The grace of our patients….
Thank you Maralee for sharing your kindness! Maralee brought paper flowers and her instrument to show her gratification. All in therapy enjoyed her musical tribute to her therapist! Here’s her story:
“Six months ago, I sought out treatment for the pain I was experiencing while performing and rehearsing oboe and English horn. I am a Music Performance and Music Education major at Lawrence University, so being able to play and perform is essential to my everyday life. Many music students develop tendonitis from playing their instruments, and I was in denial that I should seek out help for the longest time.
When I went to my first therapy session, I was so fortunate to be paired with Holly Renard! All along my journey, she has been so supportive of me and so wise.
Not once did she tell me I needed to stop playing oboe (which was my biggest fear). I loved going to my sessions with Holly, because I knew she would always have new ideas for us to try to help my hands regain strength and flexibility. When I began treatment, my non-dominant hand was stronger and more flexible than my dominant hand, and with Holly’s help and guidance, I have seen an amazing amount of progress and improvement in both my dominant and non-dominant hands! Over the course of six months, Holly also worked with me to build splints that I can wear while playing oboe and English horn, and she helped me order my Silver Ring Splint! Most importantly, however, Holly taught me to listen to my hands and my body, how to be okay with skipping or altering an activity that causes me pain, and how to teach others awareness about my injury in an accepting environment. These are life lessons I will carry with me forever.
I had my last therapy session with Holly Renard this month, on the same day she was celebrating her 20th anniversary! She is truly an amazing blessing to the Hand to Shoulder Center and to me in my life. I have learned so much from Holly, and I cannot wait to use the knowledge I learned from my experience at the Hand to Shoulder Center to help others!”
~Maralee Mindock
Leave a Reply