In Memory Of ALL The Lives Lost With The Tragic Events Of 9-11. We Mourn The Losses And Pray For Their Families. PRAY, and then PRAY some more!
|
Welcome To Our Home Page!
|
|
MISSION STATEMENT OF
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AMPUTEES UNLIMBITED:
Through understanding and compassion, we
will welcome all persons challenged by
limb loss. Through shared experiences,
emotional support and educational
resources, we will empower every person
to live a fulfilling life after limb
loss.
|
|
GROUP SUPPORT,
PEER VISITOR PROGRAM and
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Support group meetings are every 2nd
Saturday of each month at HEALTHSOUTH
Harmarville Rehabilitation Hospital -
McLaughlin Education Room, from 10:00am
to 12:00pm.
|
|
Western Pennsylvania Amputees Unlimbited
|
|
Volume 3, Issue 4 ----- October, 2001
|
BIOGRAPHY~by~Diane Matter
|
|
I would like to introduce myself. My
name is Diane Franks-Matter. I am 31
years old. I live in the Zion area. I
am married to Jeff Matter and we have
two children. Jena is 8 and Seth is 5
years old. I have worked at Centre
Community Hospital in the billing
department for 12 years. On August 25,
1999 my life changed forever. This is
my story.
On the day of August 25, 1999 no one
could have predicted what the next 48
hours world bring. I went to work at
the hospital. I had a meeting with my
supervisor at noon and he informed a
coworker and myself that we had been
approved for a promotion. We were both
so excited. The promotion would go into
effect that Sunday. I never made it to
Sunday . I had a training session at
the hospital in the afternoon and told
the girl I was working with, that I was
going to cut it short because I just
didn't feel well. Everything on my body
hurt. I had bought Carpal Tunnel braces
two weeks prior because my wrist hurt so
bad it was hard to type for 8 hours a
day. Nothing seemed to be helping
though.
I left work, picked up the kids from
daycare, visited my grandparents, came
home made dinner, bathed the kids, did
my usual nightly routine and decided I
was going to bed early. Jeff had some
minor surgery that day and was taking
medication so he went to bed early too.
Around 1:30 a.m. on August 26, our
guardian angel woke Jeff up. He reached
over to me and asked if I was OK? I
told him no, I feel really sick. He
took my temperature it was 104 degrees.
We got dressed and headed for the
emergency room. After we arrived at the
emergency room, I was checked over,
blood work was drawn and it was
determined that I had the flu. I was
instructed to go home rest and drink
plenty of fluids. I was discharged from
the emergency room around 5:30 a.m.
7:30 a.m. I called my mom and told her
not to come around me that I had been in
the ER during the night with the flu. I
knew she was headed to the fair for the
day and I didn't want her or the kids
getting sick. Thank goodness she didn't
listen to me. She kept coming over to
my house every ½ hour and every visit
brought a worse picture. By 11:30 a.m.
I was lying on our bathroom floor,
unable to control my bowels or bladder,
extremely tired, still complaining of
excruciating pain everywhere on my body,
and bobbing in and out of consciousness.
She phoned the doctor and we drove to
his office.
They were waiting on the sidewalk with a
wheelchair for me. I tried to get out
of the car. I almost passed out and
missed the wheelchair. My world was
spinning so fast. I was taken inside
and was assessed by my doctor and his
nurses. He had received my lab results
from during the night and he didn't like
what he saw. They tried to start an IV
but my veins had collapsed. They called
for an ambulance to come to the office
and back to the ER I was going. But
without a warning to me. My mom was
told to get my dad and Jeff to the
hospital as quick as possible because I
might die before the night was over. My
mom was in total disbelief. DIE???
She's not going to die. She's just
really sick.
Upon arrival at the hospital everything
was a blur. People were moving so fast.
Nurses gathered around me doing vital
signs, lab technicians were drawing more
blood work, my doctor was constantly
checking on me and making phone calls to
various places. A spinal tap was done
and it was decided. I had Streptococcal
Pneumonia and Sepsis and I was critical.
