In 2010 Kirin Jacobsen walks across the auditorium stage to receive his Bachelor's Degree. For his parents, Suzanne and John Jacobsen, this moment is more than a milestone - it is a celebration of Kirin's courage to overcome enormous obstacles. Follow the Jacobsen family as Kirin grows from a boy who passionately loves Thomas the Tank Engine into a wise and wonderful young man who becomes a train conductor. The Jacobsen family faces many challenges with medical professionals and educators, demonstrating the extent of the advocacy required to support Kirin into adulthood. Individuals with developmental differences and their families are constantly faced with ignorance, complacency, disrespect and misunderstanding. The Jacobsens' story is shared to encourage parents to advocate for their loved ones, and inspire changes that will make a difference in the lives of these individuals.

When James Pedersen, DDS graduated from dental school, he knew how to make his own gold castings, build his own porcelain crowns, cast his own partial denture frameworks, weld the fixed bridges together, prepare teeth for crowns and bridges without a chair-side assistant, fabricate full dentures, and pour his own plaster models. Because of his excellent dental education, he knew precisely how all the mechanics of dentistry worked. Dentistry is a multifaceted profession, and in many cases an art form, which also requires extensive medical knowledge, mechanical expertise, manual dexterity, and a kind, gentle, chair-side approach to the patient. He worked standing up for more than thirty-six years.

Dental Dilemma is a humorous and pragmatic analysis of the dental profession and its metamorphosis into a highly competitive business. It tells the story of the author s adventures, experiences, and encounters with many California Dental HMO providers. This book includes typical stories that create the dental dilemma for the average patient. The story arrives at conclusions that will encourage the patient to be an intelligent and informed consumer before making a commitment to receive dental treatment that is oftentimes profit oriented. Also included in Dental Dilemma is some sage advice for the new practicing dentist.

This book describes seven generations of a single Roberts lineage in the Southern States. A selection of public and private papers is included which refl ects the times and the temperaments of the authors. The Roberts in this lineage crossed the Blue Ridge in 1770 and were British loyalists on the Virginia frontier at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. In the next three generations, the family settled in newly-opened Indian Territory in South Carolina, Georgia, and Mississippi, respectively. At the outbreak of the Civil War, the Roberts patriarch was a Unionist judge in Georgia, while the eldest son was a Secessionist attorney in Mississippi. The post War generations commenced with a literary college president who was life-long friends with the Candler brothers of Emory and Coca Cola. The next three generations were physicians. The first was the fi rst cardiologist in Georgia and a national medical leader. The second is a researcher in heart disease whose publications and addresses have had worldwide influence in medicine. And the last is author of this book.

Cover Photograph James William ("Will")

Roberts was twelve when this photograph was taken in Atlanta during the Civil War, in which his father, in the 13th Mississippi regiment, had died. To support his mother and younger siblings, Will sold newspapers and apples (shown in the basket he is holding) in front of the Atlanta hardware store of Joseph Spencer Stewart, an Emory College graduate (1849), who later funded the education of Will at Emory College (1st honors,1877) in Oxford, Georgia. Will married Cliff ord Rebecca Stewart, a daughter of Mr. Stewart, and became minister of Trinity Church in Atlanta and president of Wesleyan College in Macon.

"Something More" by Alexander Kalenak, M.D. is a remarkable personal history of a WW II childhood, a pioneering career in sports medicine, and a life seeking the true meanings of medical care and spiritual faith.

"On my way to the training room where players were suiting up for the game, I would stop to think about what kinds of emergencies I might have to deal with. I would think about neck injuries, head injuries, broken legs, dislocated hips and what would have to be done quickly. I knew that for the next six or seven hours, I would be in a world of semi-controlled chaos, and I wanted to be sure I was in a frame of mind to deal with any major crisis in front of a hundred thousand people. I would pray that there would be no serious injuries, but if there were, that I would be able to apply my knowledge and my skills to take care of the players. This was my mental preparation for the game."

"Throughout my life I have been certain that the central thing we have been put upon earth to do is to develop and nurture relationships. If you nurture relationships, many rewards will come to you. It's just that simple."

December 9, 2003, is a day Mary Ann Sheveland will never forget. With the sun just coming up and a fresh pot of coffee perking in the kitchen, she walked into the bedroom she shared with her husband that early December morning and found him dead. Death had come quickly and silently; he was gone.

In Mary Ann's memoir, "Journey of My Heart," she shares a story written with love, humility, and a great amount of faith. It is an account of emotional courage, determination, and the desire to have the best quality of life in our allotted time. She chronicles the challenges faced when caring for a terminally ill spouse and the love that she and her husband shared during the good and the bad times of their crisis.

