Happy Holidays
Dear Friends,
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from all of us at Goodell Physical Therapy & Fitness Training!
Heather has finally started recovering from the “toddler years” as she sent her 1st child off to Kindergarten and her last off to preschool. Heather volunteers in writer’s workshop at Lane’s school, and at Mara’s Preschool on her days off. She has been keeping herself busy studying for an exam in orthopedic and manual therapy that will ultimately end in a certification as a specialist in orthopedics and manual therapy, “COMT.” She took 2 long weekend courses this fall and will take 2 this coming spring to complete her level 3 coursework with the North American Institute of Orthopedic and Manual Therapy. She will be heading to Florida this coming summer for a two day course on marketing. Heather had gallbladder surgery right before Thanksgiving and took some time off to recover in Hawaii with her husband where she saw every fish on the snorkeling card!
The next bit of exciting news is that our very own Jaime Green, PT gave birth to her first child, a little girl named Gabrielle Racine Green on 11/28/10. She arrived 2 months earlier than expected, and is currently spending some time in the NICU, but she is getting stronger everyday. Jaime is at home recovering and goes to spend time with Gabby every day. Jaime had been working very closely with Dr. Herzka’s hip patients, and has trained the other therapists in our office so facilitate a smooth transition for these patients while she is on maternity leave. Dennis will be available to take on her caseload.
And speaking of Dennis; who is Dennis Howe, PT? He went to the University of Utah and graduated with a Master of Physical Therapy in 2001. He has worked in various clinics throughout the country including the Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch working with pre- and post- back and neck surgery patients. He was in the week long Cycle Oregon, Cycle to the Sun (a race up Maui’s Haleakala Crater from sea level to the 10,000 ft summit), and just finished a solo bike ride from Yorktown, VA across the country to Astoria, OR in summer 2010. His therapy philosophy is to “encourage and teach independence in his patients, providing them with as much education as possible to ensure successful self-management in their future.” He has worked here in the past as a traveling P.T., and returns this year to help with our growing practice and to help relieve Jaime’s schedule while she is on maternity leave.
Nancy welcomed her third child in March, a handsome and happy little boy named Landon. He is already crawling and cruising and getting into everything. Her oldest started 1st grade this year and keeps busy with soccer and violin. Her little girl is in preschool and loves all things “girly”. To add to the excitement of chasing after three kids she just purchased a new home! Nancy and her family took a trip to San Diego in May to visit family and for Landon’s baptism. This fall Nancy took the course Explain Pain to get the most up to date information on what causes pain and ways to treat it.
We will be welcoming Trevor Stephenson, PT to our practice the middle of January. Dennis will be happy to have another male face around the clinic. Trevor came and helped out in May of this year while Nancy was on maternity leave. He comes to us from Ellensburg, WA. Trevor and Jaime went to physical therapy school together and have been long time friends. He has experience in orthopedics, and will be working with a lot of Dr. Kurian’s shoulder and knee patients.
This summer Liesl pushed herself to her physical limit by competing in several running events including the famous Bolder Boulder 10k in Colorado, Wild Canyon games (a two day challenge event), Warrior Dash, Muddy Buddy, and several other road races! Liesl has Fridays off and uses that time to volunteer at her kids schools. She is the Art Literacy volunteer for her son’s first grade class. She loves teaching about different artists to the students. This summer she took her kids to Disneyland for the first time and it was definitely a “magical” experience. In November her in-laws took the family to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where Liesl got to zip-line through the jungle, scuba dive, and best of all just relax! She took a course on collections this summer, and will be going to Florida with Heather for a marketing course next summer.
We said bon voyage to our resident massage therapist and office gal extraordinaire Lauren Purdin, LMT. She packed up her car and moved across the country to live in her home state of Florida. Don’t fret, however, because she will be back in two years and will wow you with all of her new massage skills that she has learned.
Sheryl was here in October and November helping Liesl out two days a week until Lauren’s replacement came in December. Sheryl has helped out in the office on call for the last several years. She is an experienced bookkeeper, and has her own home business. Sheryl did an excellent job and Liesl was very thankful to have her help during the transition time!
There is a new smiling face taking Lauren’s place! Jaime’s mother, Peggy Racine moved here just in time to be with Jaime through her unexpected early delivery. Peggy will be working full time at our office doing all of Lauren’s old duties in addition to helping Jaime out with childcare. Peggy has many years of experience in this very same position at a Chiropractic office in Michigan. She is thrilled to be here in Portland where she can spend time with her 1st grandchild.
Alex Martinez is our after school office helper who you’ll get reminder calls from and who will be helping out with filing and other tasks that keep our office running smoothly. Alex is a pitcher for the Lincoln High School Cardinals so will likely cut back his hours in the spring as he plays ball and prepares for college next year.
We hope that this next year finds you healthy and full of many blessings for you and your family! Please keep us in mind should you or anyone you know have any physical therapy needs!
Warmest Wishes,
Heather, Jaime, Nancy, Dennis, Trevor, Liesl, Peggy, Sheryl, and Alex
