PAGE SIX THE LICKING VALLEY COURIERTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Area Deaths

Hemophilia: Stop the Bleeding

Mindy was worried about the large bruises that kept showing up on her young son’s body as he was becoming mobile and taking his first steps. “Is that normal?” she asked her doctor. It was, of course, not normal but rather the early signs of hemophilia, a bleeding disorder. Moderate to se-vere cases are typically diagnosed early in life, usually be-fore the child’s sixth birthday and often in the first year. Mild cases may go unnoticed until later in life but still require a doctor’s attention. People born with hemophilia have little or none of a protein that is essential to the clotting process and, as a result are vulnerable to excessive and unwanted bleeding. While you may remember a popular image of a hemophiliac bleeding to death from a small cut, that rarely happens. In most cases, the clotting deficiency is not total; and there are varying degrees of the disorder. Nevertheless, hemophilia is a lifelong disease without a cure, and, in addition to the risk of excessive bleeding, it often causes disabling effects to the joints, muscles and internal organs. Severe trauma can be life threatening. Because of their need for frequent transfusions of blood products, hemophiliacs were at high risk of HIV infections before more effective blood screening was ini-tiated in the mid-1980s. Even so, a person needing fre-quent transfusions is at greater risk of infections. Hemophilia A, the most common kind, involves a deficiency of clotting factor VIII. It occurs in about 1 of every 5,000 to 10,000 male births. Hemophilia B, involv-ing a deficiency of clotting factor IX, occurs in about 1 of every 20,000 to 30,000 male births. There is also a hemo-philia C (clotting factor XI). Inheritance of hemophilia typically passes from mother to son. That’s because the hemophilia gene is re-cessive and located on the X chromosome. Females inherit an X chromosome from each parent while males inherit an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the father. Hemophilia can also be acquired through a gene mutation. A similar bleeding disorder, with different in-heritance patterns, is von Willebrand disease. Vitamin K deficiency, common in babies, can also present similar short-term symptoms. Vitamin K is necessary for the pro-duction of some clotting factors, and infants do not yet have enough gut flora to properly synthesize vitamin K. It can be avoided by injecting newborns with vitamin K. If there is a family history of hemophilia, it’s possible to test the fetus, but that kind of testing carries risks as well as benefits. Typically the disease is not diag-nosed until signs of bleeding or bruising are observed in the first year or two of life. Small cuts are rarely a problem, although they may take longer to heal. Surgery and dental work re-quire special precautions. The most frequent damaging effect is bleeding into joints, causing swelling, pain and, eventually, dete-rioration of joints. It’s important for persons wtth hemo-philia to keep their joints and muscles strong and flex-ible. Hemophiliacs must avoid blood thinners such as aspirin and other NSAIDs, Pradaxa, heparin, warfarin and supplements such as ginkgo biloba. Cindy Crager, APRN Boys with hemophilia are usually advised not to ride a motorcycle or take part in contact sports such as football, wrestling and hockey. Since these sports can be culturally and socially important to youth, some doctors have argued against heavy restrictions. An Australian study found that these risks could be reduced to those of a normal child with prophylactic (preventive) adminis-tration of clotting factor. Clotting factors derived from donated human blood or genetically engineered products are the major treatment for moderate to severe hemophilia. Infusions can be made either as needed or prophylactically. Regular prophylactic infusions have been found to reduce side ef-fects, such as joint swelling, and time spent in the hospi-tal. Hemophilia is a distressing disease that requires not only specialized treatment but an array of education and support services. These are available at comprehen-sive hemophilia treatment centers located throughout the United States. Before effective treatment was developed in the 1960s, the average life expectancy for a hemophiliac was 11 years. Today, most hemophiliacs can lead a normal life with average life expectancy shortened by an average of about 10 years.

Timothy Lee BlackTimothy

Lee Black, age 52, of Hill Court, M o r e h e a d , K e n t u c k y, passed away T h u r s d a y, January 31, 2013, at his residence.

Born January 27, 1961, in Lexington, Kentucky, he is the

son of John “J. C.” Black of Morehead and the late Emma Myrtilla Edgerton Black.

Tim is survived by his wife, Dorothy Flannery Black, whom he married August 12, 1989; one son, Jared Flannery Black of Morehead; one daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Black Ed-wards and husband Jonathan of Round Rock, Texas, and one granddaughter, Elizabeth Jane Edwards.

Other survivors include three brothers and their wives, John and Becky Black of Ow-ingsville, Kentucky, Dan and Gwen Black of Brooksville, Kentucky; and Greg and Fre-ida Black of Rydal, Georgia; a special uncle, Ira Lee Edgerton and wife Diane of Nashville, North Carolina; a special aunt, Nellie Kidd and husband Pres-ton of Morehead, and several nieces, nephews, cousins, and other loving family members and friends.

Tim graduated from Rowan County High School and re-ceived his bachelor’s degree from Morehead State Uni-versity with a major in music education. One of the highlights of his education was receiving numerous awards for his musi-cal talent.

