Day 78: Ashland Family Practice

In my life I have been blessed to have had health coverage whenever I have needed it. At times, my deductible has been a bit more than I would like, but I have always had access to quality medical care. That in itself is an incredible blessing and I know that I am fortunate.

Today my son was sorting through his things and came across a keychain with a likeness of a foot attached. I thought it was a religious reminder (as in the “footprints in the sand” poem). When I took the keychain my son said, “But you haven’t read the note. It says that this footprint is the actual size of a premature baby’s foot. That baby was born at Rogue Valley Medical Center and weighed only 1.5 pounds.” That’s a far cry from the 8+ pounds that each of my kids weighed at birth.

While I looked at that keychain, I started to cry and I knew that I had to write about my gratitude for the health of my children, my spouse and myself. My mother had a series of serious health challenges and died young; my Dad has had high blood pressure since he was in his twenties. All of my grandparents died before the age of 75. I can’t think of a reason why I should be so healthy. In a way, it feels that I have to do more with my life to make up for the family members that were not as lucky.

Today I wanted to recognize the wonderful people at Ashland Family Practice for their efforts in maintaining my family’s health. I first became a patient there when I was pregnant with my daughter. Dr. Jean Keevil was my doctor and she was really terrific. I always felt as if I was the most important patient on her schedule (and I bet everyone else did too).

I arrived at the Ashland Family Practice office today a little bit late to deliver my pie (actually it was an Almond Pear Cheesecake Tart). At that point, I hurried over to the home of my current Doc – Dorothy Miner. She was getting ready to attend a Britt performance and I thought my tart would make a perfect Britt Blanket Dessert. To Dorothy, Dee, the staff, (and Jean who has since retired), thank you for the care that you have given to my family over the years. We are so lucky to have doctors who are also friends.

(Sorry that there is no photo of my tart… for some reason my Samsung phone is taking almost 24 hours to send a photo).

Tags: almond pear cheesecake tart, ashland family practice, Britt, Dorothy Miner, footprints in the sand, gratitude, Jean Keevil, preemie, rogue valley medical center, samsung phone