Latest news with #SamAdams
The Irish Sun
13 hours ago
- Health
- The Irish Sun
I thought I was just stressed from a triple tragedy – then an alert on my watch said my own life was in danger
Sam was convinced her symptoms were nothing to worry about until a notification on her Apple Watch changed everything HIDDEN THREAT I thought I was just stressed from a triple tragedy – then an alert on my watch said my own life was in danger CONSUMED by grief following the death of her father, loss of her pet dog and the breakdown of her marriage, Sam Adams felt like her life had hit rock bottom. But nothing could prepare her for what was to come - a series of events that began with her Apple Watch going off, and ended with her life hanging in the balance. 7 Sam Adams was feeling stressed after her marriage broken down, her dad died and she lost her dog Credit: Sam Adams 7 But her life was actually in danger - something she had no idea about until a notification from her Apple Watch Credit: Sam Adams Sam, 57, who lives near Brighton, East Sussex, tells Sun Health: 'In 2020, I lost my dad. I nursed him in the last couple of weeks of his life. 'My dog passed away suddenly and my marriage had recently broken down all within a matter of months. 'The grief was literally almost unbearable. It challenged my sense of identity and it left me struggling to move forward with anything in my life or business. 'I felt completely stuck. I was hugely stressed, although I felt like I was mentally strong. 'I felt like I was emotionally drowning and hit rock bottom with depression.' After spending most of 2021 'piecing herself together' - Sam embarked on a one-month solo trip to Costa Rica the following year. 'It gave me a reset,' she says. 'I fell in love with trees and nature and I got into a regular breathwork practice out there, which became a big part of my healing.' But just two weeks after returning home, things took another, unexpected turn. 'I'd hit my head badly while I was away and couldn't shake off this jet lag feeling,' says Sam. 'I got out of my car looking at my phone to find a coffee shop and hit my head on a metal pole. I was given a week to live after doctors found a decade-old tumour on my brain 'I was dazed and bruised so I took it easy for a few days. 'But after I had been back for two weeks, I was still feeling awful. 'I thought it was jet lag - I had really low energy and a dull headache at the front of my head. 'My Apple Watch also kept saying my heart rate was low.' Sam says she didn't pay a huge amount of notice at first - she had just returned home after a life-changing trip and an 11-hour flight, and was battling a seven-hour time difference after all. But two weeks later, she went to a pharmacist to get her blood pressure checked. The results were sent to her GP and Sam says she received a call the same day telling her she needed to come in first thing, do no exercise and ring 999 if she suffered shoulder, chest or jaw pain. I was spiralling. I slept sitting up and was terrified to go to sleep in case I wouldn't wake up Sam Adams 'I was very alarmed,' she recalls. 'I went out for dinner with my sister that night and we were both so worried. 'The next day I had an ECG and it was discovered that my heart was throwing out ectopic beats.' Also known as cardiac ectopy, the condition causes extra beats or palpitations that feel like your heart is skipping a beat. Stress, anxiety, a lack of sleep, too much booze, smoking and caffeine are all triggers for the common issue, which is usually harmless and doesn't damage the heart, according to the British Heart Foundation. In some cases though, it can be deadly. Medics sent Sam for further investigations - and she spent the day in hospital having blood tests. 'They asked if I had done any foreign travel and when I said 'yes', they asked if anything had happened,' she says. 'I said I had hit my head so I went for a CT scan.' 7 Sam was diagnosed with cardiac ectopy, then doctors discovered she had a brain tumour Credit: Sam Adams 7 'I was completely forced to face my own mortality,' she says Credit: Sam Adams 7 Sam had to wear a heart monitor and start taking medication Credit: Sam Adams Sam was given a heart monitor to wear for 24 hours, and was prescribed beta blockers, which are used to slow down the heart. Two weeks later she received a call from her cardiologist - one she will never forget. It was earth-shattering news; they had discovered a brain tumour. Despite having nothing to do with her head injury, or heart condition, the CT scan she had had as a result of her investigations had proved vital. Sam, who loved tennis and bike riding but was no longer able to exercise says: 'My head was spinning, I was spiralling; I sat alone on the sofa and phoned my sister. 'I was completely forced to face my own mortality - mentally it was huge. 