Latest news with #Kazanjian
Fox News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Billy Joel diagnosed with brain condition — what to know about his treatment options
Following his diagnosis of a brain condition, singer Billy Joel has canceled all scheduled concerts. The five-time Grammy winner, 76, announced on Friday that he has normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), which occurs when cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up inside or around the brain. "This condition has been exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision and balance," the announcement on Joel's website said. "Under his doctor's instructions, Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period." Hydrocephalus is a general term describing the buildup of excess fluid in the brain. "The fluid, called cerebrospinal fluid, is constantly produced in fluid-filled spaces in the center of the brain called ventricles," Matthew Potts, M.D., a Northwestern Medicine neurosurgeon, told Fox News Digital. (He is not involved in Joel's care.) "It flows through the ventricles and then around the surface of the brain and spinal cord, where it is then reabsorbed." Hydrocephalus can happen for a variety of reasons, including infection, trauma to the brain or bleeding within the brain, the doctor said. "This condition has been exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision and balance." Normal pressure hydrocephalus is a version of the condition that is typically seen in older people, where the cerebrospinal fluid builds up without increasing the pressure in the brain. Despite the fact that pressure remains normal, NPH can impact brain function, particularly the areas of thinking, memory, movement and focus, according to Cleveland Clinic. The three main effects of NPH are gait issues, urinary incontinence and cognitive difficulties. Collectively, these symptoms are known as "Hakim's triad." The cognitive problems can include memory loss, slow thinking and difficulty, according to Mia Kazanjian, M.D., a board-certified radiologist in private practice based in Connecticut. "This can negatively impact someone's career and personal life, limiting the ability to do activities of daily living like eating, bathing and dressing," Kazanjian told Fox News Digital. "This can also lead to emotional changes, like depression." Urinary incontinence means loss of bladder control, which can cause discomfort, anxiety and embarrassment, according to the doctor. "This can predispose someone to bladder infection and skin irritation," she cautioned. "If someone has to get up in the middle of the night due to this, he or she is more likely to fall. Furthermore, it can lead someone to isolate socially, which can lead to feelings of loneliness." Gait impairment means the person's steps are unsteady, there is loss of balance, and the feet can stick to the ground, shuffle or freeze, Kazanjian said. "The danger is that someone can fall and sustain trauma with a significant injury," she said. The condition can often be mistaken for dementia, but some cases of NPH can be treated and reversed. The only known risk factor for NPH is age, Cleveland Clinic noted, with the average age of onset around 70. Other factors, such as race, gender or ethnicity, do not appear to impact the chances of the condition occurring. Approximately 0.2% of people between 70 and 80 will develop NPH, and it affects around 5.9% of those over 80, the above source stated. Only some 0.003% of people under 65 will get the condition. "About 30% of people with NPH also have Alzheimer's disease or a similar degenerative brain disease," Cleveland Clinic states. The condition is diagnosed through a combination of neurological exams, lab tests and diagnostic imaging (MRI or CT scans). The most common treatment for NPH is a surgical procedure called "shunting," in which a device with two tubes, called a shunt, is implanted to regulate the amount of fluid in the brain. "One end is placed into a pocket of cerebrospinal fluid, usually in the ventricle in the brain or a pocket of cerebrospinal fluid in the lumbar spine below the spinal cord," Potts told Fox News Digital. "The other end goes somewhere else in the body that can reabsorb the fluid, usually in the abdomen." The only known risk factor for NPH is age, with the average age of onset around 70. "Shunts are more complex than just a tube — there is often a valve that regulates how much fluid can flow through it." Some newer shunts can be programmed to change the rate of fluid flow from outside the body, Potts added. For more Health articles, visit Symptoms typically improve within hours or days of the shunt being implanted. The surgery itself usually entails days or weeks of recovery. Experts emphasized that timely treatment is essential to prevent severe or permanent damage to the brain from the pressure caused by the excess fluid.
