Welcome Regional Coordinator Volunteers
Spring is blooming, and so is our Regional Coordinator program! We are very pleased to welcome three volunteers to our network ranks, and we will introduce them here. We intend to profile all of our volunteers, a few at a time, in an effort to help you connect locally, and also to offer insight into the different people who make up our network. Maybe they have a similar history to you or someone you know, and maybe you will find you would like to volunteer as well! Please contact Ellie Wilson at the Oley Foundation if you would like to learn more. Welcome, to Sheila DeKold, Rick Davis and Sue Koprucki!
Sheila DeKold of Floyds Knobs, Indiana raised her hand and volunteered last year. She is Mom to son David and daughter Olivia, who has pseudo-obstruction and uses both tpn and enteral therapy. Sheila wanted to be available to others in her community and state, and hopes to offer an understanding ear to those in similar situations. She also believes there is strength in numbers, and welcomes the chance to connect to other families and individuals. She can be reached at 812-941-8145, email SheDeKold@aol.com.
Rick Davis of Salt Lake City, Utah is reaching out in many ways. Rick uses enteral nutrition exclusively after a bulls-eye stroke destroyed his ability to swallow anything. He struggled for some time, and then was connected to the Oley Foundation, where he found a wealth of information and folks willing to share their experiences with him. He used that information to effect an excellent recovery. Rick now travels, skis, and hikes, and reaches out to stroke victims and Oley members in an effort to give back some of the assistance and inspiration he found. He can be reached at 801-232-8787, email rickdavis320@comcast.net.
Sue Koprucki lives in East Amherst, NY, a suburb of Buffalo, and describes a very frightening, isolating and frustrating time when her daughter Emily was diagnosed with short bowel and pseudo-obstruction and started on nutrition support. She feels it was the families she finally connected with who were in similar situations that helped her find the things she needed to make life work for her whole family, including her sense of humor!
She hopes to make her presence known to regional medical personnel working with PEN, and help bring practical support and connection to people in northwestern New York State. Sue can be reached at 716-308-9517, email ma2mje@yahoo.com.
Again, we welcome you all, and thank you for your willingness to reach out to others!