Latest news with #Renae
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
'My daughter died after getting measles as a baby - this is my plea'
Rebecca Archer's daughter Renae died aged 10 after being diagnosed with a rare brain disease A mother who lost her daughter to complications from measles has issued a heartfelt plea to parents to vaccinate their children. The warning comes after a child in Liverpool died from the disease. Rebecca Archer's 10-year-old daughter Renae passed away after being diagnosed with a rare and devastating brain condition known as subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). This progressive neurological disorder, which affects the central nervous system, can be triggered by contracting measles. Renae contracted measles at just five months old, a time when she was still too young to receive the vaccine. Rebecca is now urging parents to ensure their children receive their vaccinations, firmly believing that if more children had been vaccinated, her daughter would not have contracted measles as a baby, and ultimately, would still be alive today. Rebecca said: "Renae hadn't had the MMR because she was under 12 months old. If there wasn't an outbreak and more kids had their vaccinations, then she wouldn't have got the measles in the first place. And it wouldn't have ultimately ended her life. "It's like a nightmare, it's still hard to believe that's why Renae's not here anymore. Because of having the measles ten years previously." Rebecca recalled that after the initial bout of measles, Renae had been unwell for only a few days before returning to full health, making the eventual outcome all the more devastating. A decade following a bout with measles, young Renae suffered seizures at school, leading to the devastating diagnosis of SSPE. Renae's condition declined gradually, until Rebecca, from Salford, Greater Manchester, faced the heartbreaking situation last September: it was time to switch off her daughter's life support. First speaking a year ago, Rebecca said: "She had one every week and then I think it was the third seizure where they did an MRI. Then that's when they discovered there was some swelling on her brain. "Her motor functions started to deteriorate – she just slowly couldn't speak or eat. When she went into ICU, they didn't know what was actually causing it. "It was actually the measles and it was SSPE. And that's when they told me it was going to be fatal. And then we had to make a decision to turn the machines off." Dr Manisha Kumar, chief medical officer for NHS Greater Manchester, has expressed hope that sharing Rebecca's traumatic ordeal would 'encourage' others to verify their children's immunisation records. Dr Kumar said: "Rebecca's story is one example of many, that illustrate why we need to urgently reverse the decline in the uptake of childhood vaccinations, in order to protect not only ourselves and our families, but our wider communities. We hope that through brave people like Rebecca coming forward with their personal stories. "Combined with the multi-media campaign, it will serve as a reminder that these diseases have not gone away. It will encourage parents and guardians to check their children's vaccination status and book appointments if any immunisations have been missed. "Two doses of the MMR vaccine are needed to get lifelong protection against measles, mumps and rubella. Simply by ensuring you have both doses you not only protect you and your family against the illness, but also those who you come into contact with who may be vulnerable."
Wales Online
5 days ago
- Health
- Wales Online
Mum who lost daughter to measles has one message for every parent
Mum who lost daughter to measles has one message for every parent There has been a decline in vaccine uptake Rebecca Archer with daughter Renae (Image: NHS Greater Manchester/SWNS ) The mother of a girl who died of complications from having measles as a baby has urged parents to get their children vaccinated. The warning comes as news emerged of the death of a child in Liverpool from the disease. Rebecca Archer's daughter Renae, 10, died after it was discovered she had a very rare brain disease called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). The condition is a progressive neurological disorder that affects the central nervous system and can be caused by catching measles. Renae caught measles when she was five months old, but she was too young to have the jab then. Rebecca urged parents to give their children their vaccinations, as she believes that if more kids had the jab, then she wouldn't have had measles as a baby. She said: "Renae hadn't had the MMR because she was under 12 months old. If there wasn't an outbreak and more kids had their vaccinations, then she wouldn't have got the measles in the first place. And it wouldn't have ultimately ended her life." Rebecca added: "It's like a nightmare, it's still hard to believe that's why Renae's not here anymore. Because of having