, wincing with insufferable agony and pondering painful questions that remained unanswered. "I sobbed, I cried and that's when I was like, 'This is not worth living. I can't keep living like this.' … I was really at the point where I didn't want to live like this anymore. I was really contemplating my options of just not being here anymore. That felt like a better option than whatever was happening with my body." Bettencourt eventually spoke to a friend who's living with polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS. They advised her to write a letter expressing how she asked for a referral but was refused care. Bettencourt wrote the letter, explaining she'd asked her doctor to refer her to these specialists and, in case something happened to her, wanted the letter added to her file. She then faxed it to the doctor's office. "The moment I did that, all the referrals happened. All the referrals. And the doctor was super nice from that moment onwards," Bettencourt recalls. Eventually, she got an appointment to see Dr. Alysha Nensi, an OB/GYN at St. Michael's Hospital, in 2021. During her visit, Bettencourt ended up seeing a student who, fortunately, took the time to ask questions about her health. Bettencourt described the symptoms she'd experienced for years, opening up about the sciatic pain that shoots down her leg, her weight gain, bleeding profusely and taking pain medication, amongst other problems. Afterward, the student went to consult with the obstetrician. "Dr. Nensi was the one who diagnosed me with endometriosis," Bettencourt shares. It's a disease where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere in the body. According to The Endometriosis Network Canada, it affects one in 10 girls and women, including an unmeasured number of two-spirit, transgender and gender-diverse people. That means almost two million Canadians have the condition. On one hand, finally receiving a diagnosis was a relief, Bettencourt explains: "Now, all the people that thought that I was lying, all the people that thought that I wanted attention, that I was exaggerating. I knew I wasn't." However, having a firm answer also instilled fear into her about the future. For one, she shares a friend had been sharing their own journey with endometriosis — and it hadn't seemed like an easy experience. Moreover, it was another label tacked on to her identity, one that could lead to stigma: "Now, I'm a Black woman with something else. ... I'm like, 'Oh my God, another label being added.'" People who have endometriosis also might have a harder time conceiving children. Some estimates suggest 30 to 50 per cent of patients with the disorder have infertility. Bettencourt was fearful she'd never be able to conceive, so she decided to freeze her eggs right after booking her surgery for endometriosis. Since then, living with endometriosis has, of course, presented its challenges. On top of getting surgery in late 2023, she started using an IUD to help stop her periods. After she started bleeding again after six months, she began taking a medication called Myfembree and started getting acupuncture. Bettencourt also tries to ensure she gets turmeric and magnesium into her system, while also taking antidepressants. That's all on top of seeing numerous specialists, like an osteopath, a pelvic floor physiotherapist and a podiatrist. She also goes to therapy "because going through all of this crap and nonsense, the gaslighting, the medical gaslighting, the fatigue. ... I feel like there's 70-year-old people who are more active than I am." "Absolute rest" is critical to Bettencourt's recovery. Even doing common tasks like cleaning her home or cooking can take up all of her power for the day, and she'll have to dedicate a day and a half to recharging. She likens her fatigue to an "engine that will not start," using an analogy of putting your phone on charge when you go to sleep but waking up to realize it hasn't fully charged. Still, that didn't stop her from marking her 40th birthday in March — which is also Endometriosis Awareness Month — with a monumental challenge that'd leave her grinning ear to ear with pride. On May 25, Bettencourt woke up at 5:30 a.m., headed for Kennedy Station in Scarborough, Ont., and kicked off a cross-city walk at 7 a.m. to Kipling Station just outside of Etobicoke, Ont. It was a 26-kilometre journey full of sweat, tears and rain that she finished at 2:36 p.m. — all while livestreaming her trip on TikTok. "I was thinking, 'Do I do a run for SickKids? Do I do a 5K run?' I wanted to do something of that sort of challenge," she recalls about planning how she'd mark her milestone birthday this year. "Then I was like, 'No, do something for me. Show up for me. Show up for my inner child. Show up for Ana." Her planning continued into thinking of a grandiose activity that any Torontonian would understand, like the CN Tower EdgeWalk. "I was like, 'What is that one thing?' The thing I despise the most in Toronto heavily ... is the TTC. Love and hate relationship with the TTC." After doing some research, she learned Line 2 was the oldest subway line in the city and started setting things up. Initially, she wanted to do the walk later in the summer when the weather in Toronto is warmer. However, The Endometriosis