'I slept sitting up and was terrified to go to sleep in case I wouldn't wake up.' The 6 barely-there symptoms of a brain tumour BRAIN tumours are one of the most deadly forms of cancer — but not all tumours are cancerous. Glioblastomas are the most common type of malignant brain tumour, affecting around 2,200 Brits a year and making up a third of all brain tumours diagnosed in England between 1995 and 2017. They develop from glial cells — the supporting cells of the brain and spinal cord. Other types of brain tumour, both cancerous and not, include: astrocytoma, ependymoma, medulloblastoma, pituitary and spinal cord. Doctors can test for tumours with MRI or CT scans, as well as neurological examinations and biopsies. The main treatments are surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, as well as supportive treatments to ease symptoms. Symptoms depend on where tumours are located on the brain and can often be missed at the early stages of the disease, when it is easier to treat. They can also easily be mistaken for something else, so it is important to know what to watch out for. While they can cause headaches, nausea and seizures, some more subtle signs include: Getting irritated easily - as well as losing motivation, depression, anxiety, mood swings and difficulty planning, organising or identifying emotions Growth spurts - brain tumours can affect the pituitary gland (a part of the brain that makes hormones, including the ones that cause growth), so they can cause people to quickly increase in height Difficulty making facial expressions due to nerve damage (e.g. being unable to smile, frown or move their face when speaking) Voices in your head - as well as short-term memory loss Struggling to read Needing the toilet more often due to changes to the endocrine system (which controls a range of bodily functions) Due to the location of Sam's tumour, doctors have told her that while it is likely to be benign, it is inoperable. She has to take aspirin every day for the rest of her life, and has brain scans every month. 'I was told these tumours are generally benign and they don't operate unless it is impacting life,' she says. 'But it can affect your vision and speech, and cause seizures. 'It can't be operated on because of where it is but they want to keep a close eye on it so if it does start to grow they will have to intervene.' In August 2022, Sam, who also takes blood pressure tablets, underwent an ablation - a procedure using heat or cold energy to create tiny scars in the heart and stop the electrical impulses that cause irregular heart rhythms. She says: 'My heart was under immense strain and needed treatment.' Sam recalls how she could not be sedated as they had to see her heart. She describes the ordeal, where her organ was 'zapped', as 'horrific'. 7 Sam says she has 'gone through hell' but breathwork has helped her find hope Credit: Sam Adams 7 She believes her ordeal was triggered by stress Credit: Sam Adams Now, still living with the tumour, which she has nicknamed Timmy, she says: 'I have gone through hell. 'I worry about the brain tumour. If I lose balance I catastrophise, asking myself, 'Is it Timmy?' 'I suffer what I call 'scanxiety' - both pre and post my scans. 'I am 2st heavier and I don't have the energy I used to.' Looking back, Sam believes stress was the cause of her ordeal. 'The early warning I didn't know I needed' 'In 2020, like many others, I experienced extreme emotional pressure - and I now understand just how much unprocessed stress and trauma can live in the body,' she says. 'That realisation led me to deepen my own healing and ultimately shape the work I now do through Life and Breath — a method that combines deep coaching and breathwork to help people move through emotional overload, burnout, and feeling stuck. 'Breathwork has been a powerful part of my own recovery. 'It's helped me regulate my nervous system, reconnect with my body, and process the stress I didn't even realise I'd been carrying. 'I now guide others through the same techniques — from business leaders to athletes — helping them find clarity, calm, and resilience before their bodies shout for attention like mine did.' While Sam's heart issue has been successfully treated, medics regularly monitor her brain tumour. In spite of everything she's been through, she says she feels lucky. 'That trip to Costa Rica gave me the space and courage I needed; it reminded me what life is about,' Sam adds. 'I came back clearer, braver, and more connected to myself than I'd been in years. 'Now I work as a life coach and breathwork facilitator, helping others reconnect with themselves after big life moments. 'And I am so grateful for my Apple Watch - I don't know what would have happened if it had not gone off. 'I still live with the tumour, but I'm well, managing it, and grateful that technology gave me the early warning I didn't know I needed.'
