Event Alert: For the first time ever, Disney show in Cebu

When I was a kid, I used to watch regularly the TV show "The Wonderful World of Disney" which features Disney cartoons and movie classics. I sat in front of the TV set and wait for Tinkerbell to cast her magic on the Disney Castle to signal the start of the TV show. There was Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket, Pluto, Goofy, Donald Duck, Minnie and of course, Mickey Mouse. I love them that I would imitate their sounds or voices even before and until now.

As years passed, the Little Mermaid, Alladin and the Toy Story characters were brought to life and they also became hits for me and for many others. Each time I watch a Disney film, the kid in me comes back to life.

Now your favorite and my fave Disney characters are coming to Cebu...LIVE and for the FIRST TIME EVER!

From the Producers of Disney on Ice comes Disney LIVE! Mickey's Music Festival. Featuring a line-up of more than 25 Disney characters bringing to you the biggest concert experience to hit live family entertainment.

Hear once again and re-live the greatest hits from the blockbuster movies of Alladin, the  Little Mermaid and Disney/Pixar's Toy Story remixed to rock, reggae, pop, hiphop, jazz and country among others. Everyone knows watching Disney films that their music is superb and worth listening to again and again. Expect also dizzying acrobatics, flying carpets, magical transformations and wonderful set designs. Expect only the best from the award-winning team of choreographers, performers, designers and of course the trademark wonderful Disney music.

Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival is presented in the Philippines by Vivre Fort Entertainment, Inc. and is set to be staged in the Philippines including Cebu from September 23-25, 2011 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel. In Metro Manila, it will be at the Araneta Coliseum from October 5-9.

Tickets for the Cebu show are available at SM Tickets (032 231-3876) located at SM Cinemas, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel (032 232-6888), Ayala Center Cebu and also at Ticketnet. Tickets for the Manila show are exclusively available at Ticketnet and the Araneta Coliseum.

Visit www.disneylive.com.ph or call Vivre Fort Entertainment at (02) 470-6956 for more details.

Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival is brought to you by Araneta Coliseum, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel, Araneta Center, Gateway Cineplex 10, Alimall Cineplex 4, SM Cinemas, Discovery Suites, Businessworld, Sunstar, Cebu Daily News, Crossover 105.1, Power FM Cebu and Love Radio 97.9.

The Time to Act is Now: June 19-25 is PKD Awareness Week

US Senate Resolution 205 championed by Senators Herb Kohl and Orinn Hatch designated the week of June 19 to 25 as PKD Awareness Week to increase awareness of PKD especially among Congress and to spread the message that there is urgent need for treatments and a cure.

You could take action and play an active role by writing your Senators and Representatives if you are a US Citizen. You can compose your message with the help of the PKD Advocacy Network.

Priorities for this year as enumerated by the PKD Foundation include:
    

• Funding for PKD research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 
• Support for the Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act, which will extend coverage of vital immunosuppressive drugs to Medicare transplant patients beyond the 36 month limit.
• Support for the MODDERN Cures Solutions Act that will seek to streamline the regulatory system in drug development process to help move potential treatments to PKD patients faster and more efficiently. 

If you are a Non-US Citizen, then I am here to inform you that there is such a hereditary disease called polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and it may be under-reported in your country because of poor awareness. PKD may manifest as elevated blood pressure in the young, recurrent urinary tract infection, hematuria, kidney stones, flank pains just to name some manifestations.

PKD is a difficult disease to have but there is still life after PKD and there is hope if only we could help make other people aware so that there would be more researches toward a cure.

If you have PKD or have a relative with PKD then maybe we can have a network here and share experiences and learn from them. Let us support each other and our friends.

Webinar on Cardiovascular Issues and PKD on June 8

Cardiovascular disease may be overlooked by some PKD patients. Ironically, some of them are discovered to have polycystic kidneys because of elevated blood pressure at a relatively early age. Some may not realize that part of taking care of one's kidneys is by taking care of one's cardiovascular health including maintaining the blood pressure.

It comes as good news that once again, PKD foundation is facilitating patient education through webinars such as the one coming on June 8 7PM CDT or June 9 8AM CST (Philippine Time). The webinar is entitled, "Cardiovascular Issues and PKD". The presenter is Robert Weis, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Cancer, UC Davis- Davis CA; Chief of Nephrology Sacramento VAMC, Sacramento, CA.


To join the webinar, register here. 

Generic drugs work as well as their branded counterparts

Having kidney disease is very expensive. There are several medications to maintain. To name some, they may include anti-hypertensives, urine alkalinizers, allopurinol and occasionally antibiotics which can cost more than a hundred pesos (or more than 2 USD) per tablet especially for some brand name drugs.

A Potential Problem for PKD: Kidney Stones

It is not surprising to have kidney stones for patients having polycystic kidneys. With the urine tending to be more acidic than normal, the stones which favor an acidic environment are expected, example of which are uric acid stones.