The Overwhelming Joy of Wellness

You might call this a message of both appreciation and celebration of wellness So often we take wellness for granted. It isn't until we experience sickness or injury that we become vividly aware of how good we had it. Reflect back to the time you came down with a strong case of the flu and then how grateful you felt when you recovered. This reminds me of the time we were backpacking in the mountains and I developed altitude sickness. After suffering for a couple of days, we decided to descend to a lower altitude. After dropping down approximately a thousand feet, we stopped, ate some energy snacks and took a twenty minute nap. I woke up and was totally symptom-free. It was an incredible feeling. One minute I felt miserable and then, a short time later, vibrant and full of energy. It feels so good to feel good!!

Currently, there is considerable attention given to health care costs and the Affordable Health Act. Certainly, this is a major issue and we need to develop a health care system that is available and affordable to everyone. We also need to stay focused on the fact that medical science has made giant advances that have resulted in people recovering and their health restored. In the not too distant past, the outcome would not have been recovery. The other day I was escorting a patient for a follow-up on a previous medical procedure. As we were walking down the hall he commented that "ten or fifteen years ago we would not be doing this walk." When he shared this comment with me it brought to mind that a couple of years ago my son had to have back surgery for an increasingly painful condition. With modern surgical techniques and knowledge, his condition was 100% resolved. Thanks, Dr. Paul O'Boynick! When you have a family member (or yourself) in terrific pain and then treated and health restored, you come away with a little different perspective on healthcare.

Our SMMC Mission Statement hits at the very core of health care and as long as we focus on it, we will be successful both as a medical center and as individuals. Let's celebrate our lives by "Improving Health through Christian Service" by living it at a personal level. At SMMC we have the unique opportunity to help people achieve the Joys Of Wellness.

John Haynes, MS, MBA, is a retired school psychologist and a current volunteer at Shawnee Mission Medical Center (SMMC). He served as a Hospital Corpsman at the US Naval Academy and served on the USS Sanctuary Hospital ship in Vietnam. In addition to his volunteer work at SMMC, he's actively involved in the community through the Shawnee Kiwanis Club and the Kansas Trails Council. His interests vary from backpacking and mountain biking to investment analysis and business management. He and his wife have two sons.