Some days were “cold-start” days. When the sun rose or before, my mom would lift my dad’s head off the pillow, fold each leg upward with a hand under each knee, and pivot his torso towards the edge of the bed. I would—on visits back to Charlottesville from New York...
In a post titled Seeking Wisdom: Purpose and the TurboCharged Life, published in February, I introduced the ALS-TLS. The “TLS”, or turbocharged living scale, is a 12-item questionnaire meant to track personal growth, or flourishing in people affected by ALS (available...
Growing up I never considered Jimmy a nickname. An uncle once tried to call me Jimbo, which I flatly rejected. Jimmy was my name. I loved the way it rolled off my tongue: "Jimmy Ogan". My name had symmetry and a hint of alliteration. In middle school, all the Jimmys...
I heard a new one this week. That is, I heard tell of a simple triumph that caught me up short. A family recently put together the capital to buy a van to transport their 12 year old son who requires complete care. The van came equipped with a lift and more space for...
Health care is always delivered by a team. The more complicated the clinical condition-- the more education or training involved in our care-- the larger the team. Even when we are alone in the room with our patient, there are people outside the room who are arranging...
Today, we mark two years since our beloved Jim passed away. Our Plews-Ogan family, including Rowan and baby Phoebe, Erin and Hal, and Will and Monika, are gathering for the weekend as we will every year. This year, we’re in Minneapolis. The time together has given us...