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ROADRUNNERS - OUR YOUNGEST PATIENT!
Our patient’s ages vary from less than a
year to mid-20’s for established patients.
Age 18 is the oldest we accept for new
patients. We have up to date car seats
and booster seats for the standard Honda
vans, and a Chrysler wheelchair van, for
patients confined to wheelchairs that can
be manual or electric. The wheelchair
van is equipped with an automatic sliding
side door, when open, an automatic ramp
will fold out. Both the door and ramp can
be opened manually if a problem occurs.
Once the wheelchair is in the van, straps
from each corner of van can be connected
to securely clamp the chair in place.
On the 1st Friday in October, while
driving to Somerset, for a wedding, I
received a call from Sam H., with a lot
of information. My hands free phone is
connected to my car and I said, Sam hold
on a minuet until my wife gets a paper to
write this all down. Sam was excited that
he was able to get an appointment for his
son Ervin, with Dr. Dede at Shriners
Hospital in Erie, on Tuesday 10/09, and
he needed a ride. Sam is Amish and lives
south of I-80 in Mercer County. I told
Sam I usually need more time, but I
would try to get drivers.
His son Ervin is a new patient and they
have never been to Shriners. He was
recommended by Dan B., who Sam works
for, and Dan’s son is a Shriner patient. For 3-week old patient that has a club foot,
a new patient I need a lot of information,
to build a patient file for Ervin. I told
Sam to go slow so my wife can write this
all down. I need the patients 1st, middle
initial, and last name, parents’ names,
D.O.B., address, phone, or an emergency
number. What hospital location, and type
of van needed?
I had Sam repeat the D.O.B., 09/19/18-
- 09/19/18. Ervin was not even 3 weeks
old. I said, “Wow, he will be our youngest
patient” I will call you back on this work
phone Monday with the pickup time for
the appointment.
The Voice of Syria December 2018
by Al Douglas
I had to make only one roadrunner call, checked, and re-casted. Children grow
Max Smith agreed to go with me, we meet very fast the 1st couple of months. Max &
at 7:00am, pickup Sam, Ada, and I will take them back next Monday, they
Ervin, at 8:00am for their 10:00am only schedule one week in advance. We are
appointment in Erie.
When we arrived at their home on
Byler rd. they were all ready and waiting,
with their car seat, Sam and I struggled to
install, but a strap was missing and it could
not be used. For about another 10 minutes
we struggled with our child seat, the main
belt had to be rerouted through a different
set of holes, so the seat is facing the rear
of van. The baby fussed a little while we
fought with the seat, but once we were all Ed O'Brien, Joe Pauline and Max
in the van there was not a peep out of him. Smith waiting for patients Mose &
After we arrived at Erie hospital we met Mary B. and Ervin H. at Shriners Erie.
2 other Roadrunners from Syria in the
cafeteria. Ed O’Brien and 1st Roadrunner
trip, for a new Shriner Joe Pauline. Joe has
only been a Shriner for 2 months. Joe and
Max received new picture ID’s for Shriners
Erie Hospital.
Ed and Joe were transporting 2 wheel-
chair brother and sister patients, Mose &
Mary B. I am not sure how Ed got them all
strapped into the van and also had to haul Syria vans waiting for patients at
back several cases of supplements for the Shriners Hospital Erie, under a
children. California blue sky! No pictures of the
While waiting Mary Jane Anton, the kids; against Amish religion.
Hospital Administrator came by and I going to try to get the same day for trans-
introduced her to all. I told her about our portation scheduling.Every week will be
scheduled for the next 2 months, but now
Erie specializes in correcting this problem, we don’t know what day!
and she said they like to start at early age Sam & Ada moved to Pa. 7 years ago,
to correct this problem. He will probably they used to live in northern New York.
get a cast put on that foot. They also had 3 They have a nice big white home, near the
other patients receiving the same treatment top of a hill overlooking their 7 acres. Sam
that morning. works in construction, he is not a farmer
By 11:45am all 3 patients were ready to but they do have a big garden. Ada has a
go, we waited so they all could have lunch full time job taking care of that house,
and both vans headed home. raising 3 other children, along with Ervin,
Sam & Ada told us that indeed Ervin Amish have no electric or plumbing.
had a cast put on his foot and every week Everything is done by hand and this time
for the next 2 months he will have to return of year she does a lot of canning. They
to Shriners to have the cast, removed, foot
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