Life Flight was called and was asked to
transport me as soon as they could to
Hershey Medical Center. I was to be
admitted to the Medical Intensive Care
Unit. My family was told this would
probably be the last time they saw me
alive. They all came in to say their
final goodbye. I had an europhic
feeling of floating above my body. I
was looking down on my own body with my
family gathered around the foot of my
bed. It was at that time I realized Oh
my God, I'm going to die. They are all
here because I'm going to die. At that
very moment I said to myself, no I am
not going to die I can beat this . My
doctor leaned over me and told me I was
very sick and to keep fighting and never
give up. The flight nurses wheeled me
to the helicopter and loaded me for my
trip. They tried to use a breathing
apparatus and I remember fighting them
since my doctor had just told me to keep
fighting. I don't think this is quite
what he had in mind. Then everything
went black. I was told later my heart
stopped in route to Hershey and my Life
Flight angels brought me back. For the
next 5 ½ weeks I would be in a coma
fighting for every second of my life.
My family has filled in the blanks for
me. After I arrived in Hershey, I was
immediately placed on numerous
medications to fight the infections. I
increased in size from the amounts of
fluid that was being put into my body.
They put 15 -20 lbs of fluid on me in
less than 2 days. I had no facial
features. My chin touched my chest. My
head was too heavy for my neck to hold,
so I was propped by towels. Fluids were
seeping from every orifice of my body.
My organs began shutting down one by
one. First my kidneys, then my lungs
began to fill with fluid. They were
drained 5 times over the course of my
64-day stay. That was a very painful
procedure. I developed stomach ulcers
from the tracheotomy being positioned
wrong. I was hemorrhaging and required
32 pints of blood. The human body has a
total of 16 pints. My total blood
volume was replaced twice! The doctors
had thought that I might need to have my
stomach and my esophogus removed if they
couldn't get my bleeding stopped. They
tried cauterizing twice and it didn't
work.
|
|
The third time was a charm. I was
diagnosed with Systemic Lupus. This is
an autoimmune disorder in which my body
produces antibodies to fight against
themselves. Systemic Lupus also attacks
your organs and this is what caused my
organ failure. My circulation was not
working properly. The blood supply was
not getting to my hands and feet because
my body was trying to keep an adequate
blood supply to my organs to keep them
alive. I developed dry gangrene. It
was a blessing I'm told to have dry
gangrene and not wet gangrene. Sept 22
the doctors decided it was time to make
a decision to amputate. The gangrene
was spreading up my limbs further with
every day that passed. Jeff and my
family were devastated. They questioned
how I would live without my hands and
feet? How would I take care of my
children? How could I ever live a
functional life again? But what
everyone needed to focus on was that I
did LIVE!! We would learn to deal with
the different situations that came up
but I needed to be alive first. Sept 24
was the day of my amputations. Days
after I came out of surgery, Jeff & Seth
were by my bedside. Seth looked at me
with his big brown eyes and said "Mommy,
we didn't love you for your hands and
feet, we love you for your heart." At
that instant I knew my family would be
OK in time. My 4-year-old son had the
wisdom of an adult and he wasn't going
to let me give up. He made it very
clear that he still needed his Mommy.
Little did he know how much
determination he was giving me to
succeed and to beat whatever challenges
lie ahead.
The next few weeks were spent gaining my
strength and dealing with the phantom
pain. I was learning to sit up on my
own. It took me 3 weeks to sit up 3
minutes. I had ulcers on my legs that
needed to be debrided. That is taking
the dead skin off down to the new skin.
That was very painful. We did dressing
changes 3 times a day. I developed
pericarditis and needed emergency
surgery to relieve the fluid from around
my heart. Every night when I would
finally close my eyes I would thank the
Lord for giving me another day. I would
ask that he put me in his hands and
carry me until tomorrow. He did
faithfully and has never failed me for a
moment.
I was discharged from Hershey on
10/21/99. I was transferred to Nittany
Valley Health South Rehabilitation
Hospital. This is where the fun would
begin. I had physical and occupational
therapy twice a day. When I first
started therapy I could not lift a pound
with my legs. I could not roll myself
over to my stomach. I could not feed
myself. I was really totally dependent
on someone for everything. Within a
weeks time I was feeding myself, writing
my kids a letter, signing my husband's
birthday card, developing balance and
strength and knowing that I would get my
life back.
Therapy proceeded and everyday was an
adventure. I was so excited to try new
things. I wanted to give 110% but
expected 110% from my therapist as well.
They did that and more. I was finally
learning to be independent.
