Fall 2015 - Shepherd Center

Transcription

WORTH
THE TRIP
Two families explain why
they journeyed to Shepherd
Center to help their loved
ones regain function.
ALSO INSIDE
REFINING TENDON TRANSFER SURGERY +
REGENERATIVE MEDICINE RESEARCH + LEARNING TO MOVE FORWARD
news.shepherd.org | Fall 2015
Shepherd Center Magazine:
Spinal Column®
Fall 2015
Shepherd Center
2020 Peachtree Road, NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
404-352-2020
[email protected]
news.shepherd.org
Editor
Jane Sanders
Design
Soloflight, Inc.
Contributing Writers
Sara Baxter, Larry Bowie, Amanda Crowe,
Phillip Jordan, Brittany Mullins, Shawn
Reeves, Jane Sanders, Scott Sikes
Contributing Photographers
Molly Bartels, Karen Elshout, Louie Favorite,
Blayne Macauley, Gary Meek, Phil Skinner,
Matthew Walton
Board of Directors
James H. Shepherd, Jr., Chairman
Gary Ulicny, Ph.D., President and CEO
Emory A. Schwall, Vice President
William C. Fowler, Treasurer
Stephen B. Goot, Corporate Secretary
Alana Shepherd, Recording Secretary
Members
Fred V. Alias, Gregory P. Anderson, David
F. Apple, Jr., M.D., C. Duncan Beard†, Brock
Bowman, M.D.*, Wilma Bunch*, James M.
Caswell, Jr., Sara S. Chapman, Clark Dean,
John S. Dryman, Mitchell J. Fillhaber*, David
H. Flint, Stephen B. Holleman*, Michael L.
Jones, Ph.D.*, Tammy King*, Molly Lanier,
Donald Peck Leslie, M.D., Douglas Lindauer,
Sarah Morrison, PT*, Charles T. Nunnally III,
McKee Nunnally, Sally D. Nunnally, John
Rooker, Clyde Shepherd III, J. Harold
Shepherd, James H. Shepherd III, Scott
H. Sikes*, James E. Stephenson, James D.
Thompson, Goodloe H. Yancey III†
*
†
Ex Officio
Emeritus
Shepherd Center Magazine: Spinal Column
is published quarterly by Shepherd Center,
a private, not-for-profit hospital specializing in
the treatment of people with spinal cord injury,
brain injury and multiple sclerosis. E-mail
change of address information or request
to be removed from our mailing list to
[email protected], or by mail to
Shepherd Center, Attn: Shepherd Center
Magazine Mailing List, 2020 Peachtree Road,
NW, Atlanta, Georgia, 30309. Please include
mailing label. Shepherd Center Magazine
accepts no advertising. Spinal Column is
a registered trademark of Shepherd Center.
About the Cover: Shepherd Center
patients travel from near and far to
undergo the hospital’s aggressive
brand of rehabilitation for spinal
cord and brain injury.
Illustration by Alex Williamson
Spinal Column®
A LETTER FROM JAMES SHEPHERD
Dear Friends,
During Shepherd Center’s 40-year history, we have experienced a cycle of
growing and building about every six to 10 years. In the past decade, that cycle
time has shortened because of an increase in demand for our specialized,
expert care in brain and spinal cord injury rehabilitation.
That demand has risen, in part, because healthcare consumers are making
informed choices based on quality of care. They are comparing the excellent
outcomes Shepherd Center has achieved in its comprehensive, specialized
continuum of care to the outcomes typically seen among patients with brain and
spinal cord injury who receive care in a general rehabilitation setting that
treats a broad range of conditions. Simply put, specialized, expert care yields
better outcomes, and people are willing to travel – even far away – to get that
kind of rehabilitation.
Because of this trend, Shepherd Center has admitted patients from across the
nation and the globe. While they are patients, many of their families stay in our
on-campus Woodruff Family Residence Center – free of charge, thanks to our
generous donors. The availability of this housing makes it easier for families to
provide support for their loved one while they undergo rehabilitation. Eventually,
some of these patients and families even decide to make Atlanta their permanent
home because of the healthcare resources and lifestyle it offers.
With its vast healthcare community, Atlanta has become a “medical mecca”
of sorts. Shepherd Center is an important part of that community, collaborating
with medical researchers at Georgia universities on clinical studies and
technology development. Shepherd is also a training ground for university
students preparing for careers in physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing,
pharmacology and social work, among others. In addition, Shepherd Center – with
its specialized expertise – has become a valuable resource to in-state and out-ofstate trauma centers seeking to improve acute care for patients with brain and
spinal cord injury.
Whether our patients decide to make Atlanta home or they return to their own
communities, they leave Shepherd Center having received excellent care and
restored hope for life beyond their injury. They, in turn, become our ambassadors
to other patients and families whose lives are altered by injury and in need of
specialized rehabilitation care. These ambassadors can share their personal
perspective on the difference the Shepherd Center experience has made in
their lives and why they would make the exact same choice again. As you
will read in our cover story (see page 6), they know we’re “Worth the Trip.”
Warm regards,
James H. Shepherd, Jr.
Chairman of the Board
CONTENTS
Fall 2015 • Shepherd Center
COVER STORY, Page 6:
Families travel to Shepherd Center from
all over the country to get the best care
available for their loved ones.
FEATURES
6
COVER STORY:
WORTH THE TRIP
Two families explain
why they journeyed
to Shepherd Center to
help their loved ones
regain function.
12
EFINING TENDON
R
TRANSFER SURGERY
FOR PEOPLE WITH
QUADRIPLEGIA
Procedure gives some patients
what once seemed out of their
reach – restoration of some
arm and hand function.
PHOTO BY K AREN ELSHOUT
DEPARTMENTS
See news.shepherd.org
for additional online content.
2
4
SHORT
TAKES
5
14
18
32
CLINICAL STAFF PROFILE
RESEARCH FEATURE
Regenerative Medicine
Research
John Morawski, MSN
PATIENT PROFILE
Natalie Eaton
FOUNDATION
FEATURES
HONORARIUMS
AND MEMORIALS
Gifts of Generosity
If you would like to make a gift to support the work you have read about,
please contact Scott H. Sikes at the Shepherd Center Foundation
at 404-350-7305 or visit shepherd.org.
S
short
takes
Shepherd Center Launches Two New Renovation Projects
2
1
Shepherd Center has two renovation
projects under way, both with the intent
to update the space and create a more
comfortable and pleasant environment
for Shepherd patients and their families.
The chapel, located near the
Shepherd Building entrance, is being
reconfigured to allow for the addition of
new pews, a meditation area and new
chaplain offices. The meditation space
will also double as an area inside the
chapel where chaplains can meet with
patients and families. The existing
stained glass window will be moved and
backlit against a wall, freeing up space
for a window of frosted glass, which will
improve the lighting in the chapel. Gail
Foster, a professional artist and former
Shepherd patient, is donating a painting
that will hang on the main wall.
“We’re completely redesigning the
space to make it more comfortable and
2 • news.shepherd.org
inviting for Shepherd patients and
their families,” says Wilma Bunch,
vice president, facility services and
risk manager for Shepherd Center.
The $200,000 chapel renovation
is being funded through the generosity
of longtime Shepherd Center
supporters Fred Alias, and his sons
Andrew and Shaler.
“It is very special that the funds
for this project are being donated by
a family with strong ties to the Center,”
says Alan Roof, one of Shepherd
Center’s chaplains. “By providing a
place for peace and worship, it
demonstrates to patients and their
families that the community outside
does care about what goes on inside
Shepherd Center’s doors.”
Also undergoing a facelift is
Shepherd Pathways, Shepherd Center’s
facility for outpatient brain injury
services. The $1.8 million project is also
being funded with donor contributions.
Plans call for adding a canopy to the
entrance to allow people to exit their
cars in a covered area in case of bad
weather, an improved waiting area for
families, and increasing and updating
therapy rooms.
“We are reallocating space to
improve efficiency,” Bunch says.
“The number of patients in Pathways
has increased over the years, and we
will be able to accommodate them
and their families more comfortably.”
Construction on both projects
began in July. The chapel was
scheduled for completion in September,
and Pathways should be finished
in early 2016. Sara Baxter
PHOTOS BY LOUIE FAVORITE AND GARY MEEK
1. Shepherd Pathways, the hospital’s facility for
outpatient brain injury services, is undergoing renovation.
2. Shepherd Center chaplains Alan Roof and Ben Rose
are excited about the renovation of the hospital’s chapel.
Boca Raton Regional Hospital
Kicks Off Partnership with Shepherd Center
Boca Raton Regional Hospital and
Shepherd Center recently announced
a new partnership aimed at attaining
the best possible outcomes for people
in the South Florida area who have
complex neurological conditions.
The partnership is a new researchbased and training affiliation, making
Boca Raton Regional Hospital (BRRH)
the first healthcare facility in Florida to
become an affiliate of the Shepherd
Center Care Network. The partnership
also provides assistance with helping
patients locate rehabilitation
equipment in their area, as well as
educational materials for patients and
families during care transitions, such
as returning to their communities.
“Our affiliation with Shepherd
Center will ensure our patients with
neurological injuries or illnesses have
access to the expertise at Shepherd,
one of the top facilities in the nation
for medical treatment, research and
rehabilitation for spinal cord injury,
brain injury and other complex
neurological conditions,” says
Jerry Fedele, president and CEO
of BRRH. “It will most certainly
compliment the outstanding
capabilities we have at our new
Marcus Neuroscience Institute.”
Shepherd Center will support
clinical and rehabilitation staff at
BRRH by providing on-site and
distance learning educational
sessions covering complex neurologic
diagnoses and collaborating on
opportunities for discussion on
standards of care.
“Our relationship will also help
pave the way for more post-acute
rehabilitation options for people in
the area who need aggressive level
of services, such as what Shepherd
Center offers,” says Gary Ulicny,
Ph.D., president and CEO of Shepherd
Center. “We are excited to partner with
Boca Raton Regional Hospital, which
is an institution that equally embraces
our mission of patient-centered care.”
“The two facilities are a perfect
match for launching the Shepherd
Center Care Network in Florida,” says
Robert Levy, M.D., Ph.D., director of
the Marcus Neuroscience Institute.
“Our Institute has transformed Boca
Raton Regional Hospital into an
innovative destination for neurologic
and neurosurgical care.”
Shepherd Center Co-Founder Receives Public Service
and Advocacy Award from Andrew J. Young Foundation
Shepherd Center co-founder Alana
Shepherd received the Andrew Young
International Leadership Award for
Public Service and Advocacy in a recent
ceremony in Atlanta.
The award honors Alana’s “decades
of effective action on behalf of people
with spinal cord injuries, people with
disabilities and the Atlanta community
as a whole.”
“We recognized Alana Shepherd as
one who has led extraordinary efforts to
prepare and support emergent leaders
for effective service and public policy
advocacy,” says Andrew J. Young
Foundation co-chair Carolyn McClain
Young, wife of former U.N. Ambassador
Andrew Young, who has also served as
a U.S. Congressman and Atlanta mayor.
The Leadership Awards honor
exemplary individuals whose generous
actions, philanthropy and servant
leadership have had an extraordinary
impact on changing the lives of others
and the world. Past honorees include
Oprah Winfrey, Hank and Billye Aaron,
and President Lyndon and Lady Bird
Johnson (posthumously).
“I am so honored to have received
this special award from the Andrew J.
Young Foundation,” Alana says. “It
has been such a privilege to be able
to co-found Shepherd Center and
help people find life beyond their
injury or disease.”
Introducing Alana at the awards
ceremony was former Shepherd Center
patient April McConnell, who sustained
a spinal cord injury in 2014. She credited
Shepherd Center with helping her return
to her family and work.
Alana – along with her son James
and husband Harold – co-founded
Shepherd Center in Atlanta in 1975 to
treat spinal cord injury. Through the
years, Shepherd Center has grown
from a six-bed unit to a world-renowned,
152-bed rehabilitation hospital.
Through the years, Alana has been
Shepherd Center’s chief fundraiser and
Shepherd Center co-founder Alana Shepherd receives a
public service award.
prime mover-volunteer, a woman known
for her upbeat honesty, business savvy
and relentless drive. She continues to
serve as secretary of the board of
directors at Shepherd Center.
The Shepherds founded Shepherd
Center after James sustained a
paralyzing spinal cord injury in 1973.
Frustrated by the lack of state-of-the-art
rehabilitation care in the southeastern
United States, the family galvanized
support among the Atlanta community
to open a specialty facility.
Spinal Column® / Fall 2015 • 3
R
research
Regenerative Medicine Research
Researchers confirm safety of injection procedure for investigational treatment
of newly injured people with cervical spinal cord injury and increase dose in
second round of patient enrollment in the study.
BY JANE M. SANDERS
ASTERIAS BIOTHERAPEUTICS INC., A MENLO
PARK, CALIF., BIOTECHNOLOGY COMPANY
focused on the emerging field of regenerative medicine,
has begun the second round of patient enrollment in
a Phase 1/2a clinical trial of escalating doses of an
investigational product to treat newly injured people
with cervical spinal cord injury.
The first patient in the initial safety cohort was treated
at Shepherd Center in early June. The second and third
patients were successfully dosed at Chicago-based
Rush University Medical Center. Asterias officials say
the results of the clinical trial – called SCi-STAR –
studying the investigational product, called AST-OPC1,
continue to support a robust safety profile with no
serious adverse events observed in any of the three
treated patients to date. These patients received
the initial low dose of 2 million cells, intended to test
the safety of the injection procedure used to treat
these patients.
The patient treated at Shepherd Center has
completed a three-month post-injection assessment
and has progressed from a complete ASIA Impairment
Scale (AIS) A injury to an incomplete AIS C injury. The
principal investigator at Shepherd Center, Medical
Director Donald Peck Leslie, M.D., says, “This progress
in the first patient is very encouraging and is observed
in fewer than 5 percent of our AIS A patients at this stage
of their recovery.”
The second cohort in this clinical trial will enroll five
patients, who will receive 10 million AST-OPC1 cells.
