Despite making a list and checking it twice, there is always that last-minute, present that needs to be bought.  Pronto!  Consider one of these easy-to-buy gifts that give thrice; something for THEM, something for a noble CAUSE, and something that will fill YOUR soul. Pinterest Holiday Gift Guide for the Soul 1.  Books that inspire, support your favorite charity, and provide hours of entertainment for the recipient.  My top choices: Fully Alive by Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver.  All net proceeds will … [Read more...]

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. -  Meister Eckhart Raising children takes true grit; the challenges are many.  But parenting a child with cancer?  That seems to defie the laws of nature. No baby should die in the dawn of life.  But they do.  Too often.  I thank God my children and family were spared this scourge.  At the Type-A Conference in September, I had the honor of meeting one of these warriors.  It is impossible not to be forever … [Read more...]

Many, many moons ago I interned as a physical therapy student at St. Mary's Children's Hospital in New York City.  Completely unprepared for my first professional "job", I walked into what I thought would be a routine learning experience.  I was instead changing the way I looked at life and my profession forever.  My team performed massage and passive exercise with a 1-year-old that presented with a 30 pound head due to hydrocephalus.  We splinted braced and ambulated with toddlers that had been born with cerebral palsy. … [Read more...]

Homemade art, made with love by Gayle Turner and pals. With dry cloths and coiffed hair, I've written several checks for ALS; I am not adverse to ice water, but I believe folks should participate in philanthropy freely, without undue pressure, and because they have a leaning towards a particular charity.  I have treated several patients with ALS; it is a dreadful disease, and I gave freely to that cause, though bone dry. Give Kids The World Village is different.  When Disney Gals and The Adult Side of Disney asked me to participate … [Read more...]