Stories Matching 'Health and Wellness' Tag (114 matches)

For the Children

My daughter was admitted into the hospital ward for testing.  During her stay, I noticed the very old VCR, movies, broken books, and old game systems with poor controllers. What really broke my heart was when they wheeled the VCR into my daughter's room and some of the videos were missing out of the cases.  The little boy who made friends with my daughter was upset because his favorite movie was missing. The Nurse went to find out if the movies were misplaced.  When she returned, she said the movies were missing. Missing I asked? "Oh yeah," she said "things go missing here all the time.  We just got a couple of new movies and they disappeared with in a couple of days." This made me very sad,  I knew it wasn't children sneaking out VCR tapes.  Parents  and vistors had to be behind it.  The few things they had to entertain the children were given by ... Read Full Story >>

Tedi the Love Clown

I go to the Hospital every Saturday, in my bright costume, and long eyelashes,and an august clown face.  I hand the patient a 4" Love Pillow.. hand made by myself, and a couple of friends.

I say, "This is a Love Pillow, It is to remind you that you have a Heavely Comforter,

God is still in charge, you know,

And He loves you so much,

He knows what your needs are even before you ask.

He will never leave you, He loves you with an Unending Love,  And I love you too !!!"

--Tedi the Love Clown

I have been clowning for 24 years now, and this has been my most important experience.  I see between 80 and 120 patients each week and wouldn't miss it for the life in me.

Three Strings of Itzhak Perlman

Perlman, the violinist, came on stage to give a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City. If you have ever been to a Perlman concert, you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him. He was stricken with polio as a child, and so he has braces on both legs and walks with the aid of two crutches. To see him walk across the stage one step at a time, painfully and slowly, is an awesome sight. He walks painfully, yet majestically, until he reaches his chair. Then he sits down, slowly, puts his crutches on the floor, undoes the clasps on his legs, tucks one foot back and extends the other foot forward. Then he bends down and picks up the violin, puts it under his chin, nods to the conductor and proceeds to play. By now, the audience is used to this ... Read Full Story >>

Helping Sally Swim

Each year I volunteer at a camp for children with asthma. Having the condition myself, I went there myself as a camper, then became a counselor when I was of age.  This camp is an wonderful place that I could spend days talking about - it does amazing things to the kids who go through the program. I've met a multitude of unforgettable individuals there, but one child definitely stands out. One year, as a Senior Counselor, I was in charge of one Teams for games and activities. On the first day, the camp director came to talk to me, leading a small girl. For the purposes of this story, I will call her Sally. She was adorable, vivacious, smart, funny, and about 9 years old. And, in additon to asthma, she had sickle cell disease. This meant I had ... Read Full Story >>

A Car Ride To Remember

A man named Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shining new car admiring it. "Is this your car, Mister?" he asked. Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you nothing? Boy, I wish..." He hesitated. Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what this lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels. "I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that." Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?" "Oh yes, I'd love that." After a ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness In Grief

A long time ago, I was a waitress in a pancake house that stayed open til midnight. One evening around 11:30, a couple came in. There was no one else in the restaurant, so I started chatting as I poured the coffee. It turns out that the womans mother was in the hospital and it was only a matter of time before she passed. We talked how hard it was to watch a parent die and how we both hoped that she wouldn't be in pain for too much longer. She asked if the restaurant would be open the following evening and I assured her that it would and I would be waiting for them with a hot pot of coffee. For 5 more evenings, they retured. I wouldn't let the cook turn off the grill until they showed up. He wasn't happy about it, but after I told him the ... Read Full Story >>