“We are pleased with the confirmation of safety in the
first dose cohort and we are excited to begin recruitment
of patients who will receive 10 million AST-OPC1 cells,”
says Edward Wirth, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer
of Asterias.
The open-label, single-arm study is being conducted
at three medical facilities, including Shepherd Center,
and will include up to 12 centers in the United States.
The SCi-STAR trial will test three sequential escalating
doses of AST-OPC1 administered at up to 20 million
AST-OPC1 cells in 13 patients with sub-acute, C-5 to
C-7, neurologically complete cervical spinal cord injury.
AST-OPC1 will be administered 14 to 30 days postinjury. Patients will be followed by neurological exams
and imaging methods to assess the safety and activity
of the product.
Additional information on the Phase 1/2a study,
including trial sites, can be found at clinicaltrials.gov,
using Identifier NCT02302157, and at the SCiStar study
website (scistarstudy.com).
Upon achievement of initial safety data from
the first two cohorts of this study, Asterias plans to
seek concurrence from the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration to increase the robustness of the proof
of concept in the Phase 1/2a clinical trial by expanding
enrollment from 13 patients to up to 40 patients. Asterias
believes this change will increase the statistical
confidence of the safety and efficacy readouts, reduce
the risks of the AST-OPC1 program and position the
product for potential accelerated regulatory approvals.
More than 12,000 people sustain a spinal cord injury
each year, but there are no FDA-approved therapeutics
or devices that could potentially restore some function
in individuals who have recently sustained a spinal
cord injury.
All clinical trial participants at Shepherd Center must
be patients who are admitted to Shepherd. Also, clinical
trial eligibility requirements apply. Medical professionals
are invited to promptly refer patients for assessment to
determine whether they are appropriate for
admission to Shepherd Center. Contact Shepherd
Center Admissions at 800-SHEPHERD (800-743-7437)
or [email protected].
For more information about Asterias, visit
asteriasbiotherapeutics.com.
P
staff
profile
JOHN MORAWSKI, MSN NURSE PRACTITIONER
INTERVIEWED BY PHILLIP JORDAN
John Morawski, MSN, started working at Shepherd Center in 1999 as a registered nurse.
He has also served as a nurse educator and, currently, as a nurse practitioner, working
in tandem with Anna Elmers, M.D., in the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Programs.
Q: What about nursing really hooked you?
A:What I like – especially here at Shepherd
Center – is that you really get invested with
the patients. You have a chance to help
them carry over what they learn in therapy
and apply it to their daily routine. You see
people through a very difficult time in their
lives, and that’s a big honor. You get to
know people in a real way.
INTERESTING FACTS
DEGREES:
•S
t. Joseph’s College
of Nursing (Associate
Degree in Nursing)
• Kennesaw State University
(Bachelor of Science
in Nursing; Master of
Science in Nursing)
PHOTO BY GARY MEEK
Q: W
hat was your first impression
of Shepherd Center?
A:I immediately thought, “Wow, there’s just
so much hope here.” After going through
nursing school and reading textbooks and
learning about severe injuries, you think it
would be such a difficult field to work in.
But there was no gloom when I walked
into Shepherd Center. They were actually
planning a Thanksgiving party for patients.
Teenagers were goofing off in the hallways.
I thought, “I want to work where patients
are encouraged to be themselves while
they’re recovering.” It was a very unique
culture to walk into.
Q: What is one of the most important things
you’ve learned on the job?
A:When patients have a severe injury, in reality,
there are a lot of things they’re recovering
from, and sometimes you need to address
the things that don’t seem like the biggest
concerns. One of my favorite examples is
a young guy who had a spinal cord injury,
broken bones, internal issues – and a
broken pinky. That pinkie injury obviously
seems minor in scope, but for him it was a
really big deal. Because he loved playing
guitar and, as a person with paraplegia,
playing guitar was something he could do
and feel like himself again. So we made the
decision to get his pinky fixed quickly so
that playing guitar could be part of his
rehabilitation from the start.
FUN FACTS:
•M
orawski and his wife,
Deanna, have three boys:
Evan, 8; Luke, 6; Joshua,
5 months.
• On coaching his sons’
sports teams: “A lot of
meltdowns on a 6-yearold’s basketball team.
My coaching consists
of keeping them
emotionally stable.”
• A grill master, Morawski
says his kids call his best
dish, “‘Daddy’s Special
Chicken.’ I don’t want to
brag, but they say it’s
pretty good.”
Nurse practitioner John Morawski, MSN, chats with a spinal cord
injury patient.
Q: What’s your biggest goal with a
new patient?
A: To find some kind of common connection
or interest. It’s so important for patients to
connect to their strengths and passions
again. People can start to feel defined by
their injury. I want them to reconnect with
their strengths and their passions so that
they say, “I do this” or “I’m involved in that.
Yeah, this is who I am.”
• Atlanta celebrity
connection: His first son
was born on the same
day as Mei Lan, the first
panda cub born at Zoo
Atlanta.
• How does he think others
describe him at work?
“Well, he tries really hard.’”
Sense of humor? Check.
More online at
news.shepherd.org
WORTH
THE TRIP
Two families explain why they journeyed to
Shepherd Center to help their loved ones regain function.
BY AMANDA CROWE, MA, MPH
Michael Schneider, 37, of Jupiter, Fla., sustained
a brain injury in 2013. His wife Melanie chose
Shepherd Center for his rehabilitation. Their first
child, a boy, was born in June 2015.
PHOTO BY MOLLY BARTELS
Melanie Lott knew something was terribly wrong when her fiancé,
Michael Schneider, never came home from work one fateful Monday
night. Panic ensued, and through her quick sleuthing, Melanie finally
tracked him down through the Florida Highway Patrol.
Michael was at a local trauma center about an hour south of
Jupiter, Fla., with several critical injuries. He had been driving on the
Florida Turnpike and reportedly pulled over to rescue a cat. As he
was walking along the shoulder, a car swerved and hit him at nearly
60 miles an hour, catapulting his body more than 50 feet into the guardrail.
“We didn’t really know his prognosis, but he was in a coma and had major
injuries to his head, right shoulder, pelvis and ankle,” Melanie explains.
“These are relatively rare
injuries, and it can be
very isolating at first.
It’s really like being alone
on an island, but once
people get to Shepherd
Center, there is a huge
amount that’s gained
through common
experience, and it
helps families cope.”
1. Christian Rocha,
left, 17, of O’Fallon,
Mo., sustained a spinal
cord injury following
multiple surgeries to fix
his scoliosis. 2. Michael
Schneider, 37, of Jupiter,
Fla., has returned to
cycling following brain
injury rehabilitation at
Shepherd Center.
1
Despite her fiancé’s grim prognosis at the
trauma center, Melanie refused to give up. After
all, Michael was only 35 years old at the time,
and the two were set to marry just six months
later. They soon learned about Shepherd Center
and, through her research, Melanie decided it
was exactly where Michael needed to be.
“Rehab facilities in South Florida cater to
a much older patient population, and they didn’t
seem equipped to aggressively deal with his
injury,” Melanie says. “I just kept thinking he
has so much life ahead of him, and I knew that
every decision we made in the immediacy of
the injury would ultimately determine his quality
of life later on.”
They met with Ginger Murphy, MSW, a
Shepherd Center clinical liaison, who evaluated
him at the hospital and began the process of
admitting him to Shepherd Center. Once he
was stable enough to make the trip, Michael
was taken to Atlanta.
Of course, what someone might need in
terms of rehabilitation depends on the nature
and extent of their injury. Unlike single joint issues
– a knee or hip replacement – spinal cord injury
(SCI) and acquired brain injury (ABI) are much
more complicated.
“These are complex conditions involving
multiple systems so we might be dealing with
someone’s bowels, bladder, skin, sexual function
on top of figuring out how the person can best
approach everyday life. And ambulation and
mobility are also affected,” says Brock Bowman,
M.D., associate medical director of Shepherd
Center. “In this case, specialized rehabilitation
is essential. It’s akin to someone with cancer
needing a comprehensive cancer hospital.”
Of the nearly 1,200 inpatient rehabilitation
programs in the country, only a handful are
specialized in brain and spinal cord injuries to
the extent that Shepherd Center is, says Dan
Walter, an Atlanta-based healthcare consultant
who has worked primarily with rehabilitation
providers for 20 years.
“You need a critical mass of patients to excel
in a certain area, and it’s very hard for smaller
rehab programs to have enough patients with
spinal cord or brain injury to be good at it or
have properly trained staff and the right
equipment,” he adds.
POWER IN NUMBERS
As a Center of Excellence, Shepherd Center
is able to draw from a large geographic area
- BROCK BOWMAN, M.D.,
ASSOCIATE MEDICAL DIRECTOR
OF SHEPHERD CENTER
and has a large enough patient population
– nearly 1,000 cases a year on average – to
support the specialized skills, equipment
and programs that are needed to treat
catastrophic spine and brain injury.
“We have developed a level of expertise
for treating these injuries and knowing what
might be possible, and patients won’t find
that in a general rehabilitation program,”
says Angella Clemons, RN, provider relations
coordinator at Shepherd Center.
Research also consistently shows the
earlier someone can start rehabilitation, the
better the outcomes, including being able to
do activities of daily living, maintain hobbies
and even return to work or school. Because
Shepherd Center is equipped to handle all
levels of care – even patients who are still
acutely ill – patients often start intensive
rehabilitation sooner. For example, patients
might still need surgery, require a ventilator
or be semi-conscious, but can still benefit
from some form of rehabilitation.
“At other hospitals, rehabilitation is
often delayed,” Clemons says.
Patients at Shepherd Center tend to be
much younger than the average patient at
other rehabilitation facilities, which is what
initially attracted Melanie to the program,
she says.
PHOTO BY MOLLY BARTELS
A HEALING EXPERIENCE
For many families, hope and inspiration
come from a shared experience with other
patients and families, as well as the hospital’s
focus on what matters to the person who
is injured.
“These are relatively rare injuries, and
it can be very isolating at first. It’s really
like being alone on an island,” Dr. Bowman
explains. “But once people get to Shepherd
Center, there is a huge amount that’s gained
through common experience, and it helps
families cope.”
And patients get much more than the
traditional mix of occupational, speech
and physical therapy; they get an experience
that brings healing and hope.
“We understand that patients are
going through more than just recovery
from an injury; they are learning a new
way of life and establishing a new ‘normal’,”
Dr. Bowman says.
As part of the rehabilitation program,
patients may take advantage of a number
of other integrated programs including:
amily and psychosocial
° Fcounseling
and support
Transitional support
° Recreational therapy
° Music therapy
° Outings to places like local malls,
° tourist attractions and sporting
°
°
events to help with reintegration
into the community
A three-day workshop to learn
outdoor skills at a lakefront camp
Vocational counseling to help
patients return to work or school
“These services are provided seamlessly
at Shepherd Center, and they don’t
necessarily exist in general rehabilitation
settings,” Clemons says.
Sandi Rocha of O’Fallon, Mo., whose son,
Christian sustained a spinal cord injury after
multiple surgeries to fix scoliosis, says she
couldn’t agree more.
“When we arrived at Shepherd Center,
I was completely astounded by the types of
specialized therapy offered – the advanced
robotics and neurostimulators. But outside
of all of the modern medicine is this incredible
focus on encouraging and teaching patients
that your life doesn’t have to end because
you had a traumatic event,” she says. “If
you were a kayaker, they will get you in the
pool to kayak.”
Her son, 15 years
old at the time, loved
2
to play basketball with
his brothers.
“When the activities
staff learned this, they
put him in a modified
wheelchair so he could
play, and that was huge,”
she says. “It gave us some
hope that his future wasn’t
so bleak even if he never
walked again.”
This tailored approach
is part of the staff’s
ongoing effort to teach
people how to adapt to
the injury, but not let it
define them.
“When we arrived
at Shepherd Center,
I was completely
astounded by the
types of specialized
therapy offered – the
advanced robotics and
neurostimulators. But
outside of all of the
modern medicine is
this incredible focus
on encouraging and
teaching patients that
your life doesn’t have
to end because you had
a traumatic event.” - SANDI ROCHA
A SENSE OF RELIEF
“Our first night at
Shepherd was the
first time I really
slept in the five
weeks since his
accident. We had
been advocating
for him around the
clock at the local
hospital. It was
the greatest sense
of relief.”
- MELANIE LOTT
THE BEST PLACE FOR SPECIALIZED CARE
One of the biggest issues many families face
when deciding on a rehabilitation program is
whether to stay close to home. The thought of
picking up and leaving homes, jobs and other
demands can be overwhelming on top of the
initial shock of the injury.
Sandi can relate. A single mom, she was
900 miles away from her three other children
during Christian’s two-month stay at Shepherd
Center. She also lost her job because of it.
“It was daunting, but I knew it was the
place he needed to be to walk again,” she
says. “You might give up a month or two
or three, but you gain years of productive,
happy living, and Shepherd Center became
an extension of our family.”
Sandi found Shepherd Center after
researching spinal cord injury online. She
also found out about another family from
the St. Louis area whose child was paralyzed
from the neck down and was able to walk
out of Shepherd Center upon leaving.
Melanie feels the same way about
her husband.
“At the end of the day, nothing else
mattered except getting him the intensive
care he needed,” she says.
Dr. Bowman has found that patients
and families often need help transitioning
from the grief and shock of the initial event
to recovery and rehabilitation. Getting out
of that environment can sometimes help.
“These are all-consuming, big injuries,”
he says. “You certainly have the familiarity
and support of family and friends, but those
same people typically only know the loss and
what has changed. They don’t know what is
possible because these injuries are so few
and far between. But here, we manage these
injuries all the time. Three months away often
means a lifetime at home.”
Specialized centers like Shepherd Center
also have a broader continuum of care to
maximize outcomes and teach patients
how to manage the injury once home.
“These are not one-time events,” Dr.
Bowman adds. “You need a continuum of
care from then on, and that’s what you get
at Shepherd Center.” In fact, discharge
planning begins upon admission to help
ensure patients can continue to build on
the gains made during their stay.
Sandi says the education and skills they
attained at Shepherd Center were invaluable.
