PATCH ADAMS

To belabor the obvious, last week was filled with heartbreak and a legacy from Dana Reeve --so resolute that no matter what life dealt she and her husband, Chrisptopher, the mission of their foundation, The Christopher Reeve Foundation would "Go Forward". As a guy her age, I found it difficult to be reminded of what all of us witnessed. In a short period of time, a beautiful young lady with such wonderful personal qualities and convictions of generosity and compassion was stricken and then--gone. I considered not even mentioning a "Friday Movie Suggestion Night". As you know, I remain on the road with a mix of business and getting to meet some Blog-Buds and have shuttled from one Library and Fed Ex Kinkos to another, unable to get a movie poster uploaded. Going ahead with te movie was, after a lot of soul searching a good decision.

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If I had stuck to my traditional European upbringing (which is filled with mourning when someone passes away) I just felt that wouldn't be in keeping whatsoever with what The Reeves--Dana and Christopher seemed to be about. Death is a reality of life. So too, is celebrating and defying the more traditional path many sadly assume of giving in and giving up: two things Chris and Dana never did.

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So, last Tuesday came the warm news that actor/comedian/genius Robin Williams and his wife would welcome the Reeve's son Will, 13, into their family. What to do with this little BLOGsite of mine? I felt a suggestion of "Superman" or "Somewhere in Time" would be somehow inappropriate given sense of mourning it would bring. I felt that a more appropriate way to go was to think of something in keeping with Dana and Chrsitopher's spirit with a movie that Robin Williams made that was based on a true-life story. So, for however few or many that follow my program, I decided to go with the movie PATCH ADAMS for this week's "Friday Movie Suggestion Night".

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Hunter "Patch" Adams is the true life story of a physician in training who was criticized in his official medical school record for "excessive happiness". How funny is that? I later learned that a faculty advisor once told him, "If you want to be a clown, join the circus." Tough choice! Patch did, in fact, want to be both a clown and a physician!! In real life, he had been institutionalized as a teenager for depression and this led to his inspiration to become a doctor at a mental institute who chose to celebrate the triumph of spirit, individualism and the unending pursuit of idealism.

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Robin Williams said, "Patch is a strange anomaly, just incredible. He wears massively bright floral shirts and a tie that occasionally makes noise. He's an outrageous person but a passionate and dedicated doctor. He never wanted to be part of the system, he had to create a new system." Director Tom Shadyac explains, "Patch is a healer who tries to find out what makes you tick. What do you like? What excites you? What is your passion? Fulfilling his patients' fantasies increased their endorphin levels and their desire to recover." The real-life doctor attended the Medical College of Virginia in the late 60s and early 70s. After graduation, he formed The Gesundheit Institute, dedicated to a more connected, personalized approach to medicine. Having initially resisted public attention, he began receiving a flurry of media coverage about his unorthodox clinic in the mid-80s and eventually wrote a book about his work in 1993.

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In the book, Adams explains his humor-driven prescriptions and why he's willing to dress like a gorilla, fill a room full of balloons or tub full of noodles to elicit a smile, a spiritual connection or simple moment of pleasure from a patient. Can you imagine this type of healing from an Emergency Room visit or a surgery today? So, using unconventional methods and wacky surprises to ease patient's anxiety and enhance their healing, Patch helped pioneer the then-startling idea that doctors should treat people, not just disease. Compassion, involvement and empathy.

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This is a "feel-good film" that celebrates life without avoiding it's losses. I felt that I picked the right film and tenor for this week [and I hope you feel the same after you watch it]. I have to close with a funny, short story many of you have read.

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When Robin Williams made one of his many visits to Christopher Reeve in the hospital, there was a vacuum device that was used to evaculate Chris' lung and esophageal tube congestion. Williams wanted to make Reeve laugh, so he took the vacuum, turned it on and began using a foreign accent as if he were a Maid on steroids and stood on the bed "vacuuming" the drapes and bedsheets, babbling maniacally before Christopher had him accosted. This is the spirit of life!

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We have today. Remember...somewhere, someone today is thinking fondly about you. You may have inspired anything from a smile, a crush or great admiration to a warmed heart that has decided to give Trusting another try due to your act of kindness! Never loose sight of how important you are to many. Most of us simply don't realize it until it is too late. Chris and Dana Reeve "became the difference that made the difference". The best way to honor them is to consider their example!

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I'm still traveling. But I wish each of you a great weekend!