May
15
2012

RECALL: Kennedy International Folding Step Stools

Fall Hazard

RECALL: Kennedy International Folding Step Stools

Health Canada, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (US CPSC), and Kennedy International, Inc., have jointly recalled the above stools which may collapse unexpectedly, causing a potential fall hazard.

Although Health Canada has not received any reports, Kennedy International has been informed of more than 15 incidents involving step stools cracking or breaking, three of which caused substantial injuries to customers. 

Customers should immediately stop using the stools and request a refund from the place of purchase. 

For further information, Kennedy International, Inc, can be contacted at 1-855-270-8301 between 9 AM and 5 PM PT Monday through Friday or via the company's website.

From January 2010 to January 2012, approximately 64,000 units of the recalled step stools were sold at Winners and HomeSense stores across Canada.

May
15
2012

New Bachelorette is a Single Mom

Drastically Different

New Bachelorette is a Single Mom

Fans of the ABC franchise Bachelorette are in for something 'drastically different' in the forthcoming season. The passing out of roses and the clinking of champagne glasses may still feature prominently, but the eligible woman with the difficult job of getting wooed by 25 hunks isn't your run-of-the-mill good time girl. 

She's single mom Emily Maynard, the 26-year-old who was engaged to Nascar driver Ricky Hendrick when he died in an airplane crash in 2004, before Emily gave birth to their daughter, Ricki.
 
Needless to say, the entire vibe of the show is different, as it caters to its leading lady. For starters, the show is being shot in Charlotte (where Maynard lives) as opposed to the usual L.A. Bachelor pad so as to keep 6-year-old Ricki's life as normal as possible. 

"Throughout the show, it was always that underlying issue of, she's a mom and is this guy ready for that?" says host Chris Harrison. "It's not about just hopefully finding love and a husband, it's about finding a father figure to Ricki."

For viewers, this is probably a welcome change. Gone is what Harrison himself calls "the superficial drama you've seen in seasons past."
 
It remains to be seen whether the proverbial hot tub scenes and overnight dates will take place. Harrison insists that this season's Bachelorette is "not the crazy, bungee-jmping, sky-diving type of woman. She's a Southern gem who likes to wear high heels and dresses." 
 
Season 8 kicked off on Monday night. Will you watch to see whether Maynard finds Mr. Right?
May
14
2012

I Heart Mother's Day

This Woman Has You Topped

I Heart Mother's Day

Windy Hill has you topped for Mother's Day gifts this year. Hands down. Or should I say hearts down. 

Surgeons were supposed to fit the 38-year-old new mom of Kingsport, Tennessee, with a mechanical heart pump at Vanderbilt University Hospital. But when Hill was still under anesthesia, a transplant donor had been found. Her fiancé, Joseph Berry, completed the consent paperwork and when she woke up, it was with a new heart beating inside her.

"What happened that morning for Miss Hill met the classic definition of a miracle," said cardiac surgeon Dr. Rashid Ahmad. "She delivered a baby six months ago and had antibodies which would pretty much reject most donor hearts."

Ever since she gave birth in October, Hill experienced chest pain and doctors found a tear in her left anterior artery. Even though she recovered from a coronary bypass, the damage to her heart had been done. Hence her scheduled surgery to insert the Heart Mate II left ventricular assist device (LVAD), an aid to circulate the blood throughout the body since her heart was too weak to pump adequately.

"I didn't believe it," Hill said. "I had to reach down and feel for the pump and when I realized it wasn't there, I knew I had a heart." 

Hill spent Mother's Day (her first) convalescing in the hospital with baby Gracie at her side.

"We pray for the family of the donor to find comfort and peace knowing that their loved one gave life to our family, saved Windy, and gave our 6-month-old daughter a second chance at life with her mother. Words will never be enough to express our thanks and gratitude," Berry said.

The Vanderbilt performs an estimated total of around 35-40 adult heart transplants a year. But transplants are only possible through generous organ donation. Have you done yours yet?