“We became experts on his injury and what
he needed moving forward,” she adds.
Today, Christian is back to playing
basketball with his three brothers again,
drives a car, and is generally leading a
normal life.
“He’s 95 percent healed, and there’s not
much more we could have hoped for than
that,” Sandi says. “There is no question in
my mind that it was the specialized care
he got at Shepherd that gave him the best
possible chance of recovery.”
1. Sandi Rocha of O’Fallon,
Mo., chose Shepherd Center for
spinal cord injury rehabilitation
for her son, Christian.
2. Shepherd Center offers
many state-of-the-art
therapeutic technologies to
help patients, such as Danny
Diaz, achieve their goals.
Because of the wealth of expertise at
Shepherd Center, many families say they
can finally breathe easier once their loved
one is here. The staff’s confidence in handling
these injuries gives them comfort and eases
the stress that’s been wearing them down.
“Our first night at Shepherd was the first
time I really slept in the five weeks since his
accident,” Melanie explains. “We had been
advocating for him around the clock at the
local hospital – to make sure he was being
turned and cleaned. It was the greatest
sense of relief.”
1
2
MAKING A TRUE DIFFERENCE
Melanie will forever be grateful for the intense
rehabilitation Michael received at Shepherd
Center after he was hit alongside the highway,
she says.
“I know in my heart of hearts that we would
not be sitting here in a living room of a house
we bought together, getting ready to have
our first baby any day now if we didn’t have
Shepherd Center,” she says. “Shepherd
saved his life.”
(Since this writing Melanie and Mike are
proud parents of a baby boy, Jackson, born
on June 23, 2015).
For more information about the inpatient
and outpatient programs, visit,
shepherd.org/patient-programs.
BETTER OUTCOMES FROM
SPECIALIZED REHABILITATION
More online at
news.shepherd.org
PHOTO BY LOUIE FAVORITE
When considering rehabilitation, it’s a good idea to ask about outcomes.
Data show more patients with brain and spinal cord injuries return home if they are
in a specialized rehabilitation program. In fact, Shepherd Center’s discharge rate to
the community is 21 percent higher than the national average.
Functional gains for patients at Shepherd – what patients
are able to do upon discharge compared to when they were
first admitted – are also 12 percent higher than the national
average for SCI and 20 percent higher for brain injury.
“The chance to return home is much higher, and
because of the intensive education we give patients and
families for how to manage these conditions, rates are
lower for complications and readmission to the hospital,”
Dr. Bowman says.
Many patients elect to drive three or four hours for
an outpatient visit at Shepherd Center because they
find everything is done so efficiently, he adds.
As changes continue in the healthcare industry,
rehabilitation medicine is being affected, though healthcare
consultant Dan Walter says these injuries are different.
“With the Affordable Care Act, most health systems are
trying to keep patients within their network; however, a big
exception to this will be specialty rehab care,” he says. “Most
providers and insurers know it’s hard to be good at this unless
you do a lot of it, and this expertise means better outcomes
and money saved.”
OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER
WHEN SELECTING A
REHABILITATION FACILITY:
is the age of
° Wthehataverage
patient?
When does planning for
° the return home begin?
°
°
°
What percentage of
patients are able to
go back home?
How will rehabilitation
be structured? What
are the main goals?
How many different
care providers will be
working together to
help with rehabilitation?
In what ways are
families engaged in
the process?
Shepherd Center has an
array of materials and online
programs to help individuals
and families learn about
SCI and ABI and where to
go for help.
FOR MORE INFORMATION,
CHECK OUT:
Understanding
° Spinal
Cord Injury –
°
°
spinalinjury101.org
Understanding
Brain Injury –
braininjury101.org
How to Choose
a Rehabilitation
Facility (podcast) –
shepherd.org/news/radio
Refining Tendon Transfer Surgery
for People with Quadriplegia
Procedure gives some patients what once seemed out of their
reach – restoration of some arm and hand function.
Crystal Black of Lexington, S.C., was only 26 years old and a
young mother when she dove into a friend’s pool at a July 4
celebration and felt her neck crack. The resulting spinal cord
injury (SCI) left her unable to fully use her hands or do simple
activities, such as eat, hold her then-5-year-old’s hand, wash
her hair or even pick out a birthday card –things that ablebodied people often take for granted.
But reconstructive surgery performed frequently by
Shepherd Center consulting orthopedic surgeon Allan
Peljovich, M.D., MPH, has reliably and successfully helped
to restore some arm and hand function for Crystal and
many other patients.
In Crystal’s surgery, which was based around tendon
transfers, Dr. Peljovich carefully detaches a functioning
muscle in the arm and reroutes it to a new location to perform
a new function. For example, using one of the elbow flexor
muscles called the brachioradialis and reattaching it to the
thumb flexor muscle can restore a person’s thumb pinch.
“We basically steal a muscle or two from the arm without
losing function and yet recreate the ability to grasp objects,”
says Dr. Peljovich, who sees patients in Shepherd Center’s
1
Upper Extremity Rehabilitation Clinic. “The results are fairly
immediate and life-changing.”
It’s meant the world to Crystal who, after undergoing the
procedure in 2012, is now able to play board games and
draw pictures with her 11-year old son.
“It’s changed my life,” she says. “I’d struggle for 20 minutes
to get food out of the pantry, and by the time I got it, I’d drop
it. Now I can cook, hold onto a plate and grasp utensils, write
better and lift my hands up over my head to wash my hair
without my hand just falling and hitting me in the head.”
Tendon transfers are among the most common procedures
to re-animate a muscle and restore function in the arm, wrist
and/or hand for people with tetraplegia (also referred to as
quadriplegia). In fact, it’s been the standard reconstructive
method, and Dr. Peljovich and his team have streamlined
the procedure over the years to maximize outcomes in
patients with SCI.
But what sets Shepherd Center apart – beyond the
expertise amassed over decades of performing these
procedures – is that the operation and subsequent
rehabilitation takes place within the context of a
PHOTO BY JANE SANDERS
BY AMANDA CROWE, MA, MPH
multidisciplinary setting. Shepherd helps people with SCI
to return to living life as independently as possible in their
homes, communities and workplaces. The treatment team
understands SCI and the special arrangements someone
may need post-surgery.
“I’ve worked in many hospital settings, and I don’t know
of a place that does a better job of reminding people that
they have value in their lives and pushes them to achieve
this potential,” Dr. Peljovich says.
While tendon transfer surgery is not for everyone, the
operation is designed to make people more functional to
help with activities of daily living and get them closer to the
independence they want, he explained.
“People don’t have to automatically accept what they have;
there are ways to be able to get more function,” Dr. Peljovich
says, adding that patients often exceed their expectations.
“We tell people it will help them be able to reach up, pinch and
grasp things, but next thing we know, they are driving [adapted
vehicles], transferring themselves to and from their wheelchairs
and being much more independent – things that would not
have been possible prior to this type of reconstruction.”
These outcomes give people living with these injuries a
psychological boost, and patients gain more confidence in
their ability to do things that once seemed beyond their reach.
Victor Harris, 34 of Decatur, Ga., was injured in a car
accident in 2001. Before undergoing surgery in 2012, he
improvised a lot.
“Even though I was trying to slide over [to my shower chair]
the best I could, the nurse was doing most of the work,” he
says. “Now, I can do it almost all on my own. She just helps
move my legs over. I can wash my van, grab and reach for
things on the floor. It’s made a big difference.”
Dr. Peljovich likes to show a video of Victor lifting his hand
and arm above his head, using his elbow extension with a
dumbbell in his hand. “He gained more strength than I thought
he would,” the doctor says. “He no longer needs any braces
and more importantly, he’s more independent.”
Patients are usually in a cast for several weeks after
the procedure and participate in physical therapy for two
to three months.
Victor says his “new” arm felt a little awkward in the
beginning, before his brain caught up with the results of
the surgery.
“What seems like a clunky process suddenly becomes
second nature because the brain remodels itself, but it takes
time to get used to, even though patients have use of their
hand the whole time,” Dr. Peljovich says.
Although tendon transfers and similar restorative
procedures have been performed for decades and applied
to SCI since the 1950s, Shepherd Center remains one of only
a handful of facilities that offers the procedure for people with
SCI. Dr. Peljovich is seeing more and more patients from
outside Georgia who want more function, but don’t have
access to the kind of specialized care Shepherd Center offers.
“Our clinic has become a national leader in tetraplegia
reconstruction,” Dr. Peljovich says.
And this isn’t just in terms of the number of procedures
performed. He and his team have been asked to present
best practices at several national meetings, author textbook
chapters on the subject and will be part of a symposium at
the next American Spinal Injury Association/International
Spinal Cord Society meeting. They are also among the first
centers exploring techniques to augment tendon transfer
surgeries, including transferring nerves.
Candidates for reconstructive surgery need to be
healthy and have enough strength and function in their arm
for surgeons to build on. “If someone can bend their elbow
slightly, they will usually meet the criteria,” Dr. Peljovich says.
The Upper Extremity Rehabilitation Clinic at Shepherd
Center, which officially opened its doors nearly 15 years
ago, offers comprehensive treatment programs. For more
information on the reconstructive procedures and other
services offered at the clinic, visit http://bit.ly/1P4Xhxt.
More online at
news.shepherd.org
“I’ve worked in many hospital
settings, and I don’t know of a place
that does a better job of reminding
people that they have value in their
lives and pushes them to achieve
this potential.”
- A LLAN PELJOVICH, M.D., MPH, CONSULTING
PHOTO BY GARY MEEK
ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON FOR SHEPHERD CENTER
2
1. OT Sherry Turner removes a cast
from George Welsh, who underwent
tendon transfer surgery. 2. Allan
Peljovich, M.D., MPH, is a consulting
orthopedic surgeon at Shepherd Center.
Natalie Eaton was only two days into
her freshman year at Arkansas State
University when a freak accident
changed her life. She didn’t know
then how much she would learn –
and in some cases relearn – in the
12 months to come.
Having just arrived on campus,
Natalie was enjoying a cookout in
the backyard of a campus fraternity
house. Only a few yards away, two
fellow students were playing a
makeshift game of baseball with
Following a tragic accident, emergency
surgery and six months of intense rehabilitation,
Natalie Eaton has returned to school – and
learned a lot along the way.
BY SHAWN REEVES
“I thought someone hit me in
the head with a ball bat,” she says,
recalling the force. “It wasn’t until I
turned my neck to see what happened
that I heard something scrape the
concrete.” It was the golf club. “I
couldn’t move anything. It was very
traumatic.” Natalie’s brother, who was
attending his medical residency close
by, was able to make it to her side and
help stabilize her before an ambulance
MOVING AHEAD: That’s the only way to handle an experience like
this. No one knows what’s going to happen in their lives. They
often can’t choose. I didn’t choose what happened to me, but
I can choose how I go forward. I’m grateful to be alive.
- N ATALIE EATON
two unlikely objects – a football and
a golf club.
As one “pitched” the football, the
other swung the golf club, which, upon
impact, broke, flew through the air, then
pierced Natalie’s neck, plunging her to
the pavement.
rushed her to a local hospital.
After only an hour there, a medical
flight crew airlifted her in critical
condition to Regional One Health
in Memphis, where, in emergency
surgery, doctors removed the club from
her neck. They also performed spinal
fusion surgery because the club had
broken two vertebrae, leaving her with
Brown Sequard Syndrome, a tear of
one-half of the spinal cord that impairs
a person’s sensation and movement.
“I didn’t even know what happened
until someone asked if I remembered
being at the fraternity house, and that’s
all it took to recall everything,” she says.
After three weeks in the Memphis
hospital, Natalie transferred to
Shepherd Center, where for the next
six months she underwent intensive
therapy to reclaim abilities she once
had never thought twice about.
“At first, I was learning to feed myself
again, brush my teeth, take a shower,
dress myself,” she says. “Eventually,
I started to stand up, then walk. It
was very slow process.”
Progress, however, came, and it has
been remarkable, says Cathi Dugger,
physical therapist in the spinal cord
injury adolescent program at
Shepherd Center.
“It was rough going in the beginning
because of all the pain,” says Dugger.
PHOTOS BY MATTHEW WALTON
Learning
to Move
Forward
P
patient
profile
“We didn’t really know what to expect.
With that kind of injury, you just never
know. When we saw her determination,
however, I realized we were going to
get a lot further.”
Natalie’s mother, Fonda, stayed
with her through much of the
rehabilitation, sleeping on the sofa
in Natalie’s hospital room.
“It was very hard on us,” Natalie
says. “But Mom stayed hopeful
and optimistic.”
And so did her Shepherd
Center therapists.
“They pushed me extremely hard to
do more and more,” she says. “And I’m
so thankful for it.” The injury left Natalie
with normal movement on her left side,
but not good feeling. Conversely, her
right side had limited movement,
but good feeling.
“Natalie had such a great work
ethic,” says Dugger.
Her hard work at Shepherd
Center has paid off, and her
recovery has exceeded early
expectations.
“I have to take it slow, but every
day I gain a little bit more motion,”
she says. “I’m learning to use my
right arm.”
Motor skills, however, aren’t the
only thing Natalie is learning. Having
resumed her studies at Arkansas State,
she is pursuing a major in public
relations, hoping one day to work for a
nonprofit organization. Her dream job?
A PR position at Shepherd Center.
In the meantime, she says she will
continue with the exercises she began
at Shepherd Center, working out at the
gym, learning to adapt, even becoming
more social again.
Although she’s excited and grateful
to have returned to school, perhaps the
EDITOR’S NOTE: A service
dog named Georgie has
accompanied Natalie to school
to support her as she continues
her recovery. Friends have created a
fundraising web page (gofundme.
com/thegeorgieproject) where
individuals can register their own
support of Natalie and help offset
some of the expenses that come with
a full-time service dog, including
veterinary care, a crate and supplies,
a dog vest and other costs
incurred when Georgie must
travel for additional training.
greater lesson in all of this won’t be
found in a book or a classroom.
“Moving ahead: That’s the only way
to handle an experience like this,” she
says. “No one knows what’s going to
happen in their lives. They often can’t
choose. I didn’t choose what happened
to me, but I can choose how I go
forward. I’m grateful to be alive.”
