Four States Living Magazine

11/01/2024

11/01/2024

Smell that? It's autumn air, pumpkin spice, and freshly printed magazines! The November issue is going out now so make sure to grab a copy! And as always you can view the digital version on our website. Happy Fall, y'all! 🍂🍁🦃🏈🍲🍁🍂

https://www.fourstatesliving.com/

10/28/2024

“We’re going to take you on a journey of my career, and I’ll tell stories. A lot of those stories will lead into a song that means a lot to me or relates to that story. And, yeah, it’s going to be a fun night, just because of the fact that I love to have fun on stage.”

Norm Lewis, an American actor and baritone singer, will take the stage alongside the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra at the Perot Theatre on Saturday, November 9th at 7 p.m. to present Blockbuster Broadway with Norm Lewis. The performance will feature musical numbers from Norm’s vast repertoire of beloved Broadway hits.

Norm Lewis is an acclaimed performer who has earned Emmy, Grammy, Tony, and SAG Award nominations for his work across stage, screen, and music. He is widely recognized for his recurring role on the hit TV series Scandal, as well as his film appearance in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods. He recently starred in the national tour of the Tony Award–winning A Soldier’s Play, as well as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s West End Concert of Love Never Dies. In the fall of 2021, Lewis returned to Broadway, starring in Chicken and Biscuits at the Circle In The Square Theatre. His performance as Porgy in the Broadway production of The Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess also garnered him several award nominations.

Read more about Norm here:
https://www.fourstatesliving.com/feature-stories/2024/9/30/norm-lewis-a-life-onstage

10/25/2024

In 2013, at age 25, Jessica Pickens discovered that she carried the BRCA 1 gene, which gave her a 65% chance of a fatal breast cancer diagnosis. A busy mother of two, she closed her eyes, hoping to forget about the threat. For the next few years, she concentrated on raising her children, Karson and Quinnleigh, all the while praying for a quiet, unannounced deliverance from a cancerous fate. Yet with each fond memory the Pickens family made, the latent terror of breast cancer crept into Jessica’s idle thoughts.

Things changed in 2021, when Jessica picked up Four States Living Magazine’s annual “Fabulous 40 and Under” issue. It showcased Jessica’s old friend Nikki Kitchens Morphew, who carried a similar gene. Jessica picked up her phone and reconnected with Nikki. They spoke at length of Nikki’s challenges and eventual victory over the CHEK 2 gene. Nikki laid out a road map for the journey that lay before Jessica, whether or not Jessica chose to pursue it proactively.

All of her hesitancy faded as she stood at her stepfather’s graveside. Taken suddenly and far too early by an unexpected battle with cancer, he left behind a family reeling with his unanticipated loss. As Jessica wrestled with thoughts of her own mortality, the BRCA 1 gene, and the path in front of her, she looked up to see her two children and husband grieving the loss of their family member. How much worse would it be for them if she also descended into the ground?

Read Jessica's full story here:
https://www.fourstatesliving.com/feature-stories/2024/9/30/ino7y121tr76gog26kpf9tbm7buftz

10/21/2024

In most high schools, it takes a lot for a student to be universally liked by their peers; it’s rare to find someone who everyone genuinely enjoys being around. But for Zephaniah Black, a junior student-athlete at Arkansas High School, popularity hasn’t been much of a challenge.

“His character and dedication set a standard for all to follow,” biology teacher Colette Reid said.

At 16, Zephaniah is not only a student on his high school campus but also part of the Arkansas High School Collegiate Academy at UAHT. This unique opportunity allows him to chase his dreams at a faster pace than if he had stayed solely at Arkansas High.

Read Zephaniah's full story here:
https://www.fourstatesliving.com/feature-stories/2024/9/30/fslm-student-profile

10/18/2024

Though we often think of health as an individual matter—concerning a person’s diet, movement, sleep, medication, and so forth—Dr. Matthew Nix is keenly aware that the pursuit of health is a community endeavor. In particular, he is passionate about the community value of family physicians.

“You can drop a family doctor in a community, and just by the fact that they’re there, practicing preventative medicine, mortality drops, hospitalizations drop, ER visits drop, insurances spend less money,” he said. “It’s vital—and the research proves this—for patients to have that personal physician whom they see over time.”

Matthew is the program director of the family medicine residency program at the UAMS Southwest Regional Campus, located on U of A Way in Texarkana. The residency began training doctors in 1993 and has, over the last 31 years, produced 203 family physicians, including Matthew himself, who completed his residency in 2006. Around 73% of those doctors have remained in Arkansas or Texas, with many in Texarkana and surrounding areas. This is by design.

Read Dr. Nix full story here:
https://www.fourstatesliving.com/feature-stories/2024/9/30/training-and-retaining

10/14/2024

Practicing yoga gives Jessica Gray peace, healing, and balance. It also gave her the strength she needed to contend with two cancer journeys—her mother’s and her own.

In 2010, Jessica was one year into her career as an independent hairstylist when her mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Her flexible occupation allowed her to shift her schedule and take care of her mother as she underwent treatment for the aggressive disease.

“My mother was one of the few pancreatic cancer patients who lived more than one year,” Jessica said. She died in 2016.