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Nepo babies using 'mommy and daddy money' to buy homes spark wave of friendship-ending jealousy
Many Gen Z Americans and Millennials are suffering from 'house envy,' a growing anger towards others their age who are able to buy a home easily with help from family. They are fed up with being outbid with all-cash offers from fellow members of their generation and have been forced to resort to desperate measures in order to land a house. Despite grappling with a rocky market, economic uncertainty, and the aftershocks of Covid-19, both groups want homeownership even if it comes with huge risk. One Millennial, who is a doctor from Connecticut, says she recently bought a home with help from her family but had a falling out with a friend who was jealous over the purchase. 'I recently bought a home with the help of my family. I'm glad I did given the current low inventory, and it's a home I really like,' Mia Kazanjian told 'I was at a party recently at my friend's house shortly after buying my home. She's also a Millennial, a few years older than me. We were catching up and she asked me to show her pictures, which I did.' After that, Kazanjian says her former friend began asking her questions about her finances, what she planned to do with the extra room, and then mentioned the soaring construction prices. 'It was unending questions. I responded without giving much detail, realizing that my buying this home was only a stressor to her.' Kazanjian says she wishes she hadn't said anything and never would have imagined that would be the response. 'I texted her to thank her for the party, and I didn't hear back. I invited her to dinner and she said she couldn't make it. I haven't heard from her since.' Home envy is also a hot topic on Reddit, where Gen Z Americans and Millennials are unloading their anger over mom and pop buys. 'Buys a home fresh out of school, $475k. I know resources come from different places, but it seems like this kind of purchase is almost always funded via mommy and daddy money,' one angry commenter wrote on a Reddit thread. 'You're always cognizant of those who had a leg up in the housing market,' they continued. 'Envy is one of the "seven deadly sins" but it's hard to escape it when you see someone fresh out of school buy a place you could only maybe afford now, after a career of 20 years.' Others write they are furious with friends who have a leg up, with one commenter saying she resents a pal whose father handed her money for a home. 'My best friend's dad funded the down payment on her condo. She gives me real estate advice as if she had any part in the process,' she wrote on the social media site. 'Another friend just informed me that aside from her parents' house that she'll inherit, she's about to be given a house from an aunt along with her life savings of 800k. Meanwhile I'm working my hospital job, saving and searching for a livable fixer upper,' the Reddit user continued. 'My parents are living just above the poverty line and are still renting in their late 60s. They have zero savings. All you can do is try your hardest to make smart financial decisions, live beneath your means and hopefully it'll pay off in the end.' Another person sees the bright side of not inheriting family money, saying she had friends 'who got mom and dad money' for their house but it came at a price. 'But 99 percent of the time family money has strings attached to it and their parents are still controlling them as adults. It doesn't seem that great to me,' she wrote. Nearly two-thirds of Gen Z (66 percent) and Millennials (65 percent) who haven't bought a home admit they're envious of friends and peers who have, according to a new study by BMO Real Financial Progress Index, which tracks housing data. A staggering 61 percent of non-homeowners feel less confident in their chances of owning a home today than they did during the height of the pandemic. More than half say they feel like they've missed the boat entirely. Known as the Goldilocks effect, over two-thirds of Gen Z and Millennials are holding out for the 'just right' moment - specifically, lower mortgage rates. Over 60 percent of both groups say a typical starter home just doesn't cut it anymore. For those who are set on buying, they are being forced to come up with creative - but sometimes risky - ways to purchase. Co-buying is one option, but it could go wrong. More than half of younger non-homeowners say they'd buy a house with friends or family. For 57 percent of Gen Z and 54 percent of Millennials, having a mortgage buddy is preferable to going it alone. Borrowing from family makes up nearly 60 percent of Gen Z and 57 percent of Millennial homeowners, who say family support was essential to making their purchase happen. But then you're stuck owing back the money on top of a mortgage. Even if their family didn't cough up cash, many Gen Z Americans remain at home for years after college in order to save. 'They only reason I was able to buy a house in California last year was because I lived with my parents until I was 27. Without some kind of advantage like that, I don't know how anyone could ever pull it off without making 150k plus,' another commenter wrote on Reddit. In another bold and risky move, some Americans raid their retirement fund. For Gen Z, 45 percent of prospective buyers consider dipping into their 401(K)s for a down payment. And 55 percent of Gen Z homeowners expect to still be paying off their mortgage post-retirement. Fixer uppers are another way to go. A majority of non-homeowners - 63 percent of Gen Z and 65 percent of Millennials - say they're open to buying homes that need serious work, embracing renovation over turnkey homes. Relocation has also become an option for many. San Antonio, Texas, for example, has become a hotspot for young Americans due to its affordability and remote work opportunities. Gen Z has 56 percent and Millennials have 63 percent of people who say they'd consider moving to another state - or even another country - just to make owning a home real. Alongside being outbid by members of their own generation who are receiving parental help, Gen Z and Millennials are also being beat out by Baby Boomers, who now make up the largest group of home buyers. They've benefitted from decades of savings from low mortgage rates and lower home prices, and are locking out younger people with all-cash offers and bigger down payments. 'In a plot twist, Baby Boomers have overtaken millennials – the largest U.S. population – to become the top generation of home buyers,' said Jessica Lautz, NAR deputy chief economist and vice president of research.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
