Client Spotlight: Sue O'Brien
It was a beautiful winter day last February at Sugarbush. The sun was shining, the snow was soft, family and friends were skiing together, and everything in Sue O’Brien’s life seemed to be flowing just as she was down a smooth and inviting green trail.
Having built a wonderful and happy life with her husband Jeff and four children, Kate, Jack, Tommy and Connor, including a thriving career as a realtor at Coldwell Banker / Country Properties in Rye, Sue could never have been expecting the next turn her life would take. But as she believes: “God never gives you anything you can’t handle.”
Unfortunately the next turn in her life involved her body turning, her skis not, and her bindings (so finely tuned to pop her free of danger), stubbornly refusing. And like a four year old being dropped off at Ski School for the first time, Sue’s legs screamed out in agony from a broken right fibula, grade 3 ACL, MCL and Meniscus tears in her left knee, and a cracked left tibia.
“I cried every day,” Sue said. “After the surgery it took so much effort for the littlest things. Being able to put pressure on either leg leaves you feeling pretty helpless at times.” Sue recalled being pulled on her son’s skateboard just to get around the house. Then she smiled, “but it was the best experience I’ve ever had”.
“The best experience?” I asked.
“For three months my friends brought us dinner every night and even picked up the kids at the school. The support was amazing. You really know how lucky you are to have such great friends.”
After her surgery Sue was aching, literally and figuratively, to get into Physical Therapy and on the road to recovery. I still remember her rolling in the front doors of Altheus in her wheel chair to meet with Frank Aversano, (Rye PT @ Altheus’ Physical Therapist) with a smile on her face and a good friend by her side. And even during the struggles of her workouts that was just how she stayed.
“It’s funny” Sue said when asked about the pain of therapy “I built up quite a relationship with Frank and before you know it, you really begin trusting someone who is making you cry. He was really wonderful.”
It took quite a while but before Sue knew it she had graduated from P.T. and moved on to the Gold Recovery Program at Altheus: (a program designed to bridge the gap between P.T. and the more strenuous Gold 38 program.)
“Altheus really is a feel good ‘Well Environment’” Sue said, “Amazing personalities and people, and it really makes you want to be a part of it. And I have never been the ‘ra-ra’ type of exerciser. Everyone is so inherently happy here; encouraging, and genuinely cares about what they are doing.”
When Sue first met with Dr. Tom Crawford about her recovery program, he asked her what she was expecting from it and Sue simply answered by saying that Success = being able to really use her legs. Well, it seems she has far surpassed that goal and feels that the tailored and progressive workouts (by all the different coaches) has gotten her to a place where she can “handle so much more now,” and from what I could tell a new found confidence in her knee….and perhaps another trip to the slopes this winter?
Thanks so much to Sue for being this quarter’s Altheus Spotlight Client! She truly brings a great energy wherever she goes and it has been a real pleasure working with her and seeing her make such a great comeback!
Client Spotlight: Micheline DiNardo
Micheline DiNardo was no stranger to Altheus the first time she walked through the door to enter physical therapy. She had seen Frank Aversano, head physical therapist, when dropping off both her son and husband with injuries in the past. Then, after a nasty fall in her home, Micheline knew it was now her turn.
Having undergone corrective surgery and the insertion of two Harrington rods in her back for scoliosis in 1983, Micheline came to Altheus after her fall 2 years ago because something was just “out of whack.” “The best part was,” Micheline said “when working with Frank, you just need to put yourself in his hands and he’ll take care of you.”
Micheline’s road at Altheus didn’t end there, however. “At first I always considered Altheus ‘a place for elite athletes’ and I knew that wasn’t me and I was a little intimidated.” Intimidated or not, Micheline soon made the commitment.
Most P.T. clients graduate into the Altheus P.T. Recovery program, a smaller program bridging the gap between physical therapy and the Gold 38 Integrated Coaching program at Altheus. But Micheline went home to ‘think about it’ and after a brief check up at the doctor she got the one thing that seems to springboard so many people to great success; leverage. Her cholesterol had reached astronomically dangerous heights and for the first time Micheline, wife and mother of four, was scared. Really scared. “Anyone who knows me knows that my family means everything to me. Everything. So when I got that news that I might not be around for them if I didn’t change things, I walked right out the door and up to Altheus and said ‘sign me up!’”
And since that day, Micheline has become “The ideal client,” according to Matt Tauber, Altheus Coach and Director of Community Athletic Programs at Altheus. “She is very committed, doesn’t miss a workout and most importantly she has completely taken advantage of the integrated program at Altheus.”
As do most Altheus clients, Micheline began her program with a full physical assessment. “It is so important to have a starting place.” She said. “Somewhere to build from.” Since then Micheline hasn’t looked back.
As part of her Gold 38, she began meeting with Dr. Karen Reznik Dolins, Director of Nutrition, and considers it the best thing she ever did. “I first walked in with a chocolate bar and said ‘This is my life’ and now I barely ever want any. Karen really put things in simple terms, corrected my understanding with clear guidelines and helped me realize that I can have that chocolate sometimes. She didn’t ‘take it away’ and that was important to me.”
Micheline then went on to discover the depths of the integrated program. “I always thought massage was a ‘vacation activity’ but now I realize it’s something I need to help my body heal. Ken has been fantastic and always seems to know what needs to be fixed before I even do!”
Within 3 months of making her decision, Micheline’s bad cholesterol (LDL) went down 79 points and she attributes that less to her own hard work and more to the ‘amazing’ staff at Altheus. “When I first came I hadn’t exercised a minute in 8 years!…I really just needed someone to help me make this happen. Everyone here is ‘the best of the best’ and they each work their own miracle. This has become the missing piece of the puzzle in my life.”
The road hasn’t always been smooth however. After 6 months Micheline’s cholesterol numbers went up enough for everyone involved to be concerned and she was understandably discouraged. “But then it was a total team approach to tweak the program. Everyone was on board. Matt advised me to increase my cardio workouts, and Karen made suggestions for fine-tuning my nutrition. We adjusted it, and it worked!” The numbers responded dramatically, with her LDL now down a total of 89 points. Micheline has been able to accomplish her goal of controlling her cholesterol without medication, and is now focused on maintaining her new life changes.
“How do you thank these people?” Micheline asked. “ How do you thank people for helping to change your life? Even Altheus employees like Barbara, Julie, and Billy, who I didn’t even really know, would check in on me with such kindness and support. The customer service staff was also fantastic and very accommodating. How do you thank them? How do you thank these people for helping me spend more healthy time with my husband and family?”
Micheline, I think you just did.
We can’t thank Micheline enough for her spotlight this quarter. She has truly been a wonderful addition to the Altheus family. She enters the building with such a smile and a glowing spirit, filling the room with nothing but her generous nature for all those around. It has been a true pleasure watching her meet and exceed her goals.
How can you thank us Micheline? I think the question is…How can we possibly thank you?
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