Scottish Sun
19 hours ago
- Health
- Scottish Sun
I thought I was just stressed from a triple tragedy – then an alert on my watch said my own life was in danger
Sam was convinced her symptoms were nothing to worry about until a notification on her Apple Watch changed everything HIDDEN THREAT I thought I was just stressed from a triple tragedy – then an alert on my watch said my own life was in danger Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CONSUMED by grief following the death of her father, loss of her pet dog and the breakdown of her marriage, Sam Adams felt like her life had hit rock bottom. But nothing could prepare her for what was to come - a series of events that began with her Apple Watch going off, and ended with her life hanging in the balance. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Sam Adams was feeling stressed after her marriage broken down, her dad died and she lost her dog Credit: Sam Adams 7 But her life was actually in danger - something she had no idea about until a notification from her Apple Watch Credit: Sam Adams Sam, 57, who lives near Brighton, East Sussex, tells Sun Health: 'In 2020, I lost my dad. I nursed him in the last couple of weeks of his life. 'My dog passed away suddenly and my marriage had recently broken down all within a matter of months. 'The grief was literally almost unbearable. It challenged my sense of identity and it left me struggling to move forward with anything in my life or business. 'I felt completely stuck. I was hugely stressed, although I felt like I was mentally strong. 'I felt like I was emotionally drowning and hit rock bottom with depression.' After spending most of 2021 'piecing herself together' - Sam embarked on a one-month solo trip to Costa Rica the following year. 'It gave me a reset,' she says. 'I fell in love with trees and nature and I got into a regular breathwork practice out there, which became a big part of my healing.' But just two weeks after returning home, things took another, unexpected turn. 'I'd hit my head badly while I was away and couldn't shake off this jet lag feeling,' says Sam. 'I got out of my car looking at my phone to find a coffee shop and hit my head on a metal pole. I was given a week to live after doctors found a decade-old tumour on my brain 'I was dazed and bruised so I took it easy for a few days. 'But after I had been back for two weeks, I was still feeling awful. 'I thought it was jet lag - I had really low energy and a dull headache at the front of my head. 'My Apple Watch also kept saying my heart rate was low.' Sam says she didn't pay a huge amount of notice at first - she had just returned home after a life-changing trip and an 11-hour flight, and was battling a seven-hour time difference after all. But two weeks later, she went to a pharmacist to get her blood pressure checked. The results were sent to her GP and Sam says she received a call the same day telling her she needed to come in first thing, do no exercise and ring 999 if she suffered shoulder, chest or jaw pain. I was spiralling. I slept sitting up and was terrified to go to sleep in case I wouldn't wake up Sam Adams 'I was very alarmed,' she recalls. 'I went out for dinner with my sister that night and we were both so worried. 'The next day I had an ECG and it was discovered that my heart was throwing out ectopic beats.' Also known as cardiac ectopy, the condition causes extra beats or palpitations that feel like your heart is skipping a beat. Stress, anxiety, a lack of sleep, too much booze, smoking and caffeine are all triggers for the common issue, which is usually harmless and doesn't damage the heart, according to the British Heart Foundation. In some cases though, it can be deadly. Medics sent Sam for further investigations - and she spent the day in hospital having blood tests. 'They asked if I had done any foreign travel and when I said 'yes', they asked if anything had happened,' she says. 'I said I had hit my head so I went for a CT scan.' 7 Sam was diagnosed with cardiac ectopy, then doctors discovered she had a brain tumour Credit: Sam Adams 7 'I was completely forced to face my own mortality,' she says Credit: Sam Adams 7 Sam had to wear a heart monitor and start taking medication Credit: Sam Adams Sam was given a heart monitor to wear for 24 hours, and was prescribed beta blockers, which are used to slow down the heart. Two weeks later she received a call from her cardiologist - one she will never forget. It was earth-shattering news; they had discovered a brain tumour. Despite having nothing to do with her head injury, or heart condition, the CT scan she had had as a result of her investigations had proved vital. Sam, who loved tennis and bike riding but was no longer able to exercise says: 'My head was spinning, I was spiralling; I sat alone on the sofa and phoned my sister. 'I was completely forced to face my own mortality - mentally it was huge. 