“To watch our athletic daughter sitting on the sidelines while her friends play is indescribable. Athletics are part of who she is and how she feels about herself as a person. She was a horseback rider and stopped riding. She now wants to start again as it is something she can do with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Finding another creative outlet to express yourself is vital; it will keep your mind off of the pain and help to heal the soul. I have slowly watched my daughter improve; she is now walking cane free, not pain free, but we are hopeful for ourselves and all others with CRPS. I will never forget Dr. Lonnie Zeltzer and the many highly skilled professionals she has put together as her team. She is truly an unsung hero in our world.”
Debra, mother of 10-year-old Jenna

“Our ten-year-old daughter, Jenna, was stricken with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome in April of 2003… She went from zero to sixty in terms of pain almost overnight… How do you treat this monster? Imagine you had a headache that never went away, and you went to the pain specialist who tells you that the only way to get rid of the headache is to take a hammer and pound yourself in the head for about six months.
“With chronic pain the worst thing one can do is coddle the loved one in pain, which is so completely opposite of what you want to do as a parent. It is as though the chronic pain is another member of the family, and some days it is easier to cope with than others. Debra and I find ourselves tentative about making plans, canceling vacations, meeting with Jenna’s teachers, scheduling doctor appointments, and always living our lives with unease…There are many mornings when I walk into Jenna’s bedroom wondering what I will find, and that makes me uneasy. The strength a parent finds may lie in front of them in the small child sleeping, who depends upon Mom and Dad to help make the world right. For me this is a lesson in letting go and accepting whatever cards I will be dealt on any given day. Jenna is a beautiful, smart, strong, determined child who will not give up, and in her I can find more strength…
“It takes a special gift to work with children who have been dealt a bad hand. These medical professionals must be touched by angels…”
Randy, father of 10-year-old Jenna