January 2003
Chiropractors donate services to Avon
Breast Cancer Walk
by Dr. Pamela Stone
In October 2002, five local chiropractors from
Atlanta
donated three days of
their time to provide chiropractic care during the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day
Walk, a 60‑mile, three-day crusade that took place in 13 cities
across the country. More than 2,800 walkers started the journey on a
Friday morning at
Lake
Lanier
Islands
, just northeast of the
city, and finished on a Sunday afternoon in downtown
Atlanta
.
World Chiropractic Alliance members Dr. Pam Stone, Dr. Eric
Herman and Dr. Cara Iovino, along with Dr. Sean McWilliams and Dr. David
Stuchinski donated their time to serve the walkers, a majority of whom
were women. Many of the walkers were cancer survivors themselves, or
walked in the memory of a family member or friend. During the course of
the three days, more than 600 people were adjusted, including walkers and
crew members.
"It was sort of like a mission trip without having to
leave the country," said Dr. McWilliams. "We started at
6:00 a.m.
and didn't finish
adjusting until
10:00 p.m.
"
Although many of the walkers were currently under
chiropractic care or had been in the past, numerous women received their
first adjustment that weekend. Everyone who got adjusted filled out a CBS
"Terms of Acceptance" form and were educated on chiropractic
during their adjustment.
"Being able to serve that many people and educate them
on chiropractic was a very rewarding experience," said Team Captain
Dr. Stone. "It was very gratifying when someone came up to you at the
end of the day and hugged you, thanking you for an adjustment that helped
them get through the walk that day."
The chiropractors were part of the Health Services Specialty
Team, which also included M.D.s, nurses, podiatrists, physical therapists,
and massage therapists. During the first few hours of the event, some of
the walkers went to physical therapists or massage therapists for their
hip and leg pain, but once the word got out that the chiropractors were
able to care for them, walkers lined up for their adjustments.
"It was great to have so many people waiting to get
adjusted," said Stone. "Most of the time, people were sitting on
the ground waiting for us, since there weren't enough chairs to go around.
And that went on for hours at a time."
Though each walker raised money that went to Breast Cancer
Research, these five chiropractors put that aside and focused on the
opportunity to touch the lives of so many people, many of whom had never
been to a chiropractor before.
"We couldn't focus on cancer and research, but instead
directed our efforts to educating them on chiropractic and subluxation,"
said McWilliams. "If we could touch their lives and have them go to a
chiropractor in their hometown, then it was a win-win situation."
Dr. Pamela Stone is 2000 graduate of Life University's
College of Chiropractic, graduating with Clinical Honors.
She has a Bachelor of Science from the
University
of
Massachusetts
, and spent seven
years working in public relations and promotion in the sports industry.
Following a personal experience with chiropractic she realized that
her role in life was to help other people and make a difference in their
lives as a chiropractor. During
the past 15 years, Dr. Stone has completed five marathons, more than 30
triathlons and numerous running races crediting regular chiropractic
care for being healthy and injury-free.
The focus of her practice is promoting health and wellness among
children and adults, allowing them to experience optimal health. Dr. Stone
is in private practice in Kennesaw, Georgia. Questions can be addressed to
her at
drpstone@mindspring.com