'I slept sitting up and was terrified to go to sleep in case I wouldn't wake up.' The 6 barely-there symptoms of a brain tumour BRAIN tumours are one of the most deadly forms of cancer — but not all tumours are cancerous. Glioblastomas are the most common type of malignant brain tumour, affecting around 2,200 Brits a year and making up a third of all brain tumours diagnosed in England between 1995 and 2017. They develop from glial cells — the supporting cells of the brain and spinal cord. Other types of brain tumour, both cancerous and not, include: astrocytoma, ependymoma, medulloblastoma, pituitary and spinal cord. Doctors can test for tumours with MRI or CT scans, as well as neurological examinations and biopsies. The main treatments are surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, as well as supportive treatments to ease symptoms. Symptoms depend on where tumours are located on the brain and can often be missed at the early stages of the disease, when it is easier to treat. They can also easily be mistaken for something else, so it is important to know what to watch out for. While they can cause headaches, nausea and seizures, some more subtle signs include: Getting irritated easily - as well as losing motivation, depression, anxiety, mood swings and difficulty planning, organising or identifying emotions Growth spurts - brain tumours can affect the pituitary gland (a part of the brain that makes hormones, including the ones that cause growth), so they can cause people to quickly increase in height Difficulty making facial expressions due to nerve damage (e.g. being unable to smile, frown or move their face when speaking) Voices in your head - as well as short-term memory loss Struggling to read Needing the toilet more often due to changes to the endocrine system (which controls a range of bodily functions) Due to the location of Sam's tumour, doctors have told her that while it is likely to be benign, it is inoperable. She has to take aspirin every day for the rest of her life, and has brain scans every month. 'I was told these tumours are generally benign and they don't operate unless it is impacting life,' she says. 'But it can affect your vision and speech, and cause seizures. 'It can't be operated on because of where it is but they want to keep a close eye on it so if it does start to grow they will have to intervene.' In August 2022, Sam, who also takes blood pressure tablets, underwent an ablation - a procedure using heat or cold energy to create tiny scars in the heart and stop the electrical impulses that cause irregular heart rhythms. She says: 'My heart was under immense strain and needed treatment.' Sam recalls how she could not be sedated as they had to see her heart. She describes the ordeal, where her organ was 'zapped', as 'horrific'. 7 Sam says she has 'gone through hell' but breathwork has helped her find hope Credit: Sam Adams 7 She believes her ordeal was triggered by stress Credit: Sam Adams Now, still living with the tumour, which she has nicknamed Timmy, she says: 'I have gone through hell. 'I worry about the brain tumour. If I lose balance I catastrophise, asking myself, 'Is it Timmy?' 'I suffer what I call 'scanxiety' - both pre and post my scans. 'I am 2st heavier and I don't have the energy I used to.' Looking back, Sam believes stress was the cause of her ordeal. 'The early warning I didn't know I needed' 'In 2020, like many others, I experienced extreme emotional pressure - and I now understand just how much unprocessed stress and trauma can live in the body,' she says. 'That realisation led me to deepen my own healing and ultimately shape the work I now do through Life and Breath — a method that combines deep coaching and breathwork to help people move through emotional overload, burnout, and feeling stuck. 'Breathwork has been a powerful part of my own recovery. 'It's helped me regulate my nervous system, reconnect with my body, and process the stress I didn't even realise I'd been carrying. 'I now guide others through the same techniques — from business leaders to athletes — helping them find clarity, calm, and resilience before their bodies shout for attention like mine did.' While Sam's heart issue has been successfully treated, medics regularly monitor her brain tumour. In spite of everything she's been through, she says she feels lucky. 'That trip to Costa Rica gave me the space and courage I needed; it reminded me what life is about,' Sam adds. 'I came back clearer, braver, and more connected to myself than I'd been in years. 'Now I work as a life coach and breathwork facilitator, helping others reconnect with themselves after big life moments. 'And I am so grateful for my Apple Watch - I don't know what would have happened if it had not gone off. 'I still live with the tumour, but I'm well, managing it, and grateful that technology gave me the early warning I didn't know I needed.'