My Second Chance To Be a Parent

On April 28 2001, my youngest sister was killed in a random drive by shooting.  Her 3 youngest sons went to live with my surviving sister but were never happy there; I wanted to gain the gaurdianship options from my sister but didn't want to risk fracturing our family even more. A couple of weekends ago, though, my sister called and said the boys (17 yrs & 15 yrs) could no longer live with her and that their only options was either foster care or living with me.  There is no way I was going to miss this chance.  Still, my nephews were accustomed to living in the big city and I live in a suburb, 45 minutes from the city and I knew that convincing them was going to take some negotiating.  But I did it. Today, they have been with me going on two weeks and they are more relaxed.  ... Read Full Story >>

He Played His Best

This is the story of Robby. He was a young boy who lived with his elderly mother. His mother wanted him to learn how to play the piano because she longed to hear her son play for her. She sent her son to a piano teacher who took Robby in under her guidance. However, there was one small problem because Robby was not musically inclined and therefore was very slow in learning. The teacher did not have much faith in the boy because of his weakness. The mother was very enthusiastic and every week she would send Robby to the teacher. One day Robby stopped attending the piano lessons. The teacher thought that he had given up and in fact she was quite pleased since she did not give much hope to Robby. Not long after, the piano teacher was given the task to organize a piano concert in town. ... Read Full Story >>

Paid In Full With One Glass of Milk

"One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal, he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry and so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?" "You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness." He said, "Then I thank you from my heart." As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strengthened also. He had been ready to give up and ... Read Full Story >>

My Nurse's Special Birthday Gift

Last month it was my nurse's birthday. She has been caring for me since August 2006. Through the months, we have built an amazing bond. She has been there for me, and has helped me over so many hurdles its unbelievable. She's my rock in every way. I wanted to do something special for her birthday, to show her how much she means to me. Being confined to my bed, I can't go out shopping for a gift. So I was left to use my imagination and the materials in my room. But I was determined to make an unforgettable gift. I found an old shoe box, and got a bunch of my old girlie magazines, and spent 4 days cutting and pasting carefully selected items onto the box, creating an intricate collage. Each piece reflected in some way or another, our friendship. To finish it off, I put a photo of us ... Read Full Story >>

Grocery Store Flower Bouquet

Many years ago, my husband and I were at a neighborhood grocery store with our two sons.  My elder son has Downs Syndrome and his baby brother was  also diagnosed with mild autism a few years later.

Right as we were passing the floral department, a lady who worked there, handed me a bouquet of flowers.  Unexpectedly.  "These are for you," she said.  "I've been looking for someone to give these to!"   She said she would tell the cashier at the checkout  that they were free.

The gesture brought tears to my eyes. 

My son with Downs Syndrome is now 12 years old and my "baby" is 8.  I draw on this kind incident to give me strength when people have given me rude and even verbally abusive comments, when my children have had problems being in public. 

Receiving those flowers has really made a deep impression on my life.  Thank you, to that kind lady in the floral department that day!

A Simple Card For a Beautician

This week I felt I wanted to treat myself to some ‘beautician treatment’. I am house bound, so knew that I’d have to pay for the beautician to travel to our place, but that was okay by me, after all this was a treat.   That day I had an appointment made, and was expecting at least a 2 week wait, but to my surprise, was told she’d be here at 3:30 that same day. She came by, and spent an hour with me, when she was finished, I handed her $50; $30 for treatment, $20 for petrol and traveling time. She turned to me, and handed me back the $20 and said ‘don’t worry about the travel’.   I am unable to talk, so was left to convey my gratefulness and appreciation with my eyes and a warm smile. She politely left, smiling, but I didn’t feel satisfied. Did she really know how grateful I was ... Read Full Story >>

Dare to Care

Originally posted in Ode Magazine It's Saturday night in the Paris métro. Two friends, Etienne and Sophie, are on their way to dinner. After sitting down in the crowded train, they discover the body of a homeless man curled up at their feet. How did he get there? How long has he been lying there? Is he dead? They look around: Everyone avoids looking at the body. Nobody has any idea how to handle this situation. Etienne and Sophie don’t know what to do either. In a study done in the 1970s, young Christian seminarians were assigned to teach a course on the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). To make sure they would be in a hurry just like the priest and the Levite in the Biblical story, who didn’t stop to help a man in need, the researchers gave them directions to their classrooms that allowed them only enough ... Read Full Story >>

