Latest news with #Ashby
West Australian
4 days ago
- Health
- West Australian
World Transplant Games gold medallist Colleen Ashby awarded Kellion Victory Medal
'It doesn't matter what your limitations are, let your abilities take over.' That's the mantra Kalamunda heart transplant recipient Colleen Ashby lives by 24-7, 365. A World Transplant Games gold, silver and bronze medallist, 60-year-old Ashby has made a habit of staring down challenges with a relentless work ethic, humility and boundless enthusiasm since she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age nine. She had no choice but to be active, growing up with five older brothers and a Mum who told her not to let anything stand in her way. Ashby's achievements were recognised this week when she was presented with the Kellion Victory Medal at Government House. Kellion medals are presented to those who have lived with type 1 or 2 diabetes for 50 years or more. The award is named in honour of John Kellion who died at 38 because of complications caused by type 1 diabetes. Another West Australian Gordon Bunyan was announced as the new Kellion Victory Medal Ambassador. Ashby's struggle began with the crude forms of treatment for diabetes in the 1970s. 'They didn't have the plastic disposable syringes back then or the (Insulin) pens,' she said. 'It was a a big glass syringe that mum had to boil up in the morning and the gauge was like a horse needle I can tell you,' Ashby recalled. 'Lucky I had parents that never stopped me from doing anything. I did horse riding and ballroom dancing and played squash.' She graduated to aerobics instructor and a self-confessed 'gym junkie' while becoming a special needs education assistant. But then some major setbacks. Ashby broke the chromium in her shoulder, which led to surgery. Twelve months later both shoulders 'froze', a result of the type 1 diabetes. 'To regain fitness I decided to teach spin classes because I couldn't get my arms above me head but you don't need them in spin classes,' she said. 'Next thing, I had this indigestion and I was drinking Mylanta by the bottle full but my diabetic endocrinologist thought it sounded like angina so he sent me for a stress test and they said 'You'd better find a cardiologist'.' Ashby was diagnosed with ischaemic heart disease. 'From the age of 46, I had 12 stents put in over a four-year period,' she said. A heart transplant was considered but initially ruled out. 'They said it was never going to be because usually the diabetic bodies are not good (for a transplant),' she said. Six weeks after her next bout of surgery, a triple bypass, Ashby was still out of breath. More tests led to her being put on the transplant register and 12 months later, in January 2017, Ashby received a new heart. 'I was in a induced coma for four days because the new heart wouldn't start up,' she said. 'They didn't think I was going to survive because the heart wasn't working properly,' she said. 'I woke up on day five and couldn't see. The heart was working by my eyes weren't. An ophthalmologist told me the message to my brain had been damaged. It stopped getting messages of how to see. 'So I have been left legally blind with just five per cent peripheral vision in my right and nothing in my left and no central vision at all.' But it didn't stop her. Ashby has three sons, Stephen, Scott and Mark, and did not want to wallow, so she took up swimming, which would challenge her aerobically and soothe her muscles at the same time. 'I hadn't swam in five years because my shoulders had been frozen, but they had freed up after the surgery so I said to my husband 'I reckon I can still follow that black line in the bottom of the pool', so we went down to Bayswater Waves, I jumped in and took to it like a fish to water,' she said. 'Then I heard about the Transplant Games.' An international multi-sport event, the Games are held every two years and Ashby cleaned up at the 2023 version in Perth: winning a suite of medals in freestyle and backstroke. She is also into cycling and has just started a new swimming program as she is in recovery for another shoulder operation. Ashby has also authored two books, I Can See Clearly Now and Ya Gotta Laugh, about her journey. She hopes the Kellion Medal will also highlight her story and give hope to diabetics that anything is possible. 'I had three of my girlfriends all die by the time they were 30 from kidney failure who were diabetics,' she said. 'For 50 years I've been doing the exercise and the medal just proves that you can do anything in life you like provided you look after yourself and put your mind to it. 'My motto, it doesn't matter what your limitations are, let your abilities take over, really means just live the best life that you can for yourself. Don't worry about other people's expectations, just live the best life for you.' Ashby has done just that.
Sky News AU
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘Should not be tolerated': Anti-Israel protestors ‘instilling fear' into Jewish community
One Nation Chief of Staff James Ashby discusses the antisemitic attacks in Victoria over the weekend. 'I think a lot of these police would love to get in there and break these things up,' Mr Ashby told Sky News host Paul Murray. 'This sort of behaviour should not be tolerated, because what it's doing is it's just instilling fear, not just in the Jewish community, but for anyone that may have been at that restaurant. 'How much further will some of these protestors go?'