Network Canada scheduled its local "Run To End Endo" event on May 31. While she's set to walk in that event on Saturday, Bettencourt wanted to do her personal stroll beforehand and raise $500 to donate to the organization. On top of raising more than $200 on her official fundraiser, she raised more than $360 from PayPal, cash and TikTok livestream donations that she'll send entirely to The Endometriosis Network Canada. "I was crying, already, getting ready to quit," she remembers feeling at the start of her lengthy walk. "So now I feel so happy. I just feel proud. ... People showed up, people learned, people came to walk and now people know the word endometriosis." Looking to the future, Bettencourt says she wants younger women — such as those in high school or even younger — to start learning about endometriosis and being informed. She'd also like to see improvements in the medical system, especially better training for health-care professionals so more women don't have their requests denied or get told they're lying about their symptoms. "The research for endometriosis has to be funded. ... More funding and more money going towards understanding why a woman is in so much pain or why they can't have children should they want to have children — that's really what it boils down to."
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
It's About Time: State Law On Ending Biannual Clock Change
Texas is poised to adopt permanent daylight saving time, dubbed 'Texas Time,' after the state Senate passed House Bill 1393 last week with a 27-4 vote. The measure will now be sent to Gov. Greg Abbott for his expected signature. However, the change hinges on federal approval, as current law prohibits states from staying on daylight saving time year-round. HB 1393, introduced by Rep. Will Metcalf (R-Conroe), aims to end the twice-yearly clock changes that many Texans find disruptive. The bill, which cleared the Texas House in April, would permanently keep the state on daylight saving time (DST), extending evening daylight hours. 'The bill would provide numerous benefits to Texans,' said Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston), who sponsored the measure in the Senate. 'It's very difficult to use that hour before an 8 a.m. start for school or work very effectively, but you can use the several hours later, up through dusk.' Under the federal Uniform Time Act of 1966, states can opt for permanent standard time, as Arizona and Hawaii do, but not permanent daylight saving time without Congressional action. 'Right now, the federal government does not allow the states to make this change, so this is effectively a trigger bill,' Bettencourt said. Texas joins 18 other states, including Florida and Oklahoma, that have passed similar measures awaiting federal permission. The Sunshine Protection Act, which would allow states to adopt permanent daylight saving time, has been introduced in Congress five times, most recently in 2025, but has not passed. Critics, like Sen. Nathan Johnson (D-Dallas), argue that permanent daylight saving time poses health and safety risks. 'Everybody hates the time change,' Johnson said. 'But this has been studied medically, and there is a ton of health risks.' He cited disruptions to circadian rhythms and potential increases in pre-dawn traffic accidents, referencing the U.S.'s failed 1974 experiment with year-round daylight saving time, which was repealed after public backlash. 'The question is: Do we go with daylight saving time and always be an hour ahead of where we established our clock centuries ago? Or do we go back to what we've done for centuries?' Johnson said. Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) proposed permanent standard time and, alongside Bettencourt, suggested a referendum to let Texans choose. Still, neither idea gained traction among the 13 time-related bills filed this session. A 2019 AP-NORC poll found that 40% of Americans favor permanent standard time, 31% prefer permanent daylight saving time, and 28% want to keep the current system. Public comments on HB 1393 at a hearing in the House largely favored ending the biannual clock change, but most commenters favored a return to permanent standard time rather than permanent daylight saving time. Frisco resident Shannon Stewart said, 'Daylight Saving Time is dangerous for children, and HORRIBLE for our health. It disrupts our bodies' circadian rhythm. Additionally, DST has been mandated by an overreaching government before (1972) and was so hated that it was repealed. We need PERMANENT Standard Time.' 'Dictating artificial daylight savings is not the job of government,' Stewart continued. 'Noon should be when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, not at a time appointed by government.' Dr. Audrey Nath, a neurologist in Houston, urged legislators to oppose HB 1393 and instead support HB 1733, HB 1736, or SB 692, which all propose permanent standard time. 'President Nixon had put Permanent DST into effect in 1974, and it was retracted within a year. We do not need to run this experiment again in Texas,' Nath said. 