Letter to 4000 Children With A Scar On The Chest

[Mother Teresa handpicked him to be her personal surgeon. Today, Dr. Devi Shetty is perhaps the most compassionate, committed and charistmatic thing that has happened to cardiac surgery in the last century. He runs the world's second most productive heart hospital where children under 12 are treated for free and other patients pay whatever they can. After completing his 4000th pediatric heart surgery, he wrote this.] My Dear Children: I have been planning to write this letter for quite some time.  May be I just waited for you all to grow up to understand what I am trying to convey.  The story goes back many years.  When God sent you to this world it was perhaps the best thing that had happened to your parents.  Every little nudges and kicks in your mother’s womb opened up a new world of happiness and expectations.  Then one day, a miracle happened.  You were to ... Read Full Story >>

The Wall Outside the Window

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end.  They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon,  when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with ... Read Full Story >>

Roundtable Dinners

A very close friend of mine has two older parents who have been very sick and in the hospital. Her Mom has alzheimers and her Dad has diabetes and just had surgery on his legs. She was able to make arrangements for them to come to her house when they left the hospital, but this is now an additional responsibility for her in addition to her own family.

A bunch of us (9 friends) got together and came up with a calendar of dates for us to take turns making dinner and delivering it to her house. (Thank goodness for email!) It'll be one less thing she will have to worry about while she establishes a routine and things settle down for her. This way she will know they are eating healthy foods and she can tend to her parents needs.  I'm so happy to be part of this effort.

MANY HANDS make LIGHT WORK.  If we all do our part, it's easy!

My Friend, Howie

Actually, he started out as my step-dad's best friend since they were 5 and 6 years old, respectively.  They grew up in New York City.  Howie's home life was not good, very troubled.  Still, he grew up to be a fine man, worked hard, married, and had two children.  His wife divorced him when the children were small and he kind of drifted through life, working, but no real focus. I was almost 6 when my mother and stepfather met (again) and decided to make a life together.  Howie said to my dad, "You are going to live with her (meaning my mother)?  She has a kid, the kid will be an anchor and slow you down." Howie would come over our house and eat dinner and spend time there.  I guess I kind of grew on him.  He taught me how to play checkers and we got along just fine.  At ... Read Full Story >>

Thanks For Rocking With Me!

There was once an elderly, despondent woman in a nursing home. She wouldn't speak to anyone or request anything. She merely existed - rocking in her creaky old rocking chair.

The old woman didn't have many visitors. But every couple mornings, a concerned and wise young nurse would go into her room. She didn't try to speak or ask questions of the old lady. She simply pulled up another rocking chair beside the old woman and rocked with her.

Weeks or months later, the old woman finally spoke.

'Thank you,' she said. 'Thank you for rocking with me.'"

The First Earning Of My Life

I'm doing a work-experience internship at a hairdressing salon, and I noticed the other day that an old woman who had came in to get her hair permed, was sitting at the back of the shop and was looking rather sad.

So, naturally, I went over there and struck up a conversation with her. It turns out that she had just came out of hospital after weeks of treatment because she had a bad heart; to make matters worse, her daughter had recently given birth to a premature baby.

I sat and listened to her the whole time she was there, comforted her and just gave her words of advice and my philosophies. When she was finally ready to leave, she said,'You've made my day, duck. It's people like you I'll never forget.'

She tipped me one pound.

And that was the first money that I had earned in my life.

