11/29
When Sharon Vecchiarelli’s husband was diagnosed with cancer in February 2011, their world was completely turned upside down. It quickly fell to her to manage his care, find the right doctors, try to keep their two children’s lives as normal as possible, update family and friends, and take care of the house and property. “You name it, and it was on my to-do list,” she says. Vecchiarelli mostly ate in the car, and it was all food she would never have eaten before. Her stress was sky high. In the end, she gained 40 pounds, had aches and pains in her hips and knees, acid reflux, and her period completely stopped. This is an extreme but all too common example of how the health of one spouse can negatively affect the other. Whether it’s exercise or eating habits, stress, or illness, it’s two for the price of one. Kristen Carpenter was quoted. This coverage resulted from pitching efforts by OSU Wexner Medical Center Public Affairs and Media Relations.