Roy Exum: ‘W’ To Inspire At Siskin

  • Wednesday, February 11, 2015
  • Roy Exum
Roy Exum
Roy Exum

One week from today one of the most-spellbinding people to ever come to Chattanooga will speak to a huge throng of people he knows best. W Mitchell – that’s his first name, just the letter “W” – will be the featured speaker at Siskin Hospital’s 12th annual Possibilities luncheon.

There he will tell how in 1971 a laundry truck turned in front of his motorcycle in San Francisco, the resulting fire burning 65 percent of his body and most of his fingers off. Then he’ll tell how in 1975 his airplane went down when the wings iced and he was paralyzed from the waist down. Then he’ll tell that two years later, as the mayor of Crested Butte, he valiantly saved Colorado’s Mount Emmons from becoming a billion-dollar molybdenum mine.

Then he’ll get to the really good stuff. “Before I was paralyzed there were 10,000 things I could do. Now there are 9,000. I can either dwell on the 1,000 I have lost or focus on the 9,000 I have left.” You needn’t guess the direction W Mitchell has taken and he has evermore turned his scars into stars.

That, according to Siskin Hospital president Carol Sim, “is what rehabilitative medicine is all about. We help people look at the other side of the coin, get better, live a full life. Often rehabilitation is hard, and it takes time, but anybody who listens to W Mitchell will believe what we already know – miracles really happen if you’ll help give them a nudge.”

Mitchell’s credo paraphrases the quote from Epictetus: “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react that matters,” and to illustrate his inspiring message will be four people who know firsthand about the magic Siskin Hospital has provided for 25 glorious years.

Included in a stirring presentation will be Dr. Kathryn Primm, a veterinarian from Ooltewah who overcame a traumatic brain injury; Pam KcKenney, the wife of new Unum president Rick McKenney who learned to walk again after paralysis from a spine lesion; and “the Johnson boys” – farmers W.O and Marvin who both suffered strokes but are back to bailing hay and raising cattle on Signal Mountain.

“The hospital was on a rock-solid base when I took over as president last February but it was at last year’s luncheon that my heart really soared,” Ms. Sim said yesterday from Cape Cod where she assured me it will still be snowing as you read this. “I was tremendously honored to follow Bob Main and the story of what he and his team did to bring such brilliance at Siskin is known all over the country.

“We’ve had some other key retirements besides Bob in the past year and the new people we’ve brought in have blended really well with the team we have today. They have also added new insight and fresh ideas. The hospital is really exciting right now. We’ve just converted the entire second floor of the St. Barnabas building into a total rehab floor for sub-acute patients and we have something new and bold going on in every direction,” her enthusiasm was obvious.

Yet when it comes to enthusiasm, few can match W Mitchell. A United States Marine, he was a grip-man on a San Francisco cable-car at the time of his blazing motorcycle crash and he hasn’t slowed down yet. He became a millionaire after he and two friends founded Vermont Castings, which manufactured energy-efficient wood-burning stoves.

Today he has homes in Santa Barbara, CA and Hawaii while his offices are located in Australia and Colorado. Famed as a speaker, he has literally carried his message of overcoming obstacles all over the world. An environmentalist and conservationist, he has testified before Congress numerous times and has written two books. He feels strongly that most limitations are self-imposed.

“Here’s a guy who has been there more than once,” Ms. Sim said. “Rehab isn’t easy but if you have the attitude and the patience, we see the outcome at Siskin every single day. Human beings are resilient but – with the proper therapy and care – the sky’s the limit.

“When I went to last year’s luncheon I was exhilarated for weeks. The stories that we told, the magnificent ‘heroes’ who were there, the community’s spirit … yes, the luncheon is about Siskin but it is also about each of us overcoming obstacles in our path,” the hospital CEO said. “This is our 25th year, which is in itself pretty special, but wait until you meet our special guests. This is what we are about. It’s that simple.”

Zan and Julie Guerry, hardly strangers to philanthropy, are chairing next week’s luncheon and singer Lauren Alaina will make an appearance. Tickets are available through the hospital for $75 each and tables are available by calling Sandy Howell at 423/634-1208. Please note the luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. next Wednesday at the Chattanooga Trade Center. Online registration and donation materials are at www.SiskinRehab.org.

royexum@aol.com

 

 

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