Dawn_Stensland's Blog

    After spending many hours in the ER at CHOP with my crying 4 year  old son Michael, I thought I'd share what happened with you.. in hopes of sparing another child and family the same pain.

      It all started when we decided to buy a big round trampoline with "safety" netting and pads. We followed all the rules such as one person/child jumping at a time.  I was nervous about the new trampoline because our consumer specialisdt Michelle Buckman had reported on the dangers of these fun jumping contraptions. Boy do I wish I had heeded Michaelle's warning!!

      Little Michael now has a full leg cast which won't come off for ten weeks. That's an eternity for any little child.

       The wonderful doctors at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia repeatedly shook their heads when they heard "trampoline" and said that's one of the top injuries that brings children to ER's.

    A big thank you to all the wonderful docs and nurses at CHOP. And next time, I'll listen to Michelle's consumer warnings!

     As for Michael, he's healing at home.. and enjoying lots of chocolate pudding!

Ocean City New Jersey. Voted one of America's best spots for family vacations. I agree. We're so blessed to have the Shore so close. But have you noticed at the end of the beach day... the sand is littered with soda cans & cups.. plates.. food..even dirty diapers and broken toys. People always complain about the daily beach tag fee (it's only $17 for the entire summer if you buy a seasonal tag early).. But truthfully, it must cost municipalities a fortune to clean the beach every single evening and again every morning.      We talk about protecting the environment and leaving this world a better place for our children.. but let's live by example and teach our kids that it's important to respect the environment. I always bring an extra plastic grocery bag in my beach bag. All day, my 3 year old MIchael enjoys making sure that all the trash goes in the bag.  Then, he helps Mommy & Daddy throw the trash in the huge bins by the boardwalk.  Some day, God willing.. Michael will bring his kids to Ocean City.. and teach them about respecting the environment... hopefully, the beach will be just as beautiful. What a wonderful legacy.

Thanks so much for sharing all your diet secrets. I just lost 13 lbs on the Master Cleanse diet (Biance's diet).. I'll kepp you posted. Please continue to share your stories!! Hope you're having an awesome summer. :)  TAke care :)  Dawn

     My youngest son is seven months old.. which means I'm almost out of that "I just had a baby and still haven't lost the pregnancy weight" honeymoon period.  The South Beach diet seems to work best.. but it's still a SLOOOOOW process. Just wondering if anybody has some diet/exercise secrets. Please share.

Every night after the Fox29 10 O'Clock News... I ask our assignment manager Kyle Carmean if we received calls from viewers.  Without exception, news reports about animals (ie: Barbaro the race horse or the cat stuck in a car engine) fuel concern, phone calls, and often donations.  Money and flowers poured in for Barbaro. When we reported on a hero dog that needed expensive surgery, people donated thousands of dollars. 

   Don't get me wrong, it's wonderful that people want to open their hearts and wallets to help our furry friends in need.  What bothers me, is that we are rarely "inundated" with calls or donations when we report on human beings in crisis... especially children.

   Too often we report on children and babies who have been abused and "slipped through the cracks".   Also the crime/murder rate in Philadelphia is a real tragedy in our beautiful city.  And yet, I don't get a sense of outrage. Sometimes I wonder if our society has become apathetic to all this tragedy.  Sometimes people tell us they don't want to hear about crime and murder.  To me, we report on murder victims because we value their lives. Each life is so precious. Each time a person in our community becomes a victim, we should be outraged.  And we should all work together for justice.

     If you'd like to donate money or time as a volunteer to a non-profit ogranization that truly helps crack cold cases.. and spreads awareness about crime fighting.. here's the number for the Citizens Crime Commission: 215-546-TIPS. You can also call them if you have info on a cold case. You don't have to give your name. 

    Please share your thoughts on whether you believe our society is slipping in our value of human life.

  Take care :)     Dawn

Every night after the Fox29 10 O'Clock News... I ask our assignment manager Kyle Carmean if we received calls from viewers.  Without exception, news reports about animals (ie: Barbaro the race horse or the cat stuck in a car engine) fuel concern, phone calls, and often donations.  Money and flowers poured in for Barbaro. When we reported on a hero dog that needed expensive surgery, people donated thousands of dollars. 

   Don't get me wrong, it's wonderful that people want to open their hearts and wallets to help our furry friends in need.  What bothers me, is that we are rarely "inundated" with calls or donations when we report on human beings in crisis... especially children.

   Too often we report on children and babies who have been abused and "slipped through the cracks".   Also the crime/murder rate in Philadelphia is a real tragedy in our beautiful city.  And yet, I don't get a sense of outrage. Sometimes I wonder if our society has become apathetic to all this tragedy.  Sometimes people tell us they don't want to hear about crime and murder.  To me, we report on murder victims because we value their lives. Each life is so precious. Each time a person in our community becomes a victim, we should be outraged.  And we should all work together for justice.

     If you'd like to donate money or time as a volunteer to a non-profit ogranization that truly helps crack cold cases.. and spreads awareness about crime fighting.. here's the number for the Citizens Crime Commission: 215-546-TIPS. You can also call them if you have info on a cold case. You don't have to give your name. 

    Please share your thoughts on whether you believe our society is slipping in our value of human life.

  Take care :)     Dawn