August 15, 1990 has three significant
memories for me. First, Natural Health Center PC, formally
known as Family Chiropractic PC was formed. It would be
the start of a very long twelve-year learning process on
many different levels.
Over the last twelve years I have had
the fortunate opportunity to assist thousands of people
who were sick, tired and in pain, back to health. With
the help of Mother Nature, a little diagnostic evaluation
and a lot of intuition, the vast majority of people who
have come to the 76 Cass Court location have found relief.
In all, helping an individual rediscover their health has been an extremely
personally rewarding to me. The skills and experience I have gained over the
years at this clinic has allowed me the rare opprotunity to provide chiropractic
health care at Ground Zero over the recent Christmas holidays.
Chiropractic has been desperately needed
for the firefighters, police officers and ironworkers who
were dedicated to finding the human remains at that tragedy.
I ‘am proud to say I was one of many seasoned chiropractors
that have been present at
Ground Zero since September 11, 2001. 24 hours a day, seven days a week, their
spirit of volunteerism continues to this day. My personal experience at Ground
Zero cannot be put to words.
Second, was the delivery on August 15,
1990 of a simple but significant gift from a wise gentleman
who has been supportive of my work and sometimes an advisor
of sorts to my journey of life. His gift was a two-foot
fichus tree also known as a fig tree.
Aside from a single episode when the fichus
started to shed many of its leaves I thought it surely
would finally go the way of many plants before. It chose
to stay in its place and witness the many consultations
and spinal adjustments that have been the backbone of this
office.
That fichus tree has come to symbolize
to me the endurance and perseverance of twelve years that
I have dedicated to this office. No matter how many plants
I have slowly disposed of in this office this one plant
has continued to grow and prosper.
Third and perhaps the most significant
memory that occurred on August 15, 1990 was simply a friend
fulfilling a promise to repay me for what he considered “saving
his life.” His name was Bob , an older gentleman
somewhere in his early sixties.
Time and the hot sun from several decades
of hard construction work had left Bob with a somewhat
weathered and wrinkled appearance. His hair had thinned
to leave a remaining display on both sides and what would
wrap around the back of his head.
Bob and I had become friends when I first
practiced at Schmidt Chiropractic at 80th and L Street.
He had built and still owned the buildings on either side
of the clinic.
On one particular Saturday in 1988, I
had finished treating patients and went next door to visit
Bob, knowing he had recently undergone a major heart bypass
surgery. A large blood vessel was removed from his right
groin and leg to replenish the blood around his heart.
In place of the natural blood vessel a plastic vessel was
put in place to replenish the blood to his right leg.
He was prideful that he had the longest
bypass surgery in Nebraska. The surgery was a success and
Bob was returning to a life he had known for fifty years,
hard work.
As many times before Bob was hard at work
putting up new drywall for another commercial unit, by
himself, and as always he had a big grin on his face. As
if he knew something the rest of us mortals didn’t.
Bob was a perfectionist with his work and he prided himself
on doing the job “the right way or not at all.”
Bob had been placed on an antibiotic pump
to ward off any infection from the surgical procedure.
He had just seen his primary doctor the day before and
was given the okay to return to work but I don’t
think his doctor realized Bob’s level of work was
only one-way. All the way.
On this day though I noticed Bob didn’t
really seem himself. He was pale and somewhat lethargic
and most importantly he walked with a very slight limp.
I inquired and he replied that he was still a little sore
from the groin surgery that removed the blood vessel.
Between hanging sheets of drywall I asked
Bob if I could examine his groin incision. Reluctantly
he obliged. What I felt was a golf ball size intense, inflamed
and distended infection trying to burst out through his
skin. Not anything a man hanging drywall should be experiencing,
antibiotic pump or not.
I told Bob to stop everything he was doing,
I would return after locking up the clinic and take him
immediately to the hospital. Fearful of the possible seriousness
Bob chose to drive himself home where his wife took him
in.
Fortunately while in the hospital, the
infection was lanced and out shot, as Bob would later describe, “a
12-inch geyser of blood.” The infection had eaten
through the artificial artery, and only the compression
of the infection under the skin had not allowed the vessel
to rupture.
Bob nearly lost his life that day, but
the skilled medical staff stopped the bleeding and refilled
him with six pints of blood. Unfortunately, due to the
lack of blood to his right leg, Bob developed gang green
and lost his leg below the knee, leaving a small stump
for a future prosthesis. Nealy two years later, Bob had
relearned to walk with his ‘new friend’ the
prostheses.
When I set out to put this clinic together
in 1990 in an empty bay at 7643 Cass Street, Bob and his ‘new
friend’ the prosthesis were there fulfilling his
promise to “repay me”. Bob and I stayed up
until four in the morning for two weeks, building walls,
hanging drywall and doors to his perfection.
I wasn’t allowed to cut quality
work to save time. Although frequently, Bob would insist “we” take
a beer break (that’s what I said) so he could remove
his prosthesis to massage what was once his right leg.
Bob fulfilled his promise, that he would
somehow pay me back for “saving his life.” I
never felt he owed me anything, but under his direction,
two weeks of working until the sun arose, this clinic opened
nearly twelve years ago.
As for this one legged man, I thanked
him many times for fulfilling his promise. Bob died about
five years ago, of heart failure, but he lived seven more
years to enjoy his family his buildings and to see this
clinic grow.
As for the fig tree, it will have the
honors of moving first to the new clinic. It remains the
only living item that has been with me from the very start.
If you see a happy fichus in my treatment room, consider
it part of the clinic staff.
As I prepare to move Natural Health Center
PC to its new location four blocks to the west, I look
forward to seeing many of you who have been with me over
the years. And I look forward to re-inventing my style
of practice ‘again' and preparing for the next twelve
years and beyond. I can’t exactly promise what will
be in the future but I know as always it will be exciting
and as Bob said “the right way or not at all.”
Best of Health,
Dr Shawn M. Schmidt
