About Erika Gruszewski
Posts by Erika Gruszewski
A Daughter’s Story: My Dad’s Life After A Heart Attack
When your 58-year-old dad drops to the floor and dies of a heart attack in a hospital emergency room, you take notice. The event that triggered this wake-up call for Meghan Dailey of Rochester occurred seven years ago. She talks about it as if it just happened yesterday. It’s that fresh and real in her…Read More »
The Meaning Behind the Teal Pumpkin: Help for Children with Allergies on Halloween
Some of my favorite memories as a kid are from Halloween. I remember dressing up as a witch to go trick-or-treating with friends while hoarding all of the peanut butter cups and refusing to listen to my parents when they told me to wear a jacket (Hey Mom and Dad – you were right about…Read More »
From Foster Child to Child Advocate
When Nina Hoyte was six months old, she and her then two-year-old brother were placed in foster care. Young Nina’s mom had been neglecting her and her brother. Nina and her brother continued to visit her mother for years, and Nina remembers wanting to be with her. But then a foster family adopted Nina and her brother. It…Read More »
Lori’s story: How I lost more than 250 pounds
Lori Dyer had struggled with her weight for as long as she could remember. She was 412 pounds and had tried every diet. However, she always gained the weight back. She got sick a lot and struggled to walk down stairs. The extra weight contributed to health issues, including high blood pressure, sleep apnea, pre-diabetes, back pain and knee pain.…Read More »
How to Stop Work from Killing Your Gym Motivation
It’s 8 p.m. on a gloomy Monday and you just had a long day at work. You finally finished cleaning up after dinner and are exhausted. Your feet hurt, you’re mentally drained, and all you want to do is sit on the couch and scroll through your Facebook feed or catch up with your latest…Read More »
15 Tips for Avoiding the Freshman 15
Welcome to college: don’t forget to throw your health out the window and get ready for a stressful ride! Isn’t that what a realistic college greeting would sound like? You move into your dorm and have piles of homework thrown at you while feeling the need to attend all the social events. You no longer…Read More »
5 Tips for Cutting Soda from Your Diet
You drink over 38 gallons of soda each year. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), that’s how much the average American drinks each year, which is equivalent to eight 12-ounce cans of soda each week. This statistic shocked me, too. But it also opened my eyes to my own soda-drinking…Read More »
4 Tested Ways to Break a Caffeine Addiction
Americans consume 400 million cups a day of a very addicting drink. Coffee! Latte, macchiato, black, iced, hot, cappuccino; there are so many ways to indulge in the morning beverage. It’s almost impossible not to find one you love. However, too much of this enjoyable and invigorating drink can lead to some serious health problems, such…Read More »
Hidden Gems: Sonnenberg Gardens
(Photos courtesy of Sonnenberg Gardens) My aunt and uncle recently visited from out of state, and I was deputized family tour director. We decided to make a day trip to Canandaigua which included the Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park. Videos and photos give you a sense of the sprawling 50-acre estate. In person, you…Read More »
How I Came to Love These Zucchini Bread Recipes
I didn’t care much for my first-ever attempt at making zucchini bread. I didn’t want to make it, but my mom had asked and I wanted to help. However, the problem was, zucchini grossed me out. Overcoming my Fear of Zucchini I have nothing against zucchini. I had just never eaten it or even seen…Read More »