“By any chance, is her name Carol?”
14 years ago, I learned that the world is so small.
I was on maternity leave from Brooks Rehab and my physical therapy partner Kathy Mannion was completing her year long neuro residency.
She was being mentored by a brilliant, young professor from University of St. Augustine.
While waiting for my partner, this mentor happened to sit at my desk and see a picture of me tacked to the bulletin board.
The universe is a funny place because what are the chances that 2 Canadian athletes could end up settling down within an hour of each other in Florida??
Melanie Lomagilo and I first met about 27 years ago as student-athletes at McGill University.
She ran track and I was on the swim team.
Our coaches had offices next to each other and his runners trained with us when they were recovering from an injury.
After graduation, we did what new grads do in their 20s — we explored opportunities, looked for our tribes and worked to discover what it was that we were uniquely good at that could help our communities thrive.
Today, Melanie and her husband David Lomagilo own neuro-specific Stars Rehab in the St.Augustine area.
They have expanded to several locations and are the experts on Movement Disorders like Parkinsons Disease. They also run great programs to support living well with Parkinsons.
Melanie is also on faculty with Parkinsons Wellness Recovery, an incredible program created by Becky Farley. The 4 basic exercise patterns Becky created are my gold standard for Exercise as Medicine.
Melanie and I have had a lot of fun working together again. She trains them in rehab and I help them create environments that can help them be successful!
Fall prevention and home safety are always high on the priority list when I do virtual Aging in Place consultations but Melanie’s clients also benefit from Parkinson’s specific product recommendations and home modifications that can manage freezing and other Parkinsons related challenges.
If anyone is in the Jacksonville area and is able to attend, Melanie will be presenting a talk tomorrow on managing Essential Tremor and Parkinsons in conjunction with Dr. Kai McGreevy
This will be an excellent opportunity to be in front of some serious experts and get a chance to get your questions answered! Thank you to Alaine Keenbaugh of Boston Scientific who is hosting the 6pm event at Palencia Club.