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pat Murphy provides Aaron Ashby update amid injury scare
The post Pat Murphy provides Aaron Ashby update amid injury scare appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Milwaukee Brewers jumped out to an early lead against the Los Angeles Dodgers Monday, chasing starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto from the game with a 5-run first inning. The Brewers cruised to an easy 9-1 win with the only drama involving the health of reliever Aaron Ashby. Advertisement Ashby was struck on his pitching hand by a come-backer in the top of the eighth inning. While the Brewers' athletic trainer came out to check on Ashby, he was able to stay in the game. After the win, manager Pat Murphy provided an update on the lefty, telling reporters that X-rays of his hand were negative, per Adam McCalvy. Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby has dominated in 2025 since May debut Michael McLoone-Imagn Images Ashby entered the game in the seventh inning with the Brewers up 7-0. And he remained in the game to pitch the top of the eighth after Milwaukee took a 9-0 lead. With two on and two out, Ashby gave up an RBI single to Esteury Ruiz, which deflected off the pitcher's hand before ending up in right field. Advertisement The single ended the Brewers' shutout but it did not end Ashby's night. After getting checked out by Milwaukee's staff and throwing some practice pitches, the fourth-year pro was allowed to continue. He got out of the inning without further damage by inducing a grounder to short from Michael Conforto. Ashby has been dominant this year. He opened the season on the injured list with a right oblique strain. But since making his 2025 debut in May he's bolstered the Brewers' bullpen. Ashby has only allowed the opposing team to score in two of his 12 appearances this season. The 27-year-old hurler now has a 1.27 ERA with a 0.94 WHIP and 25 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings for Milwaukee this season. The Brewers signed Ashby to a five-year extension in 2022 when the team envisioned him as a starter. However, he missed the entire 2023 season after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder. When he returned in 2024, he made the switch to the bullpen. Advertisement Ashby was effective in relief last season. After two early starts, he moved to Milwaukee's bullpen full time in August. Following the change he had a 1.37 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 28 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings. The Brewers hope he avoided an injury Monday as the team won for the third time in four games. Milwaukee improved to 51-40 on the season and now trails the first-place Chicago Cubs by 3.5 games in the NL Central. Related: Yoshinobu Yamamoto reveals what went wrong vs. Brewers Related: Andrew Vaughn makes first Brewers at-bat count with towering home run
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State Rep. Trent Ashby announces reelection campaign
LUFKIN, Texas (KETK) — State Rep. Trent Ashby, R-Lufkin announced on Friday that he is running for reelection in House District 9 with endorsements from conservative leaders and President Donald J. Trump. Rep. Moran fights in support of military operations center According to a release, Ashby was sworn in as a member of the Texas House of Representatives in 2013 and is a member of the committees on Public Education and Natural Resources. Ashby has been involved in several actions with the 89th Legislative Session and in committees. 'Our rural communities deserve the same opportunities and quality of life as anywhere else in Texas,' Ashby said. 'That's why I've fought to close the gap in areas like education, healthcare, water, infrastructure and emergency preparedness, and I'm proud of the progress we made this session.' Ashby is a current representative of six counties including Angelina, Houston, Polk, San Augustine, Trinity and Tyler. Mobile clinic to provide free skin cancer screenings for Tyler residents 'It's been the honor of my life to represent the people of Deep East Texas,' Ashby said. 'We've delivered real results that matter to our communities, and I'm running for reelection to build on that progress and ensure our region continues to have a strong conservative voice in Austin.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lewiston mother sues Androscoggin County jail, medical contractor for son's 2023 death
Jun. 9—LEWISTON — The first thing Pamela Ashby asked when she learned her son Trevor had died from pneumonia at the Androscoggin County Jail: how could this happen? Two years later, after reviewing medical records and video surveillance, she still has the same question. "It kind of left me even more dumfounded," Ashby said in an interview with the Portland Press Herald. "There were so many people involved here ... yet it still happened." Ashby is now suing the Androscoggin County Jail and its health care provider, Correctional Psychiatric Solutions, or CPS, alleging they denied her son adequate medical care. In her complaints, Ashby says the jail ignored pressure wounds that had developed on her son's back, which grew infected, and his worsening condition. Trevor Saunders died Nov. 18, 2023, from a disease that Ashby and her lawyers say has long been curable in the United States. Ashby believes her son's death is indicative of a larger, systemic problem at the jail where, her lawsuits state, staff routinely dismiss and ignore inmates' medical needs. Both lawsuits cite medical records, in which several employees said they met with Saunders, who had come into the jail still dealing with the effects of a stroke he had survived the year before. Some of the employees, according to the complaints, eventually suggested they send Saunders to get treatment outside of the jail — but they never did. "Trevor's death is the result of a broken system