Stationery card

Presto Blocks Boy Birthday Invitation

Invitations for all occasions: graduation day, birthdays, & weddings.

View the entire collection of cards.

Stationery card

Classic Stripes Christmas Card

Make unique Christmas cards this year at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Smiles...

So today I made a patient smile. Not in the tell a stupid joke and get a half hearted laugh kind of way, but in the pure joy kind. You see, this patient had a choroidal melanoma many years ago for which she underwent radiation and plaque therapy. She lost all vision in that eye. We had been following her for quite some time for a persistent anterior uveitis and increased intraocular pressure that would cause severe eye pain. In other words, she had cancer in eye that was treated but left her blind and in pain. For many months I followed her, increasing her steroid medication, then decreasing it, and increasing it again; but was having no luck in consistent pain relief. This is when I started talking to her about enucleation, or removal of the eyeball. Scary, right? She was not interested, but after much counseling, she agreed. She underwent surgery to remove the eyeball and the entire tumor came out with clean margins, so the cancer treatment had worked. But now she was left with an empty socket.  I suggested she try a prosthetic and I did some research into ocularists. She went and got a prosthetic eye and came back to my office today for a follow-up. I walked into the room, expecting to see the same patient I had seen from so many previous visits; however, she was different; she was smiling. This is the first time I have ever seen this patient smile. It warmed my soul over a hundred times. She was happy, joyfully happy. She told me today that her son wanted the name of the ocularist that I sent her to. When she asked him why, he told her because he wanted to thank the doctor that gave him his mom back. This is why I do what I do. I did not diagnose the cancer, nor did I treat the cancer. I treated a woman who was broken with kindness and love and today she smiled.

The Beginning

Hi Everyone! So, this is a new endeavor for me. I have never kept a journal or blogged, but over the past few weeks have felt a need to expend some of this pent up energy I have. I figured the best way to start is from the beginning, so here goes nothing!

As most of you reading this post already know, I grew up in a very small "town" in western Kentucky. Town is in quotation marks because Pellville really has no qualities of a town (ie. Gas station, grocery, restaurants, etc.). However, what it lacks in size, it makes up for in heart. The people who live where I grew up are such genuine, loving, caring people. I am not just saying this because I am related to everyone in some strange eastern Kentucky way, but because they would truly give you anything they had if you needed it. I love going back there and will forever refer to this magical place as home.

When I was six years old, I failed my vision screening test at school. I remember my mom taking me to see the optometrist who told me that I needed glasses. They both let me pick out any pair that I wanted, which ended up being a huge purple frame that covered the majority of my face. I loved those glasses. At that moment, I knew I wanted to become an eye doctor.

After high school, I went to a small college in Columbia, Kentucky named Lindsey Wilson College. There I joined in with the student government association and eventually became President of the student body. I made one good friend there, one that I still keep in touch with today, Justin. He is off practicing dentistry in Texas now. A very dear friend.

Between high school and college is when I met the man that my heart could not live without, JB. He was fresh out of the Marine Corps and someone that I knew my parents would initially question my judgement about. You see, he was older, had a tattoo, and believe it or not, a tongue ring. He has since lost the last one. While he was, what I tell him, supposed to be a summer fling, he stuck around for a whole lot more and I am so happy he did. We have been married over 6 years now. Some people say that marriage is tough, but living my life without him by my side would be much more difficult.

After I graduated from Lindsey Wilson, I was accepted into Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee. School was difficult at times, and the thought of quitting was thrown around a few times, but I am so happy I stuck it out. Being an optometrist is my dream job. I love working with my patients and building relationships with them. While I was in school here I also made another very dear friend, Melissa. She and I share a lot of the same values and I am so thankful to have a friend like her! (Miss you M!)

During my last year in optometry school, JB and I got pregnant. We weren't necessarily "trying" to get pregnant, we just stopped not trying. We were pregnant within 2 weeks. Our son, James Keegan, was born in January of 2010 and he is the most precious child I have ever known. I never knew that this type of unconditional love existed. He is my pride and joy.

We are now living back in Kentucky in another small town. Keegan is almost 2 and I am so amazed how fast he is growing up.

Thanks for reading and I will blog again soon!