Tim was currently an em-ployee of Aramark at Morehead State University, a former man-ager for Dominos Pizza, and music teacher for the Jefferson County school system. He en-joyed every aspect of music but most of all, he loved spending time with his family.

Funeral services were con-ducted 1 p.m. Monday, Febru-ary 4, 2013, at the Clearfield Baptist Church with Pastor Mike Parr, Brother Harry Flan-nery, and Brother Dennis Flan-nery officiating. Burial was in the Ezel Cemetery in Morgan County. Northcutt & Son Home for Funerals in Morehead was in charge of arrangements.

Pallbearers: Jeff Weaver, Michael Hollon, Paul Brown, Michael Shawn Bolin, Ethan Edgerton, Michael McGonigle, James Phipps, Josh Hensley, and Michael Donavon.

Library CornerBest Sellers at the LibraryA Memory Of Light by

Robert JordanGone Girl by Gillian FlynnThe Fifth Assassin by Brad

MeltzerTenth Of December by

George SaundersThe Racketeer by John

GrishamKinsey and Me by Sue Graf-

tonCollateral Damage by Stuart

WoodsKilling Kennedy by Bill

O’ReillyNo Easty Day by Mark

OwenMy Share Of The Task by

Stanley McChrystalThe World Until Yesterday

by Jared DiamondCheck the availability of

books at: www.youseemore.com/mcpl

Valentine Day Craftand Story Hour

Valentine’s Day Craft and Story Hour, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 3:30-5:00 p.m. Come join us.

WEST LIBERTY, Ky.--The Kentucky Asset Success Ini-tiative (KASI) will operate a free tax preparation site at the Regional Enterprise Center, 151 University Drive, February 7th and 11th, from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

IRS-certified volunteers will file taxes at the Regional Enter-prise Center. Appointments are required and can be made by calling KDVA at 502-209-5382.

KASI is a coalition of agen-cies and organizations seeking to empower low-and moderate-income Kentuckians through a variety of asset-building pro-grams. In 2012, KASI-operated sites helped 11,471 working families claim tax refunds totaling $16.9 million, generat-ing $27.3 million of economic activity in their communities. KASI’s member coalitions will host more than 75 sites in 2013.

This year, working families with three or more children and an income less than $50,270 (if married and filing a joint return) may be eligible for a maximum Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) of $5,891. “The goal of the free tax preparation sites

Free tax preparation volunteershelp families file taxes, claim EITC

is to ensure that more eligible households claim EITC and receive their full refunds rather than paying preparation fees or being tempted by high interest refund-anticipation loans,” said Vickie Johnson, a tax site co-ordinator through KASI. “For many families, a tax refund is the largest one-time influx of money all year, and the eco-nomic boost for individuals and communities is significant.” The IRS estimates that as many as twenty percent of taxpayers who are eligible for the EITC do not claim it.

Filers must bring the fol-lowing documents to their appointment: photo ID and social security card for each person on the return, all W-2 and/or 1099 forms, payments for child care expenses (plus name, address, EIN, or SSN of child care provider), Form 1098 -T (if applicable), student loan interest paid in 2011, mortgage and property tax information, routing and account informa-tion for direct deposit, and a copy of your 2010 tax return (if available).

Severance taxes in E. Ky. drop with coal output

Coal's popularity as an en-ergy source decreased sharply last year as natural gas became more plentiful and cheaper, and because of increased fed-eral regulations requiring costly upgrades to coal-fired power plants. The decline in produc-tion has forced mine closures and layoffs in the Central Ap-palachian coalfields, and some Eastern Kentucky counties are dealing with million-dollar bud-get shortfalls as the amount of coal severance tax they receive is dropping.

Kentucky shares its sever-ance taxes with local gov-ernments in producing areas. Statewide coal tax receipts fell 19 percent in the final quarter of last year, and will drop an additional 19.1 percent over the next three months, accord-ing to the Governor's Office for Economic Analysis.

Some counties could be forced to make layoffs and enact tax increases as a result. Bill Estep and John Cheves of the Lexington Herald-Leader report that the Knott County Fiscal Court formed a commit-tee last week to hear sugges-tions about how to deal with the county's projected $1.2 million loss in budgeted coal-severance money.

Adjoining Letcher County has cut overtime for county employees and has placed a hold on spending to manage a $1 million shortfall.

Estep and Cheves report that in the 10 Eastern Kentucky counties that produced the most coal in 2011, production was down in 2012 by 29 percent, with the drop being steeper in some counties, including Mar-tin, Knott and Letcher.

Ky. Institute for Rural Journalism

Part-time studentsnamed to President’s List at HCTC

The following students have been named to the Hazard Com-munity and Technical College President’s Honor List for part-time students during the fall 2012 semester. The President’s Part-time Honor List is for part-time degree seeking students who earn a 4.0 grade point aver-age and successfully complete a cumulative total of at least 18 KCTCS semester credits of course work numbered 100 or above (excluding any courses considered developmental) and complete at least 12 KCTCS semester credits in succession without having withdrawn from a course during the successive term at HCTC.

Those honored are included the following:

Morgan County--Melissia Lynn Davis, of Ezel.