September 2000, I started back to work
part-time at my job at Centre Community
Hospital. Seth was starting
kindergarten and Jena third grade. I
felt like I was starting school too.
The kids and I went and bought school
and work supplies. I felt like a little
kid. I was so happy to go back to work.
My boss had me doing reports and some
computer programming so if I didn't
finish my project it could wait until my
next scheduled day. He also surprised
me and promoted me to the positioned I
had been offered the day I got sick. I
thought it should be illegal to be that
happy at work.
December 2000 I accomplished another
major hurdle. I went for my driving
test. On my initial evaluation no one
was sure how driving was really going to
happen. Hershey had never had a
quadruple amputee before yet alone one
that wanted to drive. I was told, "Your
going to be our guinea pig. We aren't
quite sure where to start." I was told
because I was a bilateral below the knee
amputee I would need to drive with hand
controls. I questioned why and was told
that I would not be able to feel the
amount of pressure being applied to the
pedals. This didn't sit well with me
because I wore prosthesis on my arms
too. If that was the reasoning then how
was I going to feel hand controls?!
After 1 ½ hours of trying to use hand
controls my instructor was beginning to
get frustrated. My hooks kept getting
stuck in the dashboard vent. I could
not apply a full brake. He was running
out of ideas. He thought maybe a voice
activated dashboard would be helpful.
Those cost about $40,000. I suggested
letting me use my feet. After arguing
with me, he agreed. It wasn't long and
I had him convinced that using my feet
was the safest means for me to use. I
took 8 hours of drving classes and then
passed my test. I became the first
amputee out of Hershey to be allowed to
use their feet to drive. I had a
steering post on my steering wheel, a
button glued to my cruise control, and a
bump switch for my wipers totaling about
$125.00. Big difference from the
original $40,000. I didn't want a lot
of unnecessary bells and whistles on my
car that I didn't need. I wanted the
least amount possible. If I need to
rent a car or borrow a car I want to be
able to still function.
|
|
January 2001, I started chemotherapy for my Lupus. My lab values indicated that perhaps we were in for another bout of organ failure. I tried an IV in the beginning of December and it didn't work. My last option was the chemotherapy. I was scared to start chemo. I knew I didn't really have a choice but it was still hard to accept that once again my life was teetering on the hopes that the chemo will work. I knew that somehow we would find the strength to face the chemo as we had faced every other challenge sent our way.
My family has been so supportive in every aspect of my recovery. This is not a one man show by any means. I am the product of a God given miracle.
A product of a community pulling
together. Perfect strangers holding me
in their thoughts, cards being sent,
meals made, soup sales, bingo, bake
sales, blood drives, every act of
kindness you can think of to help. At
first I found it overwhelming and
wondered how I would ever be able to
repay the kindness. Then a friend
explained to me that they felt helpless.
They couldn't administer the
medications or perform surgery to save
my life. But they could make a
difference in other ways and feel
useful.
I look at my amputations as an
opportunity not a disability. I have
been given so many opportunities that I
would have never had. I met a number of
people who have reached out to me.
Friends, family, neighbors, communities,
and perfect strangers, reaching out to
help me in my time of need. I am so
thankful for my life. When you compare
life vs. limb there is no choice. I can
still hug my kids, go to their t-ball
games, read them books have birthday
parties, etc. This is not about what
I've lost, it's about what I still have
left. Everyone faces challenges in
their lives. It's how you choose to
deal with the challenges that define
your spirit. It's so easy to say I
can't but it takes a much bigger person
to say I can't YET, but I'll try.
When I was beginning to try my luck at
cooking again, (I was never a good cook
with hands) I would drop things on the
floor. The dog has eaten very well due
to my mishaps. My mom would say let me
do that for you, it's just easier. I
would tell her, Mom thanks for offering
but I have to do this myself. I have to
fail in order to succeed. If I drop it,
I'll have to change the way I carry it
the next time.
I am the ninth person in the world to
have the combination of illnesses that I
had and the third person in the world to
live. I truly believe that God chose me
for a purpose. Out of all the people in
the world he chose me. There were so
many times I could have died and didn't.
Through my experiences I have been able
to talk to other amputees. I have been
able to offer guidance and
understanding. I have even been able to
offer hope showing them that life, as an
amputee isn't really all that bad. There
are other people a lot worse off then
me. We don't have to change our socks,
we don't have to shave our legs, and we
don't even have to clip our toenails!!