More online at
news.shepherd.org
A
alumni
profiles
Shepherd Alums:
Where Are They Now?
Brock Guynn
Erin Michelle
(Stewart) Widick
LAKELAND, FLA.
Erin Michelle Widick
sustained an
incomplete C-6 spinal
cord injury and has
made a great recovery.
2
COLUMBUS, GA.
Less than a year ago, Brock Guynn, now 15, of Lakeland,
Fla., sustained a traumatic brain injury, broken bones and
a punctured lung in an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accident.
Today, his mother, Monica, might be the happiest mom
to say: “He’s definitely back to being a teenager.”
She and her husband, Gary, are also happy to call their
son, “an absolute miracle.” When Brock arrived at Shepherd
Center five weeks after his injury, he was conscious but
non-communicative and in need of total assistance.
Brock’s family credits his physician, Anna Elmers, M.D.,
and Brock’s Shepherd Center treatment team for his rapid
recovery. They also credit the endless stream of friends
and family who visited. Recently, a friend from Brock’s
church made a video about Brock’s recovery, seen through
the eyes of his support crew (bit.ly/1RGtLDs).
“I love watching it,” Brock says. “It shows what everyone
went through. Everything went so fast to me because
I was out of it for so long. But it was so helpful knowing
I had people who would stay with me no matter what.”
Now, Brock is back to activities he much prefers doing
with his friends. This past summer involved a lot of soccer,
church camps and driving lessons. Now, Brock is back in
school full time. “The first day back was awesome,” he says.
“It felt like years that I hadn’t been there. Just being able to
feel like a normal human being again.”
Brock’s parents have noticed differences in their son,
post-injury. “He used to be more argumentative and
strong-willed. Now, there’s a lot more joy coming from
him,” Monica says. “He’s very funny and quick-witted.
Seeing how he keeps healing is mind-boggling.”
Brock is focused on more changes to come. A soccer
fanatic, his dream is to play college soccer and then join his
favorite club, Chelsea, an elite professional
soccer team in London.
“You can see his injury didn’t
affect his confidence,” his
mom teases.
As for a backup plan:
“Maybe becoming a
physical therapist,” Brock
says. “They can be really
cool people.”
1
Brock Guynn sustained a traumatic
brain injury. He has now returned to
activities he loves, including soccer.
Erin Michelle Widick,
27, of Columbus, Ga.,
has embraced many
new beginnings since
leaving Shepherd
Center eight years
ago. She married her
husband, Michael, a
U.S. Army Ranger. This
past March, the pair had
their first child, Jameson.
Erin also earned her bachelor’s
degree in business marketing.
Two years ago, she put that degree
to work when she and her sister,
Leah, opened a clothing boutique.
“Even with everything going on, I’m hoping that I still
haven’t done that one thing yet that I’m most proud of,” Erin
says. “That’s still to come! I’ve got so much more to live.”
She was 19 years old when she sustained a C-6
incomplete spinal cord injury resulting in quadriplegia
following a car accident. At Shepherd Center, Erin’s physical
rehabilitation was delayed due to a punctured lung. When
she finally started physical therapy, she could move only
the big toe on her left foot. Atrophied muscles further
slowed Erin’s progress.
“I remember one day just crying because I was so mad
that I couldn’t walk,” she says. “I yelled, ‘I want to get out of
this bed!’ My physical therapist said, ‘well, do it.’ She said
she’d catch me if I passed out, and I was angry enough that
I actually walked a few steps.”
Soon after, Erin was competing against fellow patients
to see who could walk the longest during locomotor training
sessions. Eventually, she walked out of Shepherd Center
using only crutches.
“The people at Shepherd Center are a blessing,” Erin
says. “The therapy, yes, but also the emotional support.
For me, that was just as important. My biggest thing was
not giving up. Setting goals, reaching them and setting new
goals. After sessions, I’d go back to my room and keep doing
things on my own. Even if it was something small. Just keep
pushing forward.”
She’s still pushing forward today, especially when it
comes to growing her business, which Erin and her sister
christened The Posh Peach (www.theposhpeach.com).
“It’s such a fun challenge,” she says. “I’ve always loved
clothes and marketing, so I thought, ‘Why not put those
passions together?’”
John Trimbath
4
CLEVELAND, OHIO
As a U.S. Air Force veteran, and a physician assistant for 35
years, John Trimbath, 65, of Cleveland, Ohio, had a good
understanding of his medical condition following a C-4 spinal
cord injury in 2009. What John didn’t have, he says now, was
a grasp of the social and mental issues that often
accompany catastrophic injuries.
“Getting myself in the right head space was one thing,”
he says, “but as a quadriplegic, at times it feels like people
don’t understand us. They can be overly sympathetic, or try
too much to help. Or just think of you differently. I had a really
hard time with that early in my recovery.”
John says that beyond his physical rehabilitation at
Shepherd Center, he’s appreciative of how staff members
prepared him for the real world. “I tell everybody that the
Cleveland hospitals put me back together after my injury,
but that Shepherd Center really saved my life,” John says.
And that life is full. In the past year, John has watched
both of his children get married, and he is now a grandfather.
Thanks to support from his family, his caregiver, Karlissa
Peterson, and from friends in the profession, John has also
returned to his professional passion.
On July 14, John resumed part-time work as a physician
assistant, at a community mental health clinic. Then, four
days later, he and Diane hosted 200 guests at their home
for the wedding of their son, Ryan.
“We’ve had a little going on,” he deadpans.
That’s not all. In 2012-2013, John served as president of
the Ohio Association of Physician Assistants. Currently, he’s
a committee chair for the American Academy of Physician
Assistants, and assists as a consultant for legislative affairs
in Ohio. John also teaches at a local college and speaks to
professional organizations.
In 2013, the American Academy of Physician Assistants
presented him with its President’s Award, in honor of his
commitment to advocacy, education
and professional development.
“I enjoy doing this type of
work,” John says. “I see it
as my responsibility
as someone with
experience in the
profession. It’s very
rewarding for me.”
3
John Trimbath, a physician
assistant, has returned to
work and a full family life
after rehabilitation for a
spinal cord injury.
Former patient Ashley Stone graduated
from college recently and began a
foreign assignment.
Ashley Stone
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA.
Ashley Stone, 23, of
Lawrenceville, Ga., is out of her
element these days – and she loves it.
Ashley is in Galicia, Spain, beginning a
yearlong assignment teaching English, through a Spanish
Ministry of Education program. The overseas adventure is
the culmination of a horizon-broadening senior year at the
University of Georgia. There, the Magna Cum Laude
graduate got involved with a Bible study group that focused
on reaching out to international students. Ashley also pushed
herself physically, taking a backpacking and camping class
that featured hiking and canoeing trips.
“A few years ago, I would have been too afraid to do all
of these things,” Ashley says. “But I’m a lot less fearful now.
This is my life. We all die at some point. I want to try all the
things I really want to do.”
She says her life was “easy and comfortable” up until
two years ago, when she sustained an acquired brain injury
in a car accident. As part of Ashley’s recovery, she spent
two months at Shepherd Center. She says creative outlets
spurred her breakthroughs. A nurse gave her a hand-held,
dry-erase board, and Ashley drew picture after picture,
gaining confidence as her mind begin to work in concert
again with the rest of her body.
She also met a fellow patient who sang and played the
guitar, as Ashley did. “My motor skills were so off then, I
couldn’t play guitar. But I could sing,” she says. “His vocal
cords were so damaged he couldn’t sing. But he could play
guitar!” The duo even performed publicly at the Spring Fling
at Shepherd Center, which was sponsored by one of the
center’s service groups, the Peach Corps.
Her creativity continues to bloom. A Spanish major
and horticulture minor, Ashley plans to merge her interests
in a single pursuit: agroforestry. The field involves finding
ways to grow crops in forested land; it’s a source of optimism
in communities on the Amazon River, for instance, where
slash-and-burn agriculture contributes to deforestation.
“It shows a lot of promise, and it’s a bold idea,” Ashley
says. “I like that. Helping nature and helping people are
two of my favorite things.”
More online at
news.shepherd.org
NOTES FROM
scott h. sikes
hepherd Center Foundation
S
Executive Director
40 Years of Tradition Plus Innovation
We focused much of the last issue of our magazine on Shepherd Center’s
40th anniversary. We had so much material to cover – but simply couldn’t –
that much was left on the editing room floor. To pay homage to all whom, in four
decades, brought us where we are today, we will continue to feature historical
highlights in this issue. In fact, we may include something from our past in every
issue going forward.
People have said that success has many parents, and failure is an orphan. It is
so true here at Shepherd Center. For 40 years, our success has had many parents
– too many people, groups and companies to ever thank appropriately – but this
fall, I salute the incredible tradition of Pecans on Peachtree®, which began 32
years ago with volunteer leaders from our Shepherd Center Auxiliary. A few
members of the Auxiliary began selling shelled pecan halves in gift bags to other
friends, who would give them as Hanukkah or Christmas presents.
While we continue to build upon that and other traditions, we are renovating our
facilities and innovating in our clinical practices daily. Here are a few facts about
Pecans on Peachtree® and another great innovation under way:
19MS WELLNESS
PROGRAM
20STAFF PROFILE
21 DONOR PROFILE
22 40TH ANNIVERSARY
26SUMMER IN THE
CITY RECAP
28NEW BOARD
MEMBERS
30 PHOTO GALLERY
32 HONORARIUMS
35 MEMORIALS
Tradition: Pecans on Peachtree®
•A great way to ship personal or business gifts to friends or clients anywhere
while supporting Shepherd Center’s work
• Kicks off in early November each year
• Has raised more than $2 million net of expenses in 31 years
•Benefits the Patient Aid Fund covering nearly anything not met by other resources
• 2014 was busiest year to date; lots of new products coming this year
• See our Pecans on Peachtree ® ad elsewhere in this issue for more information.
Innovation: Shepherd Pathways Renovation
Founded in 1997, Shepherd Pathways is our post-acute brain injury outpatient
program in Decatur, Ga., an Atlanta suburb. This facility provides the community
reintegration phase of our comprehensive continuum of care. Pathways
rehabilitation teams provide individualized support and therapy for patients
and their families to prepare them for a successful return to life at home, school,
work and in the community.
We are dramatically renovating the Pathways campus in a $1.8 million project:
• New, covered public entrance with automatic doors
• More spacious lobby that connects two currently separate buildings
•Updated rehabilitation gym, allowing families and loved ones to have a larger
role in the rehabilitation process
•New family lounge and dining area for patients and loved ones
•E xpanded single-occupancy restrooms that provide more space for patients
needing assistance
•E xpanded occupational therapy room
Please help us remain the world leader in brain injury care. If you would like to
donate to the Shepherd Pathways Renovation Campaign, please contact me at
(404) 350-7305 or [email protected].
A Custom-Made Approach to Wellness
The Wellness Program at the Andrew C. Carlos Multiple Sclerosis Institute is
dedicated to helping people with MS.
PHOTO BY GARY MEEK
BY SARA BAXTER
TO CHRISTINE MANELLA, PT, LMT, MCMT, THE
MOST REWARDING PART OF HER JOB is when she hears
laughter in the background at the Andrew C. Carlos
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Institute.
“MS is a tough, chronic disease,” she says. “When
I hear people enjoying themselves and being glad to
be here, it is very gratifying.”
“Here” is the Eula C. & Andrew C. Carlos MS Wellness
and Rehabilitation Center within the MS Institute, just one
of the components of the comprehensive approach
Shepherd Center takes in treating MS, a disease of the
central nervous system. Created in 2013 with a generous
gift from the Carlos Family, the program was one of the
first in the nation to integrate all aspects of wellness –
fitness, nutrition and education – into a single approach
tailored specifically for people with MS.
“The goal of the program is to improve the function,
health, wellness and quality of life in people with MS,”
Manella says, adding that participants in the program
can get fitness assessments and take part in fitness
classes tailored to people with MS. The program also
offers lecture-style classes on topics ranging from
nutrition to management of stress and fatigue.
The Wellness Center will get even more of a boost
this fall when funds raised from The Legendary Party,
Shepherd’s premier fundraising event, will benefit the
program. The funds will cover personal training
scholarships, the purchase of additional equipment, an
additional exercise specialist and new research projects.
Membership in the MS Wellness Program includes a
full gym membership at Shepherd’s ProMotion Fitness
Center. In addition, MS program participants can take
specialized classes in cardiovascular exercise, core
conditioning and lower-extremity strength.
The key word is specialized. For example, because
people with MS tend to get overheated more easily, the
classes are equipped with fans and ice vests to make it
more comfortable and safer for them to exercise. Small
class sizes – with just six to eight participants – allow
instructors to pace the class differently and monitor
each participant more closely to make sure their needs
are being met. Classes are offered in balance, yoga,
Pilates, agility, core strength and cardio. There’s even
an exercise class for people who are newly diagnosed.
“Our goal is to help every individual who has MS to
be active,” Manella says. “Sometimes, they think exercise
is not an option. We can show them it is and tailor our
classes to their needs.” Beyond physical wellness,
Manella says there is also a social aspect to the
MS Wellness Center patients take fitness classes tailored especially for them.
program, in coming together at the center, as well as
participating in group activities twice a month. Those
include games to enhance fine motor skills, bridge and
sewing groups.
Research is another important component in both the
clinical and wellness programs within the MS Institute.
“We evaluate different types of interventions that can be
beneficial, ways to deliver those interventions – including
managing the barriers – and how it impacts the disease
itself,” says Deborah Backus, PT, Ph.D., FACRM, director
of research in the MS Institute. “We are fortunate that
we can engage a large number of our patients in
research, and we can study their outcomes. Because
of that, we can take a multi-faceted approach to research
that allows us to take the best approaches to treatment
and rehabilitation.”
For more information, visit: shepherd.org/ms.
p
STAFF PROFILE
A Common Goal
Multiple Sclerosis Institute experts have different roles, but share a common goal.