County's police unions locked in lawsuit over allegations from sheriff's election
The contentious Palm Beach County sheriff's election that pitted incumbent Ric Bradshaw against Michael Gauger, his former top deputy, has been over for more than five months. But the wounds it inflicted show no signs of healing anytime soon. Bradshaw, who won the election, was endorsed by the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association; Gauger by the Fraternal Order of Police. The two police unions are now locked in a messy lawsuit filed by the PBA. John Kazanjian, president of both the county and state chapter of the PBA, alleges in the suit that FOP leadership defamed him by making false statements that tarnished his reputation and cost the PBA membership. The lawsuit cited claims by FOP leaders that he committed 'fraud, obtained documents by criminal means, embezzled funds from the foundation of his late daughter — Kailin Kazanjian, and misappropriated deputies' cost-of-living adjustments for improper means.' The PBA lawsuit takes issue with a letter written by the FOP accusing Kazanjian of 'enriching himself on the backs of men and women he represents.' The FOP says that Kazanjian was scared that Gauger might win because 'a victory would almost certainly end the Kazanjian gravy train and it should end because PBSO should not be his personal cash cow.' Bradshaw, who is serving a record fifth term, defeated Gauger by 15 points. The alleged defamatory statements were made in the context of the sheriff's election, according to the FOP, and were not made with malice, a criterion that must be met for a defamation lawsuit to be successful. 'Plaintiffs (Kazanjian and the PBAs) are public figures subject to the actual malice standard,' according to the FOP's motion to dismiss the lawsuit. If the court rules that Kazanjian is a public figure, he would have to show that the comments were made 'with reckless disregard' for the truth or with malice. The FOP argues the comments made fall within the protections afforded by the First Amendment. According to the PBA lawsuit, the FOP responded to Kazanjian's support of Bradshaw 'by manufacturing a malicious defamation campaign' against Kazanjian as well as the county and state PBAs. All three are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Named as defendants are FOP Lodge #50, Luis Blasco, Carlos Dorta and Wilhelm Prieschl, the FOP leadership. The FOP and PBA compete against one another to represent police officers in South Florida. To increase its membership, the lawsuit alleges that the FOP launched a concentrated effort to destroy the reputation of the PBAs and Kazanjian "by any means necessary." The FOP strategy was to make 'false and defamatory attacks to poach PBA members,' according to the PBA. And the strategy, to some extent, has worked, as police departments have left the PBA to join the FOP, the PBA acknowledged in its lawsuit. RELATED STORY: Palm Beach County sheriff race already bringing accusations and animosity 'The false accusations of serious criminal misconduct and unethical behavior to Kazanjian's reputation is immeasurable and impossible to repair," the suit said. The reputation to the PBAs is equally devastating, according to the PBA. The FOP sent a letter to its membership accusing Kazanjian of stealing from a charity he founded in honor of his late daughter, Kaitlin, who died in a car accident in 2003. The FOP bases its charge on the PBA's income-tax filing that reports that Kazanjian received $101,070 from a related organization. The filing, though, reports that no one from the charity received any compensation, but because the charity's board members are also members of the PBA, the compensation from the PBA was listed. The FOP wrongly reported that the salary came from the charity, according to the PBA. RELATED STORY: Trump supporters tussle with Bradshaw backers at State Road 7 intersection The FOP also alleged that deputies attended a fundraising golf event on overtime that raised more than $300,000 yet only $79,000 were awarded scholarships. Another accusation made by the FOP is that the PBA violated federal law by gaining access to Gauger's personnel file and falsely reporting that Gauger never served in Vietnam. Jack Scarola, the attorney representing the FOP, told The Post that the PBA lawsuit 'is not going anywhere,' adding: 'There are very significant legal impediments for them to overcome. They are trying to restrict FOP leadership from communicating with its membership. And we will be contesting many of the factual assertions they have made.' Courtney Caprio, the lawyer representing Kazanjian and the PBAs, said 'defamation isn't protected by the First Amendment. There is no constitutional value in false statements of facts, and we look forward to our day in court.' She said it was necessary 'to file the lawsuit to vindicate our clients' reputations, which were unjustly attacked and smeared by the false and defamatory statements published by the FOP and its board members.' Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and issues impacting homeowner associations. You can reach him at mdiamond@ Help support local journalism. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: PBA police union sues rival FOP over election allegations