I try to get people to focus on what
positives are in their lives and not
dwell on the small stuff. As I've said
before, we all have bad experiences; it
is what we do with those experiences
that matter. The smallest achievements
deserve the biggest rewards.
I've helped start a local amputee
support group at Nittany Valley Health
South. Right now we are still little in
number but very big in knowledge. Our
first meeting I was asking how to dance
with my husband without stepping on his
toes? An elderly gentleman said,
"Honey, I'm not getting fresh with you
but you need to put your left breast
between your husband's chest. Just
trust me, it will work." By darn he was
right! It did work. I was dancing for
the first time in over a year with my
husband. It's the small things that
mean so much.
It is also the small things you miss. I
miss holding hands with my family,
wiping their tears away with my fingers.
I put a cold, hard piece of metal to
their faces to wipe their tears. I miss
looking down at my hands and seeing my
wedding rings. Then I stop, get focused
again and thank God I'm alive to hug and
kiss my family. Sitting around feeling
sorry for myself isn't helping me or
anyone else. I don't sweat the small
stuff anymore. I look at today is a
gift tomorrow is not guaranteed. Don't
dwell on things in your life that you
simply cannot change. I can't change my
amputations. But I don't have to let
them limit me. I'm happy with who I am.
If I could go back to my old lifestyle
and have to take the whole package to
get my hands and feet back, I would
choose to stay exactly where I am.
Let the OPPORTUNITIES in your life
empower you not limit you. Take your
experiences to learn and grow yourself.
Help others to grow too. Don't focus
on things you have no control over.
Focus on the positives. Focus on making
a difference, even if it's only for
yourself.
|
Seth, Diane and Jena
|
- October 1___Karen Herman
- October 4___Dale Reckless
- October 8___Columbus Day
- October 13___Rex Newton
- October 13___Group Support
- October 14___Roy Franz
- October 17___Tom Kosecki
- October 19___Bob Hildenbrand
- October 24___Emil Boariu
- October 28___Daylight Saving Time ENDS
- October 31___HALLOWEEN>>>BOO!
- November 6___ELECTION DAY
- November 9___Albert Bui
- November 9___Elby Park
- November 10___Group Support
- November 11___VETERANS DAY
- November 15___James "RAMBO" Ramage
- November 22___THANKSGIVING
- December 3___Yvonne Gillespie
- December 8___Annual "HOLIDAY BRUNCH"
- December 10___HANUKKAH
- December 15___Mary Ann Nolan
- December 21___WINTER BEGINS
- December 25___CHRISTMAS>>>HoHoHo
- JANUARY 1 "02"___NEW YEARS DAY
- ** Please contact: Mike Oehling for more information on golfing at 724-295-9635
- Please contact John Sikora at Healthsports for information on their winter sports schedule! 412-826-2771
|
~~~"Thou Shalt Not Skim Flavor From The Holidays"~~~ By Craig Wilson, USA TODAY
|
|
I hate this time of year. Not for its crass commercialism and forced
frivolity, but because it's the season when the food police come out with
their wagging fingers and annual tips on how to get through the holidays
without gaining 10 pounds. You can't pick up a magazine without finding a
list of holiday eating do's and don'ts. Eliminate second helpings,
high-calorie sauces and cookies made with butter, they say. Fill up on
vegetable sticks, they say. Good grief. Is your favorite childhood memory of
Christmas a carrot stick? I didn't think so. Isn't mine, either. A carrot
was something you left for Rudolph.
I have my own list of tips for holiday eating. I assure you, if you follow
them, you'll be fat and happy. So what if you don't make it to New Year's?
Your pants won't fit anymore, anyway.
|
- About those carrot sticks. Avoid them. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
- Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's a treat. Enjoy it! It's later than you think.It's Christmas!
- If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
- As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
- Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello? Remember college?
- Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food.
- If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention.
- Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
- Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards, mate.
- And one final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips. Start over. But hurry! Cookieless January is just around the corner. ~MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL~
|
Carnegie Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
|
|
The Carnegie Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (CLBPH)
loans large print books, recorded books and magazines, and cassette
players to play the recordings to Western Pennsylvania residents who are
unable to read standard print materials because of a visual disability,
physical disability, or physically-based reading disability. Materials
are mailed to the borrower's home, and the return postage is covered by
the Free Matter mailing privilege, so there is no cost involved when
returning materials. In fact, there is no cost at all to borrowers;
their tax dollars have already paid for this service.