BY SARA BAXTER
DEBORAH BACKUS,
PT, Ph.D., FACRM
Q:What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
A:Getting grant funding for everything we want to do,
which is a general challenge in the field of research.
It can slow down the pace at which we can progress.
Q:What is the most rewarding aspect?
A:Being able to translate research into clinical
practices that can benefit the patients. I also
really like the integrated team approach we have
in the MS Wellness Program. The clinicians and
therapists are engaged and help define meaningful
research questions.
Q:Can you think of a time when you were especially
proud of what you did?
A: I am particularly proud of my role in building a
research culture and engaging clinicians in the
process with the goal of translating research into
patient care – particularly in upper limb and MS
rehabilitation and wellness research.
Q:What’s a good day for you?
A:When I can empower staff or patients to achieve
what they want to achieve.
More online at
news.shepherd.org
As director of MS research, Dr. Backus helps build a
research agenda in the MS rehabilitation and wellness
program, with the goal of translating that research into patient
care. She began at Shepherd Center in 1989, and has left
and returned a few times for teaching appointments and to
earn a doctorate in neuroscience. She’s been back at
Shepherd since 2004.
In her position, Christine supervises the therapists in
the MS and Pain Clinics, and oversees the MS Wellness
Program. She worked as a staff physical therapist in the
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Unit from 1995 to 2002.
CHRISTINE MANELLA,
PT, LMT, MCMT
Q:What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
A:Negating all of the misinformation that patients might
get from the Internet. So much of it is false and/or
contradictory. People can be overwhelmed after
reading everything. We help them sort through
what’s manageable, what’s realistic and what is
based on science.
Q:What is the most rewarding aspect?
A:Showing a client an activity they can do that he or she
thought they couldn’t, just by doing it a different way.
Many patients with MS close themselves off because
they think they can’t be active and they get discouraged.
Q:What is something about the MS Institute that people
don’t know?
A:Many people don’t know that we offer the full gamut
of services: clinical, medication management, therapy,
wellness and education. We give our patients a full
range of tools to manage the condition.
Q:Can you think of a time when you were especially
proud of what you did?
A:Two moments: In 2006, when I helped initiate the
massage therapy program in the SCI Unit, and in
2012, when we developed the MS Wellness Program.
PHOTO AT RIGHT BY GARY MEEK
DEBOR AH BACKUS AND CHRISTINE MANELL A
HAVE DIFFERENT JOBS in the Andrew C. Carlos
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Institute at Shepherd Center, but
they share the same goal: Improving the lives of people
with multiple sclerosis. Dr. Backus, who is director of
multiple sclerosis research, and Christine, who is therapy
manager in the Institute and oversees the Wellness
Program, say they mutually support each other in their
jobs and work well together.
DONOR PROFILE
d
A patient and a donor, Carol Cetrino is a true
advocate for people with multiple sclerosis.
PHOTO BY PHIL SKINNER
BY SARA BAXTER
IN 1982, CAROL CETRINO WA S LIVING IN
HOUSTON, NEWLY ENGAGED AND JUST
STARTING HER CAREER. Then she was
diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).
“The doctor basically told me that life, as I
knew it, was over,” Carol says. “I shouldn’t work,
shouldn’t tax myself; I should just take it easy.
Children were out of the question.”
Luckily, Carol, a scrappy young self-starter
from New York, would hear none of it. Instead,
she went on to get married, build successful
careers in the hotel and pharmaceutical
industries, and have a son.
Carol eventually got divorced, and moved with
her young son, Ryan, to Pennsylvania and then
New Jersey. She managed her MS as best she
could, by researching every possible option and
enrolling in clinical studies. Her life was filled with
adventure, challenges, joy and heartache.
She chronicles these ups and downs in a new
memoir called “By the Seat of My Pants: How I
Survived a Nasty Divorce, an Incurable Disease
and Learned That No Matter How Bad Things Get,
You Can Always Pay it Forward.” All of the
proceeds of the book (available on Amazon.com)
benefit the Andrew C. Carlos MS Institute at
Shepherd Center.
In 2007, after a particularly bad flare-up, her
doctor told her she would have to stop working.
She had just left a position at WebMD and had a
few contract jobs. Dealing with the stress,
excessive travel and raising Ryan as a single
mother had finally taken its toll. The woman who
had been told in 1982 she’d have to quit her job
lasted 35 more years in the workforce.
Eager to leave New Jersey, Carol was looking
for a fresh start. She had seen Ben Thrower,
M.D., medical director of the MS Institute, speak
at a conference and was impressed by what she
heard. She visited Shepherd Center and decided
she would move to Atlanta and continue
treatment there.
“The MS Institute is such a positive place,”
Carol says. “It’s not what you would expect when
everyone has an incurable disease. But there is
so much hope at Shepherd.”
Donating money from her book is the latest
way Carol is supporting the MS Institute and its
patients. Through a family fund named for her
mother, the Ann Allen Cetrino Foundation, Carol
and her family have donated nearly $450,000
to the MS Institute over the past six years. The
funds have helped cover insurance co-payments,
prescriptions, medical equipment and
other expenses for qualified MS patients at
Shepherd Center.
“MS is one of the most expensive diseases to
have, mainly because of the longevity of it,” Carol
says. “People are often diagnosed at an early
age and can live with it for a very long time.”
Aside from financial support, Carol has
helped fellow MS patients by educating them
on the disease, showing them how to navigate
the insurance system and providing a
sympathetic ear.
Carol now lives in Roswell with her second
husband Mark and spends her free time
volunteering for various organizations and
advocating for people with MS. She also serves
on the Shepherd Center Advisory Board.
While she has done a lot for the people
who share her disease, she has received just
as much in return, she says. In fact, along with
her son Ryan, she dedicates her book to “…all
the MS patients I have come to know. Because
of their strength, I have mine. I also want to
thank God for putting the talented doctors,
nurses and researchers within my reach and
allowing me to have the quality of life I have
been blessed with.”
Carol Cetrino, center, is a
donor and MS patient at
Shepherd Center’s MS
Institute. Outpatient
Services manager Emily
Cade, left, and MS medical
director Ben Thrower, M.D.,
appreciate Carol’s
commitment to help others
with MS.
More online at
news.shepherd.org
40TH ANNIVERSARY
Donor Profile: Billi Marcus
Longtime Shepherd Center donor and volunteer
Billi Marcus built the “links” of steadfast support.
BY SARA BAXTER
was a tenacious
fundraiser who
worked on the
tournament yearround to make it
better each year.
She is one of those
rare volunteers who
worked with a passion
for Shepherd and
our special mission.
The money she
raised made a real
difference in the
lives of our patients.”
In 2002, Billi Marcus
1
stepped down as
chairman of the RTM
Challenge, deciding it was time to pass the baton to others.
But the good feeling she received from helping Shepherd has
not diminished over time – far from it.
“I have a connection to Shepherd that will always be there,”
Billi says. “You walk away a better person having known all the
people there and watching what they do. Shepherd doesn’t
just fix the broken body, they fix the broken spirit. That’s what
they do best.”
Shepherd’s annual golf tournament, now called the
Shepherd Center Cup, is held each fall. For more information,
visit give.shepherd.org/special-events.
2
1. Billi Marcus co-chaired Shepherd Center’s
golf tourney for years with Julian Mohr. 2. Billi
raised money with the help of RTM’s John Gray
and Dennis Cooper, and co-chair Jim Groome.
SHEPHERD CENTER ARCHIVE PHOTOS
When Billi Marcus decided to ask her neighbor, Dennis
Cooper, then senior vice president of RTM Restaurants, to
sponsor the Shepherd Center golf tournament, she prepared
a 15-minute speech for a $25,000 request.
She practiced her pitch on one of the all-time best in
marketing, her husband, Bernie Marcus, co-founder of The
Home Depot. When she felt sufficiently prepared, she headed
over to Dennis’ house and started in on her appeal about the
merits of supporting a place like Shepherd Center.
Three minutes into it, Dennis said “yes.”
Still, she continued on. “At the end, he said, ‘Billi,
you need to know when yes means yes,’” Billi Marcus recalls.
“But I had practiced it and felt like I had to keep going.”
That was in 1988, the first year she agreed to chair the
golf tournament. Her tenure would run another 15 years
– orchestrating and managing what would become the
RTM Challenge. With her neighbor’s unfailing support, Billi
helped raise nearly $3.5 million for capital projects and other
initiatives that affected nearly every aspect of patient care at
Shepherd Center.
The years of hard work were inspired by a firsthand visit
to what was then Shepherd Spinal Center. Billi was already
familiar with Shepherd through her husband, who had been
a generous donor. “But then I went to visit and I was so
impressed,” she says. “I wanted to volunteer, and I thought
my skills would best be suited to running the golf tournament.”
Besides recruiting Title Sponsor RTM – the largest
franchisee of Arby’s Roast Beef restaurants and the owner of
Mrs. Winner’s Fried Chicken restaurants – Billi also secured
the support of some key individuals. Julian Mohr signed on
as co-chair, a job he held for nine of the 16 years Billi led the
event. Two good friends, Carol Sue Legum and Caryl Paller,
worked by her side. Other co-chairs included Jim Groome,
Tommy Tillman and Jim Dockter.
As a result, the RTM Challenge grew each year – both
in terms of the money it raised and the number of golfers
it attracted. In fact, the site of the tournament changed
several times to accommodate the increasing number of
golfers. Venues included the Atlanta Country Club, the
Atlanta Athletic Club, the Cherokee Country Club and
Chateau Elan, which featured three, 18-hole courses to
host Atlanta’s largest and most successful amateur charity
golf tournament under her leadership.
“Billi was always motivated by her genuine concern for
our patients and their families,” says Dell Sikes, Shepherd
Center’s retired vice president of development, who worked
with Billi all the years she co-chaired the tournament. “She
40TH ANNIVERSARY
BUILDING
SHEPHERD CENTER
Driving into the expansive Shepherd Center campus, it’s
hard to imagine that 40 years ago, the hospital started as a
six-bed facility in space leased from another hospital. Today,
Shepherd is a 152-bed facility and sits on seven acres on
Peachtree Road in Atlanta.
In 1977, when it was clear the needs of patients had
outgrown the hospital’s current space, the board of directors
embarked on an $8 million fundraising campaign to buy
property and build a freestanding hospital. That first capital
campaign was just the beginning. Shepherd Center
continued to grow over the years, adding and improving
upon current space, all while relying on the generosity
of individuals, foundations
and businesses.
In 1997, Shepherd Center
opened a post-acute brain
injury rehabilitation facility
called Shepherd Pathways
Campaign
Shepherd
Building
Amount
Raised
$8.0 Million
Project
The 2020
Peachtree
Road
Building
Campaign
Chairs
Board of
Directors
driven
PHOTO BY NAME
Architect
Henry Howard
Smith, AIA
Contractor
Barge & Co.
on Clairmont Road
in nearby Decatur.
Pathways, which
eases the transition
from inpatient
Board of Directors members and others hold a “topping
care to the home
out” ceremony for The Billi Marcus Building in 1991.
environment, is
now undergoing an
extensive renovation.
Shepherd Center’s boards have always been committed
and involved in every campaign, as well, helping to raise
the millions of dollars needed to make the hospital the
internationally renowned facility it is today. Here’s a
look at all the capital campaigns over the years.
Campaign
Keeping
Hope Real
Amount
Raised
$5.7 Million
Campaign
The Best Is
Yet to Come
Project
Renovation
of third floor
Shepherd
building,
increasing
beds from
132 to 152,
increase
number of
private rooms
Amount
Raised
$15.7 Million
Project
Billi Marcus
Building
Campaign
Campaign
Campaign
Chairs
Chairs
Chairs
Bernie Marcus, Bernie Marcus,
Board of
Chairman;
Honorary Chair; Directors and
Fred Alias,
Arthur Blank,
Foundation
Vice Chairman Alana Shepherd,
Trustees
David Ratcliffe,
driven
Architect
Co-Chairmen
Henry Howard
Architect
Smith, AIA
Architect
Rosser; Howell,
Heery
Ruskin, Dawson
Contractor
International
(HRD)
Holder
Construction
Contractor
Contractor
Choate
Choate
Construction
Construction
Campaign
Chairs
Board of
Directors and
Foundation
Trustees
driven
Architect
Heery
International
Contractor
Choate
Construction
Campaign
Chair
McKee
Nunnally
Architect
Heery
International
Contractor
Choate
Construction
Campaign
Building on
Excellence
Campaign
Shepherd
Pathways
Amount
Raised
$12.5 Million
Amount
Raised
$1.8 Million
Project
Expansion
of pharmacy
and lab,
new MRI
suite
Project
Shepherd
Pathways
Renovation
Campaign
Chairs
Board of
Directors and
Foundation
Trustees
driven
Campaign
Chairs
Board of
Directors and
Foundation
Trustees
driven
Architect
Heery
International
Architect
CDH
Partners
Contractor
Choate
Construction
Contractor
Choate
Construction
40TH ANNIVERSARY
THE LEGENDARY PARTY:
AN ATLANTA TRADITION
It’s an evening of elegance, entertainment and fun. And it’s been
an Atlanta tradition since 1989. That’s when Sally Tomlinson took
on the challenge of organizing The Legendary Party – Shepherd
Center’s first fundraising gala. In its 27-year existence, the event
has raised nearly $10 million (through 2014) to benefit Shepherd
Center programs and facilities.
Beneficiary
Marcus Building
Campaign
Honorary
Chairman
Virginia Crawford
Chairman
Sally Tomlinson
Co-Chairmen
Nancy Green &
Sallie Patterson
Theme
The Legend Lives:
a Night in Camelot
Theme
Cinderella
Theme
The Legend of
1001 Nights
Beneficiary
Marcus Building
Campaign
Beneficiary
Patient Care
Endowment Fund
Beneficiary
Patient
Equipment Fund
Honorary
Chairman
Helen Lanier
Honorary
Chairmen
Billi & Bernie
Marcus
Honorary
Chairmen
Mr. & Mrs.