"Journey of My Heart" also tells how Mary Ann overcame grief using the tools of music, journaling, travel, and the various social activities she depended upon to put her in a positive frame of mind. She hopes to help illuminate the steps along the slippery road of a progressively worsening medical condition. Gradually, with every day, she became stronger, more independent, and at peace with her new life. She emerged from grief a completely different person; she is a survivor.

Shortly after Alysa Cummings was diagnosed with breast cancer, she sat down at her laptop computer and began keeping a journal. Over the two years of her cancer treatment, Alysa continued writing as she moved through the healthcare delivery system:

"I fantasized that I could somehow use my computer to craft a story with an upbeat next chapter or fairy tale happily-ever-after ending. Looking back, that's the only explanation I can come up with, why I felt so compelled to create a record of my day-to-day experiences as a cancer patient. The one thing I could control were these words that crowded each other as they quickly appeared on my computer screen; these stories that flowed through my fingertips in such a manic rush; these traumatic adventures that happened to me in a place I began to call CancerLand.

CancerLand: it's this parallel universe, I swear, separate and apart from the rest of life as I once knew it. How did I end up in this wacky Bizarro World filled with freaky language and even stranger rituals? "

Gradually her daily journal entries became vignettes and poems that were published on the OncoLink website. Greetings from CancerLand, a collection of Alysa's writing from 2002-2012, charts one breast cancer survivor's journey as she discovers the power of writing to move her recovery forward.

The 1950s was a time of great prosperity for many Americans. Gerard and Christina van Amstel came to America with many dreams and hopes. They worked hard, educated themselves, assimilated into American culture and raised a family. Gerard and Christina always worked as a team, so they always shared the financial and domestic responsibilities of the family. It was this equal sharing and mutual respect that made them happy as a family and successful as a couple. Gerard and Christina bought several homes during their working life, raised three children, vacationed every summer and looked forward to a comfortable and much anticipated retirement.

Then life delivered a cruel blow: Christina developed Alzheimer's disease. The disease progressed slowly at first with memory loss and confusion, symptoms most people could shrug off as stress related. When Christina lost the ability to complete simple tasks like following a recipe she had used for 20 years, refused to drive the family car because she feared she could not find her way home and began drifting often into the past with little recall of daily events, it was clear the disease had become debilitating.

This is not a story of shattered dreams. It is the story of one couple's struggle with Alzheimer's and a healthcare system that provides marginal care for the elderly and their afflictions. It is also an account of Gerard's attempt to bring care and compassion to people affected by dementia and the millions of elderly trapped in the nursing home industry.

A Cancer diagnosis is never something you want to hear, but many people have claimed that it's the best thing that ever happened to them. The best? Not as crazy as it sounds when they tell you how cancer brought out a powerful love in themselves and their loved ones that fundamentally changed their lives. That love often can be a key to healing. When Jack Dold's wife of forty-seven years was diagnosed with sarcoma, he vowed to make Mary the center of life for her year of treatment. He has recorded that year with all of its ups and downs-surgery, chemo, and radiation, but also delightful family holidays, the ordinary pleasures of loving grandchildren and the ongoing support from a whole army of friends. Jack watched Mary bloom from the love that surrounded her, even during the darkest days. You Don't Stop Living offers encouragement to families facing cancer by reminding them that illness is only one aspect of their lives. They will still empty the dishwasher, weed the garden, be blessed by the kiss of a grandchild and the love of their children, and strengthened by the hug of a friend. Lovingly told, this book is a reminder that cancer families will still have an abundance of life and warmth to share. Text: Jack Dold has been writing his journal for almost 20 years, a chronicle of his extensive world travels as the owner of Golden Gate Tours, and also of the events, large and small, in the lives of his family and friends. You Don't Stop Living filled his journal writings for the past year, as he describes the successful struggle of his wife, Mary fighting sarcoma cancer, and the therapeutic help she received from her family and friends. Jack recently published his first novel, Crosshairs, and is presently working on a major historical novel. (Picture to be provided)

Dr. Alfred Scherer's path to his true self and calling was not an easy one. His childhood was one of struggle, both personal and physical. Soon, the small, weak child learned to flex his intellectual muscles and curiosity. When a dedicated high school biology teacher took the bright young man under his wing, Alfred's potential took flight. He followed his destiny to become a healer.

When he heard a still, small voice in his head, he knew his life was about to change.

He followed that internal guidance and soon, with God's help and support, became a doctor. "God's Man: The Tales of a Reluctant Doctor" shares the story of Alfred's life, education, love, and career. During his four decades working in hospitals and small towns, he wrestled to forge productive relationships with other doctors and the medical-political system and all its minions. His was an adventure into saving lives, as well as a journey into understanding himself and his relationship with God. His memoir details how God directed his life and created a success out of imminent disaster.

Alfred's story is proof that out of the turmoil is born a man who comes to understand himself.