A wide variety of recorded books and magazines are available from the
library. Bestsellers by John Grisham and Danielle Steel are popular, as
are thrillers by Tom Clancy, romances by Nora Roberts, and biographies
by David McCullough. History buffs can subscribe to American Heritage
magazine , while sports fans can receive Sports Illustrated. General
health materials are available, as well as more specific titles like
Diabetes Forecast. In short, the library's collection is much like
that of most public libraries, only in recorded or large print formats.
Though it is located in Pittsburgh, the Library for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped serves readers in 36 counties in Western and
Central Pennsylvania.
|
- For more information or to request an application, contact:
- Carnegie Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
- 4724 Baum Boulevard
- Pittsburgh, PA 15213
- Phone: (412) 687-2440
- Toll-free: 1-800-242-0586
- E-mail: clbph@carnegielibrary.org
- Website: www.carnegielibrary.org/clp/LBPH
|
- We will try to feature three new web sites here every edition.
- Clinical Trials.gov http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/gui/c/a1b
- The World of Wheels http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/6295/
- Occupational Therapy http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/5309/le.html
|
- We are looking for your ideas here. Please let us know any of your ideas to share with everybody!
- Remember to WASH your hands. It's the most effective way to prevent infection!
- Tax Time is coming! Remember to document everything.
|
- 1/3 C____margarine
- 1/4 C____granulated brown sugar replacement
- 1____egg
- 2T____water
- 1/2 C____unsweetened pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 C____flour
- 1 t____allspice
|
|
Cream margarine until fluffy. Add brown sugar replacement, egg and water, beating until completely blended. Beat in pumpkin puree, stir in flour and allspice, and mix to completely blend. Spread evenly in greased 13 x 9 pan. Bake at 350 for 16-18 minutes, or until sides pull away from pan. Cool and cut into bars. Yield: 48 cookies, Exchange 2 cookies: 1/3 bread, 1/2 fat Calories 2 cookies: 52
|
|
If anyone would like to share a favorite
recipe please forward it to Gary. I would like to include a new
recipe in each issue of the newsletter.
If anyone would like to share any ideas,
thoughts,speakers,topics of discussion
let Dale know.
|
|
Western Pennsylvania Amputees Unlimbited
Support Group meetings are held every
month on the 2nd Saturday of each month.
They are from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
at HEALTHSOUTH Harmarville
Rehabilitation Hospital-McLaughlin
Education Room. If you have any
questions, you can contact Dale
Reckless, PT at 412-781-5700 ext. 7762
. Thanks to all in advance for their
continued support and participation .
|
|
A true handicap is what we don't do with
what we have, Not what we can't do with
what we don't have.
Christopher H. Brewer
|
|
Amputation affects a variety of people in the United States and around the
globe, and includes people of every race, gender, and ethnicity without
regard to geographic location or occupation.
The statistics that are currently available are limited, and only give us a
glimpse at the diversity of the amputee population. Fortunately, the Limb
Loss Research and Statistics Program, a partnership of the Amputee Coalition
of America, the Centers for Disease Control and the John Hopkins University
School of Public Health, hopes to advance the way information about amputees
and people who are at risk for amputation is collected and disseminated. You
can learn more about the LLR&SP by visiting the website at :
http://www.amputee-coalition.org/llrsp/index.html
Prevalence: Prevalence is the actual number of people in the population who
have a condition at a specific point in time without regard to when the
condition actually started.
Prevalence of the Absence of Extremities (excluding tips of fingers or toes
only)
Total: 1,285,000 in the United States in 1996
Here are some breakdowns by age, gender, race and region:
Age:
Under 18: 70,000
18-44: 293,000
45-64: 305,000
65-74: 395,000
75+: 223,000
Male:
Under 45: 287,000
45-64: 251,000
65-74: 286,000
75+: 69,000
Female:
Under 45: 76,000
45-64: 53,000
65-74: 109,000
75+: 154,000
Race:
White: 1,188,000
Black: 98,000
Region:
Northeast: 222,000
Midwest: 370,000
South: 469,000
West: 247,000
(Data from the Vital and Health Statistics National Health Interview Survey,
Series 10, No. 200, tables 62, 63, 64)
Incidence: Incidence is a rate that measures how many new cases of a
condition were reported in a population during a particular year. These
numbers are expressed as x number per 1,000 or 10,000 in a given year.