Charles O. Smith
Honorary
Chairman
Alana Shepherd
Chairman
Sissie Wright
Chairman
Sharon Umphenour
Chairman
Peggy Schwall
Co-Chairman
Peggy Moore
Co-Chairman
Rebecca Smith
Co-Chairman
Claire Smith
Theme
A Medieval
Extravaganza
Beneficiary
Marcus Building
Campaign
Chairman
Rebecca Smith
Co-Chairmen
Marcia & Martin
Marchman
Theme
Songs of the Muses
Beneficiary
Patient Care
Endowment Fund
Theme
An Evening
on the Nile
Beneficiary
Crawford Research
Institute
Honorary
Chairman
Peggy Schwall
Honorary
Chairmen
Jane & David
Apple, M.D.
Chairman
Elizabeth Allen
Chairman
Vickie Scaljon
Co-Chairman
Lois Puckett
Co-Chairman
Claire Smith
1
2
Theme
A Secret Garden
Beneficiary
Radiology
Honorary
Chairman
Alice Richards
Chairman
Beverly Mitchell
Co-Chairman
June Weitnauer
Theme
Phantoms
of Venice
Theme
Legends of
the Celts
Theme
Legend of
the Firebird
Beneficiary
MS Research
& Development
Beneficiary
Assistive
Technology Center
Beneficiary
Acquired Brain
Injury Program
Honorary
Chairman
Bill Fowler
Honorary
Chairman
James Shepherd
Chairman
Joy Stuart
Chairmen
Past Nine
Chairmen
Honorary
Chairmen
Emmy & Carl
Knobloch
Co-Chairman
Jane Apple
Theme
Spirit of Paris,
A Night on the
City Lights
Theme
The Legend
of El Dorado
Beneficiary
Crawford
Research Institute
Beneficiary
Disability
Advocacy
Endowment
Honorary
Chairman
Ruth McDonald
Honorary
Chairman
Sally Tomlinson
Chairman
Anne Hux
Chairman
Ruth Anthony
Chairman
Valery Voyles
Co-Chairman
Ruth Anthony
Co-Chairman
Valery Voyles
Co-Chairman
Cindy McLean
SHEPHERD CENTER ARCHIVE PHOTOS
Theme
Ballo Veneziano
That feat could not have been accomplished without the
leadership of the chairmen and tireless volunteers who have
brought the event to life each year. Below is a snapshot of
the people who have led the way and the programs the
event has benefited.
40TH ANNIVERSARY
1. Co-chairs of the first gala in 1989 were, left to right, Nancy Green, Sallie
Patterson and Sally Tomlinson. 2. Former Legendary Party chairmen at the
1998 gala, left to right, are front row, Beverly Mitchell, Peggy Schwall,
Joy Stuart, Vickie Scaljon; back row, Elizabeth Allen, Sally Tomlinson and
Sharon Umphenour. 3. David Owens, Honorary Chairman Angie Marshall
and Chairman Juli Owens at the 2007 party. 4. Legendary Party 2014
Chairman Cecilia Wright, left, and her husband Allen welcome Honorary
Chairman Lou Brown Jewell, center.
Theme
The Legend of
the City that
Never Sleeps:
New York City
Theme
A Grammy
Night: The 15th
Annual Legendary
Party
Beneficiary
Beneficiary
Assistive Technology
Crawford Research
Endowment Fund
Endowment Fund
Honorary
Honorary
Chairmen
Chairman
Beverly & John
Sharon Umphenour
Mitchell
Theme
The Legend of
Aquamarine:
Gem of the Sea
Beneficiary
The Irene and
George Woodruff
Family Residence
Center
Theme
Atlanta, The
Legend of the
Phoenix
Theme
The Epicurean,
A Culinary Pursuit
Beneficiary
Woodruff Family
Residence Center
Beneficiaries
Housing &
Transportation
Honorary
Chairmen
Sherri & Jesse
Crawford
Honorary
Chairman
Emory Schwall
Honorary
Chairmen
Carol & Frank
Goodman
Theme
Metamorphosis:
Legend of the
Butterfly
Theme
Speakeasy:
Legend of the
Jazz Age
Beneficiary
Woodruff Family
Residence Center
Beneficiary
Shepherd Center
Renovation
Honorary
Chairman
Angie Marshall
Honorary
Chairman
Elizabeth Allen
Chairman
Cindy McLean
Chairman
Meg Arnold
Chairman
Jayne Lipman
Chairman
Courtney Sherrer
Chairman
Karen Bryant
Chairman
Juli Owens
Chairman
Sally Dorsey
Chairman-Elect
Meg Arnold
Chairman-Elect
Jayne Lipman
Chairman-Elect
Courtney Sherrer
Chairman-Elect
Karen Bryant
Chairman-Elect
Juli Owens
Chairman-Elect
Sally Dorsey
Chairman-Elect
Cyndae Arrendale
Theme
American Splendor
Theme
The Future is Now
Beneficiary
SHARE Military
Initiative
Beneficiary
Assistive
Technology
Theme
Follow The
Yellow Brick Road
Theme
The Party of the
Century
Beneficiary
Housing Program
Honorary
Chairmen
Fay & Lewis
Manderson,
Don Leslie, M.D.
Honorary
Chairmen
Sally & McKee
Nunnally
Honorary
Chairman
Lou Brown
Jewell
Beneficiary
Andrew C. Carlos MS
Institute/Annual Fund
Chairman
Karen Spiegel
Chairman
Cecilia Wright
Chairman-Elect
Cecilia Wright
Chairmen-Elect
Cindy & Bill Fowler
Julie & Bradley
Heiner
3
4
Theme
Around the World
in 80 Days:
The Legend of
Jules Verne
Theme
Legend of the
Sun King:
Reflections
of Versailles
Beneficiary
Annual Fund
Beneficiary
Annual Fund
Honorary
Chairman
Jane Woodruff
Honorary
Chairman
Eula Carlos
Chairman
Cyndae Arrendale
Chairman
Dorothy
Mitchell-Leef, M.D.
Chairman-Elect
Dorothy
Mitchell-Leef, M.D.
Chairmen-Elect
Cindy & Bill Voyles
Theme
Legendary
Treasures of
London
Beneficiary
Annual Fund
Honorary
Chairman
Ruth Anthony
Chairmen
Cindy & Bill
Voyles
Chairman-Elect
Kay Quigley
Chairman
Kay Quigley
Chairman-Elect
Karen Spiegel
Honorary
Chairmen
Sandra & Larry Prince
Chairmen
Cindy & Bill Fowler
Julie & Bradley
Heiner
Chairman-Elect
Cindy Widner Wall
Summer in the City
2015 was a Night
to Remember
THE EVENT OF THE SEASON, Summer in the City, was the
talk of the town this past summer – yet again for the seventh
consecutive year.
Thanks to Shepherd Center’s fundraising group,
Shepherd Center Society, and National Distributing
Company, the gourmet food and wine pairing event raised
more than $80,000 to support Shepherd Center’s SHARE
Military Initiative, a comprehensive rehabilitation program
for service men and women who have sustained mild to
moderate traumatic brain injury and PTSD from combat in
post-9/11 conflicts.
The historic Greystone Conservancy at Piedmont Park in
Atlanta served as the ideal venue for Summer in the City on
July 15. Nine of Atlanta’s most talented chefs offered a variety
of palate-pleasing foods, and National Distributing Company
provided countless premium wine pairings, superior mixed
drinks and an assortment of craft beers.
The silent auction, along with the brilliantly talented and
classically trained guitarist, Matthew Reed, captured the
attention of the guests throughout the three-hour event.
With a multitude of hard-to-come-by auction items, patrons
kept the bidding competitive. Companies such as Delta Air
Lines, Southwest Airlines, The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, W
Midtown, Airbnb, Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks, countless
gourmet restaurants and even more local shops donated
items to contribute to the silent auction. This portion of the
evening raised more than $15,000 for SHARE.
Summer in the City is organized by Shepherd Center
Society (SCS), a young adult volunteer group that supports
Shepherd Center and serves as an advocate for the hospital.
The 2015 event co-chairs, Miller Jackson and Stuart Griswold,
event director Andrea Miller and the entire Summer in the City
Committee enthusiastically worked to plan the event.
BY BRITTANY MULLINS
The proactive group sold sponsorships and tickets, while
simultaneously securing sought-after items for the
silent auction.
The evening owes much of its success to the wonderful 1
chefs who dedicated their time and talents to the fundraiser.
A special thanks to Chef Kevin Rathbun of Rathbun’s,
Chef Gary Donlick of Bistro Niko, Chef Matthew Basford
of Canoe, Chef Richard Lee of Davio’s, Chef Gregory
Vivier and Chef Robert Owens of Grand Champion BBQ,
Chef Michael Gropp of Petite Auberge, Chef Sandeep
Kothary of Tabla, Chef Deandrae Kitchen of The Shed
at Glennwood, and Chef Terry Koval of Wrecking
Bar Brewpub.
1
1. Chef Terry Koval of the Wrecking Bar Brewpub served guests at Shepherd Center Society’s 6th annual Summer in the City. 2. Shepherd Center Society Executive Committee
members, left to right, are: Taylor Weitz, Ashley French, Todd Stone, Svea Hall, Marisa Puckett, Sarah Baum, Miller Jackson, Stuart Griswold. 3. Left to right: Pete Anziano,
Melissa Anziano, Kimberly Poole and James Curtis enjoy food, drinks and conversation at Summer in the City. 4. A popular silent auction item.
PHOTOS BY BL AYNE MACAULEY
2015
2
3
4
Summer in the City Sponsors
Presenting Sponsor
National Distributing
Company, Inc.
Vintner Sponsor
Brand Fever
Sommelier Sponsor
Kenneth E. Boring
Charitable Fund
Springer Mountain Farms
Magnum Sponsor
Jennifer and David Kahn
Modern Luxury – Media
Sponsor
Mr. and Mrs. Eugene L.
Pearce III
Piedmont Park
Conservancy
Standard Sponsor
B.D. Jeffries
Batchelor & Kimball
Delta Air Lines
First Principles Capital
Management LLC
Global Industries Atlanta
Kadee and Ryan Hoyt
French Family Foundation
Elizabeth R. Pearce
The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead
Alana and Harold Shepherd
Southern Nights Mattress
Company
Sports Shares
Stoddard’s Range & Guns
Anne and Andrew Worrell
Glass Sponsor
Airbnb
Dr. and Mrs. David F.
Apple, Jr.
Kevin L. Aycock
B.D. Jeffries
Bank of North Georgia
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
BTB Fitness
Canoe
Delta Vacations
Dermatology Affiliates
GLOCK, Inc.
Elizabeth and Hank Gurley
Betty Hall
Lorie Hutcheson
Miller Jackson
Meredith and Dan Kingsley
Leslie S. Brothers – Health
and Beauty Boutique
LIFEstyled Atlanta
Wardrobe Consulting
Sherry and John W.
Lundeen
Miller Brothers, Ltd.
Sally and McKee Nunnally
Parramore & Quinn
Prologis
Valerie and Scott H. Sikes
Kelley and Bradlee
Simoneaux
Wesley D. Snapp
Southern Proper, LLC
Southwest Airlines Co.
Carol V. and James D.
Thompson
TriNet
Kara and Trey Weatherly
Wild Dunes Resort
Brittany and Zach Wilson
Dr. Annie Winkler
Jeannie Worlock
Shepherd Center Welcomes New
Board Members and Sincerely
Thanks Retiring Members
Shepherd Center welcomes 16 new members
and leaders to our three boards. We also extend
our heartfelt appreciation to six members who
have rotated off the boards after years of
dedicated service.
Shepherd Center and the Shepherd Center
Foundation have three boards – a governing
hospital Board of Directors, which sets hospital
policy, provides advice and guidance and has
1
1. Boynton Smith
2. Cyndae Arrendale
3. Juli Owens
4. Mary Pope
5. McKee Nunnally
2
ultimate responsibility for the quality of medical
care provided by the hospital; the Foundation
Board of Trustees, which secures philanthropic
support for patient services, raises community
awareness for the Center, and recruits volunteer
involvement; and the Advisory Board, which
advocates for Shepherd Center and the
Foundation in the community.
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4
5
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES
New Member
McKee Nunnally
New Members/Leadership
Boynton Smith, Chairman
Juli Owens, Vice Chairman
Melinda Dabbiere
Suzanne E. Mott Dansby
Travis Ellis
William Hoyt
Kay Quigley
Cindy Widner Wall
Retiring Member
Julian Mohr
Retiring Members
Marnite Calder
Matthew Ford
Jackson Kelly
Bobby Mays
McKee Nunnally
(Past Chairman)
ADVISORY BOARD
New Members/Leadership
Cyndae Arrendale, Chairman
Mary Pope, Vice Chairman
C. Scott Akers, Jr.
David Dabbiere
Lisa Hardymon (Ex-Officio)
Kathie Neyman
James Stapleton, Jr.
Julie S. White
Retiring Members
Hollis Gunn
Dee King
Mark Sunderland
PHOTO GALLERY
SHEPHERD CENTER FOUNDATION
Events Photo Gallery
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3
2
4
5
6
SAVE THE DATE FOR SHEPHERD CENTER SOCIETY’S
FEBRUARY 7, 2016
Food, adult beverages, games and more!
Free for 2016 SCS members, $20 donation
to SHARE for non-members.
Tickets can be purchased at the door.
Sign up for membership in 2016 at
www.SCS-ATL.com
7
1. Shepherd Center staff members dress
as the band KISS to kick off the annual
employee giving campaign, which benefits
the renovation of Shepherd Pathways
this year. 2. University of Tennessee at
Chattanooga fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha
raised $20,500 toward the renovation
of Shepherd Pathways in honor of their
fraternity brother, Harrison Warren (far
right), who is a former Pathways patient.
3. Shepherd Center employees serve as
ambassadors at the kickoff luncheon for
the annual employee giving campaign.
4. Piedmont Resin Supply’s team of Rob
Willis (teeing off at left), Gary Nichols, Ben
Prevost and Matt Griffith participates in
Shepherd Center Cup 2015. 5. Shepherd
Center’s Junior Committee 2015-16
gathers for its first meeting. 6. Runners
participate in the RPM 9/11 Race to raise
money for SHARE Military Initiative.
