Halloween is upon us.....

So Halloween is a pretty great time of year for me... I mean it is October... and that means anniversary... Although my marriage is well....pretty much self destructed... still the day comes round every year... and I like it... See we got married as near October 12th as was possible since that was the anniversary of my car accident. That day has always been special to me- as a new beginning and a celebration of life... and I wanted to make my marriage a new beginning as well. Although the marriage didn't last the new beginning has.

The Jewish new year Rosh Hashannah is in Octoberish...

I had a patient (Jenny) who came back to visit the hospital a couple of days ago. Her mother is a Jewish rabbi. When Jenny was 12 years old she was at summer camp when she suddenly became very ill. She was in septic shock from a bacterial infection. It got very serious very quickly and she had to be placed on ECMO the heart and lung bypass machine. Her parents where told she had a grim prognosis... Many prayers where said on her behalf. She lived. She did suffer some lasting damage to the nerves in her lower right leg. Now she has to wear a brace on her leg in order to walk without dragging her foot. I was her physical therapist both when she was in the hospital and after she was discharged she came back for treatment. I had told her and her mother about my annual celebration of life after surviving my car accident. When it came time for Jenny's Bat-mitz-va at 13 years of age she asked me to speak at her ceremony and that in addition to the Jewish ceremony she would also celebrate life.... I spoke as did Dr. Pinada who helped save her life by putting her on the ECMO. That was in October.

When Jenny came to the hospital the other day she told me it was the anniversary of her Bat-mitz-va. That felt really neat...she mentioned that she celebrates life annually now. That this year she wants to start a program at children's Hospital where kids who had spent some time in the hospital can talk to other kids who are undergoing treatments or extended hospital stays to help encourage and lift their spirits. I thought that was a wonderful idea!!! New beginnings again....

One more new October beginning... I don't know how many of you watch extreme makeover home edition... but this past Sunday the Make over of my friend Job's house aired... While the actual makeover took place in August... it aired Sunday.... October 26th. Job was also a patient... I was not his primary Therapist... Carol was... but I did see him regularly during his year long hospitalization. Job has had many many medical issues including cancer, deadly infections bone marrow transplant and after broncholitis obliverans destroyed his lungs... her received a bilateral lung transplant. Job finnally got to go home after more days in the hospital than out.... since he was 6 years old. He was from Bigalow Arkansas. When he went home it was quickly discovered that he could not live in his home as it was infested with mold....deadly for immunosuppressed lungs. After many letters to ABC's extreme makeover... they came and the home they built along with the contractors... was nothing short of amazing. Job looked so happy... and although they never mentioned St. Louis Children's... they did show video clips of Jobs therapy at our hospital. The neatest part they used some of what I wrote in as their closing lines of the show.... I had written that Job has gone through so much and managed to maintain a positive outlook that it gives so many other people hope... that they too can survive. I don't look at any diagnosis now as a death sentence.... I look at a deadly diagnosis as a new beginning....with an unpredictable end.... but one that Prayer can and does clearly influence.