Think Possible Podcast
The Gaylord Specialty Healthcare Podcast
The Gaylord Specialty Healthcare Podcast features patients, families, and medical professionals dealing with serious illnesses or injuries and is meant to inspire, bring hope and insight, and a message of the belief that life after a traumatic illness or injury is POSSIBLE!
Click the episode title to see an individual podcast description and link to view transcripts
Mike Kyrsiuk: Running with the Wrong Crowd Nearly Killed Me
In this episode of the Gaylord Think Possible podcast, Megan Palmer, OT, and Gaylord's ThinkFirst Program coordinator, interviews Mike Kyrsuik. Mike talks about his nearly life-ending injuries from a car accident when he was a 17-year-old varsity baseball pitcher ready to graduate from high school in 1974. Mike had always been a responsible student until earlier that year when he started hanging with what he described as “the big crowd,” a group of popular jocks who often cut classes together.
Having regarded himself as a “social nobody” for years, Mike was flattered that the group had accepted him into their fold. After all, he reasoned, he was a senior, and it was finally his time to shine. But running with the big crowd exacted a hefty toll. He was invited to join the group on an impromptu road trip across the state border to buy beer. Mike politely declined, citing his unfinished paper at home. Refusing to take no for an answer, the boy even offered Mike the shotgun seat in his tiny Triumph T6. That decision would change Mike's life forever. He wrote a book about his experience and life titled "The Big One." For more information, see Mike's website.
Amy Beckwith: How my Daughter's Accident and Traumatic Brain Injury Changed Our Lives
In this episode, Megan Palmer, OT, and Gaylord's ThinkFirst Program coordinator interviews Amy Beckwith. Amy's 19-year-old daughter was in a drunk driving accident eight years ago that resulted in a diffuse axonal brain injury, a type of traumatic brain injury, which changed their family forever. Amy shares a mother’s story of hardship, struggles, adjustments, and triumphs in the aftermath of the accident and through the years of Courtney's recovery.
Matt Solomon: Making Hard Choices After Multiple Sports-Related Concussions
In this episode, Megan Palmer, OT and Gaylord's ThinkFirst Program coordinator, interviews Matthew Solomon a high school student who had to make some hard choices after receiving several concussions while playing football. Matt talks about the factors affecting his decision and wants to encourage other athletes who may be facing similar decisions. With mounting evidence of potential long-term effects from repetitive concussions, Matt's story and struggle to make the best decisions for his health resonates with student-athletes and parents alike.
Dr. Alyse Sicklick: 30 Years of Caring for Patients with Brain Injury at Gaylord
Dr. Alyse Sicklick, Gaylord's Medical Director of Inpatient Rehabilitation and a physiatrist, speaks about her almost 30-year career at Gaylord, how the fields of medicine and rehabilitation have grown during her tenure, and how patients with stroke and brain injury have inspired her every day. She shares her expertise and knowledge of brain injury, along with talking about many of the services Gaylord has to offer.
Caitlin Boland: A Physical Therapist's Experience Treating Patients with a Brain or Spinal Cord Injury
In this episode, Megan Palmer, OT and Gaylord's ThinkFirst Program coordinator, interviews Caitlin Boland, PT, DPT, about her role as a physical therapist at Gaylord and how she made her career choice. Treating patients with these conditions can be very rewarding but there are challenges as well. Caitlin discusses how different her role is as a therapist at a rehabilitation-focused hospital as compared to a typical PT setting.
Ryan Tapp: Life after a Traumatic Brain Injury
In this first episode, Megan Palmer, OT and Gaylord's ThinkFirst Program coordinator, interviews Ryan Tapp, a former patient, who was in a serious car accident that wounded three other drivers and left him with a serious traumatic brain injury. Ryan shares his story including spending time in prison, where his life is now, and how these events have dramatically changed him as a person.
Meagan Ricci: Tenacity and Faith after a Spinal Cord Injury
In this episode of the Gaylord Specialty Healthcare "Think Possible" podcast, 32-year-old Meagan Ricci, shares her journey of being paralyzed from the waist down. Just 18 months ago, Meagan was in a car accident that resulted in a T6 incomplete spinal cord injury from a car accident. Today, she is miraculously walking and back to coaching her gymnastics team. Tune in to experience the hope and passion for life that got Meagan back on her feet and how faith has carried her through the toughest times.