More on the Why

I keep getting the same question over and over, "Why are you going to Haiti?" And I'm at a loss for how to answer.  I don't like to toot my own horn. Yes, I LOVE to talk, but about myself?  Not really.  Or at least not without a hefty dose of self-deprecation, some kind of joke that I'm the butt of, something silly or funny.  But this question, so loaded with seriousness, so awesome is scope...well, I'm having a hard time coming up with an answer that isn't full of "ums" and "ohs" and plain old dead space.

So I was reading this post by Doc Gurley on sfgate.com this afternoon and it struck me.  The way she described altruism:

"Altruism, you could say, is a form of neurologic teleportation - you inhabit another person's senses and feel the world from their driver's seat. It is an amazing gift that's freely available to us all. But we must exercise it, or it, like any other neurologic function, will atrophy over time."

This is why I'm going.  This is my answer.

It's been almost 6 and a half years since my car accident.  The accident that literally changed my life, could have easily killed me and one of my dearest friends, and required I finally cut the cord and resign my physical therapy clinician position.  I still treat patients, a few here and there, Neuro Clinic with the students, my research does involve me functioning at least somewhat like a physical therapist...but quitting that hospital job was so hard for me.  Even though I'd put them off for at least 3 months after the accident to not schedule me, and my life was super hectic at the time with work and school responsibilities, and I knew I should use this as a good excuse (for lack of a better word) to get out of that commitment. And in these intervening 6 years I'm afraid I didn't have the opportunity to flex that altruistic muscle, ensure that I still knew how to transform myself (even if for a few moments) when I was with a patient to that other place where you get a momentary glimpse of what they are going through. And what if I was losing that.

This is one of the reasons I'm going.  Because I read stories about what's happening in so many places around the world, and in this story I can see myself being able to help.  Being able to play a small role and perhaps make a small difference.  And I want to exercise that feeling.  Give it a good, strong workout. 

I'm still looking for sponsors!  Use the PayPal link to the right, or donate directly Advantage Haiti, the group I'm volunteering with at their website: http://www.advantagehaiti.com/.