'There are more heart attacks with DST. With permanent Standard Time, there is improved visibility for driving during the morning commute, and better sleep and circadian rhythms. Permanent Standard Time would have a tangible positive effect on the health of Texans.' Globally, only about a third of countries observe daylight saving time, primarily in Europe and North America, according to the Pew Research Center. In the past decade, nations like Azerbaijan, Iran, and Mexico have abolished the practice, often citing health concerns. Egypt, which ended it in 2014, reinstated it in 2023 for energy savings. Then-president-elect Donald Trump and allies like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have previously called for ending clock changes. In December, Trump labeled the practice 'inconvenient' and 'very costly' on social media. If signed by Abbott and approved by Congress, HB 1393 would align Texas with a growing movement to stabilize timekeeping, though its implementation remains uncertain pending federal action.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Texas Senate approves ending STAAR test, sends bill back to House for approval
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The Texas Senate approved legislation Tuesday night aimed at revising the state's school accountability system and replacing the standardized test with a version meant to reduce anxiety for students. House Bill 4 will now head back to its originating chamber for final approval before going to the Governor's desk. The Senate's version of the bill, authored by State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R – Houston, would prohibit school districts from suing the state to block the A-F accountability ratings in which schools are evaluated. In 2023, more than 100 school districts sued the Texas Education Agency to stop the release of the ratings over anticipated changes in how the scores would be calculated. The bill would also authorize state interventions in school districts that do not comply with the accountability statutes. 'What gets measured gets fixed, but you can't fix what you can't measure,' Bettencourt said in a news release. 'HB 4 ensures accountability ratings are released clearly, fairly, and with purpose to measure performance, report results and help schools improve.' One of the biggest elements of the bill is ending the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR test. There have been complaints on both sides of the aisle that the STAAR test is forcing schools to teach kids for the test and not teaching them the curriculum, on top of creating high anxiety on students taking the exam. Instead, schools would switch to a three-test model that is spaced throughout the year. Students would take a national norm-referenced assessment at the beginning of the year, middle of the year, and the end of the year. It will give teachers immediate results on testing to see how students are progressing throughout the year. The current STAAR testing model does not provide testing results until the summer when students are out of school away from their teachers. Educators have complained the results come too late to help a student improve while they are in the classroom. Unlike the version the House passed earlier this month, the Senate's version would eliminate the STAAR test in the upcoming 2025-2026 school year. The STAAR elimination and replacement would be phased-in over the next three years, giving time to run pilot programs and train teachers. The House will have to approve the changes before it can go to the Governor's desk for signature. Sen. Bettencourt was asked if the House members who worked on the original bill were happy with the changes. Bettencourt said they like the new version. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate panel begins negotiations with the House over how to scrap the STAAR test
A Senate panel early Friday unveiled its rewrite of the House bill that would scrap STAAR, the state standardized test widely criticized for taking instructional time away from teachers and putting pressure on students. The Senate changes kick off formal negotiations with the lower chamber as the clock is running out on the legislative session. The Senate Education Committee's rewrite reflects a gap in what the two chambers want to see out of the new state assessment — and the A-F accountability ratings that are largely calculated based on assessment results. House Bill 4 would swap the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test for a shorter test that aims to better support student learning. Students would be tested at the beginning, middle and end of the year to monitor their progress. 'By the time we get to a shorter end-of-year test, we are not concentrating this into a high-stakes anxiety game that basically has teachers and students walking a tightrope,' said Sen. Paul Bettencourt, the Houston Republican sponsoring the bill. 