The Sun
19 hours ago
- Health
- The Sun
I thought I was just stressed from a triple tragedy – then an alert on my watch said my own life was in danger
CONSUMED by grief following the death of her father, loss of her pet dog and the breakdown of her marriage, Sam Adams felt like her life had hit rock bottom. But nothing could prepare her for what was to come - a series of events that began with her Apple Watch going off, and ended with her life hanging in the balance. 7 7 Sam, 57, who lives near Brighton, East Sussex, tells Sun Health: 'In 2020, I lost my dad. I nursed him in the last couple of weeks of his life. 'My dog passed away suddenly and my marriage had recently broken down all within a matter of months. 'The grief was literally almost unbearable. It challenged my sense of identity and it left me struggling to move forward with anything in my life or business. 'I felt completely stuck. I was hugely stressed, although I felt like I was mentally strong. 'I felt like I was emotionally drowning and hit rock bottom with depression.' After spending most of 2021 'piecing herself together' - Sam embarked on a one-month solo trip to Costa Rica the following year. 'It gave me a reset,' she says. 'I fell in love with trees and nature and I got into a regular breathwork practice out there, which became a big part of my healing.' But just two weeks after returning home, things took another, unexpected turn. 'I'd hit my head badly while I was away and couldn't shake off this jet lag feeling,' says Sam. 'I got out of my car looking at my phone to find a coffee shop and hit my head on a metal pole. I was given a week to live after doctors found a decade-old tumour on my brain 'I was dazed and bruised so I took it easy for a few days. 'But after I had been back for two weeks, I was still feeling awful. 'I thought it was jet lag - I had really low energy and a dull headache at the front of my head. 'My Apple Watch also kept saying my heart rate was low.' Sam says she didn't pay a huge amount of notice at first - she had just returned home after a life-changing trip and an 11-hour flight, and was battling a seven-hour time difference after all. But two weeks later, she went to a pharmacist to get her blood pressure checked. The results were sent to her GP and Sam says she received a call the same day telling her she needed to come in first thing, do no exercise and ring 999 if she suffered shoulder, chest or jaw pain. 'I was very alarmed,' she recalls. 'I went out for dinner with my sister that night and we were both so worried. 'The next day I had an ECG and it was discovered that my heart was throwing out ectopic beats.' Also known as cardiac ectopy, the condition causes extra beats or palpitations that feel like your heart is skipping a beat. Stress, anxiety, a lack of sleep, too much booze, smoking and caffeine are all triggers for the common issue, which is usually harmless and doesn't damage the heart, according to the British Heart Foundation. In some cases though, it can be deadly. Medics sent Sam for further investigations - and she spent the day in hospital having blood tests. 'They asked if I had done any foreign travel and when I said 'yes', they asked if anything had happened,' she says. 'I said I had hit my head so I went for a CT scan.' 7 7 7 Sam was given a heart monitor to wear for 24 hours, and was prescribed beta blockers, which are used to slow down the heart. Two weeks later she received a call from her cardiologist - one she will never forget. It was earth-shattering news; they had discovered a brain tumour. Despite having nothing to do with her head injury, or heart condition, the CT scan she had had as a result of her investigations had proved vital. Sam, who loved tennis and bike riding but was no longer able to exercise says: 'My head was spinning, I was spiralling; I sat alone on the sofa and phoned my sister. 'I was completely forced to face my own mortality - mentally it was huge. 'I slept sitting up and was terrified to go to sleep in case I wouldn't wake up.' The 6 barely-there symptoms of a brain tumour BRAIN tumours are one of the most deadly forms of cancer — but not all tumours are cancerous. Glioblastomas are the most common type of malignant brain tumour, affecting around 2,200 Brits a year and making up a third of all brain tumours diagnosed in England between 1995 and 2017. They develop from glial cells — the supporting cells of the brain and spinal cord. Other types of brain tumour, both cancerous and not, include: astrocytoma, ependymoma, medulloblastoma, pituitary and spinal cord. Doctors can test for tumours with MRI or CT scans, as well as neurological examinations and biopsies. The main treatments are surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, as well as supportive treatments to ease symptoms. Symptoms depend on where tumours are located on the brain and can often be missed at the early stages of the disease, when it is easier to treat. They can also easily be mistaken for something else, so it is important to know what to watch out for. While they can cause headaches, nausea and seizures, some more subtle signs include: Getting irritated easily - as well as losing motivation, depression, anxiety, mood swings and difficulty planning, organising or identifying emotions Growth spurts - brain tumours can affect the pituitary gland (a part of the brain that makes hormones, including the ones that cause growth), so they can cause people to quickly increase in height Difficulty making facial expressions due to nerve damage (e.g. being unable to smile, frown or move their face when speaking) Voices in your head - as well as short-term memory loss Struggling to read Needing the toilet more often due to changes to the endocrine system (which controls a range of bodily functions) Due to the location of Sam's tumour, doctors have told her that while it is likely to be benign, it is inoperable. She has to take aspirin every day for the rest of her life, and has brain scans every month. 