Impactful

Hydrangeas

While visiting with Dr. ANS last week, I was able to dialog more with him about his research and how the money we are raising will help further his work.

Let's just say that I had no idea HOW impactful this money will be nor how much of a ripple effect this fundraising campaign will have.

I'd like to share with those of you who have contributed, are thinking about contributing or are just simply interested in my commitment to this campaign just how your money will be used and how impactful it will be.

For $3800, Dr. ANS can hire a research assistant to help him over the summer. These assistants are often patients of his that are now well enough to go to school. They are able to zip through the data he has, make graphs, and save him a great deal of time and energy on things that would otherwise take away from his time to move forward with other projects.

One of the students he hired is a patient who is attending OT school. One is a patient who is now attending medical school and has also spent time shadowing Dr. ANS. 

What invaluable experiences these young people are having working with Dr. ANS!

What I also like most about raising money for specifically for Dr. ANS is that I know that 100% of what we raise goes directly to him. There is no money lost in overhead and it is used exactly how we want it to be used: for research. And not just any research, but excellent research conducted by one of the world's best experts in this field.

What I'm learning is that while Hopkins is AMAZING and the care so many of us (with all sorts of illnesses) receive there is AMAZING, the money is not always there.

For Dr. ANS, money is desperately needed to make the clinic work and thrive. To hire someone to train under him, a grant of $2.5 million is needed.

In addition to the money being raised to help Dr. ANS, the development office is sharing my blog post about Dr. ANS and why I am raising money for him to the folks who endowed him as a professor.

Wow!

Dr. ANS said that the words I wrote about him in my blog and in the card I brought to him along with his Davidson jersey are some of the nicest words anyone has ever said about him. He said: "you're not afraid to say how you feel, and most of us are. So as much as I pick on you about it, it means so much to me."

I'm slowly realizing how impactful my words can be and how impactful my life can be regardless of my limitations.

In an email Dr. ANS wrote:

"You are making waves and having an impact beyond what you can see. Keep on keepin on! Best, Dr. ANS"

Right now, there is no doctor who is training underneath Dr. ANS to take over when he retires. I truly believe that this is a travesty.

Dr. ANS is one of those rare gems in the medical field today. He is not only a brilliant and passionate about what he does, but he is also one of the most incredible human beings I have ever met. 

We cannot afford to lose the art of medicine that he practices. 

After spending a decade as his patient, after this first fundraising campaign, and after talking to him about how impactful the money is on so many people, I am fully committed to supporting him and making this my main cause until he retires.

I have been searching for a very long time for just the place to focus my efforts. All along, it was right in front of my (big) nose. 

Thank you to everyone who has made my 39th birthday wish come true. What we have achieved will be impactful in ways I never imagined.

Blessings,

Emily