'I know there'll be more of this coming out of my House counterparts as we move this bill on.' The Senate amendments to the legislation absorbs much of the language from Senate Bill 1962, the Senate's own bill on testing and accountability. The House had started the session with much of that language but moved away from it after public testimony and closed-door meetings with school leaders. The House wants to grade Texas students by comparing their performance to their peers around the country in what is called a 'norm-referenced test.' Proponents of this kind of test say it allows students and their families to get results back faster. The Senate panel does not specify what grading would look like, which would allow the state to continue a rigid scale to track students' academic performance. The House also eliminated a mandatory standardized test on social studies, while the Senate chose to retain it. Students' STAAR performance is a key metric in the state's ratings of school districts and school campuses, which are graded on an A-F scale each year. School performance ratings were held up in court because of two consecutive years with lawsuits. The House's bill also left an avenue for districts to sue to challenge the Texas Education Agency in the future, but set up a fast-track court process so those lawsuits do not halt the release of the ratings. The Senate's bill, meanwhile, doubled down on discouraging schools from taking legal action again. It gives the TEA commissioner, for example, the option to appoint a conservator to districts that initiate a lawsuit. Bettencourt has repeatedly slammed districts who joined the lawsuits over the A-F ratings in the past, calling the action 'lawfare.' The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
Newsweek
21-05-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Texas Homeowners Could Get Major Tax Cuts
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Texas House of Representatives voted unanimously on Tuesday to advance two bills that could give homeowners significant relief on their property taxes. Why It Matters Texas lawmakers' efforts to lower the property tax burden on homeowners are part of a nationwide movement spearheaded by GOP-led states to significantly curtail or even eliminate property taxes. Four states — including Florida, Illinois, Kansas, and Pennsylvania — currently have plans to abolish property taxes entirely. In the Lone Star state, the issue is particularly urgent. Property taxes have skyrocketed since the pandemic, as higher demand driven by out-of-state newcomers led to a surge in home values. While Texas does not levy a personal income tax and has no state property tax, homeowners pay among the highest property taxes in the country to local governments. The money is used for crucial local services including schools, streets, roads, police and firefighting. Homes under construction in Austin, Texas, in April. Homes under construction in Austin, Texas, in To Know Texas lawmakers plan to spend at least $51 billion of state funds to cut property taxes for homeowners in the next two years — a measure that Republican Governor Greg Abbott described in February as an emergency item for the new legislative session. The two bills moved forward by the House this week are Senate Bill 4 and Senate Bill 23, both introduced by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican. SB 4 would change the state's homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000, reducing the required threshold for a home's taxable value. According to the bill's supporters, the proposal would save eligible homeowners' nearly $500 in property taxes every year. SB 23 would raise a different homestead exemption for older homeowners or those with disabilities from $10,000 to $60,000. This is on top of the exemptions for all Texas homeowners. Bettencourt said the higher exemption would save disabled and senior homeowners more than $950 annually in property taxes. Meanwhile, House Bill 9, introduced by Republican Rep. Morgan Meyer, aims to provide relief to businesses in the state. The bill aims at exempting up to $125,000 of businesses' inventory from being taxed by school districts, cities, counties, and any other local governments. This bill was approved by the Senate last week and changes made by the chamber were signed off by the House on Monday. Newsweek contacted Bettencourt's office for comment on Wednesday morning. What People Are Saying Rep. Morgan Meyer (R-University Park), the House sponsor of SB 4, said on Tuesday: "This is a tightly negotiated relief package. This is the amount of money that we have for property tax relief, so we need to stick to what has been agreed to with the Senate and the governor... Every member of this chamber wants as much property tax relief as we can, but only what we can afford." Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian) said on the House floor on Tuesday: "You may call yourself a homeowner in the state of Texas, but the reality is, you are just a renter, and the government is your landlord. And if you don't believe me, try not paying your property tax till the end of the year. You will find out real fast who really owns your home in this state. Apparently, this is the best we are going to get this session." What Happens Next The two bills — SB 4 and SB 23 — must come back before the House on Wednesday for a final vote. The bills then return to the Senate, which must approve any changes introduced by the House before sending them to Gov. Abbott. The current legislative session ends on June 5. Lawmakers have until then to make sure their proposals reach the governor. The bills, however, require amendments to the Texas Constitution to come into effect, which will require the approval of the state's voters.
