Salon Donates Extensions to Woman Who Lost Hair After Chemo

Niki Costello received about $1,500 in hair treatments from Jeffrey LaMorte Salon in Orland Park, after chemotherapy as part of treatment for multiple sclerosis led to total hair loss.

  Niki Costello had long hair her entire life. The mother of two from Manhattan’s hair was down to her waist, and sometimes a little longer. In April, Costello underwent stem cell treatment for multiple sclerosis, part of which required chemotherapy. “They say not everyone loses their hair while in chemotherapy, but at my first appointment I was told 100 percent hair loss,” Costello said. “It became a real fear. What would the people in my life think? It may seem trivial, but it was reality setting in of how serious this treatment would be.” She was first diagnosed with the condition in 2008. Four years later, standard treatments weren’t helping Costello. She decided to take part in a new stem cell program through Northwestern Memorial …

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Patch Thanks Walk MS Participants for Their Support

We offered to donate $1 on behalf of each person to sign up for a Patch daily email newsletter. Thanks to the people who took us up on the offer.

Mutually beneficial efforts are awesome. When the Walk MS benefit event for the Greater Chicago chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society was coming to Orland Park, we wanted a way to support the cause while building awareness of our work on the Patch sites.  Thanks to the wisdom of Tinley Park Editor Carrie Frillman, we decided to donate $1 to the NMSS on behalf of each person who signed up for our daily email newsletters at Centennial Park on Sunday. And thanks to the following people, we are made a modest donation to the cause. Read on for a story about one woman's battle with MS.  Sign up for our daily email newsletter. Like Orland Park Patch on Facebook.

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Rear View

In the Rear View: Half Ton of Pills and Police Layoffs

We look back at a week of overcoming major obstacles, helping when in need, pensions woes, crash-heavy intersections and thoughts on the Secret Service prostitution scandal.

MONDAY Over 1,000 Pounds of Unused Pharmaceutical Medicine Collected Saturday in Orland Park Two Orland Park drop off points for the National Take Back Initiative on Saturday collected over a half-ton of unused medicine for disposal over the course of four hours. Sexual Exploitation Trial Put on Hold for More Evidence The state's pretrial investigation continues against a man charged with 14 counts related to sexual abuse following a joint effort last year by Orland Park and Palos Hills police. TUESDAY Director of Teachers’ Retirement System: Illinois in a ‘Fiscal Mess’ Staff who oversees Illinois teacher pensions spoke to about 1,000 teachers at Carl Sandburg High School Thursday night about how the state might change retirements, Sun …

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‘I’m A Lucky Person With MS’: Runner Raises Money for a Cure

Sylvia Kemp’s attitude about multiple sclerosis is summed up in the necklace she wears that reads: “I Have MS. It Doesn’t Have Me.” She's raised over $16,000 for the Walk MS in Orland Park on Sunday.

Sylvia Kemp places her hands firmly on a wooden table, and braces as she stands up carefully. Her walk is slow, but her strides are calculated and with confidence, as she approaches a familiar face at Tribes Alehouse in Mokena. She’s on a first-name basis with the staff there. She’s on a first-name basis with nearly everyone she meets within a few minutes. “You have two choices. Live or don’t,” said Kemp. “Life’s not a multiple choice situation, and I have too much to do.” In the past year, the 48-year-old from Frankfort has started a Multiple Sclerosis support group at St. James Hospital, raised $150,000 at a single auction event for the facility and raised another $16,000 for Walk MS in Orland Park and other areas on Sunday – all while …

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