the measles ten years previously. "She was poorly for a few days. After that, everything went back to normal - she was fit and healthy." Article continues below A decade after having measles, Renae started having seizures at school, which is when she was diagnosed with SSPE. The youngster slowly lost the ability to speak or eat and Rebecca was told in September last year that they needed to turn her life support machine off. Rebecca Archer with daughter Renae (Image: NHS Greater Manchester/SWNS ) First speaking out a year ago, Rebecca, of Salford, Greater Manchester, said: "She had one every week and then I think it was the third seizure where they did an MRI. Then that's when they discovered there was some swelling on her brain. "Her motor functions started to deteriorate – she just slowly couldn't speak or eat. When she went into ICU, they didn't know what was actually causing it. "It was actually the measles and it was SSPE. And that's when they told me it was going to be fatal. And then we had to make a decision to turn the machines off." Dr Manisha Kumar, the chief medical officer for NHS Greater Manchester, hoped Rebecca's story would 'encourage' people to check their child's vaccination status. Rebecca Archer (Image: NHS Greater Manchester/SWNS ) She said: "Rebecca's story is one example of many, that illustrate why we need to urgently reverse the decline in the uptake of childhood vaccinations, in order to protect not only ourselves and our families, but our wider communities. We hope that through brave people like Rebecca coming forward with their personal stories. "Combined with the multi-media campaign, it will serve as a reminder that these diseases have not gone away. It will encourage parents and guardians to check their children's vaccination status and book appointments if any immunisations have been missed. Article continues below "Two doses of the MMR vaccine are needed to get lifelong protection against measles, mumps and rubella. Simply by ensuring you have both doses you not only protect you and your family against the illness, but also those who you come into contact with who may be vulnerable."
Forbes
30-06-2025
- Science
- Forbes
Stuck? Your Creative Environment Might Be The Problem
Feeling stuck? Creative blocks don't necessarily mean that something's wrong with you. Maybe it's ... More your place. Stuck. Stuckness. While working on the opening of this article about the creative environment, my mind became fixated on those two words: stuck and stuckness. What do they actually mean? Being the kind of girl who used to read the introductions to dictionaries—and loves etymology enough to subscribe to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED)—I had to look it up. According to the OED, the sense we're after for the adjective stuck is the fourth definition, which comes after: And finally, the fourth meaning, split into two: If you're feeling stuck, it might be due to your physical creative environment. I bet you're thinking, 'Okay, Renae, so… what does all of that tell us?' No worries; I had to ask myself the same question. After ruminating on it a bit, I was finally able to capture in words what I intuitively sensed. Being stuck isn't just about mood or motivation or discipline. It's not about something inside you. It's not about you. The adjective's very definition points to being held, trapped, unable to move. It implies something acting on us rather than something we're failing to do. If stuckness can be caused by external forces, then it's worth asking: Could one of those forces be our surroundings? Could the space itsel—thee lighting, the clutter, the layout, the energy—be what's holding us fast, keeping us stuck? 'Eureka!' I thought. That's the shift. When we stop assuming that being stuck in a creative block is always an internal issue, we can start looking around us, outside us. And if we do, we may very well find that our creative environment is out of sync with the kind of thinking, feeling, or making we're trying to do. What science tells us about the creative environment Creativity doesn't always come from within. Sometimes it comes from without, or the physical, ... More sensory creative environment. Researchers have long explored how physical space shapes thinking, feeling, and performance. And though creativity is intensely individual, a growing body of evidence shows that the creative environment—the physical, sensory, and even symbolic features of a space—can either stimulate or stifle the process of idea generation, problem-solving, and expression. In one literature review, scholars identified several environmental variables that significantly affect creativity: lighting, noise, temperature, layout, materials, and natural elements. The authors emphasized that the most productive creative environments tend to offer a balance of stimulation and freedom, spaces that let us focus without monotony and let us experience openness without overload. Other research shows that creativity