7. Former SHARE Military Initiative
client Jarrad Turner speaks to runners
before the RPM 9/11 Race.
h
HONORARIUMS
Honorees are listed first in bold print followed by the names of those making gifts in their honor.
This list reflects gifts made to Shepherd Center between May 1, 2015 and July 31, 2015.
Peg Anderson
Ms. Nancy E. Fenlon
Dr. David Apple’s Birthday
Mr. and Mrs. John W. Stephenson
Mr. and Mrs. W. Daniel Faulk
Cyndae A. Arrendale
Dr. and Mrs. David F. Apple, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Donald C.
Chapman, Jr.
Margaret A. Balliet
Mr. and Mrs. Wellington B.
Tingley, Jr.
Marcia Baumrind’s Recovery
Mrs. Nancy Isenberg
Eleanor Bernhardt’s Birthday
Judge Phyllis Kravitch
Ms. Emily C. Sanders
Allison and Andrew Blaisdell’s
Marriage
Mrs. Marshall J. Beebe
Mr. Linton H. Bishop III
Mr. Robert K. Blaisdell
Mr. Ian Cole
Mr. and Mrs. Pat Combs
Mr. Robert Dowling
Ms. Denise Hiller
Mrs. Sydney R. Janney
Mr. and Mrs. Adolphus B.
Orthwein, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Albert M. Redd, Jr.
Miss Elizabeth Rickenbaker
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Walters
Mr. Donald E. Wamberg
Mrs. Ann Wetter
Ms. Carol B. Yancey
Donna D. Boldt
Mr. and Mrs. Donald L. Deeks
Susan M. Bowen –
Great Board Presentation
Dr. David F. Apple, Jr.
Thomas L. Butts
Mr. Jason A. Stone
John A. Carlos’s Birthday
Mr. and Mrs. James A. Carlos
Covenant Foundation, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. James E. Gilmer, Jr.
Rosenberg Family Fund, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. J. Harold Shepherd
Alaina Case’s Graduation –
Congratulations
Gena Bryant Chalfa and John M.
Chalfa on their Wedding
The Ruth and Talmage Dobbs, Jr.
Foundation
John B. Coppedge III
Mr. and Mrs. William A. Sterne
Jacob Dyles’ Birthday
Ms. Amy C. Leslie
Sergeant Major Justin Ezell –
Shepherd’s Men 911-Mile Run
Mrs. Rhonda J. Henry
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Peyla
Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan G. Roxland
Cindy and Bill Fowler
The Tom and Edwina Johnson
Family Foundation
Erma F. Freeman – 28 Years
of Excellence
William A. Furbish – 30-Year
Graduate of Shepherd Center
Mrs. Barbara K. Furbish
Moshe Gittelson’s Birthday
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth J. Feinberg
Jason Greene – Our Friend
Mr. and Mrs. Phil Bailey
Sherry Clark and John Johnson’s
Wedding
Ms. Montez Howard
Lawrence P. Kelly
Mr. Fred Matser
Meredith and Dan Kingsley
Mrs. E. Bowen Shoemaker
Janet Kraft
Mr. Thomas Kraft
Deborah G. Krotenberg
Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Abney III
Ms. LuRae N. Ahrendt
Ms. Trudy Balizer
Mr. David L. Beckerman
Ms. Miriam F. Beckerman
Ms. Patricia B. Bell
Ms. Susan Benjamin
Mr. Mark Ben-Yoar
Mrs. Kathryn C. Bergquist
Mrs. Ann B. Bishop
Ms. Irma Bloch
Mrs. Delece A. Brooks
Ms. Melissa Byars
Mr. and Mrs. George E. Carnahan
Ms. Pamela R. Carter
Case Management South, Inc.
Ms. Michele Casper
Mr. Joseph K. Chancey
Mrs. Robyn Clark
Mrs. Tara Clivio
Mrs. Melissa D’amico
Ms. Nancy Davis
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Deitsch
Ms. Jane S. Diamond
Ms. Jillian F. Ehrenberg
Mr. and Mrs. Neal G. Ehrenberg
Ms. Ruth Einstein
Ms. Jeanne Ellinport
Mr. and Mrs. Ian Feldman
Dr. and Mrs. Sheldon H. Feldman
Mr. and Mrs. Alan L. Fersko
Mrs. Joan Flig
Shirley and Arnold Friedman
Ms. Audrey Galex
Mr. Barry Garber
Ms. Gina Gershon
Ms. Anna Gibson-Bousarkis
Mr. Paul H. Glickstein
Ms. Rebecca F. Globus
Ms. Elizabeth D. Gobeil
Mr. and Mrs. Steven Gold
Mrs. Arlene Goldman
Mr. and Mrs. David Goldsmith
Ms. Kim H. Goldsmith
Mr. Bryan Golson
Ms. Joy Goodman
Ms. Doris S. Gordon
Ms. Sylvia Graber
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Grant
Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Grinzaid
Mr. Robert I. Gross
Ms. Sylvia Gross
Mrs. Robin Grove
Ms. Pauline F. Hale
Mr. and Mrs. Maury Herman
Mrs. Avis Hester
Mr. Kenneth D. Hodges
Mrs. Minna Hong and Mr. Wayne K.
Ware
ICM
Jeckil Promotions
Mrs. Cheryl M. Johnson
Mrs. Paullin Judin
Ms. Lori K. Kagan Schwarz
Ms. Betty Kalish
Mrs. Arlene Kaplan
Ms. Lea Kirman
Mr. William Kirman
Ms. Beverly Korfin
Mr. and Mrs. Craig Kornblum
Ms. Janine K. Kowak
Mr. and Mrs. Marvin H. Krotenberg
Dr. and Mrs. Sanford J. Krotenberg
Ms. Susan Kupferberg
Mr. Jonathan LaMendola
Ms. Allison W. Lauenstein
Mr. Barry E. Leavell
Ms. Lauren H. Levin
Ms. Mary Jo Loper
Ms. Pamela Lovallo
Mr. and Mrs. Walter P. Mailaender
Ms. Ellen A. Mazer
Mr. Frank R. McKay
Ms. Sandra J. Menes
Ms. Christa Merer
Ms. Linda C. Moody
Ms. Lynne Norton
Ms. Kathleen Oliver
Mrs. Deborah Palmer
Ms. Yvonne B. Parker
Mr. Mark Podhorzer
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Z. Pollak
Dr. and Mrs. Leonard Prosterman
Mrs. Carroll Ann Putzel
Ms. Rebeca Quintana
Ms. Vivian Rausch
RCS
Ms. Lisa Redfearn
Rehability Management
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Rycus
Mr. Robert D. Schwartz
Ms. Martine Schweitzer
Rabbi and Mrs. Ronald M. Segal
Ms. Lyn C. Shade
Mr. Richard J. Shivers
Siegel & Dolt Comprehensive
Dental Care
Dr. and Mrs. Alvin M. Siegel
Ms. Gayle Siegel
Ms. Heddi Silon
Ms. Alexis F. Simmons
Mr. Ron Simpson
Ms. Cindy E. Solomon
Mr. and Mrs. Martin D. Spiegelman
Mr. Mark Spieler
Ms. Lynne Spitzer
Ms. Sheryl Swain
Mrs. Nicole D. Tifverman
Dr. and Mrs. Gary R. Ulicny
Mr. and Mrs. Max Uydess
Mrs. Emily Walden
Ms. Kathryn Willard
Mr. James Willis
Mr. Douglas J. Witten
Mrs. Marjorie Zimmerman
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen A. Zipris
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Zirkle
Ethel and Marvin Krotenberg
Dr. Bruce A. Merriam
Shaun Lally
Shirley and Arnold Friedman
Lorraine I. Lambert
Mr. and Mrs. Perry Ellison
Donald P. Leslie, M.D.
Cousins Foundation, Inc.
Dr. and Mrs. Donald Leslie
Mr. and Mrs. Paul J. Bain
The Ruth and Talmage Dobbs, Jr.
Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. H. Lamar Mixson
Colin Lichtenstein’s Birthday
Dr. and Mrs. Basil Margolis
Dr. John L. Lin
Brett Martin’s Recovery
Mr. and Mrs. Chadrick T. Martin
Frank Morro – Happy Father’s Day
Ms. Nancy Morro
Shannon and Blake Motley
Mrs. Susan L. Johnston
Early Muntzing’s Birthday
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth J. Feinberg
Chris O’Brien
Ms. Alecia Lally
Juli J. Owens
Mr. and Mrs. Duane M. Morrow
Eugene L. Pearce –
Happy Father’s Day
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew P. Worrell
Sandra Prince
Mrs. John Peurifoy
Sandra and Larry Prince
Mr. and Mrs. Wilton D. Looney
Brian D. Rogers
Ms. Jennifer Christman
Alex Rosenberg’s Birthday
Ms. Laurie Botstein
St. Jude – In Honor and
Recognition
Mr. and Ms. Douglas Powers
Emory A. Schwall’s Birthday
Alana Shepherd’s Birthday
Bickers Consulting Group, LLC
Mr. and Mrs. James M.
Caswell, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Donald C.
Chapman, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. William M. Puckett
Mr. and Mrs. Dell B. Sikes
Shepherd Center ABI Nurses
and Staff
Miss Mary Pat Baldauf
Eloise F. Shepherd’s Birthday
Ms. Mary B. Bickers
Rebecca S. Shepherd’s Birthday
Ms. Mary B. Bickers
Thomas Sloope
Mrs. Amy W. Allen
Mrs. Audrey S. Bell
Ms. Lisa Bellwin
Mr. Ralph M. Brooks
Ms. Catherine Carella
Carter & Sloope, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Clough
Ms. Mary Ann DuBose
Mr. and Mrs. Robert T. Eaker
Edward Jones
ESG Operations Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. J. David Ewing
Mr. Jeffrey M. Zielenski and
Mrs. Monica C. Giuseffi
GlaxoSmithKline Foundation
Mr. Stuart E. Hamilton
Mr. Russell L. Head
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel D. Holmes
John R. Walker, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Michael R. McKelvey
Ms. F. Gay McMichael
Mrs. Susan Meyers
Mr. Richard G. Miller
Mr. and Mrs. Hal Parrish
Premier Construction
Associates LLC
Mr. and Mrs. Roger Ralston
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis L. Shelnutt
Mr. and Mrs. John B. Sloope
Mr. Don C. Smith
Mr. Gerald Smith, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. S. D. Smith
Ms. Karen T. Smulski
Chris and Teresa Stovall
Thomas & Hutton
Mr. Allen Walker
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Washington
Mrs. Katherine White
Shepherd’s Men
Ms. Courtney J. Bowen
Cameron Touchstone’s Recovery
Southern Builders Association
Scott L. Tucker
Mr. Wesley D. Snapp
Caleb Wilson
Mrs. Connie A. Hipp
U.S. Servicemen –
All Who Served
Mr. and Mrs. Donald J. Lucachick
Leora Wollner’s Retirement
from the Epstein School
Mr. and Mrs. Milton Jacobson
Father’s Service, U.S. Navy WWII
Pacific Theater
Mrs. Connie Hatcher
Price Woodward
Mr. Ralph M. Brooks
Mr. and Mrs. Robert T. Eaker
Edward Jones
Mr. and Mrs. J. David Ewing
Mr. Jeffrey M. Zielenski and
Mrs. Monica C. Giuseffi
Mr. Stuart E. Hamilton
Mr. Richard G. Miller
Wesley A. Varda – Lake
Tahoe Run
Mr. Martin B. Chadwick
Harrison Warren
Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity at
UT-Chattanooga
UTC Alpha Delta Pi
UTC Chi Omega
UTC Delta Zeta
UTC Gamma Phi Beta
UTC Kappa Delta
UTC Pi Kappa Alpha
UTC Sigma Kappa
Sally White
Ms. Susan Harrod
Shane White – Congratulations
on your promotion!
Lindsey Whitten’s Recovery
Mrs. Jeanine F. Harper
University of Alabama football coach
Nick Saban visited Shepherd Center
patients in summer 2015. Here, he
chats with William Wolf of Atlanta.
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3
4
1. University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban visits with Shepherd Center
patients. 2. Leslie Peoples, Miss Wheelchair Georgia 2015, engages the audience
at Shepherd Center’s fashion show fundraiser, Project Rollway 2015. 3. Tom Sloope,
left, and Edwin Nix celebrate the success of the Team Tom campaign, which raised
$105,350 to benefit recreation therapy, chaplaincy and patient assistance.
4. Shepherd Center patient Jeff Gaddy proudly displays his Shepherd Center tattoo.
m
MEMORIALS
Shepherd Center Friends and Colleagues
Honor Clinical Research Manager Joy Bruce
By Leslie VanHiel, PT, DScPT
SHEPHERD CENTER PHYSICAL
THER APIST AND CLINICAL
RESEARCH MANAGER JOY BRUCE,
Ph.D., had a strong devotion to treating
her patients and mentoring her
colleagues and students. Her perpetual
confidence and enthusiasm drove her to
help improve the healthcare world in the
United States and internationally. Joy
passed away April 25, 2015 after a battle
with brain cancer.
Joy earned degrees from the
University of Virginia, North Georgia
College and State University, and the
Medical College of Virginia. She worked
as an EMT, physical therapist and
adjunct college professor before joining
the staff at Shepherd Center in 2008.
She became a full-time clinical
researcher and manager of the Hulse
Spinal Cord Injury Research Lab in
2009. She worked on studies ranging
from a tongue-operated power
wheelchair for people with high-level
tetraplegia to studying spinal reflexes
during stepping in a robotic gait device.
She published four papers and
presented research at national
conferences. Her most recent interest
was the use of lumbar or cervical
transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation
to decrease spasticity and improve
function in people with incomplete spinal
cord injury. The Hulse Lab continues
work in this area today.
Joy was active in the American
Physical Therapy Association, Neurology
Section, serving as a section chair and
secretary for many years. She also
served as vice-chair of International
Network of SCI physiotherapists (SCIPT)
and was about to take the position as
president of the organization when
she was diagnosed with brain cancer.
