This past weekend, I was required to attend a play put on by a local church for my Intro to OT class. the play is part of a series of events calle Satruday Social Club that take placae every month, and are attended by a group called AADD (Association for Aging with developmental Disablilities). its memebers are adults ranging in age who would normally not be able to do these things on their own. the activites are anything from watching wrestling to plays, to going to the city museum. on my trip, I had the pleasure of meeting a group of about 20 people, all with different stages and levels of different disgnoses. a couple were in wheelchairs, others assisted by the director, and the rest were able to walk in on their own. there was one in particular that stood out to me. his name was david. he had on a blue shirt, tan pants, and tennis shoes. he seemed slightly younger than the others, though his thinning hair would make it look otherwise. he was the first one to say hi to me. when we went to get cookies and drinks during intermission, he told me that his snack was good, but he really wanted to get back to his seat. talking to david afterwards about the play, i began to wonder if maybe his disability had to do more with the two sides of his brain than other parts of his body. after all, he could physically function just fine. it was his answers to my questions that didnt quite make sense. when i asked him what he thought of the play, he responded back with the same question aimed at me, or when i asked him if he had fun, he said the play was very good. it could have been the way i was wording things that were confusing to him, but i think that the two sides of his brain just werent quite interacting how they should. like maybe information went in one ear, through tone side of the brain, and then got jummbled up going in to the next side. like maybe he had an answer to the question, but his brain was permitting him from getting it out the right way. regardless, david was more than happy to listen to and try to answer my questions, and didnt seem to notice anything wrong with his responses. his carefree attitude moved me, and i know that it will get him far.

heres a link to find out more info about this amazing group of people:
http://www.agingwithdd.org/

taking on parkinsons

I recently found a new job, and had my first day last night. as I walked into the store, I was met by my new supervisor. i noticed 2 things right away; her name was Elaine, and she had Parkinsons. as the night went on, however, i noticed something else. Parkinsons didnt affect her. she showed me around the store and the breakroom, shaking all the way. but not once did i hear her get mad about dropping something, or knocking something over. not once did i hear her complain that she couldnt do something. what i did hear? her voice in my earpiece telling me and my coworker that maroon 5 was playing, and adam lavigne is her man. I heard her shriek in excitement when she saw that we were above the planned income. I watched as she laughed, danced, and threw her arms in the air every time she helped myself or a customer. as the night went on, i began to notice less and less that she had a presently incurable disease. instead, I noticed her attitude, the way the smallest thing seemed to make her day, and as i soon realized, i began getting excited too. her enthusiasm about everything was contagious. I couldnt stop laughing when she shared a story with me, or made a face when she didnt like something she saw. I wanted to know: how was she so happy with her life? how could she possibly not be rude to those who were more physically fortunate than her?  aside from those things, I also became interested in just how hard on the body parkinsons is. so I did some research, and found that Elaine was suffering from a lack of motor functions, and something in her brain was not aiding her body the way it should. her central nervous system was not receiving enough dopamine, nor was it sending it to any other parts of the body. the horrifying part? it progressively gets worse. her balance will probably be gone in just a few years, her speech has already been affected, and her memory was going to disenigrate before she knew it. the point to all this? she is my new idol. she is taking on what many believe to be a terrible disease, and shes powering through it. shes not letting it slow her down, at all. one thing she did last night that not even I do on a regular basis? she ran. whether it was to help a customer or answer one of my endless questions, she acted like getting to you was the most crucial part of her job. I am not easily inspired, but Elaine sure did just that to me last night. no matter how long I work with her, or stay in touch after moving on, I will never forget how she influenced me on my first day. and let's face it, not many of us can say we have someone in our lives like that.

to see where I got my info, heres a link.
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/parkinsons-disease-000123.htm

making leaps and bounds

so this past weekend i volunteered at a local daycare called leaps and bouds. it's desgined especially for children with disabilities. the day i was there, i met a little boy who had cerebral palsy. he had a walker, and a tie dye shirt on. when we first started out in the play area, i wanted to make extra ceratin that he wouldnt get hurt, and the activities were something he could handle. the more we played, the more i learned that he could do anything that play area had to offer. we went on the trampoline, played in the spider web, and he even climbed up the slide by himself. i had to take a step back and realize that even though his movements might have been limited, his brain and his neurotransmitters worked completely fine. they were still tarveling through the dendrites, to the axon, and out the axon terminal to his brain. he was still receiving the necessary impulses, but his body just wasn't responding to them in the same way as say, mine would. it was amazing to realize that he could still live a normal life, with normal transmitters.

9/14/2011

hey guys!
just thought i'd introduce myself. my name is cassie and i am a first year OT student and am hoping to specialize in pediatrics. i love to play sports and hang out with my family and friends. i played club volleybal for 5 years and select softball for 2. i am the middle child of 4 (trust me, its possible) and am very close with my parents. if you ever have any questions, let me know!