Incidence is sometimes used to identify the sections of the population who
are "at risk" for a condition.
Incidence of Absence of Extremities (excluding tips of fingers or toes only)
Total: 4.9 per 1,000
Breakdowns by age, gender and region
Age:
Under 18: 1.0
18-44: 2.7
45-64: 5.7
65-74: 21.5
75+: 16.7
Male:
Under 45: 3.2
45-64: 9.8
65-74: 34.8
75+: 16.7
Female:
Under 45: 0.8
45-64: 1.9
65-74: 10.7
75+: 18.6
Region:
Northeast: 4.1
Midwest: 5.8
South: 4.3
West: 4.6
(Data from the Vital and Health Statistics National Health Interview Survey,
Series 10, No. 200, talbes 57, 58, 59)
According to the National Health Interview Survey, Series 13, No. 139 there
were 185,000 surgical
amputations performed in 1996.
Here is the breakdown by types of amputation (organized by the International
Classification of Diseases):
84.0 Amputation of upper limb: 26,000
84.01: Amputation and disarticulation of finger: 23,000
84.1 Amputation of the lower limb: 159,00
84.11 Amputation of toe: 59,000
84.12 Amputation through foot: 18,000
84.15 Other Amputation below knee: 42,000
84.17 Amputation above knee: 36,000
Etiology: the cause or origin of a disease or condition
Number of Hospital Discharges for Limb Loss/Limb Deficiency by Etiology,
1996
according to an analysis done by the LLR&SP team of the Healthcare Cost and
Utilization Project nationwide inpatient sample
Congenital 998
Cancer 889
Trauma 15,827
Dysvascular 128,372
Other 1,692
|
~"It Is In Giving Oneself That One Receives."~
|
- Please consider giving a little of yourself to the patients at Allegheny General Hospital. Many rewarding volunteer opportunities are available including:
- Patient Representatives
- Emergency Room and ICU Family Support
- Eucharistic Ministers
- Hospital Greeters and Guiders
- Patient Mail Delivery, plus many more.
- Orientation/training are available for all assignments.
- Complimentary meals and parking.
- Please contact the AGH Volunteer Services Department at 412/359-3067 or our web site www.wpahs.org for details.
|
Peer Visitor Training Workshop In Erie, Pa.
|
A BIG Thank You to Donna Rapheal, RN and James B. Ray, Pharm. D. for inviting the ACA to do a Peer Workshop at the Hamot Medical Center in Erie, Pa.
|
How about some "role" playing, guys?!?
|
See you in Anaheim! July, 19-21, 2002....
|
|
Guestbook Entries
|
Wendy Coleman
wenzdinner@dingoblue.net.au
Comments:
Even for an aussie... its powerful stuff...
-----
|
Wendy
Comments:
-----
|
Christy
hammercj@stargate.net
Comments:
very good Gary! You should be proud!
-----
|
Sharon Buchko
Sharon_Buchko@fcasd.edu
Comments:
What a great site with inspring messages, recipes, etc. Gary you truly are a special person.
-----
|
Lorraine Williams
lol@lorrainewilliams.com
lukenow@lorrainewilliams.com
Comments:
I really enjoyed reading this issue. My son is 7 & has a left through knee amputation. You have a great site here.
-----
|
Donna Rapheal
Donna.Rapheal@hamot.org
Comments:
I really enjoyed visiting your website!!! Keep up the great work...
-----
|
Carla Regini
ljregini@aol.com
Comments:
Boy I wanted to cry while I read Diane's story. Hope you are all well a big Wisconsin hello to you all!
-----
|
Deb Ramage
dramage1@hotmail.com
Comments:
Another good one Gary. I really love the picture of you & Jim walking down the street in KC--only 1 good leg between you but by God, you're both out there livin' & helpin' people!! Love, Deb
-----
|
Deb Ramage
dramage1@hotmail.com
Comments:
Another good one Gary. I really love the picture of you & Jim walking down the street in KC--only 1 good leg between you but by God, you're both out there livin' & helpin' people!! Love, Deb
-----
|
Comments:
-----
|
|