Joy Bruce, Ph.D., was a clinical research manager at
Shepherd Center. She passed away in April 2015.
Joy was a special part of Shepherd
Center and requested that her memorial
be held at the hospital. On April 28, the
Callaway Auditorium was standing-room
only – filled with family, friends and
colleagues who shared stories about
her. A former patient recalled how she
pushed him to work harder on the FES
cycle, and then increased the resistance
so he would work harder still. A fellow
physical therapist described how, as a
new graduate, he had asked Joy what
accomplishment she was most proud of,
and she replied, “I haven’t done it yet.”
m
MEMORIALS
Deceased friends of Shepherd Center are listed first in bold print followed by the names of those making gifts
in their memory. This list reflects gifts made to Shepherd Center between May 1, 2015 and July 31, 2015.
John Abbott
Mr. and Mrs. John C. Fleming
Betty R. Alexander
Mr. and Mrs. Joel K. Isenberg
Mark Anderson
Mr. Dean Anderson
Ms. Pamela J. Cornwell
Ms. Beverly J. Fant
Ms. Nancy E. Fenlon
Mr. Bernard S. Gowen, Jr.
Mrs. Lauren M. Hanes
Ms. Melissa Hirsu
Ms. Carole B. Smith
Mr. Bradley Stinnette
Laura and Karl Anschutz
Ms. Esther L. Abisamra
Ms. Hope Abisamra
Alice Applegarth
Mrs. Virgil E. Byerly
Mrs. Rolf Heermann
Warren Armes
LTC (R) Eugene G. Gatwood
Jerry Armour
Mr. and Mrs. Norman Schimelman
Raymond Arogeti
Mrs. Tillie Cohen
Arnold M. Balser
Mrs. Sam Arogeti
Morgan Bass
Ms. Elizabeth W. Willis
Charles E. Bowen
Mrs. Frank C. Bowen, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. John E. Duggan
Mrs. Margaret Forbes
Mr. and Mrs. M. Lamar Oglesby
Dr. and Mrs. Carter Smith, Jr.
Wilbert Funeral Services, Inc.
Don Brock
Mr. and Mrs. Norman Smith
Winnie Brown
Mrs. Charles H. Peterson
Joy A. Bruce
Mr. and Mrs. Roy A. Adilman
Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Boese
Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Burkholder
Mr. and Mrs. James Butler
Mr. David Conrad
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald D. Godard
Mr. and Mrs. Paul E. Goldstein
Homrich Berg
Ms. Montez Howard
Mr. and Mrs. Howard Jenkins
Ms. Barbara K. Newlin
Pediatric Associates
Ms. Alex Seblatnigg
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel A. Stucka
Mr. and Mrs. Albert Turner
Thaddeus “Ted” Budz
Mr. James Podojil
Eula C. Carlos
Ms. Janet Algers and Mr. Joseph
Faraone
Mr. George T. Angelato
Mrs. and Mrs. Fred Barnett
Mrs. Florence S. Bernes
Mr. and Mrs. Rick Bernstein
Mr. and Mrs. Carlton H. Bremer III
Ms. Theodora Campbell
Thalia & Michael C.
Carlos Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Cole
Ms. Sarah L. Ellis
Factory’s Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Crist Francisco
Mr. and Mrs. John Francisco
Mr. and Mrs. Dub Franklin
Mr. Joseph Gardner
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher R.
Hardage
Mr. and Mrs. Ron Hicks
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel B. Kennedy
Mr. Russell Love
Mr. and Mrs. Archie Lytle
Mr. and Mrs. Matthew D. Middelthon
Mr. and Mrs. George Miliotes
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald J. Minnich
RRB Business Services, LLC
The Shepherd Center Auxiliary
Ms. Sharon Shirley
Mr. and Mrs. Chase Underwood
Mr. and Mrs. Dennis L. Zakas
Dana M. Carr
Mr. and Mrs. Rick Carr
Andre L. Carson
Mrs. Erika Bartolucci-Page
Ms. Violeta Stoynova
Eugene S. Caverly
Mr. and Mrs. James M. Caswell, Jr.
Robert Cloud
Mr. and Mrs. Steven Back
Kenneth “Lenny” Coffey
Mrs. Marcia J. Pauly
Ms. Susan L. Putnam
Charles L. Craig
Mr. and Mrs. Brian S. Brown
Mr. and Mrs. David W. Dorman
Ms. Carolyn Griffin Hall
Mr. and Mrs. Larry G. Hailey
Mrs. Robert J. Howard
Mr. and Mrs. William D. Hoyt
Mrs. Beverly G. Hurt
Ms. Linda Sims Newmark
Ms. Alex Seblatnigg
Mrs. Susan Selman
Mrs. Doris H. Shelton
Mr. and Mrs. Austin A. Stephens
Mr. and Mrs. Marshall J.
Wellborn, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. John W. Williams
Orvie “Barry” Crawford
Ms. Carolyn Cain
Mr. Robert P. Donellan
Carol Croly
Mrs. Aileen S. Croly
Matt W. Davis
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Magouirk
Mary B. Dinos
Mr. Jack A. Dinos
Donald L. Dutson
Mr. and Mrs. Edwin E. Cowart
Carolyn A. Ewing
Mr. and Mrs. James M. Caswell, Jr.
Frank G. Falkner
Dr. and Mrs. Richard A. Hurd, Jr.
Robin Floyd
John Fouch
AIG Matching Grants Program
Mr. and Mrs. Cary S. Sheppard
Mr. Gary W. Rollins
Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Sergan
Ms. Morris L. Shadburn, Jr.
Ms. Mary Susan Stacy
Ms. Anita Strickler
SunTrust Bank
Ms. Carollee Vernon
Ms. Lucy Vaughn
Mr. and Mrs. John H. Weitnauer, Jr.
Mrs. Joan D. Woodall
Corrie H. Hendrix
Mrs. Virgil E. Byerly
Charlotte Herring
Mr. and Mrs. Steven P. Schaikewitz
Richard L. Hoffman, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. John C. Bacon
Mary Powell Fowler
Jesse W. Huffstickler IV
Ms. Erica Garofalo
Margaret Frady
Evelyn M. Hughes
Mr. and Mrs. Julius D. Hays
Ted R. French
Mr. and Mrs. Brian S. Brown
William Humbaugh
Mr. and Mrs. John C. Fleming
Stanley Friedman
Ellen and Richard Hurd
Luck F. Gambrell
John Swanton Ivy
Sara N. Glover
Ms. Phyllis Clayman
Robert N. Hagemeyer
Mr. and Mrs. Nat F. Bradley
Mr. Peter de Haven
Mr. and Ms. Paul R. Hokanson
Mr. Todd K. Kafka
Mr. and Mrs. Quentin Kruck
Melvin S. Cutler
Charitable Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Teigeler
Marie M. Hamilton
Clement E. Hanrahan
Ms. Julia Germani
Lillian A. Hatch
Ms. Helen H. Smith
William C. Hatcher
Mrs. McCary Ballard
Barron Service Parts Co.
Mr. and Mrs. William R. Bridges, Jr.
Brooks Auto Parts
Mrs. Christy K. Davidson
Ms. Debbie DeMoss
Ms. Vickie Dorsey
Ms. Helen Gordon
Ms. Lauren Grien
Mr. Steve Handschuh
Ms. Grace Kerns
Ms. Linda Laird
Mr. and Mrs. Larry L. Prince
William Bradford Jordan
Mrs. William T. Cunningham III
Marian Kelleher
Jane Kelly
Mr. and Mrs. Richard C.
Schneider, Sr.
Thomas H. Knight
Mrs. Lorraine A. Knight
John C. Kranyecz
Mr. and Mrs. David T. Stulack
Jennie I. Leff
Pen Lynbrook
Ms. Phyllis Brooks
Billy Dee Martin
Mr. and Mrs. Bill L. Garrett
Hilda Massar
Evan T. Mathis
Sgt. 1st Class Shawn McCloskey
Mr. and Mrs. Matthew K. Jones
Laverne McCrary
Ms. Ann B. Deal
Mrs. Adrianne DiVito
Ms. Christy D. Greer
Helen H. Means
Asher R. Mendonsa
Mr. and Mrs. Gary Critser
Youth Conference Ministries
Ms. Elsa Stewart
Stanley A. Mislow
Nancy Montet
George A. Montgomery
Ralph C. Moor
Kate Murphy
Maureen O’Connor
Ms. Irene Coleman
Mark A. Palmer
Mrs. Julie A. Forand
Mr. and Mrs. Holcombe T. Green, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Hendley
Mr. and Mrs. E. T. Laird
Ms. Irene K. May
Steven Patterson
Mr. and Mrs. Lester Holt
Ms. Carolyn Horton
Kathleen Pletinckx
McKesson Corporation
Mr. Jules Paape
Lorraine W. Pomerance
Margaret Lynn Knox Poole
Mr. and Mrs. Victor S. Bond
Mr. and Ms. Keith Bricklemyer
Ms. Karen Bushaw-Newton
Mr. W. Gage Logan
Mr. George MacBain
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald McLean
Ms. Susan C. Middlebrooks
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth G. Millette
Ms. Sally Smith
Elizabeth G. Pope
Jack G. Pritchard
Mr. and Mrs. Henry F. McPherson
B.E. Rainey
Mr. and Mrs. Eugene L. Keenerr
David J. Ricker, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Max Diamond
Dr. and Mrs. John J. Riordan
Mr. John F. Riordan
Clyde A. Rodbell
Mrs. Nancy Coverdell
Mrs. Irene F. Kent
Donnie Rodgers
Ms. Dianne All
Ms. Anita Bloomingburg
Ms. Phebe Bloomingburg
Ms. Virginia Bloomingburg
Mr. and Mrs. David W. Bottoms
Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Brillhart
Mr. Dennis Cannon
Mr. and Mrs. James T. Dodson
Mr. and Mrs. Lance Fleming
Mr. Richard Irby
Jackson Purchase Energy
Corporation
Ms. Faith Johnson
Mr. and Mrs. Howard Puckett
Mr. and Mrs. Durand Pugh
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Putteet
Ms. Rodena Ray
Mr. and Mrs. Bob Reeves
Ms. Barbara Robinson
Mrs. Lisa C. Steele
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Walker
Jane Gatewood Roszel
Francoise Y. Schneider
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce B. Wilson
Fred B. Sheats
Isham M. Sheffield
Dana J. Shepherd
Mr. and Mrs. H. Lamar Mixson
Jean Grant Walter
Mr. and Mrs. Ben L. O’Callaghan, Sr.
Michael C. Waters
Mr. and Mrs. Mario J. DeLaguardia
Dot Watkins
Mr. and Mrs. Robert T. Stinnett
Ben Watson
Dupree Plumbing Co.
Ms. Bonnita Glass
Ms. Deborah S. Glass
Bob Whitlock
Patricia C. Williams
Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Mozley
Sam Wolfe
Ms. Linda T. Banks
Jo.Lane Wright
Ellen Silva
Ms. Joan Garner
Sam S. Singer III
Mrs. Ann Singer
Carol A. Sprott
Ms. Dorothy S. Baker
Mr. and Mrs. William T. Chambers
Ms. Kathyrn Murphy
Mrs. Nancy M. O’Connor
Ms. Eleanor A. Page
Ms. Susan E. Pindara
Ms. Sheila D. Striar
Mrs. Esther Sullivan
Chris Stone
Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Pitts III
William Frank Stuckey
Robert Swenk
Mr. and Mrs. John H. Weitnauer, Jr.
Steve Swift
Mr. and Mrs. Doug Agre
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bink
Ms. Norma Cepeda
Mr. and Mrs. William W. Clauser
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce R. Collina
Mr. and Mrs. G. Robert Franzese
Mr. and Mrs. Norman Hendrie
Mr. and Mrs. Dave Larson
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Loesel
Mr. and Mrs. John M. Maher
Ms. Glenda L. Regelin
Mr. and Mrs. Doug Robertson
Mr. and Mrs. Jerome D. Schaab
1
1. The late Bob Hagemeyer
was a former Shepherd
Center spinal cord injury
patient with a zest for life. He
was also a donor. He passed
away in 2015. 2. Shepherd
Center employees gather for
a 40th anniversary luncheon
in August.
2
Louis J. Taratoot
Mrs. Sam Arogeti
Bob Thomas
Mrs. Robert C. Beauchamp
J. Leroy Townsend, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel J. DiLuzio
U.S. Servicemen – All Who Served
Mesaba Range Auxiliary #1172
Dr. Abraham S. Velkoff
Mr. and Mrs. Alan C. Dinerman
Non-Proﬁt Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Atlanta, GA
Permit No. 1703
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Wounded Warrior Project® Awards
Grant to Shepherd Center
Shepherd Center recently received a $250,000 grant from
Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) to provide assessment and
treatment for service men and women who have sustained a
mild to moderate traumatic brain injury and PTSD from combat
in post-9/11 conflicts.
Shepherd Center’s SHARE Military Initiative, a
comprehensive rehabilitation program, provides assistance,
support and education to service members and their families
during their recovery, treatment and beyond. WWP’s Grant
Program, now in its fourth year, is expanding the availability of
programs and services that provide support to this generation
of injured service members.
“We are honored to receive support from such a prestigious
organization as Wounded Warrior Project,” said Jackie
Breitenstein, manager of the SHARE Military Initiative. “At
SHARE, we strive to provide the best possible care for service
members and veterans. With this grant, we will be able to
expand our program and continue to help these men and
women make a successful transition back to the community.”
Steve Nardizzi, chief executive office at WWP, said:
“Working together with excellent organizations such as
Shepherd Center, we are expanding and strengthening the
network of support we can provide to our warriors, free of
charge. Side by side with WWP, our grant recipients are
Music therapy led by Thomas Miller, center, is part of the comprehensive rehabilitation
program offered in Shepherd Center’s SHARE Military Initiative.
creating and deploying critically needed, specialized programs
and services across the country, ensuring that no warrior falls
through the cracks.”
For more information on WWP’s Grant Program
and a description of the grant recipients, visit
woundedwarriorproject.org.

Fall 2015 - Shepherd Center

Transcription

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