The Willow Glen Resident

Around The Glen

Nearly 2,000 orphan trees wait for homes

Willow Glen residents who want to see more trees in their neighborhood are in luck: 1,500 sycamores, crepe myrtles and other street-side shade trees are waiting for homes through Our City Forest. The only requirement is that they be planted within a three-mile radius of Highway 87, between Highway 280 and Blossom Hill Road.

Last year, the nonprofit organization Our City Forest secured a state grant to plant 2,000 trees around Highway 87. Since then, however, they've received only 500 requests from people wanting to plant the trees. Willow Glen Neighborhood Association president Kris Cunningham says she doesn't want to let the opportunity to beautify Willow Glen pass.

"What we'd like to do is let the public know how to apply for a tree," Cunningham said. "Even if someone doesn't want a tree right in front of their house, we'd like to encourage the community to come out and help. We want to have a community tree-planting day, but first we need people to send in applications."

To request an application, call Our City Forest at 277-3969.

--Cecily Barnes

Early detection is vital in treating a rare disease

It starts with cold, flu-like or allergy symptoms that will not go away but, left unchecked, can lead to the loss of a lung or even death. The disease is called Wegener's Granulomatosis, an autoimmune ailment in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues.

In an effort to educate the public about the disease, the American Hospital Association has designated this week, Oct. 5-11, as Wegener's Granulomatosis (WG) Awareness Week.

Mildred Hubbard, a Willow Glen resident whose daughter has the disease, said it is incurable, though if detected early enough, it can be brought into remission. As a member of a local chapter of the Wegener's support group, Hubbard is doing her part to spread the word about the disease this week. "We hope to have people be more aware. [The disease] mimics many symptoms like nasal and sinus problems," she explained. "Doctors even need to be educated about it."

Doctors often misdiagnos the disease, she explained. In fact, it takes the average WG patient 15 months to secure the proper diagnosis.

Hubbard said she also hopes the awareness week will let people know about the support services available to victims of WG and their families.

The nearest support group meets in San Leandro every other month, and according to Hubbard, there is a very active support group on the Internet.

"People exchange ideas. They can get information from other people to see how they've handled certain situations and can make it better for them," she explained.

Early detection is the key to treating this potentially fatal disease, which is not contagious and has no known cause. With the proper medication, many patients realize long-term remissions.

For further information, call 800/277-9474 or contact the WG Web site.

--Maggie Benson

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