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Dirty Girl Mud Run 5K Atlanta: Pretty muddy stuff

Dirty Girl Mud Run 5K Atlanta: Pretty muddy stuff

ATLANTA -- Mud. Water. Wonder. What could be more exciting than a group of girlfriends hopping, climbing, slipping and sliding through 12 challenging obstacles while decked out in extravagant costumes? The Dirty Girl Mud Run 5k has become one of the most anticipated non-competitive women only adventure runs to date and it is all because of its reputation for building friendship, camaraderie, having fun, enjoying some laughs and getting downright muddy.

The Autism Gap: The fight for insurance

The Autism Gap: The fight for insurance

ATLANTA -- Eight year old Ava Bullard is playing with her sisters, riding their bikes on their long country driveway. It is a simple act that defies those who said she would never talk, those who said she wouldn't function in the real world.

Ava was not a typical baby, or toddler.

Her mother Anna says, "You couldn't interact with her."

MORE | Complete coverage of The Autism Gap

Ava did not play with toys. Did not speak. Could not dress herself. Did not interact with her parents or sisters. Slept two hours a night. She was in her own world.

Anna says, "It's like she looked straight through me. She would just...it's like you weren't there, if you were in the room with her."

Anna Bullard took Ava from doctor to doctor for months. One doctor told the family Ava was 'just weird.'

Atlanta recruiting 5,000 volunteers for cancer study

Atlanta recruiting 5,000 volunteers for cancer study

ATLANTA -- Sixty years ago, 1 million men and women signed up for the first-ever Cancer Prevention Study. They filled out surveys every few years. And the information from those million Americans led to a dramatic discovery.

Doctor Alpa Patel with the American Cancer Society is the lead researcher on CPS3, the third generation of the cancer prevention studies.

MORE | Join the Cancer prevention Study 3

"The first study was actually set up to specifically address the question of whether not smoking caused lung cancer, and it provided the first evidence that in fact smoking is what was the causal fact, causal factor with the increase rise in lung cancer death rates we were seeing in men at that time," she said.

Gwinnett Heart Specialists opens at Gwinnett Medical Center

Gwinnett Heart Specialists opens at Gwinnett Medical Center

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- Gwinnett Medical Center has opened the Gwinnett Heart Specialists of Gwinnett Medical Group, a new cardiology practice.

The doctors who will work at the new office include Sreeni Gangasani, M.D., Michael Lipsitt, M.D., and Marc Unterman, M.D. All three physicians have practiced for thirty years, according to Beth Okun of Gwinnett Medical Center. 

Gwinnett Heart Specialists will provide patients with several services to help with preventing and treating cardiovascular disease, including stress testing, echocardiography, vascular treatments, coronary interventions, peripheral interventions and implanting pacemakers, Okun reported.

The practice will also serve communities of Dacula, Duluth, Loganville, Monroe and Sugar Hill. 

Celebrate Women's Health with Paint The Mall Pink Events

Celebrate Women's Health with Paint The Mall Pink Events

Atlanta-area women of all ages are invited to Paint the Mall Pink at Mall of Georgia and Town Center at Cobb, October 4-7. A cost-free, full weekend of activities focusing on the importance of women’s health will feature health-focused activities, keynote addresses from local medical professionals, musical performances, giveaways and more!

The festivities kick off with Girl’s Night Out on Thursday evening at 6 p.m. at Mall of Georgia and 5:30 p.m. at Town Center at Cobb. The first 300 attendees to arrive at each mall will receive event swag bags filled with samples from stores and themed goodies. Girl’s Night Out is sponsored by Gwinnett Medical Center, Gwinnett Magazine, FundRacers at Mall of Georgia and by WellStar, Little Black Dress | Little Red Wagon Magazine and Run For It! Productions at Town Center at Cobb.

Sam's Club offering free diabetes screenings

Sam's Club offering free diabetes screenings

ATLANTA -- Several Sam's Club Pharmacy locations throughout metro Atlanta will offer free diabetes and vision screenings this weekend.

The screenings will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and are valued at more than $150. They include glucose, A1C, vision, blood pressure and BMI tests.

"Knowing the links between risk factors, choices and solutions prepares our members to better manage or even prevent diabetes," Sam's Club Health and Wellness senior VP Jill Turner-Mitchael said in a statement.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say about 1.9 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed every year. If this trend continues, one out of every three U.S. adults will have diabetes by 2050.

Diabetes is also the leading cause of new cases of blindness in U.S. adults, according to the CDC.

Participating Sam's Club locations include:

Alpharetta
10600 Davis Drive

Atlanta
2901 Clairmont Road

Protect Your Kids and Pets from Summer Heat

Protect Your Kids and Pets from Summer Heat

Summer in the south is officially here! With rising temperatures, it is important to take steps to protect those around us who might be vulnerable to the heat, like our children and pets.

Did you know that we lose heat by sweating? Water literally evaporates into the atmosphere and sucks the heat out of our bodies. Children produce even more heat than adults. This is because they have more body surface for their height. Children are also closer to the ground – and to hot pavement. They can easily become dehydrated or overheated.

Here are some tips to keep your children and pets safe in the heat.