While grappling with the tragic loss of her mother, Jessica turned to yoga and began practicing at Texarkana Yoga. She spent several years at the studio building community, grieving, and healing. “The place became so much more than a place to exercise for me,” she said. “It gave me a quiet space to connect with God.”

Read Jessica's full story here:
https://www.fourstatesliving.com/feature-stories/2024/9/30/taking-cancer-to-the-mat

10/10/2024

PLAY BALL! As the MLB playoffs heat up, Texarkana’s own Michael Wacha takes the mound tonight in a HUGE game against the New York Yankees.

The Yankees lead the best-of-5 series 2-1, so tonight is a must-win game for Michael and The Blue Crew to keep their World Series hopes alive.

You can catch the game on TBS or MAX at 7pm Central Time.

Good luck Michael! ⚾️👑

10/10/2024

According to the Mayo Clinic, type 1 diabetes affects over 1.25 million Americans. This condition requires constant attention and presents a plethora of challenges for those who live with it. Among those affected is 17-year old Emma Barr, who is a competitive dancer and senior at Texas High School. Emma is committed to living life to its fullest, not letting her diagnosis slow her down.

“I was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2019, when I was 12 years old,” Emma said. “My mom noticed I was acting strange. She called her aunt, whose son is a type 1 diabetic. The next day, we went to the emergency room. There, they ran some tests and discovered that I had type 1 diabetes and sent us on to Dallas Children’s Hospital.”

Emma and her family were shocked to learn of her diagnosis and feared the challenges of the road ahead.

Read Emma's full story here:
https://www.fourstatesliving.com/feature-stories/2024/9/30/dancing-with-diabetes

10/07/2024

In the midst of tragedy, priorities often shift. This happened for Suzy Osburn when, on July 23rd, 2022, her brother, Christopher Trumble, passed away unexpectedly. The family was shattered by the loss.

“I remember telling people that was the worst day of my life,” Suzy said. “I had never experienced loss quite like that. I have lost grandparents, but the loss of a younger sibling before their time . . . it’s just stabbing. It is devastating.”

A few weeks later, Suzy’s husband, Kyle, sat her down to discuss a serious matter—his desire to add a baby to their family.

Read Suzy's story here:
https://www.fourstatesliving.com/feature-stories/2024/9/30/a-day-restored

10/04/2024

Jennifer Unger has always been a planner who likes to dive into the details. Multitasking is her superpower, and her visionary approach to leadership pushes her to think many steps ahead. A self-proclaimed type-A personality, Jennifer excels in her career as the executive director of the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council (TRAHC). However, a breast cancer diagnosis forced her to travel down a path filled with variables she could not control, and it often limited her from planning anything past her next chemotherapy treatment. She described her experience as a “complete paradigm shift” in the way she approaches life and service to others.

Read Jennifer's full story here:
https://www.fourstatesliving.com/feature-stories/2024/9/30/a-shift-in-perspective

10/03/2024

Jeans & Bling is this Saturday! Click the link below to buy event and raffle tickets online. Select your chance to win a room makeover or vacation getaway! Get your disco outfits ready for Studio 54 with live music, dancing, a celebrity lip sync contest, and live & silent auctions!

https://www.hospiceoftexarkana.org/event-details/jeans-bling-2024?utm_campaign=0ac4a182-dcac-41f3-9fba-124700e4cb77&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&cid=74a4c0e9-bb25-4fda-98e2-3045b9a622c0

09/30/2024

Our October issue is going out today. It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month and this issue features inspiring stories about women, women’s health, and healthcare in general. Make sure to grab a copy at your favorite spot, and as always you can check out the digital version on our website.

https://www.fourstatesliving.com/

08/30/2024

It's that time of year ... It's time for the FSLM Fabulous 40 and Under! The issue is going out around town right now, but as always you can check out the digital version on our website!

https://www.fourstatesliving.com/

08/09/2024

Historically, the presence of women in STEM fields has been disproportionately low. However, according to the US Census Bureau, the number of women in engineering has been steadily increasing over the past few decades, allowing for diversity in perspectives and skills across the field. Adding her name to the influx of women engineers is Texarkana’s own Taehlor Lafferty.

Taehlor didn’t initially set out to pursue engineering. Instead, she obtained an associate’s degree in general education through the University of Arkansas Hope–Texarkana in 2019. She then proceeded to pursue a bachelor of science in nursing through Texas A&M University–Texarkana before changing her major from nursing to engineering.

Read Taehlor's full article here:
https://www.fourstatesliving.com/feature-stories/2024/7/31/paving-a-path

08/06/2024

Books have always been a source of joy for 9-year-old Carter Wilcox. Now, he is on a mission to share that joy with as many children as he can.

As a student at William Jefferson Clinton Primary School in Hope, Arkansas, Carter looks forward to the Scholastic Book Fair every year.

“It’s exciting to see our library with so many racks of new books and choices,” he said. “Reading has always been encouraged in my home, and I have always been lucky enough to be able to pick [and purchase] any book I wanted at the book fair.”

Read Carter's full story here:
https://www.fourstatesliving.com/feature-stories/2024/7/31/sharing-the-joy-of-reading