isn't always about inspiration. It's about inputs. Research confirms that a change in physical setting—even something as small as adding plants, improving lighting, or moving to a new room—can alter your cognitive processes and improve the fluency and originality of your ideas. There's also evidence that our physical surroundings can influence the emotional tone we bring to our creative work. One study of sense of place among students found that emotional attachment to the environment we learn in directly affects our motivation, confidence, and willingness to experiment, all key elements of any creative practice. The research points to a deceptively simple insight: Where you are shapes how you think. And when your space doesn't match your current creative reality, the mismatch can show up as frustration, restlessness, or that familiar fog of stuckness. When your creative environment no longer fits I've long known that I need a clean space if I want to have a creative environment. I've always known that place and space are essential to my well-being. I work from home, and I feel agitated and annoyed when my house is messy—when the kitchen counters are cluttered or the sink's full of dishes. I need visual calm. I always clean before I travel so that a clean space welcomes me home. That reset matters to me. When I first started working from home, I went all out decorating my office—art, color, creative energy everywhere. It's still the same today, lively and full of my personality. A peek into my old creative environment — my home office. These days, you'll find me creating on my ... More recliner in the family room because the energy of this space no longer works for me. But as the type of work I did shifted away from selling my card deck and courses back to freelance writing and editing, the space began to feel wrong. I didn't want to be in it. It no longer felt like me. These days, I use my office just to pay bills, and have plans to completely rework the space so my husband can use it for his real estate business. I now work from a recliner in my family room—my favorite room in the house. It's bright and full of green and feels grounded. There's a fireplace. French doors. Plants that make the space feel alive. Art that's truly a extension of who I am. The space doesn't just feel pretty. It feels good. I enjoy working in it. A creative environment might be just what you need to overcome stuckness. A few years ago, I discovered that my love of place and space matters more than I even knew. In the Human Design system (a blend of astrology, the I Ching, the Kabbalah, the chakra system, and quantum physics), I'm known as a Mental Projector—supposedly the most sensitive type to their physical environment. That revelation explained everything. I wasn't just quirky about needing clean spaces or being drawn to plant- and art-filled nooks. I was responding to environmental cues that, quite literally, helped or hurt my ability to think creatively. A shift in setting equals a shift in inputs when it comes to your creative environment As I spoke about this idea with my husband, he added even more depth and insight. He said that when you live in a place for a while, you become used to the repeated sensory inputs of that environment. Just by physically moving—your desk, your chair, your body—you change your perspective. You disrupt the default patterns. You make it possible to think differently. That's why we like to work from coffee shops when we can. It's also why I love working while traveling—from cafes, coffee shops, hotel lobbies, and even from cruise ships! To me, there's something truly magical about earning money while watching the sea slide by. For me, there's nothing like a creative environment for creative work like the deck of a cruise ... More ship. Even a different room in the same house can do the trick. When the setting changes, so do the inputs. And, invariably, changed outputs follow. What your creative environment might be trying to tell you If your ideas feel sluggish… if your energy feels dim… if you've been blaming yourself for being stuck, it might not be you. It might be your creative environment. Of course your environment doesn't have to be picture-perfect. But it does have to match what your mind needs now. You might need more light. Less noise. A view. A different chair. A simpler space. A wilder one. The point isn't to follow my rules or anyone else's for that matter. The point is to pay attention. Your body and your brain will tell you when something's off. So if you're feeling stuck, ask yourself this: What's my current creative environment? How does it make me feel? And if the answer is anything less than energized, clear, or inspired, maybe it's time to change your space, not your self. Like this story? Get more like it by signing up for Beyond Copy, my newsletter about advanced content marketing and writing techniques, as well as interesting insights like this one about your creative environment.