'I was told these tumours are generally benign and they don't operate unless it is impacting life,' she says. 'But it can affect your vision and speech, and cause seizures. 'It can't be operated on because of where it is but they want to keep a close eye on it so if it does start to grow they will have to intervene.' In August 2022, Sam, who also takes blood pressure tablets, underwent an ablation - a procedure using heat or cold energy to create tiny scars in the heart and stop the electrical impulses that cause irregular heart rhythms. She says: 'My heart was under immense strain and needed treatment.' Sam recalls how she could not be sedated as they had to see her heart. She describes the ordeal, where her organ was 'zapped', as 'horrific'. 7 7 Now, still living with the tumour, which she has nicknamed Timmy, she says: 'I have gone through hell. 'I worry about the brain tumour. If I lose balance I catastrophise, asking myself, 'Is it Timmy?' 'I suffer what I call 'scanxiety' - both pre and post my scans. 'I am 2st heavier and I don't have the energy I used to.' Looking back, Sam believes stress was the cause of her ordeal. 'The early warning I didn't know I needed' 'In 2020, like many others, I experienced extreme emotional pressure - and I now understand just how much unprocessed stress and trauma can live in the body,' she says. 'That realisation led me to deepen my own healing and ultimately shape the work I now do through Life and Breath — a method that combines deep coaching and breathwork to help people move through emotional overload, burnout, and feeling stuck. 'Breathwork has been a powerful part of my own recovery. 'It's helped me regulate my nervous system, reconnect with my body, and process the stress I didn't even realise I'd been carrying. 'I now guide others through the same techniques — from business leaders to athletes — helping them find clarity, calm, and resilience before their bodies shout for attention like mine did.' While Sam's heart issue has been successfully treated, medics regularly monitor her brain tumour. In spite of everything she's been through, she says she feels lucky. 'That trip to Costa Rica gave me the space and courage I needed; it reminded me what life is about,' Sam adds. 'I came back clearer, braver, and more connected to myself than I'd been in years. 'Now I work as a life coach and breathwork facilitator, helping others reconnect with themselves after big life moments. 'And I am so grateful for my Apple Watch - I don't know what would have happened if it had not gone off. 'I still live with the tumour, but I'm well, managing it, and grateful that technology gave me the early warning I didn't know I needed.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brian Baumgartner on ‘The Office' cast's 20-year-long fantasy football league
Yahoo Sports' Jason Fitz and Caroline Fenton are joined by actor, director and podcast host Brain Baumgartner to discuss 'The Office' cast's fantasy football league that he continues to run for more than 20 years now. Brian joined Yahoo Sports on behalf of Sam Adams and its Fall Legends Commissioner's Kit, complete with all the essentials to draft like a legend this fantasy football season. Hear the full conversation from Yahoo Sports Daily on YouTube. View more Video Transcript We are joined now by actor, director, podcast host, just general celebrity extraordinaire. \n Brian Baumgartner joins us on behalf of Sam Adams Octoberfest fantasy football. \n A lot, we're gonna get into there, Brian. \n Uh, we're excited. \n Thanks for hanging out with us on Yahoo Sports Daily. \n This is gonna be a lot of fun. \n Uh, let's start with a little bit of fantasy football because Yahoo obviously plays a lot of fantasy football. \n You've been in a league for 20 years with your office buddies. \n Like, what is that moment, what's it mean for you to still have that connective tissue with everybody around fantasy football? \n Well, first off, thank you for having me here. \n Secondly, um, just know this. \n It only means that I'm old. \n When we started, we had a legal pad that we would write all of our draft as we were working on at Dunder Mifflin. \n Some, it would take like a week because if somebody wasn't there or somebody was filming. \n You know, there wasn't like a minute and a half to draft. \n It would take like sometimes hours for somebody to draft. \n So, it's really cool. \n I will share with you. \n I just last night, so the work now can begin. \n I just got the draft order for 'The Office' fantasy football draft that, which by the way, our league does use Yahoo. \n Uh, I'm 2nd. \n Second, I have the 2nd pick. \n So you're with us, obviously, Sam Adams Octoberfest. \n You've mentioned it, but tell everybody a little bit about what you're doing with Sam Adams with Octoberfest and with fantasy football. \n So Fantasy Football is back, and so is the legendary Sam Adams Octoberfest beer, so I recommend. \n If, of course, you're of legal drinking age, that during the draft, you start on the Octoberfest, and then who knows? \n Maybe you have some, have some with the chili that you put together and make for for the draft party. \n I'm sure all of you are hosting, um. \n But yeah, it's sort of an ode to the commissioners of the league. \n They work so