March 2024

By: Kathy Manney / Around Our World
In Sedona’s azure sky brightness sits the chapel
Arizonans. It was voted one of the state’s Seven
Man-Made Wonders. The Chapel of the Holy Cross is built against a
backdrop of red rocks and is Sedona’s most recognized and beloved
attraction.
To reach the chapel, we traveled around a series of wide, swooping
turns that followed a sculpted cliff line overlooking Sedona. The
beautifully designed Chapel of the Holy Cross is distinctively built high
into Sedona’s rocky cliffs and seen for miles.
It was contracted by local rancher and sculptor Marguerite Brunswig
Staude, who in 1932 was inspired to build the church after seeing
the construction of the Empire State Building. Before World War
38 March 2024
Sedona’s Most Beloved
Attraction
II interrupted
the plan, her
proposal was to
build a church
in Budapest,
Hungary.
The changed
proposal was to
then build the
church in her
native Arizona. It
took the assistance
of the late Senator
Barry Goldwater to
obtain a specialuse
permit to
build the chapel on Coconino National Forest land - a location chosen
for its beauty and picturesque view where the grandeur of immense
space lifts spirits.
Without the use of dynamite, twenty-five tons of rock was relocated. It
took 18-months to complete the chapel in 1956, at a cost of $300,000.00.
The following year, the American Institute of Architects gave the chapel
its Award of Honor.
As the sculptor said, “Though Catholic in faith, as a work of art, the
Chapel has a universal appeal. Its doors will ever be open to one and
all, regardless of creed, that God may come to life in the souls of all
men and be a living reality.”
The artsy tourist town of Sedona is clean and well-kept with plenty
of overhead sky with an attractive main drag lined with storefronts
housing interesting boutiques and gifts shops. Around Easter, tourists
the world-over flock to the American Southwest, not only for its rare
beauty, its vastness and year round sunshine, but to visit Sedona and
the Chapel of the Holy Cross.
Kathy draws her articles from a diverse personal background. She
hopes readers enjoy her column as much as she enjoys the writing and
sharing.
When Your Knees Hurt
By: Kyo Mitchell / A Healthier You
As many individuals get older, their knees begin
to hurt. While there are many causes for knee
pain, one of the most common is a problem with
the meniscus.
Situated between the femur (thigh bone) and the tibial (leg bone)
is a tough cartilaginous piece of tissue known as a meniscus. The
meniscus is seen and having two parts - a lateral or outside portion
and a medial or inside portion.
The purpose of the meniscus is to serve as a shock absorber between
the femur and tibia. For example, if you were to jump up and down and
you did not have a meniscus, the femur and tibia would slam into one
another causing damage to one or both.
The meniscus, like many parts of the body, undergoes a lot of wear
and tear through the continual use of the knees and legs. The wear
and tear on the meniscus can be further exacerbated by injury.
The most common injury is a shearing effect on the meniscus.
This happens when a person turns their body while keeping their foot
planted. During this process, the femur rotates while the tibia stays
stationary - compressing and shearing the meniscus.
Can the meniscus repair itself? The answer is it depends on where the
injury occurred and how extensive it is.
Approximately one third of the tissue that makes up the meniscus
has a direct blood supply. The other two thirds does not have a direct
blood supply.
This is important because tissue which is avascular (without a direct
blood supply) takes much longer to heal or may not heal at all.
If the injury is in the vascular area and it is not too extensive, there
is a possibility it will heal on its own. If it is in the avascular or it is too
extensive, surgery it usually required.
This surgery may be simpler where the surgeon shaves down the
damaged part of the meniscus or more extensive which many people
call “bone on bone” where the knee needs to be replaced.
Dr. Kyo Mitchell served as faculty at Bastyr University in Seattle
and Wongu University in Las Vegas for over a decade. Dr. Mitchell
practices in Summerlin and can be reached at 702-481-6216 or
rkyomitchell@gmail.com.