Vancouver Sun
31-05-2025
- Vancouver Sun
Do airlines owe you compensation for turbulence-induced damages? Here's what we found out
This month, two passengers who claimed there should be no upper limit on the amount of compensation Air Canada owes to injured passengers lost their case in an Australian court. The case stems from a July 2019 Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Sydney, Australia. The Canadian Press reported at the time that the flight hit severe turbulence and was forced to divert to Hawaii. Thirty people were sent to hospital, nine in serious condition, some suffering lacerations and injuries to their head, back and neck, emergency first responders in Hawaii said. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Mother and daughter Renae and Stephanie Evans claimed they suffered spinal and psychological injuries during the flight. They also claimed that Air Canada, in its general rules, waived an upper limit set by an international treaty called the Montreal Convention. The New South Wales Supreme Court initially ruled in favour of the passengers, a decision which was overturned by that state's Court of Appeal. The High Court then unanimously dismissed the passengers' case. The Montreal Convention (or more formally the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air) is an international treaty that was drawn up in 1999 and came into force in 2003. It sets limits for airline liabilities for everything from lost luggage to loss of life. In the case of the latter, it said airlines were liable for up to 100,000 SDR for the bodily injury or death of a passenger. SDR or 'special drawing rights' is an economic unit that can be translated into any local currency; 100,000 SDR is worth about $192,000 Canadian. The amount is examined and may be revised every five years. As of 2024 it stands at 151,880 SDR, equivalent to $277,940 Canadian. The plaintiffs had argued that Air Canada's terms and conditions included the phrase: 'There are no financial limits in respect of death or bodily injury of passengers,' suggesting that the airline was opting out of the limit set by the Montreal Convention. However, Lawson Hennick, founding lawyer at Hennick Law in Markham, Ont., told National Post that on closer reading of the airline's regulations and the lawsuit, the high court's decision makes sense. 'Article 25 of the Montreal Convention expressly permits carriers to agree to higher or unlimited liability,' he said. 'The court acknowledged this, noting that a carrier can raise or even eliminate the threshold at which the no-negligence defence applies.' However, 'the court rejected this position, finding that Air Canada had not clearly waived its right to rely on the no-negligence defence.' Specifically, language in the Montreal Convention note that its liability rules 'supersede and prevail over any provisions of this tariff which may be inconsistent.' Meanwhile, Air Canada's own international tariff rules note that, 'except as otherwise provided herein,' the airline 'reserves all defences available.' Said Hennick: 'In the result, the passengers were unsuccessful in establishing that the carrier had waived the Article 21(2) defence for claims exceeding the maximum liability set out in the Montreal Convention.' Hennick noted that the Montreal Convention, aside from its cap on liabilities, is very open-ended when it comes to injury or loss of life while flying. 'The Montreal Convention says the carrier is liable for damages sustained in the case of death or bodily injury of a passenger upon condition only that the accident which caused the death or injury took place on board the aircraft or in the course of any of the operations of embarking or disembarking,' he said. 'So if you're injured by turbulence, that's considered onboard the aircraft, right? So I would say that would be something that could be compensable.' He added that passengers can sue beyond the limit, 'but if you want to claim it under the Montreal Convention, the benefit of that is all you have to do is prove your injuries.' 'As soon as you start claiming amounts above and beyond that, then they can start putting in defences for negligence. They can start alleging, well, the injury wasn't caused by us, it was caused by a third party, or could have been a result of pre-existing issues, or something other than that. But if you're going to be pursuing the limits under the Montreal Convention, it's a strict liability regime. You just have to show that you're injured on board the aircraft, prove the value of your injuries, and then they'll have to pay it.' One downside, he noted, is that the convention only mentions physical injuries. 'So if it's a purely psychological claim or psychiatric trauma, and you're not physically hurt … you may not be able to recover anything out of the Montreal Convention.' Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
31-05-2025
- Edmonton Journal
Do airlines owe you compensation for turbulence-induced damages? Here's what we found out
Article content Thirty people were sent to hospital, nine in serious condition, some suffering lacerations and injuries to their head, back and neck, emergency first responders in Hawaii said. Mother and daughter Renae and Stephanie Evans claimed they suffered spinal and psychological injuries during the flight. They also claimed that Air Canada, in its general rules, waived an upper limit set by an international treaty called the Montreal Convention. The New South Wales Supreme Court initially ruled in favour of the passengers, a decision which was overturned by that state's Court of Appeal. The High Court then unanimously dismissed the passengers' case. What is the Montreal Convention? The Montreal Convention (or more formally the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air) is an international treaty that was drawn up in 1999 and came into force in 2003. It sets limits for airline liabilities for everything from lost luggage to loss of life.
