Re: [c_p]Ann--pain and companions/ideas to lessen pain

July 28, 2002

At 10:24 PM 7/27/02 -0400, Ann wrote:

>I have never heard of Master Gardener but I love gardening and will check

>into if they have something in my area.

>I have been seeing a therapist to help me deal with the CP and she recently

>suggested I take a class or do something new to meet people and to help get

>my mind off the pain. She says (and I agree) that if you can really get

>involved in something it can lessen the pain, at least for a while. I do

>think when I am totally engrossed in something I don't think about the pain

>as much.

Hi Ann,

The Master Gardener program is run by the ative Extension Service and

major land-grant university in the state. The program is available in 49 of

the states, D.C. and several Canadian provinces. Contact your county's

Extension Office for information. Most of the states start their training

program for new volunteers in September, so you may be able to get into

this year's class. It's a great volunteer program. I'm a Master Gardener in

Lebanon County, Pennsylvania and one of the projects that I'm involved in

is a wheelchair garden for patients at the local VA Medical Center.

Starting in October, we're going to go year-round with the project, doing

herb gardening on the wards.

When I had to leave my full time job and go on disability my wife talked me

into going back to school to study horticulture. I took classes at a local

community college -- one or two classes a week. There were some things that

were tough for me and a couple of times when I had too much pain to make it

to class. I did talk to my instructors and gave them a brief explanation of

my disability if I thought it could hinder me or the other students. All

were more than willing to work with me in whatever way they could. On

several walking tours of the arboretum on campus, they arranged for someone

to be there with a golf cart to get me around. They also made sure I had

permission to park as close as possible to each building.

Engrossing myself in my gardening doesn't take the pain away, but it sure

helps get my mind off of it. I'm glad I took the classes and got into the

Master Gardener program, and I'm grateful to my wife for giving me the push

I needed to go back to school, almost 30 years after the fact.

Give it a try. I'm sure you'll enjoy it and get a lot out of it.

Hower

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