Cool Whip.

healthwellnessyogameditationmindfulnesshealingSelf-Improvementfamily

Dec 8

Episode 68.

My SHIFT episodes have taken an unforeseen hiatus, replaced by shares of heartbreaking family tragedy, lung cancer awareness, and advocacy links. Life has affirmed its designation as unpredictable and merciless, with heaviness abundant and persistent. As we are still mourning, grieving, gathering, and coping, I will take a few moments of respite in sharing a story with some lightness and goodness and smiling... Here it goes...

I was recently commissioned to work with a patient with early-onset Parkinson's Disease. He is a high-ranking US ARMY officer, who works at the Pentagon in the capacity of Advisor for Middle-Eastern Affairs.
He is 42.
He was diagnosed at age 37.
EARLY-onset.
I have been working with patients with Parkinson's for my entire career as a Speech-Language Pathologist, as speech, voice, and swallowing deficits are inherent in this diagnosis and significantly impact quality of life. For this patient, LC, speech and voice are imperative to maintaining his position, as he is tasked to verbally brief our government and military decision-makers on critical issues pertaining to national security and international affairs.

One issue that impacts LC's communication is his formulation of questions. He has a significant stutter (which I would term "repetitive false-starts") with initial WH-questions. So, for him to ask, "What time does the meeting start?", it is expressed in a groping, freezing, stuttering of the initial /wh/, as "wh-, wh- wha- what-".... This is detrimental to his job function, which requires precise and articulate communication. Despite the neurologic impact on his speech, LC has intact cognition and movement, and deep determination that demonstrates his inner strength and tenacity.

Our therapy session today focused on working to establish a compensatory strategy to interrupt the disordered neural patterns and rewire the framework for the initial /wh/ in who, what, where, when, why...

So, as we are going through iterations of potential strategies to implement, LC asks me,
"Do you watch Family Guy?"...
"No, I definitely do not"...
"Well, there is this thing about Cool Whip, where Stewie over-exaggerates the silent-/h/ in /whip/, so it sounds like, Hh-Whip- Cool HWhip..."
"I love it", I say, "Can you do that?"

LC goes through all the /wh/ questions seamlessly, with just a touch of exaggeration on the silent H, asking me, "HWhat are you doing today?"...
I am joyfully laughing because I LOVE that we are utilizing Family Guy wit as a legit speech strategy. LC is hesitant, but sees my excitement, and is now embracing his Family Guy reference as a solid speech strategy, because it actually WORKS.

Watch the Family Guy clip below- it is worth your 60 seconds. I dare you to not smile.

And just know that sometimes we find solutions in the most unlikely places. Sometimes we find someone who needs help when we are actually at a very low point in our own life. Sometimes the unpredictability of life is overwhelming. And sometimes we just take a deep breath and smile, despite all the crushing, hard things that life can serve.
Maybe today, serve it back with a dollop of Cool HWhip.

Love through it all,
Jessica