A Gift For My Father

Today, I am feeling for my father.  Its been 11 years since I've been married, since I left home.  I want to confess that I have had a very troubled childhood.  Though born in an educated family, I had to  survive my mother's sudden death when I was five and the temper of my father.  My father was a very very short tempered man, though by heart he was not bad.  I had one big brother (two years elder), and my father used to beat us very badly for very small things. After a year of mother's accident, he remarried.  My second mother also had two children of her own, and she controlled the whole house and my father.  Though she was not that bad, she was partial with me ... may be because I was not that good looking.  Even if my younger step-sister would abuse me, my father would ... Read Full Story >>

An Unsuspecting Restaurant Table

So there we are sitting in our little booth, finishing up a, tasty meal. It dawns on us, it’s time. Who will it be? Who will it be? Hmmm…. them! Who? Them, the couple behind me over my left shoulder. All right, lets do it! Our waiter comes over and asks: Would you like to take the rest with you? Yes, we would. Could we have our check? Ahhh, we’d also like to pay for that table. Uhh…what table? Any table really, but we were thinking of that table…. Fingers point discreetly, and the target is understood. We slip him a SMILE card and ask that it be given to them in lue of the bill. He walks over to the register and exchanges a few words with his manager. The Manager looks up, glances over, and smiles. The waiter returns and asks: He wants to know if this table would ... Read Full Story >>

Love Endures All

When one of my colleagues was diagnosed with cancer, he decided to take a leave of absence.  He decided to take leave not only because he was undergoing treatment, but also because his wife was going through treatment for a brain tumor.  Given that they were both in bad shape, he decided to take the leave so that they could enjoy each other's company while they still had the chance. Before he went on his leave, he purposely came to his office after hours to gather his personal belongings - just in case.   At the office, we all felt very bad but didn't know how to keep in touch with him and his family without bothering them.   So here is what I did: I bought cards with envelopes and distributed them to all the people in our group.  Then I sent an email to everyone encouraging my colleagues to write something, anything, for our friend.  I then ... Read Full Story >>

Beautiful Music To My Ears

My husband and I recently made a visit to see his mother, Gladys, who is in a nursing home with Alzheimer's.  I don't know a whole lot about this terrible disease but I am learning how quickly it can take over the memory.

We traveled many miles to visit Gladys and she was glad to see us but within just a few minutes, she even forgot that we were there!

My husband spotted a piano on the other side of the room and walked over to it and began to play a piece he had written many years ago hoping his mother would somehow recognize it.

I wish I could end this story saying she did but Gladys just contnued to eat her lunch.

The music was so beautiful!  Even I had a hard time believing that it was my own husband playing it.  Other people came out of their offices to watch him and one resident even remarked that she wished he would continue playing for a bit longer.

In the deepest of my hearts, I like to believe that Gladys heard the music.  I felt so proud of my husband.

$100 Pay-it-forward Award

I recently received a $100 pay-it-forward award from Karma Kitchen, where I volunteer occasionally.  It's a gift-economy restaurant where everyone pays what they want, for the person after them.  On nights when more money is received, it is distributed as pay-it-forward awards from which we have to do something good in our community. So on Labor Day, I invited my two friends -- Hafeez and Mita -- to Berkeley to put $100 to good use. I placed the order at Southside Bongo Burger, but then restaurant owner called me back.  "You want what?  $100 worth of Burgers?" the owner queried me on the phone.  I suppose he wanted to confirm it was a real order and not some sort of fraternity prank. :) "Yes, yes," I explained. "We recently received $100 gift to pay-it-forward.  So three of us wanted to give a personalized, gourmet treat to our homeless brothers and sisters ... Read Full Story >>

Four Bags Of Ice

I stopped at a convenience store on the way home from my monthly trek to the surgeon for a medical procedure.  I usually stop and get myself some candy and a pop as  a treat for surviving the torture. This time I noticed an elderly woman getting a bag of ice and went to walk around so as not to be in her way.  Right  then, she paused her work and gently asked, "I can move, if you'd like to pass through."  "No, I'm fine.  I'll just go this way.  But can I give you a hand?"  "No, that's alright."  And so, I went on inside the store. As I got my candy, I turned around to see if there was anything else I needed and I saw the ice-lady again.  "How are you doing?" I asked her.  "Okay.  Just have to pay for my ice and get home."  "How many bags ... Read Full Story >>

