Wednesday, January 6

That Slushy Stuff


Chestnuts roasting? Yule log? Not I this Christmas. I went to NYC to visit my sister. So after a day of exploring the typical Manhattan tourist sites, I went to Pound Ridge Reservation in NY (with less than 2 months left, I can't miss a single weekend of hiking...even over the holidays).

When the weatherman uses the phrase "wintry mix," I usually turn into a pumpkin and proclaim to not know how to drive. Now I find myself tromping through the slushy stuff for hours on end. It was a good test of the gear... It rained and was 39 degrees at Pound Ridge, but I stayed dry. It was also a good mini-test of mental fortitude. The rain essentially disintegrated the paper map. When I got lost, I had the mental image of the map etched in my head, along with some practice with a compass, to get me back on track. I guess I surprised myself. Ultimately, trusting your logic, intuition, and your fellow hikers/climbers are essential to success.

Isn't that what our patients do? They trust us to hold the ropes, and we work together in partnership with them to get to our destination.

4 comments:

  1. Trust is such an important factor... thanks so much for all you do. :o)

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  2. I'm so excited about what you guys are doing! I just read your articles and blog entries. Thank you for going above and beyond in fighting PH! I was diagnosed with PH 8 or 9 years ago (can't remember if it was 2000 or 2001!). Anyway, I was then, and remain now so incredibly thankful for the Drs, physician assistants, nurses, and so many more who are daily involved in helping PH patients fight PH! I'll be thinking of you every day and praying for you as you train and climb, and spend time with patients!

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  3. Trust is surely a major factor in our healing! This is why we tell our support group members to see a PH specialist that you can trust. Once you trust them though, there is no going back...you can do all the discussions with your doc to understand better but, he or she is the one with their team of trusted staff:) Yes! We have been fortunate with Dr. Roxana Sulica in NY for the last 5 years until we moved to Rochester, MN this November. In the last 3 years, we were blessed to be able to build a trusting relationship with Dr. Frantz, thanks to Dr. Sulica!!

    PH professional community is awesom where they walk(hike!)extra few miles for their patients.... If one needs to see noble medical profession personified, go meet one in the PH world. We will always be grateful to all of you thru whom the Lord Himself works in our benefit!

    Jessica, glad to have you back to blog about it despite getting lost! a tool that may help perhaps be Garmin Nuvi for hikers.

    Keep up the great climb...

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  4. Getting lost was of good experience. At first I got pretty nervous, but i stayed calm, used my head and available tools, and figured it out. I am actually kinda proud of myself for not freakin out. It is times of great duress that define us... that's why i love working with PH, you cant beat this community of hope and enthusiasm, despite the duress.

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