'Have‑a‑Heart' in 2006

Each Valentine's Day, chiropractors and their patients have a chance to make a difference in the lives of children by taking part in Oklahaven Children's Chiropractic Center's popular "Have‑A‑Heart 2006" fundraising campaign.

The non‑profit center has been providing chiropractic and other non‑medical care to children since its founding 43 years ago. In many cases, the children have been written off as "hopeless" by the medical profession, and face a dismal and painful future.

Often, desperate parents come to Oklahaven because they know something is "not right" with their children's developments, says Bobby Doscher, DC, the center's founder and president. "In their search, they will endure test after test, office after office, just to find out "what is wrong."

At best, medical providers find a label to put on the child, naming a specific disease or merely giving a vague description for the problem. Decades ago, a person would be referred to as an "idiot", "imbecile", "moron", "educable", or "trainable mentally retarded," depending on the severity of the problem. To change with the social attitudes, names such as "handicapped," "special needs," "challenged," and "exceptional" began to be coined.

Now the same problems are put under the euphemistic terms as learning disabled, developmentally delayed, hyperactive, dyslexic, "autistic spectrum", or just abbreviated into terms such as ADD, ADHD, OCD, PDD, and CP, etc. Regardless of the label, our children still cannot talk, express themselves, or function socially and give back to life, Dr. Doscher explains.

Yet, the children with paralysis and Downs' Syndrome are classified the same, still having communication problems as the other children with the new state‑of‑the‑art diagnosis.

Oklahaven has demonstrated time and again that chiropractic can help these children by returning the life force to balance their sensory perceptions. Thus the children leave their labels behind and grow into their optimal potential. "We have seen them learn to walk and talk, see and hear, laugh and love and give back to life," Doscher notes. "This is how the profession was built. The children are our future let's save them from being jars with labels. Have‑A‑Heart is about saving our future; please join us!"

This Valentines' Week, February 13‑17, doctors around the world will decorate their offices with Oklahaven's "hearts" and give patients an opportunity to sponsor a heart by giving a donation. All proceeds go to Oklahaven.

To help raise awareness of chiropractic's role in children's health, and the work of the Center, Oklahaven has prepared a film (available on DVD or VHS tape) which doctors can show to patients in their waiting rooms.

To learn more about the "Have‑A‑Heart" campaign, or to sign up online, visit www.chiropractic4kids.com or contact Oklahaven at oklahaven@flash.net or call us (405) 948‑8807.