A Prayer Rock Minister

You might've heard the story of a person walking along a beach who kept throwing starfish back into the ocean to save their lives.A passerby commented that the task was useless since the man couldn't save all of the starfish, but the man continued to throw them back anyway because he felt that each one he did save was important. A few years ago I had to have thyroid surgery. Because I am a school teacher, I was terrified that I would never speak again. I shared my fear with my minister, and she gave me a "prayer stone" to take with me into surgery. I had the nurse tape it on my arm during surgery and many people "commented" about the rock taped to my arm. As I awaited my operation, people on the stretchers next to me asked about my "stone" and when ... Read Full Story >>

Mother’s Last Laugh

Consumed by my loss, I didn’t notice the hardness of the pew where I sat.  I was at the funeral of my dearest friend - my mother.  She finally had lost her long battle with cancer.  The hurt was so intense; I found it hard to breathe at times. Always supportive, Mother clapped loudest at my school plays, held a box of tissues while listening to my first heartbreak, comforted me when my father died, encouraged me in college, and prayed for me my entire life. When Mother’s illness was diagnosed, my sister had a new baby and my brother had recently married his childhood sweetheart, so it fell to me, the twenty-seven-year-old middle child without entanglements, to take care of her.  I counted it as an honor. “What now, Lord?” I asked, sitting in the church.  My life stretched out before me as an empty abyss. My brother sat stoically with his face ... Read Full Story >>

A Cookie Gram On Mother's Day

My son is my world and I love everything about him. When he was 3, he was diagnosed with a terminal brain-stem tumor.  Doctors gave him a 50% chance of surviving the first year and 10% in the second year.   I am proud to say that it has been a little over two years now since then.  About a month ago, though, we were told that his tumor was active again and that we really dont know what going to happen from day to day.  It's tough on us.  But the saving grace has been the unexpected kindness of so many wonderful strangers who comfort and give words of advice.  No one claims to have a cure for the pain and sorrow you feel when dealing with the loss of a child, but many people offer their warmth that helps us heal. In particular, there is this one nurse who has ... Read Full Story >>

Art of Holding Babies

"Carol Lee?" On our flight to New Orleans, the "Fasten Your Seat Belts" sign had just come on. Carol Lee was reading her book. She lifted her head, "What do you want to do in life?" I asked. I expected her to say she wanted to travel to Europe. Carol Lee turned to me and said, "I would like to hold babies." "Hold babies?" I was stunned. "You've got grandchildren." "I would like to work in a hospital nursery and just hold the newborns." Newborns? Her desire was one to ponder, which I did with each salty peanut I crunched. I looked out my little round window at New Orleans in the distance. Hold babies? Was she serious? A beignet at Cafe Du Monde, the French Quarter, a walk and a tour of the Garden District - joie de vivre! St. Charles Avenue and the streetcar ride; moonlight dancing aboard a Mississippi riverboat; a final ... Read Full Story >>

Sandpiper To Bring You Joy

She was six years old when I first met her on the beach near where I live. I drive to this beach, a distance of three or four miles, whenever the world begins to close in on me. She was building a sand castle or something and looked up, her eyes as blue as the sea. "Hello," she said.  I answered with a nod, not really in the mood to bother with a small child. I'm building," she said.  "I see that. What is it?" I asked, not really caring. "Oh, I don't know, I just like the feel of sand." That sounds good, I thought, and slipped off my shoes. A sandpiper glided by.  "That's a joy," the child said. "It's a what?" "It's a joy. My mama says sandpipers come to bring us joy." The bird went gliding down the beach. Good-bye joy, I muttered to myself, hello pain, and turned to walk on. ... Read Full Story >>