At one time, I worked at a hospital whose motto was “we’re changing lives” in healthcare.In their promotions, they would share stories about patients whose lives have been improved through their medical care.
Sometimes the people who work in healthcare have had their lives changed, also.
I have recently shared these examples on the blog Facebook page .
Kevin Morton entered a hospital the first time with a bullet in his chest. Years later, he has returned- this time with a stethoscope around his neck.
Karen Muraszko was born “handicapped” but her parents didn’t see or treat her as disabled. Neither did she. So she learned to help other children with the same diagnosis she has- spina bifida.
Spina bifida is a neural tube defect – a type of birth defect of the brain, spine, or spinal cord. It happens if the spinal column of the fetus doesn’t close completely during the first month of pregnancy. This can damage the nerves and spinal cord. Screening tests during pregnancy can check for spina bifida. Sometimes it is discovered only after the baby is born.
The symptoms of spina bifida vary from person to person. Most people with spina bifida are of normal intelligence. Some people need assistive devices such as braces, crutches, or wheelchairs. They may have learning difficulties, urinary and bowel problems, or hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid in the brain.
The exact cause of spina bifida is unknown. It seems to run in families. Taking folic acid can reduce the risk of having a baby with spina bifida. It’s in most multivitamins. Women who could become pregnant should take it daily.
NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Nanette Monroe didn’t listen when people told her she was “too old” to pursue her dream. She did anyway, and now she helps others do the same.
Svetlana Kleyman‘s life was changed, first by an unexpected illness which left her with a physical disability, and then by other people’s response to it. She’s still fighting to get her life back.
Memorial Day is more than just the unofficial start of summer – it is a day to honor the brave men and women who died defending our freedom. The poppy, symbolizing this remembrance, is tied to the iconic war poem “In Flanders Fields” by Lt. Col. John McCrae, a Canadian physician deeply affected by the tragedies of war.
updated May 25, 2025
In the United States, we observe the unofficial start of summer at the end of May as a “holiday” weekend. However, Memorial Day is the day Americans set aside to honor those brave men and women who lost their lives while defending our freedom.
As the daughter and wife of United States military veterans, I appreciate all the other families of our country’s veterans. With sadness and appreciation, I remember men and women who left home to serve our nation and never returned.
Presidential Proclamation
“Memorial Day is a sacred day of remembrance, reverence, and gratitude for the brave patriots who have laid down their lives in service to our great Nation. Throughout our history, brave men and women have been called to defend the cause of liberty on foreign shores in defense of our homeland.
Their noble sacrifices are marked by flag-draped coffins and the silent sorrows of those left behind. We must never forget those who have given everything for our country.” continue reading
In the battlefields of Belgium during World War I, poppies grew wild amid the ravages of war. The overturned soils of battle covered the poppy seeds, allowing them to grow and forever reminding us of the bloodshed of war.
Out of this conflict and the poppies came a poem, which has become synonymous with remembrance and honor.
Dr.McCrae was an English and math teacher, and poet before he attended medical school. He moved to England and was practicing there when World War I broke out, and he was called to serve as a brigade surgeon.
I suspect that as a physician, he was deeply pained by treating the wounded, and losing the ones he could not save.
“In April 1915, McCrae was stationed in the trenches near Ypres, Belgium, in an area known as Flanders, during the bloody Second Battle of Ypres.
In the midst of the tragic warfare, McCrae’s friend, twenty-two-year-old Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, was killed by artillery fire and buried in a makeshift grave.
The following day, McCrae, after seeing the field of makeshift graves blooming with wild poppies, wrote his famous poem “In Flanders Field,” which would be the second to last poem he would ever write.”
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place, and in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead; short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe!
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high!
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
This poem is in the public domain.
join us in prayer that Almighty God may comfort those who mourn, grant protection to all who serve, and bring blessed peace to the world.
President Donald Trump, Presidential Proclamation 2025
How to observe Memorial Day
The United Services Organization, known as the USO, offers these and other suggestions for observing Memorial Day. Why not try one this year and make it an annual occurrence in your family.
Walk through a veterans cemetery or designated veterans area of a civilian cemetery
Participate in a Memorial Day walk or race
Attend or watch virtually a Memorial Day parade
Visit in person or virtually a war or veterans memorial
Talk to family members about your relatives who have served our country, especially those who lost their lives in service
On year I visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in New Mexico on Memorial Day. Here is my story.
Memorial Day, observed on the last Monday of May in the U.S., honors those who died serving in the armed forces. In 2014, we visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Angel Fire, New Mexico, to participate in a remembrance service and view an engraved brick .
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watercress words by Dr Aletha 