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MRC News

JACKSON, Miss.—Husband, father, World War II veteran, cattle farmer, accountant, alderman – during the course of his life, Tom Rowland has answered to many titles. Now he can add outstanding volunteer to the list.

The Downtown Exchange Club of Jackson recently honored Rowland with their “Book of Golden Deeds Award.” The award recognizes dedicated volunteers who give hours of their time and talent to make their communities better places, Trey Jones, chairman of the group’s community service committee, said.

JACKSON, Miss.—Cameron Stubbs’ new life started in “the pink chair.”

Being promoted to the chair, which allowed him to sit up, was a major goal after breaking his neck in a diving accident in a hotel pool during Spring Break in Nassau, Bahamas.

Since then the Ole Miss senior has made and surpassed many goals, with many more on the horizon. And while he is focused on his own recovery and improvement, he wants to remind everyone swimming this summer to take precautions when diving.

“It can happen to anyone and it changes your life,” Stubbs said.

JACKSON—Mississippi has already seen the first diving accidents of the year, and it’s likely there will be more as the weather heats up.

But that doesn’t have to be the case, says Lauren Fairburn, Think First coordinator for Methodist Rehabilitation Center. Think First, the hospital’s statewide injury prevention program, covers a variety of safety topics in school assemblies across the state. Careful diving and swimming are components of the Think First message.

RIDGELAND, Miss.—Three years ago Ginny Boydston wondered if this Saturday’s Heatwave Classic Triathlon had a category for disabled athletes. When she was told no, her next question was, “So, how about starting one?”

Boydston, therapeutic recreation director at Methodist Rehabilitation Center, knew there was a place for disabled athletes in the sport. And she was able to prove it with the cooperation of Neal McCoy, from Ridgeland’s parks and recreation department, and some willing athletes.

JACKSON, Miss.—Physicians at Methodist Rehabilitation Center are urging parents and children to think first about safety and injury prevention, especially during the summer.

The period between May and August is known as the trauma season because of the increased number of injuries that occur.

FLOWOOD, Miss.—After Curtis Green of Pearl lost both legs below the thigh to complications from blood clots and infection, his life became a whirlwind of doctor’s visits, therapy appointments and prostheses fittings.

So he was delighted to discover Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s new monthly clinic for people who use prostheses. There he can see a physician, physical therapist and prosthetist all at the same time. “It’s a great convenience,” Green said.

JACKSON, Miss.—Charles Turner’s memory is very clear about some things. He can remember selling the first fax machine in the state in the early 1970s. He remembers how much he loves playing the banjo. He remembers the stroke he had decades ago and he remembers the blinding headache that gripped him for three days in February.

The Jackson resident does not remember the five weeks following that headache, which turned out to be the warning sign of another stroke.

JACKSON, Miss.—Heather Mills McCartney, internationally acclaimed speaker and former Nobel Prize nominee, presented the keynote address at a statewide disabilities conference in Jackson at the Mississippi Trade Mart at the state fairgrounds.

The one-day conference, dubbed “A Celebration of Achievement,” highlighted the successes of those living with disabilities and provided educational opportunities for health care, rehabilitation and mental health professionals, as well as disabled persons, their employers and advocates.

JACKSON, Miss.—It may have been Leon Kennedy’s first time on the ice, but he wasted no time learning what that short hockey stick was for.

“I think it’s fun. I love going on the ice and I love hitting the puck,” the 16-year old Callaway High School student said.

JACKSON, Miss.—Choirs from two Jackson churches will welcome in spring with special performances at Methodist Rehabilitation Center.
The lunchtime concerts are a popular tradition at the hospital. “Everyone looks forward to the Christmas concerts, so we thought it would be a nice way to welcome in spring,” said Lisa Uzzle Gates, special events coordinator for the Jackson hospital.

The Paul Goaudet Memorial Handbell Choir from Covenant Presbyterian Church will perform in the second floor of the hospital’s two-story atrium mall at 1 p.m. on Monday, May 12.

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