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Healthy lungs are key to your overall health. They help you think clearly, allow your organs and tissues to function smoothly, and help your immune system protect your body.

When Pastor Vic Comstock, 63, arrived at a hospital near his home in Moberly, Missouri, he thought he was battling pneumonia. Vic faced a series of life-threatening complications, including sepsis, respiratory failure, and dehydration.

Twenty years after having her left hip replaced, Shelly Conley, 86, felt like something wasn’t quite right. She had a strange sensation deep in the hip joint that was shifting with every step, catching, and grinding in a way it hadn’t before.

Russell Parker fights fires at one job and works in a cobalt mine at another. He hunts, fishes, and, up until recently, competed in roping competitions on horseback. And there once was a time when he was a high-flying basketball player.

Last fall, Pam Ludy, 65, took a trip with her sister to North Carolina. But Pam, who has osteoarthritis in both knees, had a hard time walking.

U.S. News & World Report has again recognized St. Louis Children’s Hospital and its physician partners at WashU Medicine among America’s Best Children’s Hospitals, ranking St. Louis Children’s No. 1 in Missouri, No. 1 in St. Louis, and No. 3 in the Midwest region.

When Ashley developed a rare condition following a heart transplant, she turned to Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Mike Mueller, 61, from Swansea, Illinois, had multiple heart tests done a few years ago and was free of any blockage. However, blockage can occur quickly. He recently started feeling pressure in his chest but didn’t believe it could be his heart. For a few days, a lingering cough—maybe bronchitis—was the reason he hadn’t been feeling well. On Dec. 26, 2024, while playing pickleball at the local YMCA with his son, who was in town for the holidays, Mike started feeling winded and dizzy.

Known as ‘Coach’ to everyone in the Farmington, Missouri, community, Gary Koch, 79, has made a lasting impact both on and off the basketball court. A Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee, he spent more than 40 years coaching college women’s and high school boys’ varsity basketball. Now retired, he is thankful for the wonderful care he received after a serious heart scare last summer.