hard. \n I mean, look, again, I got the draft order last night, Of course, it's done by our commissioner. \n It is such a thankless job that we all need. \n I mean, who else gets yelled at? \n Uh, for just asking people to follow the rules, pay their dues, and show up to the draft on time and do regular responsible adult things. \n Um, so here's to the commissioners. \n We put together, uh, uh, a commissioner's kit. \n And, uh, I do have to show this because I think it is unbelievable for the commissioner and it says 'the commissioner' right there, if I could figure out camera angles. \n I've only been doing this 20 years. \n Uh, the commissioner, uh, Sam Adams vest, uh, we've got a coin to help settle disputes, cozy stuff, and of course, because I'm still a child. \n We have a, we have a gavel. \n My commissioner does not deserve any of those things. \n All they do now that I host fantasy football shows for Yahoo, all I get is grief when my team doesn't win from the commissioner. \n I deserve the best. \n He does. \n If you need any tips or pointers, come back on the show. \n Often we will, uh, help you out any way we can. \n Who do I pick? \n Who do I pick? \n I mean, you're gonna take one of the receivers, right? \n You're either gonna take Ja'Marr or Justin. \n Half, half-point PPR. \n Picking second, I'm taking one of those two. \n There's no no, although they're already giving me grief in the thread because I'm a Raiders fan that's been telling everybody to draft Ashton Jeanty high. \n I will stand by this. \n Ashton Gentry is going to be as productive as the best season Christian McCaffrey has ever had. \n I stand by that. \n But also Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. \n You're a Raiders guy. \n What, uh, if you had Um, I'm asking this question poorly, but you understand, uh, where does tight end Bowers rank? \n Uh, top of the tight ends and frankly, he ranks not only as the one tight end, he's above a large portion of the wide receivers. \n Overdraft Brock Bowers, yeah, his target share is gonna be through the roof. \n So he's a, Brock Bowers, see, look at us and he just shaved his head, so that has to count for something, right? \n Like once you are a bald tight end, you automatically are just gonna become, you know, better. \n He was already mostly, mostly there. \n Brian, we appreciate you hanging out. \n Sure, sure, we'll give him credit for it. \n Thank you for the time, my friend. \n All right, thank you. \n Close
Indianapolis Star
4 days ago
- Health
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana families are fighting a FSSA change. A federal appeals court just ruled in their favor
A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of two medically fragile children from Indiana and their families who are fighting changes made by the state Family and Social Services Administration to a Medicaid waiver program. Indiana Disability Rights and the ACLU of Indiana filed a lawsuit last May alleging that the state's changes to its Health and Wellness Medicaid Waiver program, which impacted parents who were providing paid care to medically complex children, went against the Americans with Disabilities Act. The U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals on Aug. 11 affirmed a district court's prior preliminary injunction in favor of the families who sued. "As the district court concluded, plaintiffs have a high likelihood of succeeding on the merits of their ADA claims," according to the 50-page opinion. "Further, we find no abuse of discretion in the district court's balancing of the equities or its assessment that the public interest is best served by preserving plaintiffs' access to medically necessary care and enforcing federal antidiscrimination law." The decision doesn't apply to the whole state. It means that, for now, the two families can continue to serve as paid providers of "attendant care" for their children, according to a press release from the ACLU. Indiana Disability Rights said in a statement that the court's decision recognized the likelihood that parents would have to make an "unthinkable" decision of placing their child in an institution. 'This decision reinforces the understanding that children with complex medical needs are best served when they can remain at home with their families," said Sam Adams, senior attorney for Indiana Disability Rights. "The court found that there are steps that FSSA can and must take to help ensure these children remain safely in their families' homes.' The lawsuit stems back to the state Medicaid office's discovery in late 2023 that there was a nearly $1 billion budget shortfall, leading it to seek cost-cutting measures. The agency decided it would no longer pay for parents or spouses to care for elderly or disabled loved ones, which is the program referred to as "attendant care." FSSA later moved to a new model that pays service providers a flat daily rate and passes on some of that money to families who care for people. But the new model amounts to a steep pay cut, according to those families. The appeals court decision was, at times, scathing toward the state's arguments in the case. "To state FSSA's argument is to refute it," the decision reads at one point. At another point, the opinion states that the state has "offered only doomsday predictions" that are "difficult to reconcile with the state's apparent willingness to spend the same amount of money or more on other home-based services or to institutionalize plaintiffs and other waiver enrollees." The FSSA didn't immediately reply to IndyStar's request for comment about the impact of the federal court decision.
