Pulse

Lessons from a boy's life

By Virginia Anderson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

On a beach on the Pacific, Jennie Kaiser of Chicago saw a palm frond that reminded her of a boat and thought about a little boy in Atlanta she didn't even know.

The Merrill Lynch director had just gone through a wrenching divorce. She was treating herself to a healing retreat at the elegant Four Seasons Hotel in Punta Mita, Mexico.

But the thought of Carter Martin tugged at her.

Carter was battling cancer through countless setbacks. For months, Carter's mother, Leigh Ann Martin, had been updating a Web site, telling of his struggles - losing a leg, losing his hair, losing part of his skull - and victories - a blood cell count high enough for him to have chemotherapy, being able to return to school. Full Article

Traveling nurses hit the road

By Laura Raines
Pulse editor

About 185 of the employees at Northside Hospital don't live in metro Atlanta. They hail from North Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee or Florida.

With a suitcase and a willingness to nurse, they make a long commute to work each week; some even fly.

In exchange, the hospital gives them a bed, a full- or part-time job with benefits and greater career opportunities. Faced with a national nursing shortage, hospitals have found ingenious ways to attract the quality staff they need. Full Article

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