Monday, April 8, 2013

Work and Planes



I'm not sure why I look so distorted in this photo, but here I am at a grantee meeting, getting ready to participate on a parent panel discussing Project Access, an initiative to improve the access to and healthcare for children and youth with epilepsy. Before the parent panel, I gave a presentation that I've given before, titled "Reflections with the Spice Island Queen." Some of you might remember the wonderful exchange we had here on the blog with a young medical student who was considering applying for medical residency in pediatric neurology. She contacted me with a request to ask my readers what sort of doctor they wanted for their children, and when I posted her plea, you answered in droves. You can read that post and the comments here. If I could figure out how to do it, I'd give you a link to see my Power Point, but I'm not that computer or blog savvy, so if you'd like a copy, please email me and I'll share it with you!

I used that post for a presentation and have now shared it with over 100 professionals in the epilepsy world. It's a testament to the power of our community that this one exchange has inspired a whole bunch of people to not only continue their work improving the lives of children with epilepsy and their families but also helped to spread and sustain the whole concept of "family centered" care.

My trip was a whirlwind one -- barely 24 hours from Los Angeles to D.C. and back, but I caught up on New Yorkers on the plane, gazed for hours at my seat-mate's arms that were covered in the most interesting tattoos (and restrained myself from stroking his arm as it was so smooth and decorative and sexy), watched with interest when the same seat-mate pulled out a lined notebook and began to draw incredible flowers with colored pencils, went back to reading MORE Magazine (for women over 40), closed my eyes and jolted awake with my mouth hanging open, mortified that I had perhaps snored and the man with the beautiful arms had perhaps heard me!, surreptitiously ate a package of cherry Twizzlers and finished a memoir on my Kindle.

I'm home now and have much to share with you about an event this Saturday in Los Angeles, but I'm going to bed, my own bed.

11 comments:

  1. wow. You are a jet setter, Making a difference from coast to coast!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I feel as if you are the gladiator. And now you are home, safe from you travels.
    Proud of you. So very proud.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bravo Elizabeth, for what you continue to do to advocate for our children. From my son, Nicholas and all who are diagnosed with epilepsy..thank you! You really are making such a difference. I admire you.
    p.s. I love Ms Moon's description of you.
    p.s.s. Looking forward to hearing more.

    ReplyDelete
  4. your role in improving medical knowledge and patient care is no doubt opening a lot of eyes. I think it's great that you devote your energy and time toward this worthy work. You are the voice of so many who are voiceless. I hope you got a good sleep -- you deserve it!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You are the gladiator! And I, too, love the cocoon of a long plane ride.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yowza! You are amazing. Maybe the idea of spending a weekend ferrying your boys from one sporting event to the next is the slightest bit appealing right now?

    I love the tattoo story. I'm off to DC this weekend - maybe I can get lucky enough to sit close to an interesting seatmate, too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I would have loved to see the tattooed arms drawing flowers with colored pencils - perhaps he is a tattoo artist?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Welcome back my friend. You are doing such good in this world. You really are.

    I do love a man in decorative, sexy tattoos. Well not all men. But some. Like Adam Levine.

    Love that man in particular .

    ReplyDelete
  9. You are such a beautiful woman. Your own goodness and light attracts goodness and light from others. Your exchange with that student is going to improve the lives of so many people...family-centered care is the best way, in my opinion, to make the move from the PRACTICE of medicine to medical CAREGIVING. Thank you for making this trip, and sharing your light!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you for the shout-out and all the work you do. I applied and have been accepted into a Child Neurology training program so in just 5 years time I will be a entering the field. And I HOPE beyond HOPE that we can make real discoveries and real change in the future. There is so much to learn and discover. And because of you and Sophie, epilepsy is on my mind.

    ReplyDelete