where needs for basic medical care were ignored, training was lacking, and constitutional protections were routinely violated," Rosalie Wennberg, one of Ashby's attorneys, said in an emailed statement. "The facts of this case make it clear that Trevor's death was preventable, and that at every turn, he was denied help and care that would have saved his life." Ashby is suing CPS and two registered nurses who worked for the jail under the Maine Wrongful Death Act. She is also suing the jail, the county and several officials — including Sheriff Eric Samson, his chief deputy William Gagne, former jail administrator Jeffrey Chute and nearly a dozen corrections officers — for violating Saunders' constitutional right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. "Contracting out the provision of jail medical care to a private company does not relieve Defendant Androscoggin County of its constitutional duty to provide adequate health care to inmates at ACJ," the complaint states. The county defendants did not respond to calls and emails Monday afternoon seeking a response to the lawsuit. Joshua D. Hadiaris, an attorney for CPS, said his client cannot comment on the specifics of Saunders' case because of patient confidentiality obligations. "However, CPS is committed to providing quality healthcare and takes all concerns related to patient care very seriously," Hadiaris wrote in an email. THE STROKE Trevor Saunders, 25, was Ashby's only son. He had two siblings on his father's side, according to an obituary, and several aunts, uncles, cousins and friends described as "chosen family." He went to school in Auburn, Mechanic Falls and Poland, Ashby said, and was an active young man who could talk to anybody and pick up almost any sport. He had a particular affinity for basketball and golf, which he still played even after a rare spinal stroke upended his life in March 2022. "I think that was going to be the sport that he would have continued on forever," Ashby said, "no matter how much of his physical ability he got back." Saunders had only been out of school for six years when he had the stroke. He had been doing manual labor and trying to create a good home for his son Alex, Ashby said. He was the kind of father, she said, who waited with his son at the bus stop and taught him video games and wrestling. Saunders struggled after the stroke. Ashby said her active and adventurous son, who prided himself on his strength and mobility, was suddenly unable to get out of a hospital bed in Boston, where he was being treated. Physical therapy helped, but Saunders was frustrated by all of the things he still couldn't do, Ashby said, and the new reality depressed him. One night in January 2023, Ashby said, Saunders went drinking with friends. Ashby said she thinks her son just wanted to have a normal night out, but he ended up in a single-car crash, injuring himself and damaging property. Afterward, Saunders spent several weeks in the hospital. He was later sentenced to 45 days in jail for operating under the influence and on a revoked license. Neither Ashby nor Saunders were concerned about what his time in jail would be like. She said her son was willing to take the accountability for his actions and entered the jail "physically fine." AT THE JAIL Ashby says jail staff wouldn't let Saunders wear a hand brace that helped keep his muscles from retracting while he slept, a long-lasting byproduct of his stroke. She said it was just the first of many instances in which staff dismissed her son's medical needs. He later developed pressure sores on his back, the lawsuits state. Saunders first reported his wounds to the jail on Nov. 1, according to both complaints. He spent the next two weeks meeting with various nurses and physician's assistants, in-person and over Zoom, all of whom documented his worsening condition, his irregular heartbeat and complaints of pain. One of the lawsuits says Saunders, who was under the constant surveillance of several jail officers, spent days moaning from his cell and begging for a cane, a wheelchair and diapers to help with his urinary incontinence, another lingering symptom of the spinal stroke. It alleges his cellmate and others also called for help, and they were ignored. No one took Saunders' vitals, the complaint claims, or ordered lab testing that one nurse suggested could identify the problem. According to the lawsuits, staff offered him an extra mattress, Gatorade and ibuprofen. On Nov. 14, 2023 — nearly three weeks into his sentence — a nurse determined Saunders' wounds were a medical emergency, but their boss still refused to send him to get treatment outside of the jail, the complaints state. Instead, they say, officers moved him to a higher-security area where they could watch him on camera. The complaint against the jail includes photographs of Saunders, lying near his own urine, unable to sit up, hold a cup or eat. Ashby and her lawyers claim this was the result of the jail's "custom and practice that discouraged providing inmates with necessary care from outside medical providers, even where such care was medically necessary, in order to keep costs down." During his time there, Saunders had complained some to his mother, but she said she is mortified by what she has learned over the last two years about his treatment. "We should be providing a place for people to go serve their time for something they've done, and come out and potentially be someone that can be in our community and maybe learn from being in there," she said. "Instead of not coming out at all." For Ashby, she now spends time golfing with Saunders' son, Alex. That's what her son would be doing, she said, if he were still here. She said he had a lot to offer Alex. "Not only to his family but to other people in his life," Ashby said. "And he just wasn't given the opportunity to be the person he could have been." Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less
